Family shutters popular eatery in South End

Garden of Eden closes, Lionette's Market to move

The owners of the Garden of Eden cafe, which served meals made from New England-produced food such as pheasant hen (above), owed the state $200,000 in meals taxes.

The Garden of Eden, which served meals made from New England-produced food and was a South End social center, closed its doors this week after 12 years in business.

Jamey Lionette, the 33-year-old son of Mary and Robert Lionette, the owners of Garden of Eden, confirmed yesterday that his parents' cafe closed around 4 p.m. Sunday, a victim of changing South End tastes and declining cafe sales.

"It's gone. It's no longer in existence," he said, adding, "There were less and less customers."

Jamey Lionette, who owns the nearby Lionette's Market, said the market will remain open.

He and his brother, Robert, recently held a capital-raising campaign to try to save Garden of Eden. They had hoped to use the money to expand the market into the cafe's space, while keeping some of Garden of Eden's tables. But he said they could not negotiate an affordable rent, and he is now looking to relocate and expand the market in a new location.

"It'll still be in the South End," he said.

Garden of Eden was a South End institution. Residents used to crowd into the small cafe morning, noon, and night to socialize and eat a breakfast of local, fresh eggs with homemade bacon or grab one of its signature sandwiches named after South End streets or a hamburger made from grass-fed cattle.

South End residents and workers were surprised to see the sign on the door announcing the cafe's closing.

"They were always busy" at lunch, said John Fitzpatrick, a waiter at Aquitaine, a French bistro on Tremont Street, a few doors down from the market and cafe. "I'd look next door and I'd see a full house," he said.

Mary and Robert Lionette also owed $200,000 in back meal taxes, the Globe reported recently. Lionette said his parents had discussed a settlement with the state's Department of Revenue but he did not know the outcome. The Revenue Department did not return a call for comment.

The back taxes "didn't play a role in the restaurant" closing, he said.

Expensive restaurants like Aquitaine were providing stiff competition for Garden of Eden, which the family opened to provide locally produced food at reasonable prices, Lionette said.

Indeed, the South End's chic factor has surged in recent years, as more high-end restaurants and condominiums have opened. The median price for a South End condo continued to rise, by 10 percent in the first quarter - to $600,000 - despite a downturn in Boston's condo market.

"There's a lot more high-end restaurants in the neighborhood, and my guess is that's what people want. I understand the food business less now than I did 12 years ago," Lionette said.

Kimberly Blanton can be reached at blanton@globe.com.