Paris Bistro in Chestnut Hill closes and faces judgments from landlord

The pandemic has claimed Paris Bistro & Jazz Cafe at the Chestnut Hill Hotel in Chestnut Hill, which closed March 16 with the city and state restaurant shutdown and never reopened.

Veteran Chestnut Hill restaurateurs Rob and Vanessa Mullen are now facing a judgment and legal fees totaling nearly $722,000 from their landlord, Glengarry Partners, which changed the locks Oct. 17. The corporation controlling Paris also is facing a judgment of about $114,000, including fees.

Vanessa Mullen acknowledged they had made their last rent payment in April 2020. The monthly rent is $14,551, the lawsuit says.

She said she and her husband, who took over Paris in 2018, were victims of COVID-19. The subterranean jazz club, which specialized in live music, could not operate. Reopening for takeout wasn’t feasible, she said.

An attorney for Glengarry, which owns the hotel as well as the Market at the Fareway, declined to comment.

Since 2008, the Mullens have owned the neighborhood pub Campbell’s Place a block away, which is operating — even raising money to feed frontline workers.

Just before the pandemic, the Mullens got the keys for the former Top of the Hill Market at 186 E. Evergreen Ave.; in October, they opened Mimi’s Market & Cafe in part of the space. Mimi’s, under chef Carl Drake, is serving breakfast and lunch.