Oxford brewery, pub bringing new restaurant to Hamilton

Quarter Barrel Brewery & Pub, based in Oxford, will bring rooftop dining overlooking the Great Miami River and Hamilton’s downtown to the city’s growing Main Street entertainment district.

Restaurant owner Brandon Ney has signed a lease for the building at the southwest corner of Main and B Streets, which he called “a premier location.”

FIRST REPORT: Oxford restaurant interested in opening rooftop dining in Hamilton

The brew pub will be identical in philosophy to the original location of Quarter Barrel Brewery and Pub in Oxford, Ney said.

“But while population swings in Oxford necessitate a high volume approach, the Hamilton location will let us explore a few different concepts in regards to beer and food pairings, service settings and so on,” Ney said. “It will certainly be interesting to experience what it’s like to be busy during the summer.”

The business is hoping for a fall opening, according to Mike Dingeldein, director of Hamilton’s CORE (Consortium for Ongoing Reinvestment Efforts) Fund.

“While we will open as soon as possible, an exact date is impossible to guess,” Ney said. “It’s an extensive project. Suffice to say, we hope that we will have an opportunity to see the roof top patio in action before the season turns too cold.”

RELATED: Hamilton leaders tout transformational growth in 2017

The CORE Fund will remain the owner Of the building. It has a five-year lease with Quarter Barrel, which has an option to buy the building within the five years, he said.

RELATED: Hamilton buys key Main Street building

CORE Fund is focusing on four buildings on Main Street, “and that is taking up I think the whole of our 2017 time and effort,” Dingeldein said.

“We have a shell permit from the city, so we’re continuing to do the shell structure, and sort-of rebuild the envelope of the building, including the flat roof,” he said.

“The engineering is done, and the bids are out for the construction of the new decks, inside and on the roof, and we have a signed lease with Quarter Barrel, so it’s just a matter of time, getting through this rebuild of the original building, and then getting to the build-out of the restaurant itself,” he said. “So we’re on track.”

About the Author