It just got harder to find a good bowl of French onion soup in Mount Vernon. After 18 years, Marie Louise Bistro has closed permanently. The French-style restaurant and wine bar opened in 2008 at 904 N. Charles Street and became a neighborhood staple. The building previously housed The Gr eat American Melting Pot restaurant, Gampy’s for short, and the Mount Vernon Restaurant before that. Marie Louise Bistro specialized in French and Mediterranean cuisine, with offerings such as Steak Tartare and French onion soup, and its outdoor seating area with hanging flowers was a familiar sight to commuters heading north on Charles Street. “Our French onion soup is a love letter to classic French bistros everywhere,” said one message on social media. On Thursday, the outdoor seating was visible through the front window, stacked in the dining room. The Baltimore Banner’s Christina Tkacik first reported the closing. Other Mount Vernon dining spots that have closed since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic include City Café; Eat Drink Relax; Allora; The Brewer’s Art and Baby’s on Fire. Baltimore’s liquor board this fall approved a new liquor license for a restaurant slated to replace Sangria at 930 N. Charles St. ‘A Heartfelt Farewell’ Here is the message that owner Marie Ransome posted on social media, entitled “A Heartfelt Farewell from Marie Louise Bistro”: To Our Beloved Mount Vernon Community, Friends, and Patrons: After 18 wonderful years of serving the Mount Vernon neighborhood and the greater Baltimore community, it is with a heavy heart that we announce the closing of Marie Louise Bistro. For nearly two decades, Marie Louise Bistro has been more than just a restaurant. It has been a gathering place where friendships were formed, celebrations were shared, memories were created, and people from all walks of life came together over good food, conversation, and laughter. We have been incredibly fortunate to be part of the vibrant and diverse Mount Vernon community, a neighborhood filled with history, culture, creativity, and extraordinary people. Your loyalty, kindness, friendship, and unwavering support have meant more to us than words can express. Over the years, we have had the privilege of welcoming countless guests, celebrating special occasions, watching families grow, and becoming part of the everyday lives of so many wonderful people. What began as a restaurant became a place of connection, belonging, and community. To our dedicated employees, past and present, thank you for your hard work, commitment, and the heart you brought to Marie Louise Bistro. You helped make this restaurant a special place. To our loyal patrons, neighbors, friends, and the entire Baltimore community, thank you for 18 unforgettable years. Thank you for choosing to dine with us, for sharing your stories, for supporting us through the good times and the challenging ones, and for making Marie Louise Bistro part of your lives. Although our doors have closed, the friendships, memories, and love we have experienced will remain with us forever. It has been an honor and a privilege to serve Mount Vernon and Baltimore City for the past 18 years. We will always be grateful for the beautiful community that embraced us and made this journey possible. From the bottom of our hearts, thank you for allowing Marie Louise Bistro to be part of your lives. You will always be part of ours. With heartfelt gratitude and appreciation, Marie Ransome Owner, Marie Louise Bistro ...read more read less