Zoba Noodle Bar permanently closed its doors Friday.

The restaurant, located at 1565 Sherman Ave., specialized in Thai cuisine and noodle bowls, and was a frequent participant in Northwestern’s Big Bite Night.

Downtown Evanston executive director Annie Coakley said she was surprised to see the restaurant close.   

“I’d speculate that they were underperforming; that’s typically why we’d lose a tenant downtown,” Coakley said. “I believe the landlord was trying to work with them, but even after offering some kind of discount, they still weren’t able to stay open.”

The restaurant was one of the first restaurants to work with Wildcat Express Delivery, an online food delivery service started by Northwestern Student Holdings.

The 1900-square-foot location Zoba occupied sits between Pete Miller’s Seafood & Prime Steak and Ergo Salon & Spa. Coakley said several businesses have shown interest in moving into Evanston, and the location is perfect for those looking to start a business downtown.

“I would venture to say it would most likely become another restaurant because it has a kitchen,” Coakley said. “Restaurants are sort of the driving force now.”

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