Buzzed-about Bar Spero has closed in D.C.

Bar Spero has abruptly closed near downtown D.C. after two years in business.

The big picture: Chef Johnny Spero's live-fire Basque spot earned best new restaurant awards from Bon Appétit and Esquire , and opened with Michelin-level ambition similar to sister restaurant Reverie .

What they're saying: "Financially I just couldn't make it work anymore," Spero tells Axios.

Zoom in: In a video posted to Instagram, Spero detailed some of the stresses on the business, which signed its lease at the Capitol Crossing development (home to L'Ardente and Love, Makoto ) in 2021.

• Spero cites the pandemic drop-off in downtown dining traffic and an unusually slow summer that "took the wind out of our sails." The team experimented with a $65 prix-fixe menu and brunch.
• "We were at a loss as to how to move forward," Spero said.

Between the lines: Spero continues to operate Georgetown tasting room Reverie, which reopened this year after a devastating fire.

The bottom line: "More than anything I'm embarrassed and upset that we disappointed anybody," Spero said in the video. "It's a special place and maybe we'll see it come back in some form or another."