Good Night John Boy recently moved to this building on the riverfront, an upgrade among several happening all around the Flats East Bank (Ian McDaniel). CLICK IMAGES TO ENLARGE THEM
Progress Pics: East, West banks see new biz
When the sudden closings of several long-term tenants punctuated the end of the 2025 season, many were quick to declare Flats East Bank in Cleveland “dead” once again.
Margaritaville, Inferno and Rum Runners closed for good while Punch Bowl Social closed temporarily to work on an “exciting new concept.” They have yet to reopen.
But have no fear. It appears that typical industry turnover is the likely culprit. Now, several new concepts are gearing up to open in 2026 and breathe new life into the popular nightlife district.
Recent construction activity has quietly gone under the radar and social media posts hint as new changes about to take place to revitalize Flats East.
They come on the heals of a recent move by retro club Good Night John Boy to a larger space on both floors of the former JADE Sushi location and the opening of Lost on the River cocktail bar on the third floor patio above them.
Despite lack of an opening date, Agave Social is currently hiring workers for their eventual launch in the Flats East Bank (Ian McDaniel).
And iconic Shooters recently reopened on the West Bank of the Flats to much fanfare. After undergoing a complete renovation, the bar and restaurant now welcomes patrons by land or sea thanks to its new boat dock.
Concerts featuring popular rappers Don Toliver and Ty Dolla $ign have helped launch the summer 2026 season with a bang.
One of the upcoming openings on the East Bank is a modern Mexican restaurant named Agave Social Kitchen. Interior construction and outdoor signage have been complete for a while in the space formerly occupied by Beerhead Bar and Eatery.
That chain was hit by several closures in the past two years including their downtown Flats location and New Albany location outside Columbus. Now, Agave Social’s take on Mexican fare will offer a new cuisine not currently available in the immediate area.
Construction at the former Rum Rummers location across from the new outdoor stage overlooking the Cuyahoga River (Ian McDaniel).
Agave Social was originally slated to open in 2025 but never did. Instead, the renovated space sat quiet for roughly a year until just this past week when an Instagram post by the restaurant announced a hiring initiative for all positions on June 10-11.
While no official date has been announced, it is nonetheless a good sign that the restaurant will open soon.
Next door in the former Rum Runners space, an unnamed bar shows signs of construction with workers remodeling the outdoor bar space and canopy. No visible indications of the tenant name or notices have been posted as of the writing of this article.
In the former Inferno space previously operated by Dante Boccuzzi’s group of restaurants and bars, interior construction is underway on another concept unique to the Flats but not new to Northeast Ohio.
A temporary sign announces the arrival of retro bar and arcade Barflyy to the riverfront (Ian McDaniel).
Barflyy Retro Bar and Arcade will be opening its second location following the success of their downtown Kent location. The theme of Barflyy is a throwback to the 1980s with a college bar aesthetic and retro arcade machines for entertainment.
Workers were busy cleaning and reconfiguring the lengthy outdoor patio space while installing banners and posters of various colleges and universities on interior walls.
Barflyy touts its advanced sound systems, throwback nights and DJs spinning classic 80s hits as providing the “ultimate college nightlife experience” according to its Web site.
An opening date is currently scheduled for Monday August 24th which coincides with the start of the 2026-2027 academic year.
The scene of the shipping accident on the Cuyahoga River in June 2025 has looked like this for a year. That is about to change as a construction permit was filed to get repairs underway (Ian McDaniel).
Finally, several quality-of-life updates were recently completed or approved in the Flats. The deteriorating brickwork on West 11th Street has been redone to help alleviate flooding and traffic flow issues in the area.
An updated rideshare pick-up and drop-off system was also shared by Flats East Bank and the City of Cleveland to control traffic thanks to various high-profile downtown events in recent months.
And a permit was submitted to repair the portion of the boardwalk crushed when the freighter MV Sunnanvik carrying about 3,500 tons of cement powder got stuck in the Cuyahoga River on June 20, 2025. The repair project is estimated at $133,800 and will be performed by Littoral Services LLC.
Workers will remove and reinstall the damaged handrail sections, adjacent boardwalk sections and damaged sheet pile cap plates to restore the geometry of the sheet pile in localized areas, according to its pending permit application.
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