LOUISVILLE, Ky. — A beloved Louisville restaurant is closed indefinitely after a heartbreaking fire last week.
Enso was closed Saturday, Oct. 19 and Sunday, Oct. 20, and are now unfortunately extending the closure for even longer.
According to an Enso social media post, everyone made it out safely during the fire.
"We are heartbroken to share that Enso experienced a fire, resulting in our extended closure," the post said. "Thankfully, everyone made it out safely, and we are immensely grateful to the Louisville Fire Department for their swift response."
According to neighbors, the fire happened Friday evening.
"I mean people were all confused," said Ajdin Sabic, who walked past people that had evacuated from the building. "We walked past to go to the bar here and we saw all the fire trucks, ambulances and all kinds of things. And they told us there was a fire at Enso."
Sabic saw smoke in the air, but never saw flames. It's unfortunate to see this happen to an area he frequents.
"I love this area," said Sabic. "Enso has great food. The workers there and the staff, they're really nice."
Manager and bartender at Hilltop Tavern Robert Spillman came into work early Friday evening. He didn't notice anything unusual at first, but after he clocked in, he noticed the six or seven fire trucks lining Pope Steet.
He also noticed Louisville rap star Jack Harlow leaving the restaurant.
"I was like, 'Oh, is that who that was?'," said Spillman. "Because everybody else was freaking out."
He said he heard Harlow joke and say, 'I hope my wings didn't catch the kitchen on fire.'
Spillman said the fire was at the back of the building and firefighters had to cut through the metal side wall to get to the wood on fire. The damage has left structural damage that Spillman hopes will only take the restaurant a month to get fixed and checked through codes.
"Just closing for a week as a restaurant hurts," said Spillman. "You've got rent for your building, if you don't own it. You're losing profits already, still have all your other bills in overhead before even getting to catching back up. Or if you're closed for an extended period of time, and you have a bunch of food, depending on what it is, especially fresh food like [Enso has], that's going to go into loss. So yeah, it's going to hurt, but I think they're going to be able to come back just fine. They're a pretty great place. "
Spillman said it's tough to watch a business go through this, especially when they're friends. He's known the chef at Enso for a decade, and they would often help each other out.
"Their staff comes in pretty regularly [to Hilltop Tavern]," said Spillman. "They get a little bit of food after their shift and hang out."
Spillman said he plans to offer shifts to Enso workers when they become available.
Enso first opened its doors on Frankfort Avenue less than a year ago in October 2023. The restaurant combines food from Japan and the American South.
Enso was ranked the 15th-best new Southern restaurant in the U.S. this year, according to Yelp.
It's unclear when the fusion restaurant will reopen.
"While we don’t know how long we’ll be closed, we want to express our deep appreciation for the overwhelming support from our community during this challenging time," Enso's owner said on Facebook.
Despite the financial loss, Enso seemed confident they will be able to bounce back.
"With the strength of our amazing staff and this incredible community, we will rise from this stronger than ever," the post said. "Thank you for being part of our journey—we look forward to serving you again soon!"