Eight months after relaunching with a new head chef, The Tilted Row has shut its doors.

“We gave it our best,” said owner Ziad Maalouf.

He brought the Bolton Hill bistro to life in 2019 with a vast whiskey selection and menu that included Mediterranean and New American offerings.

But the McMechen Street eatery struggled to find its footing in the aftermath of the pandemic. In 2024, Maalouf, who also owns Cafe Fili in Mount Vernon, announced a rebrand in partnership with friend and chef Jacques Van Staden that he hoped would bring back diners.

The duo had hired head chef and Baltimore native Derrick Reed to oversee day-to-day operations, and the restaurant reopened last August with a new, Southern-focused menu. “It’s definitely a disappointing outcome‚" said Reed, who announced the closure in an Instagram story.

Reed said he and other employees had previously been told the restaurant was selling to a new owner; instead, he came in Tuesday to find out that The Tilted Row was shutting down completely and he and his coworkers were out of a job. Maalouf said the restaurant is being sold to a new operator but will get an entirely new name and menu. But he declined to offer specifics, saying details are still being finalized.

Moving forward, Maalouf said he intends to focus his energies on Cafe Fili, which has a branch in D.C. as well.

“My effort has to go to what’s working,” he said.