Park Tavern, the Atlantic Avenue mainstay known for its happy hour crowds, Sunday brunch and espresso martinis, is closing its doors after 15 years in downtown Delray Beach. The restaurant announced the news on Facebook and Instagram, telling followers to come by for one last bite before the lights go out.
According to Boca Raton Magazine, Park Tavern wrote in its social media post that, “As we prepare to close our doors, we're raising a glass to the guests, team members and community who made Park Tavern what it is. Join us for one last bite.” The Delray Beach community forum has circulated word that the restaurant's final dinner service is scheduled for October 18.
Online, longtime patrons have been mourning the loss of the restaurant's happy hour, Sunday brunch and espresso martinis, while others pointed to a familiar culprit: rising commercial rents squeezing out downtown businesses. Park Tavern, at 33 SE 2nd Avenue, took over the former Carlos & Pepe's space with an interior styled by Modern Restaurant Group co-founder Brandon Belluscio and a menu inspired by New York's Gramercy Tavern, according to Modern Restaurant Group. The venue was founded by business partners Belluscio, Brian Albe and Chef Anthony Pizzo, and it occupies ground-floor retail space inside Worthing Place, a six-story mixed-use building completed in 2010 with 217 residential apartments, per Revere.
A Pattern of Atlantic Avenue Closures
Park Tavern is now the fourth restaurant on Atlantic Avenue to close in 2026, joining True Vegan, Lefkes Estiatorio and Cut 432. True Vegan shut its Atlantic Avenue location in May after less than two years. Lefkes Estiatorio closed abruptly in May due to operational and financial difficulties, just over a year and a half after opening in August 2024.
Cut 432, Modern Restaurant Group's flagship steakhouse at 432 East Atlantic Avenue, closed at the end of April after about 16 years in business, with staff attributing the closure to escalating commercial lease rates. That detail, reported by The Coastal Star, suggests Park Tavern's shutdown is part of a broader exit strategy for the hospitality group. Cut 432 opened in 2010.
Modern Restaurant Group's Narrowing Footprint
With Cut 432 and Park Tavern both gone, Modern Restaurant Group is down to a single surviving concept: El Camino, a taqueria and tequila bar that debuted in Delray Beach in late 2013. El Camino has since grown into a four-location regional chain, with locations in Delray Beach, Fort Lauderdale, West Palm Beach and Boca Raton.
Rising Costs Reshape Downtown Delray
Park Tavern's exit fits into a wider story of financial strain along Atlantic Avenue. The Blue Anchor British Pub spiraled into bankruptcy in April after an eviction lawsuit over nearly $70,000 in alleged unpaid rent.
Meanwhile, new competition is arriving with deep pockets. The seven-acre Sundy Village development at Atlantic and Swinton avenues has delivered 30,000 square feet of retail and dining space since 2025, bringing in out-of-town names like Philadelphia's Double Knot, Barcelona Wine Bar and Van Leeuwen Ice Cream. As Hoodline previously reported in its coverage of the incoming Sundy Village lineup, the project's Class A+ office space and 268 underground public parking spaces are reshaping the competitive landscape for legacy restaurants trying to hang on along the avenue.
