Southland dining scene changes: Marikka’s gets microbrewery, Hunan closes

Big changes are coming to Southland’s dining scene: Marikka’s Restaurant & Bier Stube, which was knocked down in January, is building back bigger than ever.

Much bigger, in fact. According to the building permit, it will be a $3 million, 25,000-square-foot restaurant, designed by Lexington architect Rebecca Burnworth.

According to a legal ad, owners Doug Tackett and Doug Tackett Jr. also want to put in a microbrewery to make beer. The restaurant, through a request from Traditional Bank, received approval for a two-year $461,000 small business loan in July from the Kentucky Economic Development Finance Authority to rebuild. The Tacketts could not be reached for comment.

A video posted on the restaurant’s Facebook page in August as construction was beginning said that no opening date had been set.

▪  Meanwhile, Hunan Chinese Restaurant, which had been at 115 Southland for decades, closed at the end of August.

The owners are shifting their business to Jin Jin Chinese Restaurant in Chinoe Plaza, according to a sign on the restaurant’s door. No word yet on what might become of that restaurant spot. The owner of the restaurant was not immediately available for comment.

▪  A new bakery is coming: The Mill, a Mediterranean bakery, is opening at 341 Southland.

Owner Rami Adnan Wadee said he hopes to open this fall; the bakery will sell pita bread, stuffed breads, French and other breads and Mediterranean desserts, such as baklava.

▪  And Crankworks Bicycles, a bike shop at 439 Southland, is going to start serving beer.

“We are purchasing equipment, going to do some small renovations,” said owner Bill Crank. “In the Southeast, the growing trend is for bike shops to add, say four taps. Not so much as a bar as a sense of community, so we are also going to do that. ... We’ll have, say three taps on hand, and a little lounge area to hang out. It won’t affect business hours; we’ll still be open 10 to 6.”

This story was originally published September 20, 2017 at 9:25 AM with the headline "Southland dining scene changes: Marikka’s gets microbrewery, Hunan closes."