Sun City restaurants Merna's Cafe, Coco's closed permanently

The familiar storefront of Merna's Cafe & Grill is a lonely place these days. (Photo credit: Menifee 24/7)

By Doug Spoon, Editor

Two longtime restaurants located within a few blocks of each other in the Sun City community have closed their doors for good.

Merna’s Café & Grill, formerly known as Boston Billie’s, has been owned and operated by the family of Merna Ibrahim for 32 years. Her parents, Abraham and Eva, began operating Boston Billie’s in 1989 in the Cherry Hills Plaza, the first commercial center in developer Del Webb’s Sun City retirement community.

Merna’s Café, which like all other restaurants was limited to takeout orders at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, stopped serving altogether at Christmas and never reopened. Indoor furnishings were removed from the site the first week of May.

A short distance away, at the corner of Bradley Road and McCall Boulevard, the Coco’s restaurant that has served dinners and a wide variety of pies to residents for decades closed on May 13 (left). The only explanation was given on the Coco’s Facebook page: “We’ll miss you. It’s with heavy hearts that we announce the permanent closure of Coco’s in Sun City. When you get the urge for California comfort food, you can still find us nearby at the Riverside location. We invite you to stop by when you’re in the area.”

Merna’s Café – and previously Boston Billie’s – was known as much for the hospitality and community service of its family ownership as its wide variety of meals. Abraham – or Abe, as he's known around town – made financial donations and contributions of food to local programs throughout the years. In 2014, the Menifee Valley Chamber of Commerce honored his family for its 25 years of service to the community. A year before, Boston Billie’s was named Business of the Year by the Inland Valley Business Community Foundation.

Merna, who grew up in the restaurant her parents ran, took charge of operations in 2015. The name was changed to Merna’s Café & Grill and specialized in Mediterranean food – the kind of cuisine commonly served in the family’s native Egypt.

There has no been no announcement about new tenants at either location.

A look through the front window of Merna's Cafe & Grill shows a vacant dining area.

In 2014, the Menifee Valley Chamber of Commerce honored Boston Billie's on 25 years of service.