La Macchina Café, located at 1620 Orrington Ave., has permanently closed its doors, Evanston’s economic development manager Paul Zalmezak confirmed to The Daily on Wednesday.

The restaurant, which was sold to new owners at the end of last October, was initially founded in 2013. Original founder Marco Ferrarini told The Daily in November his decision to sell was based on his hopes to return to his field of employment before he opened the restaurant — engineering.

Co-owners Andrea Sappia and Emanuele Bianchi purchased the restaurant from Ferrarini and told The Daily in November that they planned to continue to build a community around the restaurant. Aside from serving food, La Macchina also hosted late night parties and events. The restaurant also showcased musicians in weekly music series like Romantic Music Thursdays.

The closure means La Macchina joins the ranks of the nearly 70 Evanston businesses to close this year, 40 of which were related to the pandemic. Most recently, Unicorn Cafe, a downtown Evanston staple, also announced its closure.

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