Natomas Restaurant Malabar has Closed

NatomasBuzz.com Photo

BY BRANDY TUZON BOYD
THE NATOMAS BUZZ | @natomasbuzz

Natomas restaurant Malabar American Cooking will not reopen, sources tell The Natomas Buzz.

The popular Natomas bar and grill briefly offered take out and delivery options after the statewide stay-at-home order went into effect in March 2020, but closed not long after.

“At Malabar, we love our community and all the places around us that we are blessed to do business with,” read a March 15, 2020 post on Facebook. “Throughout the years we are reminded how our community comes together to endure tough times. Now is no different, and our hearts go out to those affected.”

In July 2020, Malabar’s banquet manager Suzanne Cook told The Natomas Buzz via email that the eatery remained closed due to COVID-19 and was awaiting federal aid. She also confirmed the restaurant phones had been turned off.

“We’re unable to reopen until 100% seating is allowed,” Cook wrote three months later, in October 2020. The restaurant’s website has also gone offline.

Malabar president and general manager John Cook has not responded to The Natomas Buzz’s repeated requests for comment. Cook is also president of Scott’s Seafood Roundhouse in Folsom which continues to operate.

Opened in 2006, Malabar was a family-friendly restaurant known for serving up traditional American cuisine with a flair. The 7,000-square-foot eatery featured a full bar, banquet rooms and private dining.

Some Natomas food spots which have also closed in the past year, since the onset of the pandemic, include On The Border, Donuts Plus, Hooters, Casa Ramos, Wayside Noodles and Yogurt Garden.

Malabar is currently ranked No. 29 out of 1,355 restaurants in Sacramento on TripAdvisor.