The East Market is slowly but surely coming to life in the Trolley District. The much-anticipated project has seen the opening of the first two tenants at 212 Kelton Ave. – market-serving bar The Railhouse and basement speakeasy Switch.
The restaurant group behind Grandview Cafe, Round II and Hadley’s Bar + Kitchen is responsible for operating the bars, along with an upper-floor events space. Director of Operations James Ball says the opportunity to be part of such a cool, unique project was something they couldn’t pass up. He’s looking forward to being a part of the growing Franklin Park and Olde Towne East neighborhoods and serving the community.
The Railhouse does duty as East Market’s main bar, occupying space on the ground floor of the building along with the additional food and retail vendors. Ball says the bar has an inviting atmosphere with TVs, lots of open seating and a great selection of local beers and spirits. Guests can grab a bite to eat at one of the market’s various food purveyors, then post up at one of The Railhouse’s roughly 120 seats.
Tucked under The Railhouse is Switch. A selection of higher-end scotches, bourbons and whiskeys will be the drinks of choice in the basement bar that Ball says has a more secluded, historic feel. It’s cozier, too, seating between 40-50 guests.
Rising above the main action of the market is an upper-level events space. Ball says the venue can play host to events small and large through setups of different areas, but has an overall capacity of about 200 guests.
As construction wraps up on the rest of the market, with an opening date yet to be announced, Switch and The Railhouse will be operating on limited, Thursday-to-Sunday hours. Once things are running at full steam, the bars will be open the same days as the market with later evening hours.
Switch and The Railhouse are currently open Thursday from 4 p.m. – midnight, Friday from 4 p.m. – 2 a.m., Saturday from 11 a.m. – 2 a.m. and Sunday from 11 a.m. – 10 p.m. (The bars will be closed on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day).
For more information, follow East Market, The Railhouse and Switch on Instagram.
