Work begins on future Agave & Rye restaurant site in Hamilton

Demolition at the rear of the Main Street property in Hamilton that will eventually be an Agave & Rye restaurant has started. NICK GRAHAM/STAFF

Demolition at the rear of the Main Street property in Hamilton that will eventually be an Agave & Rye restaurant has started. NICK GRAHAM/STAFF

The site of a future Agave & Rye restaurant on Main Street in Hamilton is in its preparatory stages as demolition started this week.

A demolition permit was issued in December for the back building on the former Ritzi Auto Body shop property at 335/339 Main St., according to the city. Officials anticipate the restaurant to open before the end of 2023.

Agave & Rye is a tequila and taco restaurant that opened its first location in 2018 Covington, Ky. It has expanded into 14 locations in Ohio, Kentucky, Indiana, Alabama and Tennessee and has a restaurant planned for Indianapolis. Agave & Rye opened its first Ohio location at Liberty Center in Liberty Twp. in 2019.

The Hamilton location has seen a significant delay in getting started due to the owners trying to right-size their project, which will be a little smaller in scope and will see more parking instead of pickleball courts, as originally planned.

Most of the property where the Legacy Martial Arts Academy building is next door in the 300 block of Main Street will become public parking as the school moves to Northwest Washington Boulevard.

The Community Improvement Corporation of Hamilton owns the 0.8 of an acre and building at 327 Main St., and the majority of the property will be repurposed to create 65 parking spaces adjacent to the planned Agave & Rye development.

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