A former bridal boutique on North High Street is about to become a dimly lit cocktail den. Gallery Cocktails & Bites is set to open at 642 N. High St. in Columbus' Short North in December, bringing specialty drinks and small bites to a stretch of the arts district that owners say has strong pedestrian traffic.
The concept comes from Raeshon Antrum and Elvis Sarfo, the duo behind Hydeout Kitchen & Bar at 201 S. High St., according to WhatNow Columbus. Antrum described the new spot as something between a club and a restaurant, and the pair said the Short North location's proximity to their existing downtown restaurant was part of the appeal. They're designing the interior, kitchen and bar from scratch around that vision, since the roughly 1,800-square-foot space never previously operated as a restaurant or bar.
From Bridal Gowns to Specialty Cocktails
Before it becomes a lounge, the address had a very different retail history. The storefront once housed LUXEredux Bridal Boutique and Gilded Social, per the Short North Gazette, meaning Antrum and Sarfo are building bar and kitchen infrastructure from the ground up rather than renovating an existing food-and-beverage setup.
Once open, the lounge plans to serve roughly 10 to 15 specialty cocktails, with selections rotating seasonally, alongside small bites like meatballs and pretzel bites, per WhatNow's reporting. The look is meant to match the mood: dim lighting, comfortable lounge furniture and mellow music are all part of the planned atmosphere.
A Name Borrowed From the Neighborhood's Art Roots
The name Gallery Cocktails & Bites is a nod to the building's former tenant, Brandt-Roberts Gallery, which occupied the space for a decade starting in 2010 before relocating downtown to 76 N. High St. under the name Brandt Gallery, according to the Short North Arts District. That lineage ties the new lounge to a neighborhood identity built around art galleries, an identity reinforced by Gallery Hop, the monthly evening art-opening tradition launched in 1984 that marked its 40th anniversary in September 2024, as noted by Experience Columbus.
The Short North Alliance says the broader arts district draws more than 12 million annual visits and is home to over 300 businesses, most of them locally owned or headquartered. That density of foot traffic helps explain why operators keep betting on new concepts along the corridor, even as the neighborhood's retail and dining mix continues to shift.
Hours, Timing and a Crowded Nightlife Scene
Gallery Cocktails & Bites is expected to operate from 4 p.m. to 11 p.m. on weeknights and until midnight on weekends, according to WhatNow. Additional details, including a firmer opening date, are expected closer to December, and the outlet noted that the company had not responded with further information at the time of publication.
The lounge will add another concept to a Short North dining and nightlife scene that's been shifting fast. Hoodline previously reported that Bodega was sold to the Cilantro family for a Latin small-plates rebrand, while the cocktail bar Let Me Roll It announced plans to open near Italian Village. Both moves point to operators pairing drinks with more considered food menus rather than running straight bars.
The opening also lands as the corridor keeps grappling with public safety during nightlife hours. Hoodline has reported that neighborhood patrols and late-night interdiction efforts were increased along High Street in late 2025 and 2026 following several violent incidents near E. 4th Ave., including a shooting that killed one person in August. Gallery Cocktails & Bites' planned closing times of 11 p.m. on weeknights and midnight on weekends would put it on the earlier end of the Short North's nightlife hours.
For Antrum and Sarfo, the new lounge marks an expansion of a business portfolio that began with Hydeout Kitchen & Bar in February 2024, when the pair took over a downtown venue that had previously operated as Downtown Tavern and Lola's Kitchen + Bar, per 614NOW. Hydeout has carved out a niche as one of the few late-night kitchens downtown, serving food until midnight on weeknights and 1 a.m. on weekends.
