A Southern Village staple of the last five years announced its final week of operations on Monday.

Market and Moss — a restaurant in the Chapel Hill neighborhood — shared on social media and its website that it will be permanently closing. Its last day of service will be Friday, June 20, with the bar offering specials and the restaurant holding its previously-planned three-course Dinner & The Symphony alongside the North Carolina Symphony’s annual free concert on the Southern Village green.

“This community has given us so much and we are deeply grateful to have felt a part of so many lives,” said the message, as it thanked people for their patronage. “Everywhere we look in this space we are filled with memories of shared meals, laughter, stories, and celebrations. There were first dates, engagement toasts, and dinners to share the news of a first child on the way. Birthday and retirement parties, new friendships made over a drink at the bar, milestones reached and made better because they were celebrated with a special moment and those you love.”

Owned by hospitality entrepreneur Annie Johnston, Market and Moss opened in 2020 after taking over the Pazzo Trattoria and Pizzeria space at 700 Market Street — as Johnston envisioned creating a restaurant that offered seasonal meals with fresh ingredients in an elevated setting. It materialized as a critical hit, winning several “Best of Chapel Hill” awards through the Chapel Hill Magazine, including Best Overall Restaurant in 2023. The business opened up just a few doors down from La Vita Dolce, a coffee and gelato shop that Johnston acquired in 2015. Johnston confirmed to Chapelboro that La Vita Dolce is continuing its normal operations as a second business, and she looking forward to having more time to dedicate to the shop.

Monday’s announcement marks a second planned restaurant closure this upcoming weekend. The fusion restaurant Elements in Chapel Hill’s East 54 development shared last week it would be closing after more than a decade, with its last day on Saturday, June 21.

With it being the final week of service, Market and Moss said any patrons planning on visiting are recommended to make reservations.

 

Featured photo via Rebecca Ames Photography/Cat French Design.

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