Brasserie Montmartre to Shutter April 30

At the end of the month, Brasserie Montmartre will close its doors for good — for the third time.

It originally opened in 1978 and enjoyed a nearly three-decade run as a downtown institution and jazz club (with roving magicians no less) before closing in 2006. Longtime Portland residents, nostalgic for the black and white checkered floor and cartoon drawings on the wall, were thrilled when new owners revived it in the fall of 2009. Matt Maletis, scion of the local family that owns Maletis Beverage distributor, invested nearly $1 million and promised to bring back the music and late night hours. It only lasted a year and a half. Then French chef Pascal Chureau gave it a go, buying the Brasserie in spring of 2011 along with Carl Coffman, who owns the building. With Chureau at the helm, the Brasserie got good marks for solid, classic, French brasserie fare, including flights of frites fried in a range of fats.

But Chureau sold his interest in the fall of 2012, and the menu lost most of its French footing and wandered into Mediterranean-ish territory. According to Yelp reviews, they even brought back the roving tableside magicians. But it looks like the nostalgia card can only be played once.

Willamette Week first reported the closure, and Eater has confirmed the restaurant's last day will be April 30. We're still waiting for a comment and any details on future plans for the space. We'll update this post when we get them.