The southwest corner of College Avenue and 54th Street has held more than one business at a time for a long while. Moe & Johnny's opened at 5380 N. College Ave. in 1994 under original owner Chuck Mack. It served burgers, sandwiches, wood-fired pizzas and salads, and next door the Cornerstone Coffee House handled breakfast and coffee. The Indianapolis Business Journal reported in November 2020 that Moe & Johnny's had closed "until further notice." That came a year after Levi Kinney and his restaurant group bought the business.
The same address became home to The Bulldog, a large sports bar with a self-serve beer wall, and two businesses next to it, Pizza King and The English Lounge. On June 17, 2026, IndyStar reported that all three would serve for the last time on June 19. That makes two cleared-out clusters at one corner in less than six years.
Meridian-Kessler's restaurant turnover this year has landed on a few addresses that have changed hands before. The places around them, most of them open for years, stayed put. One local business is even expanding to another neighborhood while keeping its College Avenue shop open.
The two College Avenue addresses that emptied in June
The Bulldog cluster wasn't the only June closing. Root & Bone, at 4601 N. College Ave., had already set June 7 as its last day of service. IndyStar reported that the restaurant didn't give a reason. No public reason has surfaced for the closings at 5380 N. College either.
So by the end of June, College Avenue had lost two restaurant spaces about eight blocks apart, at 46th and at 54th. The two spaces are now moving at different speeds.
4601 N. College has a tenant. 5380 does not yet.
The space at 46th has an answer. In August, Indianapolis Monthly reported that Bocado Brunch & Te'Kila, a Noblesville restaurant, is opening an Indianapolis location in "the historic spot that most recently housed Root & Bone." The magazine said an Instagram post from the restaurant hinted at a fall 2026 opening. INDYtoday's September 28 restaurant roundup also lists Bocado at 4601 N. College with a fall 2026 estimate. It describes the menu as Mexican-American food, cocktails and specialty coffee. Indianapolis Monthly has written about the Noblesville location as a venture of restaurateur Hugo Zavala.
The corner at 54th has no answer yet. We found no announced replacement for The Bulldog, Pizza King or The English Lounge at 5380 N. College in local coverage through the end of September, and the September 28 roundup doesn't mention the address. That doesn't mean nothing is in the works. Leases often get signed before anyone announces them. For now, no tenant has been named.
The other well-known newcomer is a block off College Avenue. Slapfish announced in February 2026 that its fifth Indiana location would open at 115 E. 49th St., and IndyStar's report gave "this fall" as the target. As of September 30, the company's own locations page still listed "49th & Penn" as coming soon, with no opening date.
Here is where each address stands at the end of September 2026:
| Address | Most recent occupant | Status at end of September 2026 |
|---|---|---|
| 4601 N. College Ave. | Root & Bone, closed June 7 | Bocado Brunch & Te'Kila announced, targeting fall 2026 |
| 5380 N. College Ave. | The Bulldog, Pizza King, The English Lounge, closed June 19 | No replacement announced |
| 115 E. 49th St. | New location | Slapfish listed as "coming soon," no date posted |
Both opening dates are targets. Neither business had posted an opening day when we checked.
The places that never left
The empty storefronts are easy to see. The longer story of these corners is the businesses that have stayed open while their neighbors changed.
At 49th and Pennsylvania, Cafe Patachou still lists its flagship at 4901 N. Pennsylvania St. with daily hours. The restaurant says it has served the neighborhood since 1989. Napolese is still listed at 114 E. 49th St., open daily from 5 to 9 p.m., with carryout and delivery. When Slapfish opens at 115 E. 49th, it will be on the same block of 49th Street as Napolese.
On College Avenue, Upland's College Ave. Tasting Room is still listed at 4842 N. College Ave., with daily hours, food and beer menus and carryout ordering. Up at 54th, Fat Dan's lists its SoBro location at 5410 N. College Ave. with daily hours. That's just north of the empty space at 5380.
Patachou has been on its corner since 1989. Moe & Johnny's opened at 5380 five years later, in 1994. Since then that address has housed two separate groups of businesses and is now vacant again, while Patachou is still open. In Meridian-Kessler, the long-running places hold a corner together, and the spaces beside them are the ones that change.
The bakery that is growing without moving
Pots & Pans Pie Co. shows a business can expand without leaving the neighborhood.
According to Mirror Indy, Clarissa Morley started the business in 2016, selling savory and sweet pies at local farmers markets. In 2018 she and her husband, Ian, opened a storefront at 4915 N. College Ave. That shop is a short walk from Upland's tasting room and close to the Patachou block at 49th.
In August, the Morleys shared plans at an Irvington Community Council meeting. With partner 1820 Ventures, they have the former Black Acre Brewing Co. site in Irvington under contract, a 2.9-acre property. Mirror Indy reported these details:
- One existing building will be renovated into a 15,000- to 17,000-square-foot commercial production kitchen.
- Construction is set to start this fall and is expected to finish in spring 2027.
- The bakery made 45,000 pies and hopes to double that in the new space.
- The owners estimate 15 to 20 jobs and $3 million to $5 million in investment.
- The site will also have neighborhood retail, parking, green space and maker and warehouse users.
Part of the work is being funded with a Resilient Food Systems Infrastructure grant from the Indiana Department of Agriculture. Shop Kid LLC, an affiliate of Pots & Pans, received it in April 2025.
For Meridian-Kessler, the key line in Mirror Indy's report is short: the College Avenue storefront "will remain open." Production is moving to Irvington, and the counter where neighbors buy pies is staying on College Avenue.
What to watch between now and the holidays
These are the dates and open questions in the order they are likely to come up:
- Bocado at 4601 N. College. The target is fall 2026. Watch the restaurant's social accounts for a confirmed opening day.
- Slapfish at 115 E. 49th St. The target is fall 2026. Its locations page still said "coming soon" on September 30.
- Pots & Pans construction in Irvington. Work is set to start this fall, with completion expected in spring 2027. The College Avenue shop stays open the whole time.
- 5380 N. College Ave. No tenant has been named. This is the corner to watch.
- MK Shines! at 49th and Pennsylvania. The next listed Meridian-Kessler Neighborhood Association event is Sunday, November 29, from 4 to 6 p.m., when the holiday lights get switched on.
MKNA's 53rd Home Tour ran September 25 through 27, with a Friday Twilight Tour and day tours on Saturday and Sunday. We didn't find any October events on the association's calendar. Between now and the November lighting, the main news on these corners will be which of the announced openings happens first.
MK Shines! will light up 49th and Pennsylvania around Cafe Patachou, which has been on that corner since 1989. Whether Slapfish is open on the same block by then depends on the date it still hasn't posted.
At The O'Connor Team, we track College Avenue storefronts the same way you do, one address at a time. If you're wondering what a new tenant or a long vacancy could mean for your block, get in touch. We're glad to share what we're seeing, with no pressure.
