Summertime blues: 4 more Valley restaurants call it quits

🚫 August is shaping up to be the worst month for restaurant closures in Valley history, and it’s not particularly close. The big driver is Salad and Go, which filed for bankruptcy and has been shuttering roughly 70 locations across the Valley. Add in high-profile closures like Old Town Tortilla Factory and Sel Bistro in Old Town Scottsdale, and you’ve got a genuinely brutal stretch for local dining.

The bad news keeps coming. Here are four more spots that have closed their doors.

d’Lite Healthy On The Go

After 10 years in business, d’Lite Healthy On The Go has closed its location at Shea and Scottsdale roads in Scottsdale. A farewell sign posted at the shuttered restaurant cites rising lease costs as the reason for the closure, and thanks customers for a decade of loyalty. The company says it’s on the hunt for a new nearby spot and is asking fans to follow its social media for updates.

The menu leaned into the ‘‘healthy fast food’’ niche: made-to-order wraps, sandwiches, burgers, poke-style bowls, salads and soups, plus bagels and bialys, all with vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free and keto options. The beverage bar was just as big a draw, with protein shakes, smoothies (including the fan-favorite Breakfast Buzz), pressed juices, kombucha, and hot and iced coffee and tea.

Low Key Piano Bar

After more than 12 years on Tempe’s Mill Avenue, Low Key Piano Bar played its final song this month. The dueling-piano staple announced the closure on Aug. 5, with owners pointing to rising rent and declining sales. The news brought out a massive crowd for what was supposed to be the final weekend, and the bar ended up staying open an extra night so patrons could get in one last song request. It’s the latest sign of the ongoing turnover hitting downtown Tempe’s bar and restaurant scene.

Low Key wasn’t really about food – it was a dueling-piano concept built around drinks and a full night of sing-along requests, with cocktails, beer and bar bites keeping the crowd fueled between choruses.

Ahipoki Bowl

Ahipoki Bowl has closed its west Chandler location on 54th Street, just south of Ray Road. The poke spot had been open since 2016.

The build-your-own concept let customers pick a base of white or brown rice, greens or kelp noodles, then load up on sushi-grade ahi tuna, salmon, yellowtail and other proteins with house-made sauces and toppings. The menu also included grilled options like teriyaki chicken and salmon bowls, plus Hawaiian sides like Spam musubi and grilled unagi.

Ziggi’s Coffee

Ziggi’s Coffee has closed its store at Arizona Avenue and Ocotillo Road in south Chandler, another casualty in a month that’s seen an unusually high number of Valley restaurants and cafes go dark.

The Colorado-based drive-thru chain built its menu around handcrafted espresso drinks, lattes and cold brew alongside dirty sodas, energy infusions, chai and smoothies, with more than 30 flavor add-ins available. Food-wise, it paired those drinks with breakfast burritos, paninis and baked goods like cinnamon rolls and muffins.