CINCINNATI — A big-time Cincinnati restaurant group is set to open a restaurant at the spot of the now defunct Royce near Fountain Square.
Thunderdome will be opening a new restaurant, which currently remains unnamed, at the corner of 5th and Vine streets in the Foundry development. The restaurant is currently under construction and will open later this year.
“With years in the local restaurant scene, it’s a pretty exciting feeling to be opening a concept with a dining room that overlooks Cincinnati landmarks as iconic as Fountain Square and the Tyler Davidson Fountain,” said Joe Lanni, co-founder and owner of Thunderdome Restaurant Group.
Lanni said while the restaurant doesn't have a name yet, they've been referring to it as an American brasserie.
He also said the restaurant will serve lunch and dinner seven days a week, and the cuisine will be inspired by rustic dishes from Italy, France and the U.S. with a seasonally changing menu. There is also a possibility that the restaurant will have a brunch menu, as well.
Lanni said the restaurant itself will have a "polished" look to fit the iconic corner by Fountain Square.
Once open, the restaurant will join Jeff Ruby's Steakhouse, Five Iron Golf and the soon to be open, Vintage.
“The Foundry has really started to come to life over the last several months, with the addition of workers to the office spaces and several exciting entertainment concepts,” said Lindzie Gunnels, commercial leasing manager at 3CDC. “We have a longstanding relationship with Thunderdome and feel confident they’ll keep that positive momentum going and do a fantastic job activating such a prominent space at the core of our city.”
Royce, which previously filled the Foundry location, abruptly closed in February 2023 after roughly six months of business. Other than Royce, Amaranth Hospitality, which owned the French restaurant, also closed it's other local restaurant, Over-the-Rhine's oyster restaurant PearlStar.
While Thunderdome will fill Royce's empty spot, PearlStar's empty location is set to become another oyster restaurant owned by longtime OTR business owners Garth Lieb and Tom Stephen.
Other than its upcoming restaurant, Thunderdome owns multiple Cincinnati restaurants, including Bakersfield, The Eagle, Krueger's, Maplewood and Pepp and Dolores, among others.
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