A little bit of Hollywood is coming to Easton Town Center this year. 

Ivan Kane’s Forty Deuce Cafe and Speakeasy will make its Midwestern debut as part of Easton’s $500 million expansion, currently underway in the northeast area of the development. 

In partnership with LOUD Capital, Kane is looking to bring a dynamic experience to Columbus, with a restaurant offering serving lunch and dinner, and a hidden speakeasy that’ll serve as a venue for live music, patron dancing and other performances.

“I really never had anticipated the Midwest until I got invited by the developers who had heard about what I was doing in LA and Vegas, and invited me to see what Columbus and Easton in particular was all about,” says Kane. “When I got to town and saw what they were doing, and heard about what their plans were for this urban expansion, I drank the Kool Aid — there was no turning back.”

Forty Deuce Cafe will be a 3,500 square foot bistro open for lunch, dinner and late night dining seven days per week. Aligning with what Kane sees as a meatpacking district/New York-style development at Easton, the cafe embraces the look and feel of a New York east side saloon, with checker table-clothed decor and whimsical design and aesthetics. It’ll have a juke box and nightly pianist as well.

The speakeasy will require a little bit of searching for Forty Deuce patrons. Hidden away upstairs, it requires patrons to first pass through the cafe’s kitchen and a store room to find the door of a walk-in refrigerator. On the other side of the door, rather than a fridge, guests will find a staircase leading them to a storage warehouse, and, on the other side, the speakeasy.

The 3,000 square foot space will be open to patrons Thursday through Saturday, “plus assorted additional nights,” according to a press release. The bar is aiming for a dance party vibe, with DJs, live bands, and other live entertainment.

“I hadn’t been to Columbus and only spend limited time in the Midwest, but I’ve spent a great deal of time over the past year designing the pace and getting to know the community and I have to tell you, to be perfectly honest, I was delightfully surprised to find Columbus to be incredibly vibrant, relevant, sophisticated,” Kane says. “The people are all so nice and welcoming, and excited for what I was bringing into the community.”