Wolftrap Cafe Quietly Closes Its Doors

For more than 30 years, was an iconic part of the shopping center at Route 123 and East Street, a casual restaurant that attracted both families and old regulars for takeout or a meal in one of its wooden booths.

But the deli, which has been in the same spot off Maple Avenue since 1979, closed suddenly this month, leaving longtime customers with few clues about what made the family-friendly restaurant close without fanfare, or, much of a trace at all.

The restaurant's phone number is not in service; its website has been disconnected. A single sheet of white paper reads "sorry, we're closed" on the door to the now-empty deli counter that anchored the restaurant's front lobby. What was once a gathering place for customers placing orders, talking scores or reading the newspaper is now cleared of meats, cheeses, desserts and potato salad, cardboard boxes and cleaning equipment left in their place.

Cafe owners have not returned Patch requests for more information about why the restaurant has closed.

The cafe, which maintained a strong base of regulars, served breakfast, lunch and dinner — in later years, to adults who once bounded through the doors as children.

It was popular for its beer on tap, half priced burger nights and Reuben sandwiches; its pan-seared trout in Vienna Patch's Eating Across Vienna readers poll.

In an email to Patch, one customer, who had been eating there for more than 10 years, said staff told him one Saturday night it would be their final night for business — they were closing for good, they said.

"[It was a] Vienna icon for decades!" he wrote.

Patch will update this story as more information becomes available.

This story has been updated.