Just as it was being celebrated for its excellence by the prestigious James Beard Foundation, Capitol Hill’s Cafe Suliman has suddenly closed amid reports of financial issues and employees going unpaid.
Ownership around the cafe and its Melrose Market sibling Cantina Sauvage have not announced the shutdown or publicly addressed issues including text messages provided to CHS that describe long-term financial issues around Ahmed Suliman’s cafe that have left employees in the lurch.
Suliman has not responded to multiple inquiries from CHS. Cantina Sauvage’s Marc Papineau, who partnered with Suliman to open the cafe and a natural wine shop inside Melrose Market, has also not responded to the issues.
According to the unconfirmed text messages, there are efforts but no set plan for reopening in the space to address some of the financial shortfall.
A post on the closure on Reddit showed a sign at the closed cafe over the weekend: “Closed today and forever until workers are paid what they are owed!!! Signed, The Workers :)”
If the recent closure is permanent, Melrose Market will have another gap to fill. CHS reported here on the plans for Rain Shadow Meats to leave the market by the end of the year after it was unable to reach agreement on a new lease.
Opened in 2023 in the Melrose Market complex, Cafe Suliman was nominated this year for a James Beard Award for Suliman’s work as an “emerging chef.”
In March, Suliman told CHS he has been preparing to open cocktail joint Shib Shib, Arabic for “flip flops,” in an International District alleyway off Maynard Ave.
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