Palisades Cafe in Mount Vernon closes

MOUNT VERNON — A bistro has closed after serving Mount Vernon for years.

Palisades Cafe, 117 First St. NW, announced its closure Aug. 26 on social media.

“Due to continuing staffing issues, we are unable to provide the service and quality of food our customers have come to expect,” the post read. “We thank our customers for dining with us the past eight years.”

The cafe ended breakfast service in May and had occasional closures due to understaffing before it permanently closed, according to its social media posts.

It’s unclear when the restaurant first appeared, but it has been open in the community under several iterations and owners for more than 20 years.

Rachel Sauter changed the cafe’s name after buying it in 2013, paying homage to the nearby Palisades-Kepler State Park. Under previous owners, it was called Mount Vernon Cafe and Lincoln Cafe.

Sauter purchased it from Matt Steigerwald, a chef who left his mark on the Corridor over the years through various businesses in Mount Vernon, as well as his food at Wilson’s Ciderhouse in Iowa City.

Comments: Features reporter Elijah Decious can be reached at (319) 398-8340 or elijah.decious@thegazette.com.