A new dining destination is preparing to open in Columbus’ Victorian Village neighborhood, where Tre Kitchen & Bar plans to bring Southern Mediterranean cuisine and a welcoming atmosphere to the community.
The restaurant will be located at 335 W. 3rd Ave. in Columbus, Ohio, in the former home of Harrison’s on Third, which closed in 2024. Restaurant operators Xhevair Brakaj and Koli Memushaj own the upcoming concept; their other businesses include Arch City Tavern and Tip Top Kitchen & Cocktails.
Brakaj and Memushaj opened Arch City Tavern in the Short North in 2013 and acquired Tip Top Kitchen & Cocktails on Gay Street in 2023. For their latest venture, the partners have been renovating the former restaurant space with a handcrafted design intended to reflect the food and hospitality they plan to offer.
According to the Columbus Business Journal, Tre Kitchen & Bar will focus on Southern Mediterranean hearth cooking, drawing inspiration from Italy, North Africa, Turkey, Greece, Spain, and other regions.
General Manager Ray McGahan said the restaurant’s approach to hospitality will center on family, connection, and camaraderie, describing the concept as local, comfortable, and accessible.
The restaurant’s culinary team includes Kitchen Manager Dylan Jones, Chef de Cuisine Jon Gruseck, and consulting chef Bradford Thompson, a James Beard Award-winning chef.
Jones previously trained in pasta making in Bologna, Italy, and most recently worked at Speck Italian Eatery. Gruseck’s previous experience includes Market Italian Village and Crest.
The menu will combine familiar dishes with Mediterranean influences and distinctive ingredients. One example is the lamb ragu, which will feature lamb marinated in Turkish spices and served with a harissa-based sauce instead of a traditional tomato sauce.
Another example is the restaurant’s giardiniera, which will incorporate pickled peppers and vegetables alongside green tomatoes and grapes, reflecting influences from the owners’ native Albania.
Guests can also expect handmade pasta, bread, dips, spreads, entrees, and Neapolitan-style pizzas.
Tre Kitchen & Bar will accommodate approximately 120 guests across three distinct spaces. The first will be a bar area with first-come, first-served seating, followed by a main dining room featuring an oven as its centerpiece.
The restaurant will also include a dedicated pasta-making room, where guests can watch Jones and his team prepare fresh pasta and bread. The space is designed to give diners a closer look at the kitchen’s work.
“The guests are going to feel like they’re inside the kitchen,” Jones told the Columbus Business Journal. “It’ll be a very active space.”
A third room will provide additional dining space during busy evenings and can also be reserved for private events. The area will have its own bar and restroom.
Tre Kitchen & Bar plans to initially serve dinner seven days a week, operating from 3 p.m. to 11 p.m. An exact opening date has not yet been announced.
WhatNow has reached out to Tre Kitchen & Bar for additional information about the restaurant and its anticipated opening. This article will be updated as more details become available.
