A University District favorite is temporarily closed for some much-needed additions, changes and updates. The crowd at Hang Over Easy was outgrowing the space in a few ways, said co-owners Nick Pedro and Scott McCrary, but the place should be back up and running early next month.
“We’ve basically gutted the whole place,” Pedro said.
If you were to enter from the original front door, the new entrance would be on your left, where the bar used to be. To your left you’d see a full-service coffee bar.
With beans from Cincinnati’s Deeper Roots and pastries from local bakeries, HOE will be able to offer a quick stop for coffee and a bagel or their established sit-down service. Pedro said that although the project has been a complete overhaul, they are careful not to lose their HOE brand.
“It was just getting old and we were 14 years old,” Pedro said. “So it was time to freshen things up without losing who we are. That was the big thing for us.”
Continuing to work with local artist Andrew Kern is another big part of maintaining their identity. Kern is incorporating remnants from the old space into the new look. At the same time Pedro and McCrary recognize that their business is evolving; their five-year-old staff is leaving, they’re adding the coffee bar and putting several new items on the menu.
“We have all the old classics, and then we’re adding a couple of new ones,” Pedro said. “We’re going to go more sandwich style with some of our new dishes.”
“Three Little Pigs”, a bacon, ham, sausage, egg and cheese sandwich, and the “Walk of Shame”, a sausage, egg and cheese between two Buckeye donuts, are two new items.
McCrary said the bar will have their original Bloody Mary as well as an Ultimate Bloody Mary, a multitude of local brews on tap and other seasonal cocktails.
Hang Over Easy will be hiring for the next two weeks as their current staff leaves for other ventures. Construction is on time for their reopening on August 8.
For more information, visit www.hangovereasy.com.