It's been a strange year for one popular Waterloo restaurant.

Now, unfortunately, customers of one eatery will have to look elsewhere for the unique type of food that Mersim's Kitchen offers.

Located at 126 East Ridgeway AveMersim’s Kitchen, has been serving up delicious Bosnian food for years now.

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News came out late on Sunday (March 10th) that the restaurant would be closing its doors for good.

The owner did not give any specific reason for the sudden closure of the business.

"We truly appreciate all the love & support Mersims Fine Dining has received! We cannot thank you all enough! We do regret to say that Mersims will be closing permanently."

However, on Google Maps it says that Mersim's is "temporarily closed."

This could just be an error on the part of Google.

This news comes exactly six months after the restaurant was bought by a loyal customer. Mersim's was already on the brink of closure when the owners announced they would be closing in the Fall of 2023.

What Happened in September 2023?

News started circulating that the Bosnian and American eatery would be closing up shop. However, according to reports a loyal customer named Michael Noel saw rumors that they were closed on social media and decided to look into it.

Mersim Osmicevic and his team were running the Bosnian restaurant for years at this point. According to reports, the original owner was just a bit too tired to continue running the place.

What's Next for the Owner?

It turns out that Noel is opening up a new restaurant in Waterloo.

This Mike is the same guys who is opening up Mike's Diner. It's a 24-hour diner that opened for business at 8am on Monday, March 11th.

In the post where he announced the closing of Mersim's, he dropped the news about the diner's opening date.

News of this new restaurant came out in February.

According to reports, the diner will serve breakfast all day like pancakes, omelets, waffles, etc. In addition, classic diner staples like burgers, soup, casseroles, and baked goods.

It is set to open inside of the old Perkins on University Avenue in Waterloo.

Stay up to date with everything going on in Eastern Iowa by downloading the free station app from your app store. Also, do not forget to follow the station across all social media platforms for the latest news about restaurants opening and closing in our neck of the woods.

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