Beloved Stonington Restaurant Closing After More Than 32 Years

STONINGTON, CT — A longtime Stonington restaurant is closing after more than three decades in business.

Water Street Cafe, located at 143 Water St., will close permanently after service on Saturday, Nov. 7, according to a Facebook announcement from Stephanie Hayes-Houlihan and Chef Walter Houlihan.

The restaurant opened April 14, 1994, and has become a fixture of the borough's dining scene.

"The time has come for Water Street Cafe to say farewell, however bittersweet," the owners wrote.

"We've made the most amazing friends of whom we share many fond memories and will talk about for years to come."

The restaurant is known for its seafood, oyster bar and menu featuring French, Asian and American influences. Signature dishes include lobster spring rolls, duck and scallops, and escargot pot pie, according to its website.

The Houlihans brought their restaurant experience from New York City to Stonington in 1994. Walter Houlihan previously worked as a chef at the United Nations Plaza Hotel, where the couple met.

The restaurant has operated at several locations in Stonington Borough. It temporarily relocated to the Harbor View Restaurant in 1997, but a fire destroyed that building just months later. The business eventually moved to its current location in 2002, according to the restaurant's history.

The owners did not give a reason for the closure in their announcement.

Customers holding gift certificates are encouraged to redeem them before the restaurant closes.

"Thank you so much for contributing as you have to the success and camaraderie we share at Water Street Cafe," the owners wrote. "You made it the special place it has become and we are forever grateful."

The post garnered more than 380 reactions and 120 comments.

"You created a beautiful restaurant for so many years with amazing food, drink and service," one commenter wrote. "A true staple of our Community."