Kensington Mexican restaurant Cantina La Martina, created by James Beard Award finalist chef Dionicio Jimenez, will close Nov. 2 after nearly four years on D Street, the owners and general manager announced on Instagram on Monday.
The team said they will not be renewing their lease "due to circumstances beyond our control."
However, Jimenez and his wife and co-owner Mariangeli Alicea Saez said it won't be the end for the restaurant, as they're actively searching for a new space. They'll also be hosting a celebration of life for the eatery on its last day.
"This is a transition Cantina's going through, but we're not closing, we're not going anywhere," Jimenez said. "We're still going to work with our organization in Kensington, we're going to support anything that's going on in Kensington."
In the interim, some of the restaurant's food can be found at Human Robot Brewery in Jenkintown, and Jimenez still runs La Baja in Ambler. Cantina will also be available at pop-ups and for catering private events.
The restaurant opened in 2022 at 2800 D St. as the first solo venture of Jimenez, who previously worked at El Rey and Vetri Cucina. He was a finalist for best chef Mid-Atlantic in the 2023 James Beard Awards and a semifinalist for outstanding chef the following year.
Jimenez and Alicea Saez originally opened the restaurant to benefit the Kensington neighborhood. However, in 2024 they told the Inquirer that they struggled with the conditions outside their restaurant after an encampment clearing at Kensington and Allegheny avenues pushed open-air drug use closer to their home near the Somerset stop on the Market-Frankford line.