Another business has closed its location in downtown Orlando, joining at least a dozen other businesses that have closed in the area dating back to last year.
Less than three years after it first opened in 2020, Neon Beach has permanently closed its location at 131 N Orange Avenue in downtown.
Despite only closing in the last several weeks, the prime location along Orange Avenue has already drawn a new tenant in Schmankerl Stub’n, a German scratch kitchen. Created by the founder of Dan’s Bavarian Takeout, which operates out of the Dollins Food Hall, the new restaurant will serve classic and modern German dishes.
Neon Beach is one of at least a dozen businesses to close its doors in downtown Orlando over the past year and a half.
That includes businesses like Ace Cafe, which closed its doors on May 28 after over six years in operation.
In April, Harry Buffalo and Le Gourmet Break officially closed down their downtown Orlando locations. Both businesses were in operation for over ten years at their respective locations.
In March, Walgreens closed its downtown Orlando location at 190 S Orange Avenue. That location had opened in 2016.
Last summer, Lizzy McCormack’s closed its bar after 18 years on Orange Avenue, Latitudes closed its doors after more than 23 years on Church Street, and Finnhenry’s, which operated for more than a dozen years on Orange Avenue, was replaced by Parlay. Similarly, Barbarella closed its doors last February after a 37-year run at its downtown Orlando location.
Earth Fare was forced to close its sole grocery store location near downtown Orlando just over a year after it reopened from a previous closure.
Last spring, Mad Cow Theatre was forced to closed up shop at its space across from 55 West for non-payment.
As old businesses close, new restaurants, cafes, and bars have been taking up the mantle and opening locations downtown. That includes Stemma Craft Coffee, Double O’s Coffee, and City Arts Café, which all opened coffee shops in the past year. It also includes Tacos My Guey, Taco Kat, and Solita, which all opened new taco restaurants within a few blocks of each other. Birria1983 will soon join that list, with a planned expansion into the former location of Graffiti Junktion on Church Street.
At the same time, multiple new bars have celebrated grand openings as well, including Parlay, Bellhop, High Tide, High-T, Fixtion, Game Room and Social Club, Pups Pub and Proper. All of those businesses opened downtown locations in the past year.