A dormant bar space on a once-lively stretch of Park Street near the Arena District will come back to life at the end of August.
Sugar, a revival of an old name in Columbus nightlife, plans an Aug. 27 opening at 504 Park St., the former home of Howl at the Moon, Bar Louie and Club 504. Chris Corso and his One Hospitality group, which owned the last iteration of Sugar at 525 Park St., are behind the new bar as well.
Make that a "Latin- and Mediterranean-inspired social house with an agave-focused beverage program, all-day dining and a welcoming atmosphere built for every occasion." That's the description of Sugar offered by One Hospitality, which also owns nearby Astra Rooftop and Spruce St. Sporting, as well as Forno, The Marmont, Short North
Pint House and Standard Hall in the Short North.
The old Sugar? It was once described in The Dispatch "as if Willy Wonka and Hugh Hefner struck a deal to open a nightclub."
Sugar, v2, will be more of a "neighborhood restaurant and bar," according to One Hospitality. Its food menu reflects the "Mexi-terranean" blend advertised. Queso and hummus are among the dips, tuna tostadas and fritto misto are among the appetizers, Southwest and Mediterranean are among the salads and harissa aioli and pickled jalapeno slaw are among the burger toppings. The restaurant also will offer entrées of steak, roasted chicken, pan-seared salmon and pasta.
It will be open for lunch, dinner, happy hour, brunch and end-of-the-night cocktails.
"With Sugar, we wanted to create the kind of place that fits into people's everyday lives," One Hospitality President Justin Kintz said in a news release from the company.
Park Street was a lively, if not a little raucous focus of local nightlife well into the 2010s, until properties were purchased for construction of the AC Hotel Columbus Downtown, which now stands at 517 Park St. Kintz said Sugar and other new destinations there reflect how Columbus has evolved.
Astra Rooftop and Spruce St. Sporting are inside the AC Hotel. One Hospitality and AC, owned by Marriott International, also are partners on several places in development, including Sorella, a healthy eating restaurant, and The Parlor, a high-end bar with a golf simulator.
The company is also bringing back two more names from its past in new, more mature forms: Park Street Cantina and Spice.
Follow Dispatch dining reporter Bob Vitale on Instagram at @dispatchdining. You can reach him directly at rvitale@dispatch.com.
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Sugar, a Latin and Mediterranean restaurant, will open Aug. 27
