It’s lights out for Gallery Pastry Bar. The Star was the first to report that the downtown outpost of the Gallery family of restaurants shuttered on August 11. The restaurant at 110 S. Pennsylvania St. opened in July of 2020, arguably the most challenging time to launch a business in recent history. The well-reviewed spot prevailed, however, with this publication referring to it as “The Beautiful Escape We All Need Right Now.” The IBJ notes that owner Alison Keefer blames “constant sales swings” for the closure. The company’s two other locations, at 4573 N. College Ave. and 319 E. 16th St., remain open.
Two popular chains are opening locations at the Greenwood Park Mall. In a press release, owner/operator Simon Property Group says that private equity-owned global chain P.F. Chang’s will bring its Asian fusion menu to the mall in 2025, adding to the chain’s roster of over 300 restaurants across 22 countries. Also opening at the mall’s 1251 U.S. 31 address in 2025 is a far more locally owned venue: Verde Flavors of Mexico, a four-location Mexican restaurant from Fishers-based Arechiga Restaurant Group. That opening is part of a big expansion for the company that the IBJ reported on in March; other restaurants in Arechiga’s portfolio include recently opened Casa Santa in Noblesville (13521 Tegler Dr., 317-764-2354) and Bottleworks-area Piedra, which is set to open by the end of the year.
Mochinut is headed south. A sign promising a location of the popular mochi doughnut chain has appeared in a window at the strip mall at 8635 S. Emerson Ave. in Greenwood. No opening date has been announced for the restaurant, which is known for a wide selection of doughnuts, boba drinks, and encrusted Korean corn dogs. This will be the third Indy-area outpost for the global company, which also has storefronts in Fishers and Plainfield.
A corn topping landed a longtime hot dog vendor in hot water. WTHR (among others) reports that the Marion County Health Department informed the owner of Garcia’s Hot Dogs that by adding Indiana’s iconic vegetable to a dog, he broke the agency’s food cart rules. According to owner Abacuc Garcia, he’s operated his cart for 14 years at the corner of 16th Street and Emerson Avenue but recently expanded the toppings menu in an effort to boost revenue. A spokesperson for the agency says that if Garcia wants to bring in foods beyond the standard hot dog cart fare, he needs to operate a food truck, not a cart. In the short term, Garcia has pulled corn from the menu—and in the long term, he is seeking donations for an upgrade from cart to truck.
Shall we just rename Indianapolis “Flavortown”? Earlier this month, we saw westside sausage destination Che Chori (3124 W. 16th St., 317-737-2012) on Food Network show Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives, and this month, lauded eastside taco shop Tlaolli (2830 E. Washington St., 317-410-9507) gets a feature on the Guy Fieri–hosted show, its owners announced on Instagram. Owner Carlos Hutchinson tells the Mirror, “[Fieri said] he’s eaten birria all over the country and said he considered my vegan birria better than many of them.” The episode airs on August 30 at 9 p.m. and will be available via the Food Network’s streaming platform the next day.
West Fork Whiskey’s wild Westfield plan has hit a speed bump. In March, the 2-year-old distillery at 10 E. 191st St. (317-763-5400) announced an ambitious plan to create a “live and play entertainment district” in the acres surrounding the business. The so-called West Fork District would include “150 townhomes, walking paths, fire pits, a pond, outdoor concert venue, dog park, whiskey aging warehouse and space for future commercial development,” the Star reported at the time. Last week, Current reported that the Westfield City Council turned down West Fork’s application to move forward, with one member saying, “This has been a complete disaster.” The council member complained that “there has been iteration after iteration” of the plans and that they “have drawings that don’t match wordings.” As of publication time, the future of the project remains unknown.
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