Pure Kitchen location in ByWard Market set to close

Pure Kitchen's location in the ByWard Market. The restaurant is set to close on Dec. 22. (Maddison de Varennes/CTV News Ottawa)

Vegan-friendly staple Pure Kitchen is set to close one its downtown locations later this month.

Co-owner and CEO David Leith said in an interview that its restaurant on the corner of William Street and Rideau Street in the ByWard Market will shut its doors on Dec. 22.

Leith says the location, which opened two years ago, suffered from lower than expected sales and profits.

He emphasized the decision was not based on crime in the area, noting that despite some issues during their first year in business, there have been improvements.

"It's much better than it was," Leith said.

"They've made some real improvements in the last six months."

Pure Kitchen is well-known for its vegan and vegetarian eats, offering a wide variety of brunch, lunch and dinner options.

The first Pure Kitchen location opened in Westboro in 2015. It opened a second location on Elgin Street in 2016 and a third in Kanata in 2018. A location on Preston Street closed in 2020.

The closure follows a number of other ByWard Market restaurants and businesses that have closed this year, including Oz Kafe, long-time butcher Saslove's Meat Market and the Courtyard Restaurant.