The Libertine in Clayton will serve its last meal Saturday after nearly five years in business, its owners announced Thursday.

They want to focus efforts on “a brand-new restaurant concept” and will announce details this month.

“All that said, as exciting as we are about the next adventure, ending The Libertine is truly bittersweet,” Libertine owners Nick and Audra Luedde wrote in an email announcement. “The Luedde family would like to extend a heartfelt thank you to all of you for the past five years of unforgettable moments that only a night at The Libertine could provide ... I am so proud of what we have done at The Libertine, its contributions to the STL culinary scene and what The Libertine represented.”

The restaurant was included in the 2016 and 2017 editions of Post-Dispatch restaurant critic Ian Froeb’s STL 100. He ranked it No. 2 of 2013’s best new restaurants.

The Libertine, at 7927 Forsyth Boulevard, specializes in upscale comfort fare. In a December review, Froeb gave the restaurant two stars, noting that it had reinvented itself a few times since opening.

“However many times The Libertine tries to reinvent itself, the St. Louis dining scene will be evolving and improving at an even more rapid clip,” Froeb wrote.