Park Street Westfield Restaurants: Dining During Construction

"Although the road has been a mess since May, it technically has only been closed for the last four weeks," Westfield Parks and Recreation Director Chris McConnell told Fox 59 on Oct. 1.

That one sentence explains the downtown Westfield dinner plan for anyone driving down from Chatham Hills right now. Park Street's restaurant row is still serving. You just can't drive up to it. Fox 59 reported that diners can reach The Italian House and Nyla's only on foot. So a night out on Park Street now starts with a parking decision, and it will stay that way until the street work reaches a finish date that two sources describe differently.

How the Street Got Here

Ground was broken May 8 on the Park Street Improvement Project, which covers Park Street between Poplar and Mill streets. FA Wilhelm Construction is leading the work. The $6.2 million project is meant to turn Park Street into a pedestrian-friendly, multi-use corridor with a public plaza and connections to the Midland Trace Trail. It also includes storm drainage upgrades and buried power lines, Current in Westfield reported.

The original plan called for the street to stay partly open. Current's report on the groundbreaking said at least one lane would remain open and business access would be maintained for the whole project. Valet service was discontinued to cut traffic through the construction zone. The City of Westfield's project notice made the same commitment.

By early September, the street had closed to vehicles. On Sept. 29, Chiba announced it was closing permanently after about 10 years on Park Street, Current reported. A spokesperson pointed to the length of the construction and said businesses had been told the street would stay open throughout. McConnell's response to Fox 59 was direct: "It's always unfortunate when you lose a small business. It's always unfortunate when you lose a restaurant that's been here as long as Chiba had been here. We have to move forward with these projects."

Fox 59's account shows the strain isn't the same for everyone downtown. Rivet Coffee, across from The Grand on Main construction, has had a steady line most days. Its cafe manager credited the community with keeping it busy. Something Splendid, the boutique wine bar next to the Park Street project, said fewer downtown visits had hurt its business. That split follows the closure line. Places you can reach by car are doing better than the stretch you can only reach on foot.

What's Serving on and Around Park Street

These are the places with a current presence on their own websites or in October reporting. Before you head out, check hours with the business directly. A construction zone can change things from week to week.

Nyla's and The Italian House both list online ordering. That makes a carryout run one option while the street is closed. The Italian House's site gives two different Park Street numbers in two places, so check its location page before you plug an address into your phone.

Broad Ripple Seafood North & Bar is the newest restaurant on the block. Broad Ripple Seafood Market officially opened May 27 in the former Greek's Pizzeria space and held its ribbon cutting June 1, according to Current. That means it opened weeks after the groundbreaking and has never had a normal stretch on Park Street. Its website takes reservations, and that's probably the easiest way to plan a seafood dinner while you're working around foot-only access.

Where to Leave the Car

When the project began, the city sent drivers to three parking options.

• The Union garage at 110 Mill St. has 300 spaces and is open around the clock, according to its operator, Denison Parking. The city's February notice said the first three hours were free. That covers a dinner and a stroll for most people. The garage opened Sept. 15, 2025, per the city.
• On-street spaces on Mill, Jersey and Union streets.
• A temporary lot at the west end of Park Street. The most recent confirmation of this lot is from the city's February notice, so it's the option most likely to have changed since.

The garage is the most reliable of the three. It has a published address, posted hours and a fixed number of spaces, and its operator's page was updated in August 2026.

You can also skip the car. The city's trail listing says the Midland Trace Trail connects with the Monon Trail, and Grand Junction Plaza is one of its major access points. The direct link between Park Street and the trail is part of the planned plaza, though, and nothing published so far says it's open.

Dec. 1 Versus Late Spring 2027

Here the two sources split. Fox 59 reported on Oct. 1 that Park Street is "set to finish construction by Dec. 1." The city's February bulletin described a two-phase project expected to finish in late spring 2027. It listed the plaza that connects Park Street to the Midland Trace Trail as a future phase, along with the Park & Poplar garage.

Nothing published between August and October says whether Dec. 1 means cars come back, the roadway work ends, or the whole project wraps up. The way the city's own schedule is laid out points to the narrower reading. The street phase could finish in December while the plaza and trail connection carry into 2027. Until the city says so, plan around Dec. 1 as a reported target, not a confirmed reopening.

When the street does reopen, it will work differently. Plans include east-to-west traffic, brick pavers, parklets and decorative lighting. The city also lists flush curbs and new landscaping. Mayor Scott Willis has described closing the street on weekends and evenings: "You have tables set up, you can eat, you can see live bands." He has mentioned car-free evenings Thursday through Sunday. So the foot-only access you deal with now is a preview of how the street is meant to work on busy nights after it's finished. The difference is that the garage will be part of the plan, not a workaround.

More parking is coming, too. The $123 million Park & Poplar mixed-use project includes a 523-space parking garage paid for by the city, along with restaurants, retail, offices, apartments and brownstones. Willis said it's scheduled to finish in 2028, Current reported.

Two Downtown Dates on the Calendar

The construction also shapes the two big downtown events left this year. Both are at Grand Junction Plaza, not on Park Street itself.

Trick-or-Treating in the Plaza is Oct. 23 from 4:30 to 8 p.m. The city lists more than 60 businesses and groups handing out treats, plus entertainment, free parking options and a shuttle. The city's event notice has the parking and shuttle details. Check it before you go, since the closed stretch of Park Street will still be closed that night. Westfield's neighborhood trick-or-treat hours are 5 to 8 p.m. on Oct. 31.

Westfield in Lights is Dec. 5 from 3 to 6 p.m., with holiday performers, vendors and food, according to Visit Hamilton County. It falls four days after the Dec. 1 target Fox 59 reported. If that target holds, Westfield in Lights will be the first big downtown night after the Park Street work. If it slips, the garage-and-walk routine continues into the holidays.

The Drive In

SR 32 is the other variable on the way downtown. At his July 16 town hall, Willis said the widening was moving slowly because of underground utility problems. He expected most of the work to be done by the end of the year, with minor landscaping carrying into 2027, Current reported. The city's 2026 construction schedule includes the East Street roundabout in that SR 32 work and also projects completion by year-end. That's the latest public update. Allow some extra time on the drive until the city announces that phase is done.

Downtown Westfield is changing quickly, and the changes affect how residents use their own town as much as what a home is worth. If you'd like to talk about how projects like Park Street and Park & Poplar figure into a move, a sale or just knowing your corner of Hamilton County better, William Spencer Jr. is glad to help. Let's Connect.