CLEVELAND HEIGHTS, Ohio — Inside this local gem in Cleveland Heights, life is being restored.
“We had to preserve Nighttown,” said Managing Partner Gregg Levy Levy. “Nighttown is a 50+ year institution.”
This upgrade comes after the popular restaurant and music venue has been sitting in the dark for the last three years.
“There’s not a day that goes by in the last two years that someone says to me when is Nighttown going to open,” said Levy.
Levy says a lot is happening to make this congested working space into a more modern environment.
But he says once it’s all done – people like Jodie Hutton will be pleased.
“I think Nighttown is going to be such a draw for people in the community to come back to the side of town and just be excited,” said Hutton.
Several years ago, Levy says he was asked to enhance the customer experience at Nighttown.
At first, he told News 5 he felt reluctant, but after touring the site, he said he knew he couldn’t miss out on this opportunity.
“I’ve never worked with something that’s so part of the community,” said Levy.
The same goes for executive chef and Cleveland Heights native Rowan Murray, who says he’s looking forward to cooking in the community he grew up in.
"Most times when I would eat, I would travel outside the area to eat, so I’m excited to bring something that locals can come to,” said Rowan Murray.
Murray has experience cooking Jamaican, French and Italian cuisines, so you can expect a taste of each three when ordering food from the menu.
“The Dublin Lawyer, for example, is still there. It’s a little different, but it’s still very familiar,” explained Murray.
Other changes in the $2 million project include new ADA-accessible bathrooms, tons of infrastructure work, a completely gutted kitchen and a new entry into the four-season patio.
“You walk in here, and you’re going say, 'Yes, it’s Nighttown,'” said Levy.
The residents we spoke to Wednesday say Cleveland Heights is known for food, culture and music.
That’s why Nighttown wants to bring back live music, but they say it won’t happen when they reopen their doors.
“We need to open a restaurant, but we need to open a restaurant the right way. But we are not ignoring music,” explained Levy.
Levy says there’s still work to be done, like hiring good candidates to work once they’re ready to reopen.
But he says the building is close to reaching its goal.
“It’s a community gem, and I feel we owe it to the community to do it the right way,” said Levy.
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You can watch more of News 5's previous coverage of Nighttown in the player below:
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