Ophelia’s is back, and it’s coming to Walnut Street

A familiar name among local eateries is coming back after a couple of years away. News of the return of Ophelia’s tapas restaurant and wine bar was first announced to its Facebook fans late last month, but now signage appears in the new location at 216 E. Walnut Street next to Hawthorn Gallery, making it official to the public at large. The new location, once home to The Venice at The Seville and Room 4, is considerably smaller than the restaurant’s old location inside Wilhoit Plaza where Farmers Gastropub sits today, but it maintains its downtown affiliation as well as its ownership by Tom Muetzel, who also owns the popular pub Finnegan’s Wake on South Avenue. The signage indicates the restaurant is accepting applications for wait staff, which is usually a sign that an official opening isn’t far away, but no date appears to have been announced yet beyond “this summer.” (The previously mentioned Facebook page lists the restaurant’s “birthday” as July 1, but that’s not a reliable answer.) We’ll track down more info and get it to you as soon as we can.