In early 2024, Gary Eyster, president of the Nob Hill Neighborhood Association, was contacted by Oak & Ivy's new owners about their concept for the former Yanni's building on Central Avenue. Eyster had watched late-night venues cycle through the building and listened as the owners described their plans.
Two and a half years later, Oak & Ivy's plans have taken shape. Oak & Ivy still runs its ultra lounge on Friday and Saturday nights, but the business now anchors itself around La Consentida, a full-service Mexican restaurant built into the same Central Avenue space. La Consentida adds a dining component to Oak & Ivy's existing lounge business.
What Yanni's Leaving Actually Opened Up
The building at 3109 Central Ave NE had been a Greek food institution for years before Yanni's closed, and Val Osbourn, executive director of Nob Hill Main Street, remembers the closure landing hard. "I think everyone was a bit sad and a bit shocked when Yanni's closed because it has been such an institution for so many years," Osbourn said in KRQE's report. What surprised her more was how fast the space filled back up. Oak & Ivy moved in within months, working with an interior designer to turn the old dining room into something Osbourn described to KRQE as keeping "this same sort of upscale feel that Yanni's had," which she saw as essential for a building that size.
The neighborhood association had questions about Oak & Ivy's concept and how it would operate. Operating partner Gerald Zamora told KRQE the team was "fully aware of kinda the history that Nob Hill has with the traditional night club" and didn't want that reputation attached to their name. His partner Brian Luna told KRQE the restaurant, not the lounge, was "still in the works" and would eventually anchor lunch, dinner and a Sunday brunch.
Oak & Ivy Adds La Consentida
Oak & Ivy's early offerings included DJ nights, VIP tables and a lounge menu. By this fall, its website also featured La Consentida, a dining concept described as built around authentic Mexican cuisine, with its own reservation line. The ultra lounge and craft cocktails remain.
La Consentida adds a full-service restaurant to the Central Avenue address. Oak & Ivy's ultra lounge and restaurant share the building, bringing dining and nightlife under one roof.
The Lobo Theater's Fall Lineup
The historic Lobo Theater, which holds up to 550 people and rents out for concerts, comedy and private events, has a fall lineup that includes:
- September 20 — comedian Chelsea Peretti brings her show Back to Work (In Progress) to the Lobo stage
- September 26 — Killer Lloronas and Other Misconstrued Stories, a live storytelling event
- October 17 — The Prince & Michael Experience, a tribute set covering both artists' catalogs
- October 31 — a Halloween night concert billed simply as The Deal
The lineup spans more than a month, from September 20 through October 31.
Route 66 Remains Part of Nob Hill's Story
None of this means Nob Hill's Route 66 identity has quietly disappeared. Route 66 turned 100 this year, and the city marked it in July with Route 66 Summerfest, a free street festival that closed a mile of Central Avenue between Girard and Washington for an evening of four era-themed music stages, 14 food trucks and 30 artisan vendors. The festival brought a major event to Central Avenue in July.
Several established businesses remain part of the Central Avenue mix. Frontier, family-owned since 1971, serves the university crowd. M'Tucci's Bar Roma operates out of a restored Art Deco service station, one of the buildings that makes Central Avenue's architecture worth a slow walk rather than a fast drive. The 66 Diner turns its neon on every night, centennial year or not, and Zema Vinyl Lounge runs its speakeasy concept inside Hotel Zazz for anyone who wants a quieter corner off the main strip. Together with Oak & Ivy and the Lobo Theater, these established businesses contribute to Nob Hill's mix of dining and entertainment.
That's the kind of neighborhood texture that doesn't show up on a listing sheet, but it's exactly what tells you whether a place is still becoming something or has already settled into what it's going to be. If you're watching Nob Hill for reasons beyond a Friday night out, whether you're weighing a move, sizing up an investment property, or just trying to understand what your block will look like in five years, that follow-through is worth more than any single opening night. If you want a conversation about what any of this means for your own plans in the neighborhood, The Lovely Home Company is glad to talk it through. Schedule a free consultation whenever you're ready.
