Short North’s Bodega is getting a sibling. Owner Brian Swanson will open a new concept behind the popular bar at 1044 N. High St. dubbed Apt. B.
It’s an apt name as the space was once an apartment. When the landlord shared that the apartment would become available, Swanson jumped at the chance to take it over.
“We’ve always known we needed more space there,” he says.
He didn’t know whether that square footage would be an expansion of Bodega, a private party room or something entirely differently. He landed on entirely different.
For Bodega’s neighborhood, beer-bar vibes, Apt B. will have comfortable, cocktail lounge vibes. Swanson says the bar will have a very speakeasy, art deco look, but not be the sort of place that’s hard to find, requires a password and/or is for members only.
Apt. B’s menu will be cocktail-forward with some classics and some new-age concoctions. Swanson’s working with the brain trust from Bodega and another of his enterprises, Worthington Tavern, on the menu. There will be beer and wine to round things out.
At 750 square feet, the space will seat about 50.
It’s been a project two plus years in the making. Swanson says it’s an old building that has required a lot of work to shore up. But with the heavy lifting now mostly done, Apt. B is aiming for an early summer opening.
It’ll be a bar-only spot, open Thursday, Friday and Saturday evenings. The space can also be utilized for private or special events, with the option to pull in catering from the rest of Swanson’s portfolio (Bodega, Worthington Tavern and Bristol Republic).
For more information, visit apt-b.com.