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  • Dish Bar & Grill in Hartford will close after 13...

    Mark Mirko / Hartford Courant

    Dish Bar & Grill in Hartford will close after 13 years downtown.

  • Dish Bar & Grill in Hartford will close after 13...

    Mark Mirko / Hartford Courant

    Dish Bar & Grill in Hartford will close after 13 years downtown.

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Dish Bar & Grill in Hartford will close permanently, co-owner Bill Carbone said Wednesday. The restaurant at 900 Main St. has been closed since the COVID-19 pandemic initially shuttered Connecticut restaurants in March.

“Without outdoor dining, with the size of the space, and with very little corporate business downtown at this point in time, without an exact timetable of return, it just doesn’t make sense” to stay open, he said. “We’ve come to an agreement with our landlord.”

Carbone said they made the official decision to close Dish as large Connecticut employers like Aetna and The Hartford announced that workers would stay home through the end of the year. Dish also does a lot of bar business, which wouldn’t be feasible with Phase 3 of Connecticut’s reopening also on hold, he said.

Sorella, the owners’ Italian restaurant across the street, remains open, Carbone said, with a model better geared for takeout and expanded outdoor dining available on Pratt Street. Dish Restaurant Group’s other restaurants, Tavern at Keney Park in Windsor and Dish n’ Dat in Canton, are also open.

Dish, which debuted in downtown Hartford in 2007, had earned raves for its sleek industrial look, an upscale bar and modern twists on comfort food, like short rib meatloaf, lobster pot pie and classic steaks and seafood.

Leeanne Griffin can be reached at lgriffin@courant.com.