New restaurant coming to the Dickson St. area in May

When On the Rocks closed a few months ago, it was only a matter of time before someone took advantage of the vacancy and snatched up one of the more interesting buildings in the Dickson St. area.

Today we heard that Zac Wooden (Rogers Rec, 21st Amendment) and Shawn Gray have already leased the property and are planning to open a new restaurant and bar at the 339 N. West Avenue location soon.

According to Wooden, the new restaurant will serve “affordable, traditional American cuisine” for lunch, dinner and Sunday brunch, and the bar will be open to serve drinks until 2 a.m. Live music is also in the plans, but to what extent hasn’t been determined yet.

Right now, the owners are trying to get the place whipped into shape. Wooden said he plans to utilize the rooftop patio, and to open up the building to take advantage of the upcoming spring weather (good idea).

“We want to get the garage doors open and let people get outside when it’s nice. We’re also working on the rooftop to make it seem less industrial. We want to add some greenery and make it feel like a garden up there,” Wooden said.

The name of the new place hasn’t been finalized yet, but the plan is to be open in a couple of months.

“We’re hoping to be open in time for UA graduation day (May 8),” Wooden said. “Maybe Cinco de Mayo?”

After several businesses closed in that area over the winter, it’s nice to see some new places opening up.

Plus, that building is really sweet.

Double plus, that rooftop patio is boss. With a capital boss. I’ll totally eat some burgers up there this spring.