Nick’s announces permanent closure

After announcing a temporary suspension of operations last month, Nick’s Italian Café owners on Monday posted to Facebook that the restaurant is closed permanently.

“We would like to give a special thank you to our patrons and the community of McMinnville for supporting us,” they wrote. “Unfortunately, we have to close the doors for good due to the high repair costs. We loved serving you.”

The restaurant posted last month it was closing following a report indicating “a significant safety hazard due to our hood vent being non-compliant and requiring immediate replacement.”

Chef Thomas Ghinazzi, Aaron Nieman and Scott Baldwin purchased the restaurant from the Peirano family in March 2024 and reopened it in July of that year. The team formerly operated Earth & Sea in Carlton, which closed at the end of 2024.

Rob Stephenson and Chris Thomas, spokesmen for the building owners group, said they are actively looking for a new, quality restaurant tenant to fill what they called one of the valley’s best restaurant locations.

“We want to find the best fit for the community,” Thomas said.