Two new high-end restaurants just opened right off Monument Circle. You likely saw the deluge of coverage about the InterContinental Hotel, which opened for business late last week inside the Illinois Building (17 W. Market St.). And you probably thought, “That’s very nice, but I already live here!” Sure, but you don’t have to be a hotel guest to nab a seat at Serliana, an all-day sit-down restaurant at the lobby level that serves breakfast, lunch, and dinner daily from 6:30 a.m. to 10 p.m. (menu is online). Nor do you need a room key to grab a drink at the newly opened Astrea, a window-filled bar with small-bites dining on the 11th floor that has an extra outdoor space. The latter is said to be the highest rooftop bar in town, and it is indeed snazzy, as you can see from my photo above. Astrea’s menu is also online, and like the venue beneath, its food is overseen by IM stalwart Craig Baker, a local chef you might know from late, great venues such as The Local Eatery & Pub and Bent Rail Brewery or his work launching the AMP food hall.
Workingman’s Friend is for sale. The 107-year-old burger spot at 234 N. Belmont Ave. terrified loyal patrons with a (now deleted) Facebook post mentioning a closure and sale. The Star investigated and discovered that third-generation owner Becky Stamatkin put the spot on the market “years” ago. It’s unclear what plans Stamatkin has for the future, but right now, it’s business as usual at the much-adored dive. (317- 636-2067)
Pasto Italiano has a new owner. Kent and Patsy McNall have sold their six-year-old Westfield restaurant to father-and-son team Rich and Mike Bartalone, Towne Post reports. When Rich (a longtime patron) learned the McNalls were considering retirement, Mike got a job at the spot to familiarize himself with the Pasto way. Expect the same familiar menu with the addition of “select Bartalone family recipes.” (3150 E. State Rd. 32, Westfield, 317-804-2051)
Beloved Indy dim sum destination Benyue Restaurant will close this weekend. The Chinese restaurant at Castleton Square began its life as Lafayette Square–area spot Taste Restaurant @ Lucky Lou, then moved to 6020 E. 82nd St. in 2022, where it transformed into Benyue. Last week, the restaurant announced via Facebook that its last day of service will be Sunday, March 2. No reason for the closure was given. (317-537-2282)
Iozzo’s on Jefferson is open at last. Franklin residents have been watching the reno at 351 E. Jefferson St. for two years, thrilled at the prospect of a new location of the iconic local red sauce joint. It swung open last week, The Franklin reports, serving the familiar Iozzo’s menu for lunch and dinner every day. The spot is so busy that reservations are strongly recommended. (317-739-0100)
Gray Brothers Cafeteria’s time in Mooresville is limited. Via its website, the 81-year-old restaurant announced that its home at 555 S. Indiana St. is on the market (for $10 million, reports WRTV), and that it is looking for a new location. The current spot “will operate at normal business hours as usual until further notice,” it says, but added, “Moving to a location with more traffic will provide new opportunities for growth and profitability. While the Gray family feel it is time to close the Mooresville location, Gray Brothers Cafeteria isn’t going away.” (317-790-2191)
Farewell, Lou Malnati’s. The national pizza chain will shutter all four of its Indy-area locations on March 4, saying via statement that “these pizzerias did not meet our performance expectations.” (Ouch, anyone else have report card PTSD from that?) The Star notes that several other locations of the business have closed in recent years, leaving outposts in Avon, Carmel, Greenwood, and Crown Point. Now those will go dark, too.
Nada has closed out its nine years at Circle Centre mall. The popular Mexican spot moved into what old-timers might recall was part of the once-glorious shopping center’s Nordstrom location (I still dine out on the time I ran into Chris Mullin in the suit department) in 2016, one of the few bustling venues in what’s become a The Last of Us–reminiscent structure. The Ohio-based business (it was part of Cincinnati’s Boca Restaurant Group) served its last taco on February 23.
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