Pete's Pies in downtown Asheville is closed

Pete's Pies, which seemed to develop a cult following during its tenure in downtown Asheville, has closed.

The venture came from Londoner-turned-Ashevillean Pete Waissen, who opened the restaurant in the former Creperie Bouchon courtyard in December 2016.

Waissen, a former mechanical engineer, moved from England to the area to be near his two sons.

Pete's Pies was a British-style pub, serving savory pies with traditional sides like cheddar mash, plus a smattering of apps and "butties," or English-style buttered sandwiches, stuffed with fillings like corned beef.

The restaurant shuttered on Wednesday, according to a sign on the door.

That's despite the fact that the little courtyard eatery had stellar reviews on Yelp, TripAdvisor, Facebook and Zagat.

Waissen said via email that "the winter has been brutal and I couldn’t keep it open any longer."