Fado Irish Pub in Mary Brickell Village Abruptly Closes

Weeks after hosting a monthlong Christmas-themed pop-up bar, Fado Irish Pub, a neighborhood watering hole in Mary Brickell Village, has abruptly closed.

The news was announced January 8 on the company's Facebook page. "We had a great run in Brickell," the post stated. "It’s with a heavy heart that we close our doors, but it’s time to move."

Known for hosting themed bar crawls and large block parties for drinking-heavy holidays such as St. Patrick's Day and Cinco de Mayo, Fado Irish Pub has been a fixture in downtown Miami nightlife since 2011. The nationwide chain, which still operates locations around the country, including Atlanta, Chicago, and Philadelphia, served traditional Irish bar fare and a large selection of drinks to Miami locals and visitors. The space also included multiple rooms, including an outdoor deck, for drinking and socializing.

According to Ellen Peacock, Fado Irish Pub's senior marketing manager, a number of factors contributed to the bar's closure.

"The biggest for us was the changing landscape of the food and beverage market in Miami and especially in Mary Brickell Village," she wrote in an email. "For the past four to five years, we've been surrounded by significant construction; most recently our own center has undergone significant renovation. All that disruption, including changes to traffic patterns, loss of parking, and traffic congestion over a prolonged period of time, really reduced traffic in Mary Brickell Village and [ultimately affected] our sales."

Prior to the construction, Fado's business was "very healthy," she noted.

"Miami really took to the concept," she said. "I was just looking at our Facebook wall, and the reaction to our closing from customers really demonstrates that."

Asked about opening in a different Miami neighborhood, Peacock said there are no foreseeable plans.

"Our team in Miami is fantastic," she said. "We have very loyal customers, especially our soccer supporters, which made the decision to close so much harder. We currently don't have plans to open in a new location, but we aren't opposed to it if we can find the right one."