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After renovations, the Ohio Tavern has a more level bar.

The Ohio Tavern on Madison's East Side has reopened after seven weeks as improvements were made inside while the street in front of it was torn up for utility work and updating.

"It was like, 'Well, if we're going to fix the things we want to fix and take care of the things we want to take care of, this is the best time we're going to have to do it. So, I got a little carried away fixing things and ended up gutting the room," said owner Josh Swentzel.

Before the renovations, Swentzel said, a cocktail glass might fall off the bar if it was wet since it wasn't exactly level.

"It's an old place that had been Band-aided so many times that it was like, 'Okay, we can really improve our service and our life behind the bar, if we fix these things.' And obviously, it was never a restaurant before. So now we have a little more kitchen space. We gave the cooks a little breathing room back there."

Before he bought the bar at 224 Ohio Ave., off Atwood Avenue, seven years ago, there was a beer cooler in the corner the he removed and installed what he referred to as essentially a tiny food cart to make the bar's tacos. While it's still a tight space, he said, employees are able "to dance around the bar a little better."

Now, in addition to the prep kitchen in the basement, there's a taco station and a space to prepare oysters, which the bar started serving this week. Oysters on the half shell are available by the half dozen, with three varieties per day.

The bar was opening at 4 p.m., but now it's opening at 2 p.m. and selling oysters from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m., and then tacos and oysters from 4 p.m. to 9 p.m., with tacos available until midnight.

"We're just feeling it out," Swentzel said about the oysters. "It's a tight space back there. It's new, it's a weird idea... We're just making sure, because the tacos are so busy, we want to make sure we can handle both and do both of them properly if we're going to pull 'em off."

He said it's a weird idea after temporarily laying off staff and shutting down a successful business to completely renovate it. "Everywhere that is currently rocking oysters is fantastic, but a more casual place to get 'em seemed like a good addition."

The Ohio has also become a late-night food spot when it wasn't previously, he said.

"COVID changed that a whole lot," he said. "We noticed that we were always getting off work and there was nowhere to go eat. So, we started opening until midnight. It was pretty slow for a while before we closed, but we stuck it out and now we get some pretty good late-night business."

The bar added six new types of tacos, going from 10 to 16. In addition to lentils, pork, brisket and chicken, now there's also braised black beans.

The Ohio Tavern added six new tacos, going from 10 to 16. 

The hot sauces are temporarily unavailable. Since the remodel, the space looks different and the caddies Swentzel had on the tables to keep the hot sauces organized and clean, don't match the room anymore. He's in the process of having new ones made.

The room was repainted, and the local artist, Audifax, painted a mural on the back bar wall after Swentzel had the plaster removed and took the wall down to its original brick. Audifax also did a mural in the vestibule into the bar.

During the renovations, the mahogany-topped bar and back bar were rebuilt and Swentzel added lighted floating liquor shelves.

Swentzel said street construction started in mid-April and went a lot faster than was anticipated.

Ohio Avenue is now one-way going north with a single parking lane. "The city very graciously, without us asking, gave us eight extra feet of concrete terrace for a patio, which is absolutely amazing," Swentzel said.

Once he figures out new city licensing for the terrace, he'll be able to add about 24 seats in front. He already has about 20 seats on the back patio.

The new terrace will be "a lot safer, nicer, more comfortable," he said.

The Ohio Tavern has about 20 seats on its back patio, but will soon be able to add about 24 more on a new terrace in front.

Swentzel said the city reached out to him and the owner of Revolution Cycles around the corner, for input on how to make the bike path intersection safer.

"It was so wildly dangerous and they really listened to all of our feedback and they made so many changes," including speed bumps that make the bike path a raised lane and separate it from car traffic.

"So, people can't rush in there at 30 miles an hour and almost kill somebody every five minutes, which was what it was like," Swentzel said.

Don Woods opened Stadium Takeout in early October, next to his barber shop, Faded Club, on Monroe Street, where Lorraine's, and before that, New Orleans Take-Out, were.

Joe Papach and Shaina Robbins Papach opened this modern-day supper club in July, tucked into the Madison Train Depot, behind Motorless Motion Bicycles on West Washington Avenue. 

Ting Cai Zhou opened this State Street counter-service restaurant where Lotsa Stone Fired Pizza was.

Brian and Alicia Hamilton opened this intimate, full-service 30-seat restaurant on Monroe Street in August across from Trader Joe's where Joon, Burgrito and Double S BBQ were.

Patricia Sánchez and Adrian Serrato opened this restaurant and store in the former Farm Tavern, south of the Beltline. In November, they opened a second one in Lakewood Plaza Shopping Center at Sherman and Commercial avenues.

Henry Aschauer opened a fourth of his healthy fast-food restaurants in November on Old Sauk Road in a former Cousins Subs shop.

Madison's second Portillo's hot dog restaurant with a three-lane drive-thru opened at West Towne Mall where a Sears Auto Center was.

Carlos Falcon opened his fifth and sixth coffee shops, one on Park Street in the Peloton Residences apartments, the other in Verona, next to the new high school.

Juan Montiel and his father, Euler Montiel, bought this second-floor, State Street favorite last summer and added some of their native Venezuelan specialties.

This Louisiana-based chain, focused on chicken strips, opened in June next to Colectivo Coffee on State Street.

The cafe opened in February in Maple Bluff where Manna Café was. It joins Tori Gerding's King Street Ancora and her Ancora on University Avenue.

Mallory Orr, who briefly worked at the 20-year-old Cool Beans, near East Towne Mall, opened her new shop in its place in December. 

Evelyn Jian opened her small Middleton counter-service restaurant in early May.

Mike Hottinger opened this counter-service shop in mid-September on State Street in what had been Frutta Bowls. 

Brent Mann and Michelle Duvall opened their indoor golf club, bar and restaurant in June on Fair Oaks Avenue on the ground level of the mixed-use Garver Point Apartments.

Walter Heinrich and Jennie Corey-Heinrich took over the popular bar Marcine's in Mount Vernon and renamed it. They promised to keep almost everything the same.

Tyrone Austin and Ondray Sellers, with help from Mary Bridges, opened the takeout restaurant in February in the back of a Citgo gas station on Northport Drive.

Jeannie Ni opened this sushi spot in April on Cottage Grove Road where Good Food Low Carb Café was.

Jeannie Ni opened her conveyor-belt sushi restaurant in August on Whitney Way where, for 14 years, she co-owned Takara Japanese Restaurant.

James Montgomery opened the cafe mid-May in his three-year-old hotel on South Baldwin Street off Williamson Street.

Madhuri Ranade opened her food cart in June on Library Mall, and sells four items.

Andy Haker, who owns Madison's on King Street, turned the restaurant-bar's party room into an artisan ice cream and coffee shop.

Sam Parker, Ryan Huber and Brian Bartels, who also own neighboring Settle Down Tavern, opened the bar in October on King Street.

Sam Brown opened a combination bookstore, bar and café in July next to the Regent Street Rocky's, where Greenbush Bakery was.

David Rodriguez opened Taco Local in April on Williamson Street where Underground Butcher was.

Ryan Ramig and Josh Wacker opened a bar on Cottage Grove Road where JoBeck's Bar was.

Michael Parks opened this eclectic restaurant in the former Forequarter space on East Johnson Street.

This Ohio-based chain opened its first Wisconsin location in March at the corner of Gammon and Mineral Point roads.

Sinarack "Be" Macvilay opened a third Rising Sons Laotian-Thai restaurant on West Verona Avenue, where Jordandal Cookhouse was.

Patrick Riha, who owns Beef Butter BBQ restaurant on the North Side, opened this seasonal outdoor spot in the town of Westport.

The restaurant, in the former Boston's Pizza Restaurant & Sports Bar, had a soft opening in December 2020, but is being counted as a 2021 opening.

Nathan Mergen, who owns the restaurant/bar 107 State at that address, expanded next door last spring into the former Shoo store, for a private dining room and "urban art gallery."

Patrick DePula of Salvatore's Tomato Pies on East Washington Avenue took over the space next door that used to be Star Bar for an art gallery, bar, and performance art and music venue.

Jacknife will be a fast-casual restaurant on East Washington Avenue from the owners of the sushi favorite RED.

Chasers Bar & Grille was chased out of its West Gorham Street home because of redevelopment, but Chasers 2.0 is opening in the old Nomad spot a block away. 

East Johnson Family Restaurant, an upscale diner from the couple behind Johnson Public House.

Driftless Social in Mount Horeb, a supper club in the old Schubert's diner and bakery from Matt and Tim Schmock, two grandsons of the founders of Smoky's Club in Madison.

Mio Fratello, a pizza place on the North Side from Alessandro Monachello and Chris Guglielmo. The partners have tweaked their business model to do catering and pop-up events. They've been selling their wood-fired pizza at the North Side Farmers' Market and at festivals and private events.

Red Rooster in the former Knuckle Down Saloon from Jesse Steinberg, Paul Schwoerer, Tim Payne and Dan Resnick, members of Madtown Mannish Boys, a local blues band.

Read more restaurant news at: go.madison.com/restaurants

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Wisconsin State Journal feature writer Samara Kalk Derby writes about the arts and brings you the latest news on the Madison area's eclectic restaurant scene. She can be reached at skalk@madison.com or 608-252-6439.

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A sign on the door says "Hone will be closing," followed by "We thank all of our guests for joining us, and wish you good chance in your endeavors!"

After renovations, the Ohio Tavern has a more level bar.

The Ohio Tavern added six new tacos, going from 10 to 16. 

The Ohio Tavern has about 20 seats on its back patio, but will soon be able to add about 24 more on a new terrace in front.

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