Like most years, Concord’s palate was asked to leave its comfort zone and welcome newcomers to the downtown area, as COVID more and more became a distant memory and eating establishments continued their climb back to normalcy.

In 2023, new restaurants opened, old ones closed and some moved, a shuffle that has become routine while Concord’s eateries search for a winning idea that will set them apart from the rest.

Here’s a look at the changes in 2023.

Area 23 moves

Citing a conflict with his landlord, Kirk McNeil moved his Concord restaurant and pub, Area 23, located in an obscure part of Concord, to the more visible Thirty Pines plaza, sandwiched between a laundromat and the Post Office.

His new placed, called the Forum Pub, is smaller than Area 23 and was scheduled to open in November but hadn’t by the end of the year.

Area 23 had evolved into a local hotspot that added flair to the entertainment climate in the city, with jamming weekend bands and a loyal crowd that gave the place a communal feel.

It’s remoteness, tucked off Route 3 into the right corner of the Smokestack Center, gave the place some cachet and mystique.

Now, McNeil is rebuilding his business at the always-busy Thirty Pines complex in Penacook. The pub will be one-third the size of his old place, but will still feature live music, on a smaller scale, plus karaoke, trivia night and, McNeil hopes, a crowd of regulars.

Curry Leaf replacesHouse of India

Gurcharan Singh sold House of India last summer after a 20-year run.

The restaurant had become an important part of downtown and made a huge impact on Singh and his family, to the point where one of Singh’s daughters, who was 25 at the time, cried when her father announced that he had sold House of India.

Doors closed on July 30, in part because Singh’s children had grown and gone their separate ways and could no longer work for the family business, as they had since House of India opened in 2002.

Also, COVID killed walk-in business, and Singh’s father, the kids’ 84-year-old grandfather, needed more home care.

“It got to be where (my grandfather) needed more care and more attention,” said Singh’s son, Jasdeep Singh. “It was easier to be home with family, and my parents needed a break from working six days a week for 22 years.”

Inder Jit Saini is the new owner, calling the restaurant Curry Leaf. He moved to the States from India 12 years ago and, after working in the business for years, decided he wanted to run his own business.

Street 360

Jay McSharry, whose 14-restaurant empire covers a large portion of the Granite State and a small section in Maine, opened Street 360 in October, replacing New Hampshire Pizza Company at 76 North Main Street.

McSharry co-owned the New Hampshire Pizza Company for 2½ years before closing due to high costs and low numbers. That’s one of his few failures, however.

He’s got Street 360 restaurants in Portsmouth and Exeter, and he reports that both are doing well. The Portsmouth version opened more than a decade ago.

“Food from all over the world,” McSharry said. “South Korea, Mexico, Italy.”

McSharry is 56 and a Connecticut native. He lives in Portsmouth, where his fingerprints related to the food and drink industry are everywhere.

Locally, Street 360 joins Dos Amigos Burritos as part of McSharry’s stable.

Buba Noodle

At age 18, Trumin Nguyen came to the United States from his native Vietnam and studied engineering in college, first in Washington State and then in Maine.

Now 35 and after working for four years in his once-chosen profession, his career has taken an entirely different path, one that has seen him open a Vietnamese-inspired restaurant in Manchester five years ago called Buba Noodle Bar, and another of the same name opened in December at 148 N. Main Street in Concord.

Buba Kitchen replaced Whiskey and Wine downtown. Nguyen patterned himself after two particular family members, including his mother, who taught him about work ethic, and a woman he calls his “auntie,” who has owned a restaurant in Maine with similar cuisine for 20 years.

Nguyen worked there as a youngster, learning some of the requirements needed to keep a business afloat.

“The foundation I learned was from there,” Nguyen said. “I learned and experimented and I’d fail but end with a good product after so many tries.”

Sour Joe’s Pizza

As a geologist, Greg Sturgis studied solid, liquid and gaseous matter that made up the Earth.

These days, he focuses on sourdough to make pizza which he says is different from the rest. That’s his sales pitch at Sour Joe’s Pizza on Pleasant Street, which opened last summer.

Sourdough, Sturgis says, adds an element of hydration that allows for a tender and light middle with a crispy outside and a rise that traditional yeast doesn’t bring.

An avid baker in his downtime, Sturgis uses sourdough when baking at home and wanted to bring that layer of complexity to his craft pizza brand.

“It kind of makes it different and brings a different flavor profile to the crust,” he said. “I think that Concord has quite a bit of good pizza and I wanted to elevate that by providing a product that’s going to hit the standard for pizza that has already been set.”

Sturgis’s style is a combination of thick Sicilian base and the squared Detroit style — twice baked with a crunchy, chewy crust. He’s drawn inspiration from other countries like Germany and Italy and incorporated their styles and flavors into his offerings.

Maddy’s Kitchen

Patty Sabol set mild goals when she opened Maddy’s Food Hub on Fort Eddy Road.

“I want to make sure every American in Concord tastes my food,” Sabol said.

That’s a lot of customers. It’s also a platform Sabol has been building for four months, adding to Concord’s already diverse and eclectic vibe. In this case, Sabol is offering something new to most of Concord’s population, while also making immigrants and refugees feel more at home by providing for the growing number of people of color in Concord and surrounding areas. She’s an African native who grew up cooking traditional East and West African dishes, which often have similar flavors to Caribbean cuisine.

Sabol said she wants to be a model for other Black entrepreneurs in the city.

“It’s hard being a business owner, especially not growing up in America,” she said. “I am the only Black business owner that has come this far and most people don’t know where to start. I’m hoping it’ll be the biggest African restaurant in all of New Hampshire.”