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The owners of The Oakmont restaurant and bar near the intersection of Massachusetts and Delaware streets plan to open a new Italian restaurant on the same block.
The proximity of the two eateries influenced the name of the second: Vicino, or “neighbor” when translated from Italian to English.
To open Vicino, Chris Burton and Gus Vazquez are taking over the former location of Hedge Row American Bistro, 350 Massachusetts Ave. Hedge Row, which closed in 2020, was a concept of The Kitchen Restaurant Group, a Colorado-based company co-founded by Kimbal Musk, the younger brother of billionaire Elon Musk.
Burton said the goal is for Vicino to open in the 5,515-square-foot space by mid-April. He said the location that debuted as a restaurant in 2018 essentially is a turnkey project.
“It needs nothing,” he said. “We just want to go in there and make it our own.”
With interior design by Bloomington-based company Third Eye Design, Vicino will retain a wood-fired pizza oven in the kitchen from the Hedge Row era.
Describing the menu as elevated modern Italian, Vazquez said the restaurant will source pasta locally from Nicole-Taylor’s Pasta & Market. Patrons can expect an extensive wine list, he said.
Vicino will occupy a street-level spot in The Marietta on Mass Ave, a four-story building developed by Gershman Partners—a company that’s also headquartered in the structure.
Meghan DeMars Kiger, executive vice president at Gershman, said Burton and Vazquez pitched the idea of Italian cuisine being underrepresented in the Mass Ave district.
“We could see them doing something that would push the envelope and give that space life again,” DeMars Kiger said.
Gershman Partners worked with the duo’s broker, Steve Delaney of CBRE, on the lease agreement.
Burton and Vazquez forged a friendship in the late 1990s, when they were servers at a Joe’s Crab Shack in Houston.
After moving to Indianapolis, Burton had an ownership share in Britton Tavern in Fishers, the downtown and Broad Ripple locations of Kilroy’s and downtown nightclub Revel.
Vazquez moved to Indianapolis because of the opportunity to co-own The Oakmont, a restaurant that succeeded Krueger’s Tavern at 323 N. Delaware St.
As a business that opened during the pandemic, The Oakmont faced staffing challenges, Vazquez said.
“We’re not struggling for staff any longer,” he said. “We have more resumes being turned in than we’ve ever had before.”
About 50 staff members work at The Oakmont, and Burton and Vazquez said as many as 70 employees will be hired at Vicino.
Vicino will be open seven days a week, with hours of 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Monday through Thursday; 11 a.m. to midnight Friday; 10 a.m. to midnight Saturday; and 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. Sunday.
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This is an excellent location for any restaurant. Glad to see the building not vacant any longer and put to good use. I plan to try the place out personally.
This is great news. They are right, Mass Ave lacks an Italian restaurant. I’m looking forward to it.
Leave it up to Chris and Gus to take over and crush it.
May not have a Pencil Pusher on the menu, but a Negroni, a few solid Friuli reds, and some pasta makes for a solid night on Mass Ave.
Mama Mia Musk!