730 South Closes After 18 Years on South University

The Bonnie Brae neighborhood is slow to change, with homes, shops and restaurants stuck in the slow sap of time — especially when compared to other parts of town that are transforming before our eyes. But occasionally a light winks out (or a new one comes on) in the block along South University Boulevard between Ohio and Exposition avenues. That was the case at 730 South, which closed after brunch service on September 24 after eighteen years in business.

730 South opened in 1999 in a space that had previously been Pour La France; in 2006, restaurateur Larry Herz, who was the original owner of Carmine's on Penn, bought the place from original owners Scott Holtzer and Ron Girardi. The neighborhood American grill caught the attention of Westword back in 2000, earning an award for Best Calamari for the thick strips of breaded squid (which seem to be popping up on more and more menus these days) that differed from the standard rings found at nearly every other bar in town.

Herz cites "rising expenses, declining revenues and not being home with my family" as the primary factors in his decision to close the restaurant.

Elsewhere on the strip, time seems to have stopped altogether. The Bonnie Brae Tavern just down the street hasn't changed much since opening in 1934, and across University Boulevard, the Saucy Noodle is past the half-century mark. But the Campus Lounge, which closed last November, is shaping up to reopen this fall under new owners Dan Landes (who also owns City, O' City) and Charlie Woolley, with a new interior and a modernized menu, offering something new for residents of the surrounding Washington Park and Belcaro neighborhoods.