Julia Spalding
GOOD INTENTIONS: The third location of locally owned mini-chain Niyyah Coffee just launched in McCordsville, the business announced on Instagram. The company, which is part of Indy’s growing wave of Mediterranean and Arabic coffee shops (its name means “intention” in Arabic), serves matcha drinks and herbal tea alongside the expected coffeeshop fare. The location at 7441 N. 600 W joins stops in Fishers and a Broad Ripple location that opened last year.
OPEN, CLOSING: Dexter and Toni Smith’s Open Kitchen Restaurant has occupied a number of locations since it launched in September 2020, and now it’s moving again. Opened in a commercial space near 30th Street and Sherman Drive, it moved to Irvington in 2021. Two years later, a new location: This time, 4022 Shelby St. was the place to be for the Smiths’ broad menu of pastas, steaks, and burgers. Via Facebook, the duo announced last week that its latest iteration will shutter on November 2 “as we take a short break to search for a new and better location.” In the meantime, they’re suspending dinner service and will operate from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Thursdays and Fridays and from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. on their remaining weekends.
ROLLING ALONG: Indy roller rink Skateland is facing pushback after it applied for a permit to sell alcoholic beverages. The Star reports that the venue at 3902 N. Glen Arm Rd. hopes to offer beer “for those parents that are coming on a Sunday, who want to watch football,” general manager James Wilson says. No cocktails would be served, and there would be a two-beer limit per customer, he says, a policy similar to other venues operated by Skateland owner United Skates of America, which has rinks in 11 states. At a recent community meeting, area residents and the IMPD voiced their disapproval, citing disruptive events in the venue’s near past. The arguments were apparently convincing enough that the roller rink withdrew its application, which means the the Indiana Alcohol and Tobacco Commission will no longer need to make a decision on the permit request at its October meeting.
YOUR BIG CHANCE: If you’ve ever dreamed of opening a restaurant just steps from Lucas Oil Stadium and you have a couple million bucks lying around, do I have a deal for you. JJ Boston bought the close-to-11,000-square-foot building at 42 W. South St. in 2015, opening Chef JJ’s Downtown that same year. In early 2024, the spot pivoted to Chef JJ’s Public House, then shuttered in December as Boston announced his retirement. Now the building is on the market, and while its listing doesn’t divulge the price, the IBJ reports it’s available for a cool $2.1M.
LEGACY LANDING: The launch of the Factory Arts North project has been beset by obstacles—La Margarita spinoff Daisy Bar, for example, expected to open in June, but construction delays pushed that launch to September. Japanese restaurant Legacy Tokyo had a July launch in the works, a Factory Arts PR rep told us this summer—but that, too, was delayed until this past Saturday. Local owners Koichi, Yoshiko, and Tubuko Kamikusa have a franchise agreement with massively popular Japanese rice bowl chain Sutadonya and say they’ll be marrying the fast casual company’s best practices with their own family recipes. Their opening menu includes those famous bowls, as well as noodle dishes and curries. (1011 Massachusetts Ave., Ste. 105)
