Parkside Public House, the arthouse gastropub that has anchored Garfield Park with live music, art markets and coursed dinners for nearly two years, is closing for good at the end of October. The restaurant's final day of regular service will be October 10, and owners say the decision follows a break-in, a kitchen fire and a punishing stretch for the neighborhood's small businesses.
A Farewell Dinner Series Before the Doors Close
After that last regular service, Parkside plans to run a three-week coursed dinner series called “The Death of Parkside,” according to the Indianapolis Star. Haines also wrote on Instagram that Parkside is at the end of the road.
The closure caps a run that began with high hopes for the Garfield Park dining scene. When the restaurant was first announced, the trade publication ibj.com described the concept as a way to fill a need for dining options in the neighborhood, noting it was planned as a sandwich and brunch spot on the first floor of Yoke Pavilion at 2602 Shelby St. That was the planned address.
Break-In, Fire and Road Closures Piled Up
A report from fox59.com lists a string of setbacks that hit Parkside in rapid succession: a small kitchen fire in April, followed by a smash-and-grab burglary in May that made it one of five Garfield Park businesses targeted that month, and ongoing road closures in nearby Fountain Square. During the break-in, someone threw a rock through the restaurant's double-pane door, and the intruders spent roughly a minute inside before leaving with cash from the register and some bacon, the same account states. Parkside had planned to reopen for dinner service the following Thursday night if everything went according to plan.
Parkside was not alone in being targeted. Fox59 separately reported that at least 15 businesses across Indianapolis reported smash-and-grabs within the span of a month, underscoring that the trouble facing Garfield Park was part of a broader citywide pattern rather than an isolated incident.
Beyond the headlines, Parkside built its identity as more than just a kitchen. The restaurant was an arthouse eatery and arts venue. Chefs Fidelmar Garcia and Abbi Merriss were also associated with the restaurant.
Live Music, Art Markets and a Neighborhood Stage
The gastropub also served as an arts venue in Garfield Park, reflecting the identity it built over nearly two years in the neighborhood.
What comes next for the Yoke Pavilion space, or for Haines and her fellow chefs, has not been detailed. For now, Garfield Park diners have three weeks of farewell dinners left before Parkside officially closes at the end of October.
