March 5, 2025

A downtown restaurant is preparing to reopen in stages this week and next week in a new home and is bringing back its weekend brunch.

Ode to Food and Drinks did not renew the lease for its longtime home at Cherapa Place and closed Feb. 22. At the time, owner Theresa Flannery Kramer was working on the deal for the restaurant’s new location, so she didn’t announce the site.

The new home is the former Falls Landing Bar & Grill space in the Country Inn & Suites Hotel at 200 E. Eighth St.

Mockup of the new signage that will be going on the building

“We’re moving in and making renovations and making it feel and look like Ode over here,” Kramer said.

The restaurant’s employees and even house musician Dan Larson have been helping with the painting, replacing the ceiling tile and moving over furniture and equipment.

The restaurant will reopen this week only for hotel guests, most of whom are in the city for The Summit League basketball tournament, she said.

Next week, Ode will be open to everyone – in time for the St. Patrick’s Day Parade and celebrations, she said. The restaurant will serve its traditional Irish menu for several days, along with the regular menu, which will be slightly smaller than before.

Ode is in the process of transferring its liquor license to the new location, so it will serve only beer and wine until the end of the month, Kramer said.

One of the biggest menu changes will be the return of Ode’s plated weekend brunch, which ended during the pandemic.

That menu will include the scrambled egg dish the San Francisco Special, which found a home on the lunch menu when brunch was suspended, and former favorites like salmon and bacon apple flatbreads, pancakes and the Rustic Breakfast Salad with spring greens, roasted sweet potato, bacon, Irish cheddar cheese, poached egg and bacon vinaigrette..

Ode’s signature bloody mary bar with three housemade mixes and more than 40 ingredients for garnishing will return, Kramer said.

Inside, the restaurant will seat 80 diners, and the patio will hold more than 100, she said.

“We plan to make the most of it,” Kramer said of the patio overlooking the Big Sioux River. “It’s nice because it’s not as windy as our previous patio.”

Eventually, Ode will provide catering for the hotel’s event room, which can seat 50 guests, Kramer said. The initial focus will be on operating in the new restaurant space.

Hours for the new location will be 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Wednesday and Thursday, 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Friday, 9 a.m. to 11 p.m. Saturday and 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Sunday.