New tenant moving from Hy-Vee Arena to occupy former Cafe Europa space on Union Hill

After leaving Hy-Vee Arena last fall, Oh! Cafe has found a new, larger home on Union Hill.

David Anderson and Kyle Getz opened Opera House Coffee & Food Emporium in the River Market in 2012, housing several eateries under one roof.

They expanded last year, opening a full-service coffee bar and bakery, Oh! Cafe, in the Hy-Vee Arena. But they closed it just a few months later, citing poor traffic.

“One week we would have 12,000 people over a weekend, followed by weeks when nothing was happening,” Anderson said. “We were hoping they would have more daily business.”

Oh! Cafe will reopen in the former Cafe Europa Union Hill space at 2976 Gillham Road in mid-to-late February. Anderson and Getz live in the neighborhood.

While the Hy-Vee Arena location was just a coffee bar and bakery, the new location will have a full bar, as well as a grill serving such items as Benedicts, pancakes, omelets and scrambles, sandwiches, salads, burgers, pizza and ice cream.

Oh! Cafe — which stands for Opera House Coffee & Food Emporium — will have patio seating during nicer weather and a private dining space in the back seating up to 80 people.

“We actually like that it is a developed neighborhood, and a walk-able neighborhood with residents right above us and the proximity to downtown,” Anderson said.

Cafe Europa opened on Union Hill in late 2016 and closed in April. It still has a location in the Crestwood Shops.