JUST IN: New Caribbean restaurant in the works in Yellow Springs

The owner of the Sunrise Cafe in Yellow Springs will open a second restaurant with a separate name and concept in the village in the coming weeks.

Renovations are underway at 1535 Xenia Ave. for the Calypso Grill and Smokehouse, serving primarily Caribbean food, according to Sunrise Cafe owner and Calypso Grill founder Brian Rainey. Calypso Grill will open in space that previously housed Dona Margarota's, a Mexican restaurant that shut down late last year.

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The new restaurant will seat about 75 and will employ eight to 12, Rainey told this news outlet.

“We’re hoping to open by about March 1, or later in March,” Rainey said.

Plans call for Calypso Grill to be open for lunch and dinner six days a week, closed Tuesdays.

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Rainey — who has owned and operated Sunrise Cafe at 259 Xenia Ave. for 13 years — said a recent trip to the Caribbean triggered the idea to open a restaurant focusing on the region’s cuisine.

Calypso Grill’s menu will include jerk chicken and other Caribbean specialties, as well as some Colombian, Cuban and Brazilian-inspired dishes such as empanadas and plantains, Rainey said. The restaurant will have a full liquor license and a wide array of rum-based drinks, the restaurant owner said.

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To monitor Calypso Grill's progress toward opening, or to check on job opportunities, check out its Facebook page at www.facebook.com/calypsogrillyellowsprings.

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