Springfield arcade bar opens downtown; MacCheesy's owners' kebab spot to open Feb. 14
This week in Springfield-area food news: A bar arcade opens downtown, a cookie shop gives a tentative opening date, and a Mediterranean food spot announces its grand opening. Also, an Italian restaurant announces it won't reopen after a burst pipe.
Bigg Time Arcade opens in downtown Springfield
Bigg Time Arcade, 301 Park Central East, is now open. The bar, which includes arcade games and golf, features menu items from Springfield pizza restaurant The Big Slice.
According to previous News-Leader reporting, the bar-arcade differs from 1984 at 400 Jefferson Ave. in that Bigg Time focuses on modern arcade games rather than vintage ones.
Bigg Time Arcade is open 11 a.m. to midnight, with the bar closing at 1:30.
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Dirty Dough Cookies looks to open at end of March
Dirty Dough Cookies, a gourmet cookie shop, is looking at a tentative March 31 opening for its 2515 S. Campbell Ave. location, according to Dirty Dough founder Bennett Maxwell.
The shop was initially set to open beside Insomnia Cookies on Kimbrough Avenue.
"We thought it was going to be just fine; that was the understanding, everyone was under that impression," Isaac Aldridge, owner of the Springfield Dirty Dough location, told the News-Leader in August. "Insomnia Cookies was not too pleased, so we were forced to find a new spot."
The Kebab Shack to open on Valentine's Day
Owners of MacCheesy's are set to open their new restaurant, The Kebab Shack, on Valentine's Day this year. Located at 900 E. Battlefield Road, owner Sherif A. Magd says that the Mediterranean restaurant offers "food that tastes good and is good for you," according to The Kebab Shack website.
Customers can choose from chicken, filet mignon or vegetable kebabs, as well as falafel, gyros and shawarma, which is thinly sliced roasted meat. Those dishes can be ordered as a plate with rice, baladi salad (diced tomato, onion and cucumber); as a rice bowl; or on top of a salad.
The Kebab Shack is open from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Sunday through Thursday and from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Friday through Saturday.
More: Celebrate St. Patrick's Day early. Here's where to get McDonald's Shamrock Shake
Amici won't reopen at Campbell location following burst pipe
Amici, a modern Italian restaurant that opened in August 2023, announced it will not reopen in the former Tasia location at 4728 S. Campbell Ave.
"The nature and extent of damage is extreme, and even if repairs were agreed upon and started immediately, a timely reintroduction is not possible," said Thor and Catherine Bersted in a Facebook post.
The restaurant closed Jan. 20 when a pipe burst in the ceiling, flooding the restaurant.
Susan Szuch reports on health and food for the Springfield News-Leader. Follow her on X, formerly known as Twitter, at @szuchsm. Story idea? Email her at sszuch@gannett.com.
This article originally appeared on Springfield News-Leader: Bigg Time Arcade opens downtown; Springfield kebab spot to open
