Ché is packing up its dining room on Madison Road and heading back to its original O'Bryonville storefront, clearing the way for an Argentine steakhouse to take over the space. Ignite Entertainment, the hospitality group behind both concepts, announced the move this week, with Ché set to reopen at 3009 O'Bryon St. in the first week of September while Butcher & Barrel takes over 2038 Madison Road later this fall.
The shuffle marks the second time Ché has occupied 3009 O'Bryon St. Ignite first opened “Ché Empanadas y Más” there in November 2021, before relocating the brand to the larger 2038 Madison Road building in October 2023 to expand its dining room, according to Cincinnati CityBeat. That 2023 move meant closing Pampas Argentine Gastropub, which Ignite had operated at the Madison Road address since December 2020. In the years since Ché left O'Bryon Street, Ignite converted the storefront into Nuestra Cocina, using it as a catering commissary, test kitchen, and private tasting space rather than a public restaurant, per the same CityBeat report.
According to the Cincinnati Enquirer, Ché opened its O'Bryonville presence in 2021 and has built a following for its empanadas and tapas, part of an Argentinian street food-focused concept that also runs a location in Over-the-Rhine. That Over-the-Rhine outpost will keep operating after the O'Bryonville move, the paper reports. Both the O'Bryonville and Over-the-Rhine locations are set to get an updated menu along with expanded grab-and-go, carryout, and delivery options once the transition is complete.
A Steakhouse Bet for O'Bryonville's Anchor Address
Butcher & Barrel, which serves Latin American and Italian-inspired cuisine including parillada — a South American festive meal traditionally built around assorted meats cooked over an open flame or grill — will open its second location in the space Ché is vacating, according to the Enquirer's reporting. The concept's original downtown location, across from the Aronoff Center at 600 Walnut Street, opened in 2017 as an Argentine- and Italian-influenced steakhouse and wine bar, per Cincinnati Magazine. That downtown venue laid the groundwork for the brand before its expansion into O'Bryonville.
The Enquirer reports the move represents a significant investment in O'Bryonville by Ignite Entertainment founder Juan Imeroni, who will reimagine the O'Bryonville space to reflect Ché's approachable, neighborhood spirit once it lands back on O'Bryon Street. “This next chapter allows Ché and Butcher & Barrel to each become the very best version of themselves while continuing to serve the community that has supported us from the beginning,” Imeroni said, according to the Enquirer. Butcher & Barrel is scheduled to open in its new O'Bryonville home later this fall.
A Building With a Revolving Door of Restaurants
The 2038 Madison Road building has cycled through concepts for nearly a decade before Ché's arrival. The property previously housed European dining spots Enoteca Emilia and Eighth & English, according to Cincinnati CityBeat, before Ignite opened Pampas Argentine Gastropub there in December 2020. Handing the address to an established, proven downtown brand like Butcher & Barrel represents a strategic bet on sustaining full-service, dinner-oriented dining in a location that has otherwise seen high turnover.
The O'Bryon Street storefront Ché is returning to carries its own history of independent eateries, including Southern comfort food restaurant Son of a Preacher Man in 2015 and Blackbird Eatery in 2018, per Cincinnati Magazine. Imeroni's path into Cincinnati hospitality began well before either brand existed — he immigrated from Argentina in 1991 to study art at Mount St. Joseph University, and launched his hospitality career in 2012 when he acquired O'Malley's in the Alley, the city's second-oldest bar, according to the un iversity. Ignite Entertainment now operates a wide portfolio of venues beyond Ché and Butcher & Barrel, including rooftop bar The View at Shires' Garden and LGBTQ+ lounge The Flock.
Part of a Broader Madison Road Shift
The restaurant reshuffle lands amid ongoing commercial and residential change along the Madison Road corridor. Nearby in Madisonville, the Madamore development has added more than 300 apartments and ground-floor retail space along the same thoroughfare, a wave of density that Hoodline has previously reported is helping sustain neighborhood business districts in eastern Cincinnati. Ché's flagship Over-the-Rhine location at 1342 Walnut Street was once ranked Cincinnati's top empanada spot by Hoodline, a nod to the street-food roots the brand is now carrying back to its smaller O'Bryon Street footprint.
