Luga's and EU Bar Street Among This Year's Biggest Xmas Closures

While many of us were wrapping presents and stuffing the turkey this Christmas, others had much less holiday cheer, preparing instead to close up shop.

The biggest closure was Luga's Villa in Sanlitun (pictured above), who announced via WeChat on Christmas Eve that Christmas Day would be their final day in business. The official reason? "Government issues," which sounds eerily familiar to the cause of the area's other biggest closure as of late: The Bookworm. 

At nearly 12 years old, Luga's was one of the last remaining restaurants of Sanlitun's old vanguard on the now not so dirty Dirty Bar Street, and is survived by the likes of First Floor, and Jazz Ya tucked away in the alley across from Taikooli. The sprawling, three-story venue was popular for its weekday deals on Western pub fare and its two large street-facing terraces, perfect for lazy summer evenings. Luckily, fans of the venue will be able to drop by Luga's Dongzhimen outlet, which opened this spring.