A Cedar Rapids Italian Restaurant Has Closed One of Its Locations

After around 40 years in business, an Italian restaurant near Downtown Cedar Rapids has closed its doors.

On June 11th, Via Sofia's made a surprising announcement on Facebook. The restaurant revealed that one of their three locations in Eastern Iowa will no longer be welcoming customers. That would be the location at 1125 1st Ave SE in Cedar Rapids. The post reads:

"We have made the tough choice to bid farewell to our First Avenue location. Cedar Rapids, your enduring support means the world to us."

The comments of the post reveal that the restaurant closure was immediate, so customers will not be able to stop by one final time.

There is some good news, though. There are still two other Via Sofia's locations in Eastern Iowa: one in Cedar Falls, and another in Cedar Rapids. The official Facebook announcement from Via Sofia's reads:

"Swing by our freshly renovated location at 5411 Center Point Rd NE, where we pledge to continue serving the same delightful Italian cuisine you adore. Your unwavering support is priceless, and we are thrilled to build more fantastic moments together. We can't wait to welcome you at 5411 Center Point Rd NE soon!"

The First Avenue Via Sofia's opened its doors back in 1984, but was originally known as Zio Johno's. According to the website, founder John Khairallah's goal has always been to "serve fresh, Italian food, fast and affordably." The menu at Via Sofia's offers a variety of pasta dishes, lasagna, salad, pizza, fried appetizers, and sandwiches, as well as their signature fresh bread. And, if you have a family to feed, you can order pasta by the bucket! You can place an order in-store or online for both pick-up and delivery. For more information, check out the official website HERE.