April 5, 2018

After closing when its building was demolished last year, Lalibela Restaurant is coming back.

Owner Mulugeta Endayehu was granted a building permit this week to renovate the former Bargain Butcher space at 200 S. Kiwanis Ave.

Lalibela had been located at 1001 W. 11th St. in a strip mall shared by Black Sheep Coffee. The building was demolished, and there’s now a Kum & Go on the site.

Bargain Butcher closed last year. Endayehu is buying the building, which also once was a Godfather’s Pizza.

“We are glad we had a building that was suitable for their needs,” said Raquel Blount of Lloyd Cos., who represented the building’s owner. “It will be wonderful to have them back in the neighborhood.”

There will be fairly significant construction done in the building, and an opening date hasn’t been set yet.

“I know they’re eager,” said Mike Hauck of Accord Commercial Team, who represented the buyers. “We’ve been looking for a long time and met roadblocks on a number of other properties, so this is the culmination of a long search. We’re really happy for them. If this hadn’t gone through, they would have moved out of the community, and I did not want to see that happen.”

Lalibela is the second Ethiopian restaurant to file plans to open in recent weeks. Hibir Ethiopia Restaurant plans to open at 323 N. West Ave.