Pane Caldo Shutters; Will Relocate in the Area "Soon"

Well this is a late afternoon surprise. Eater just got a tip that romantic Gold Coast Italian restaurant Pane Caldo has closed. But the good news is that they will be "relocating soon, in the Gold Coast," according to a message on the restaurant's website. The note also thanks customers for many years of patronage and asks that people visit their West Loop sister restaurant, Alimentari (621 W. Randolph)

There's no word on the reason why and a call to the restaurant got disconnected and the windows are now papered up. It's possible that the restaurant, set among fashionable shops on Walton Street, was hit with a rent increase. That is just a guess, but with the space now open, that leaves a prime spot for another quality restaurant to enter the market to give the ladies who lunch another good option over there.