Balentine's Restaurant Has Closed in Lafayette Square

There is again a huge hole in the heart of Lafayette Square.

Balentine's, the world cafe-turned-sports bar that filled the 5,400-square-foot space on Park Avenue just west of Square One Brewery, closed this weekend after just eight months in operation.

Owner Pierre Balentine, a first-time restaurateur, opened with a concept that reflected his three decades of travel with the military — 21 years in the Army followed by ten years servicing military bases — an eatery that served food from all over the world, from an Italian panzanella to "German nachos." Three months later, he switched to a classic sports bar menu. But neither concept drew big enough crowds to fill the restaurant's sizable footprint.

Before Balentine opened on site, the space held a Belgian brewery called Tripel. That eatery lasted just one year before closing in June 2014. The space sat empty for more than a year before Balentine's opening.

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