Pao Pao, a restaurant that married the cuisines of Peru and Venezuela at 124 Woodstock Avenue in Rutland, has permanently closed. Its final day was Sunday, April 12.
Owners Paola Nuñez and Felix Franco announced the news on Instagram last week, citing health reasons.
The couple opened Pao Pao in December 2024 with a menu “so lengthy it would take many visits to eat through it all, from crisp arepas and tequeños to cooling ceviches and meat-laden rice dishes,” Seven Days wrote in last month’s Food Issue cover story.
“Pao Pao has been more than a restaurant — it has been a place of culture, connection, and unforgettable moments,” the Instagram post said.
In Burlington, Kestrel Coffee Roasters’ café at 77 Pine Street will permanently close on April 17. Owners Charlotte and Johnny Steverson announced the news on social media earlier this month, noting that their other three locations would remain unchanged.
The couple launched the Pine Street café less than half a mile from Kestrel’s Maple Street spot in March 2022. The then-newly renovated mixed-use building “felt like a place that could use a Kestrel,” Charlotte told Seven Days at the time.
The Steversons opened their original roastery at South Burlington’s Technology Park in 2018. In October, Kestrel’s latest outpost, at Burlington International Airport, joined the lineup.
“All good things evolve,” the Pine Street closure announcement said, “and we’re feeling grateful for the time we’ve had here.”
The original print version of this article was headlined “Entrées & Exits: Restaurant and Café Closures in Rutland and Burlington”
This article appears in April 15 • 2026.
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