Mozart's Has Until Christmas Eve. Here's How Clintonville Can Spend the Countdown.

Mozart's Bakery and Piano Cafe at 4784 N. High St. will serve its last customers on December 24, 2026. Owners Anand and Doris Saha are retiring after 31 years in Clintonville. They announced the date in late September, about three months early. Anand Saha told The Columbus Dispatch he did that on purpose.

"This is probably the longest closing anybody's given to their customers ever, because being in business for 31 years, we've made a lot of friends. This is our community, and we wanted to make sure that we give them enough notice, just like how they embraced us 31 years ago."

Three months of notice sounds like plenty of time. The weekly schedule tells a different story.

Twelve weeks, but far fewer open days

Mozart's currently opens three days a week. The hours listed in the September closure coverage are Thursday and Friday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Saturday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. The cafe's own site says the kitchen stays open until 3 p.m. Thursday through Saturday. So if you want schnitzel and not just a pastry to go, aim for the early afternoon or before.

Count the Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays from this week through Christmas Eve and you get about 34 days, and that number only holds if the posted schedule doesn't change. No change to the closing-season hours has been announced, and nothing has been posted about holiday closures around Thanksgiving. Call ahead before you plan a visit around a specific date.

Weekends go faster than that count suggests. In practice, a household that can only get there on a Saturday has about a dozen chances left, and several of those fall during the holiday rush.

The dates already on the calendar

A few of those days carry their own events. These are the ones Mozart's and the neighborhood have confirmed so far:

The Clintonville Community Resource Center held Taste of Clintonville on October 1, saying this year "may be the last Taste of Clintonville hosted at Mozart's." If you missed it, the rest of the list is still ahead.

The history talk may be the most fitting send-off. Mozart's describes it as an afternoon tracing the building's past, with "stories, photographs, memories, and the businesses and people who helped shape 4784 N. High St." Half of the ticket proceeds go to the Clintonville Historical Society. The events page didn't show a date when we checked, so check back there.

The International Christmas Tea on November 28 pairs Mozart's Afternoon Tea service with a sale of vintage Christmas décor and collectibles. Reservations go through the cafe's events page.

HolidayVille is run by Experience Clintonville and lands on the first Sunday in December. This year that's December 6, from 1:30 to 6:30 p.m. The organizer describes a route from the "South Pole" in South Clintonville to the "North Pole" in North Clintonville, with gifts, sweet treats, kids' activities, music and the Christmas tree lighting. In 2024, free Jolly Trolleys ran up and down North High Street, and Santa was at Mozart's for photos and cookies. No 2026 roster of stops has been posted yet, so treat those details as last year's version. In his farewell note, Anand Saha wrote: "Come and see us on December 6th during the annual HolidayVille celebration where we'll be toasting 31 amazing years."

What to order while you can

The farewell note names two dishes: "There's still time to enjoy your favorites from Wiener Schnitzel to Apple Strudel." NBC4's coverage also called out the almond scones, Belgian waffles and chicken schnitzel. Columbus Navigator picked the marzipan-topped carrot cake as the one to try before the doors close.

If you only have one or two visits left, here's a short list:

1. Wiener schnitzel or chicken schnitzel, ordered before the kitchen closes at 3 p.m.
2. Apple strudel, which shows up in both the owners' note and the news coverage.
3. A slice of the marzipan-topped carrot cake.
4. Almond scones to take home, which is the easiest way to fit in a quick weekday stop.

The cafe's note also mentions wine tastings among the things still on offer.

How a two-suitcase start became a fixture

The menu comes from the owners' own training. Anand and Doris met in Switzerland in 1989. He studied hotel management and she trained as a pastry chef. They moved to Columbus and opened Mozart's in 1995. The first location was at 2885 N. High St., about three miles south of the current building. Anand is originally from India and Doris from Austria. He told the Dispatch they arrived with "two suitcases and nothing but high hopes and dreams," and added, "We came in 1995 without even knowing what High Street was or where Clintonville was."

For about ten years Mozart's also ran a retail counter at North Market. In 2011 the owners left it to focus on the Clintonville cafe. In 2012 they bought the building at 4784 N. High St. Franklin County Auditor records show an October 2012 transfer to Saha Properties LLC for $635,000. After an extensive restoration, the cafe moved in during July 2013. NBC4 reports the building dates to 1930 and covers 10,933 square feet. That's a lot of room for a bakery, which is part of why it has also worked as an event venue.

Columbus Navigator reports that Mozart's has raised more than $800,000 for neighborhood nonprofits over the years.

The building is meant to stay

The cafe is closing, but the building it restored is meant to stay. The sale took a few turns, and the full picture still isn't public.

In August, Clintonville Spotlight reported a pending sale to 1831 Management. At the time, the Sahas were considering a smaller bakery and coffee shop in part of the building. On September 23, NBC4 reported that the 1831 Management deal had fallen through. A day later, Anand Saha told the Dispatch the sale had closed the week before. He declined to name the buyers but said he supports their plans and their choice to call it "The Mozart Building."

"It was extremely important for me that I did not get a developer who would tear down the building. We just wanted the building to stay the way it was."

As of that reporting, county auditor records didn't yet show the transfer. Columbus Underground said the new owners hadn't been identified. Who owns the building and what goes in after December 24 are still open questions. Once the transfer is recorded, the Franklin County Auditor's site is the place to check.

The smaller-bakery idea is off the table too. The Dispatch reported that the Sahas decided it didn't make sense to keep a bakery in part of the building, and that personal circumstances weighed heavily on Anand's decision to retire. "I feel that this is the right time to say goodbye," he said.

Where Anand says to go next

Anand Saha has already suggested where his customers can go next. He pointed people to two neighborhood bakeries, Cakes and More and Pattycake Bakery. Cakes and More is at 4969 North High Street, a short trip north of Mozart's. Pattycake Bakery is at 3870 N. High St., further south in Clintonville. Cakes and More was also on this year's Taste of Clintonville lineup at Mozart's.

The Sahas aren't leaving the neighborhood either. "Doris and I remain committed to Clintonville and the greater Columbus community," Anand wrote. "You'll still see us supporting the local events, causes and organizations that help our community to thrive."

Until December 24, you can still get to Mozart's on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays, at the November 28 Christmas Tea, and at the HolidayVille toast on December 6.

The Sahas spent more than a decade caring for a 1930 building on North High Street, and then sold it with the goal of keeping it standing. If you own an older Clintonville property and are starting to think about what comes next, Greg Giessler and the team at Cam Taylor Realtors can talk through your options with you. Get Your Free Home Valuation.