37 Year Old Jerusalem’s Restaurant Will Close in August

Its evidenced by the dining room decor that Jerusalem has been well loved. Countless meals have been shared in the room surrounded by drapes of fabric and tapestries. Unfortunately, there are just a few months left for fans to visit this long-standing restaurant on Nicollet’s Eat Street, just outside of downtown Minneapolis. City Pages reports that the lease has been lost to development and Jerusalem will close at the end of August.

Saleh Azem first bought the restaurant from his friend, original owner Ishmael Mubarak who had opened Jerusalem in St. Paul in 1980. Two years later, the eatery moved to its current location at 1518 Nicollet Avenue.

Jerusalem’s landlord has sold the property to Dominium Apartments, a company whose condos are springing up all over town. Plans for the building are mixed use, so there is some hope that there might be room for a restaurant on the first floor. That is what Azem, his City Council Member Lisa Goodman and the area’s Citizens for a Loring Park Community are also are working towards.

Still, nothing is certain except that this is the last summer to dine within these distinctive walls of this piece of living Minneapolis restaurant history.

• Jerusalem’s Owner Faces the Loss of His Restaurant [CP]
• Where to Eat on Eat Street [ETC]
• All Jerusalem’s Coverage [ETC]