Ashley Christensen to close popular pizza restaurant in downtown Raleigh

James Beard Award-winning chef Ashley Christensen will close pizza restaurant Poole'side Pies in downtown Raleigh, the chef announced Tuesday.

The restaurant, which is located at 428 S McDowell St., will close after service on Dec. 23.

"This was not an easy decision but it’s one we’ve made carefully and in response to our community’s ever-evolving needs," the chef wrote in an email to newsletter subscribers.

Despite Poole'side Pies' closure, Christensen said that she will be working on a new restaurant to "fill this unique space and will share it with you in the months to come."

Poole'side opened in September 2019 next to her first restaurant, Poole's Diner.

Poole'side Pies was Christensen's fifth establishment in downtown Raleigh. Christensen also owns Poole's, Beasley's Chicken and Honey, Fox Liquor Bar and Death and Taxes.

Christensen won the James Beard Award for Outstanding Chef in May 2019. The awards are often referred to as the "Oscars of Food."

Christensen previously won the James Beard Award for best chef in the southeast award in 2014. Two years later, her restaurant, Death and Taxes, was a finalist for best new restaurant in the country.