Middle Eastern Restaurant Lyra to Take Over Former Holland House Space in East Nashville

Local hospitality veterans Hrant Arakelian and his wife Elizabeth Endicott will bring new life to the former home of a well-known East Nashville restaurant and bar when they open Middle Eastern eatery Lyra next year.

The new project will open at 935 W. Eastland Ave., previously home to Holland House Bar & Refuge, the East Nashville cocktail stalwart that closed suddenly this past July after a legal battle between partners came to a permanent impasse. Arakelian is no stranger to the location, having previously worked as executive chef at Holland House. Prior to taking the helm there, he was executive chef at Rumours East for several years, and has also spent time in the kitchens at Butchertown Hall and Etch. Endicott has been on the beverage side of the restaurant business, having been a fixture behind the bar at shuttered Green Hills restaurant F. Scott’s for many years, as well as running the bar program at Lockeland Table.

Arakelian tells the Nashville Business Journal that they have been looking for a place to open the restaurant for a while, and that they plan to offer “a variety of Middle Eastern options in a ‘nice, modernist setting’” and at reasonable prices.

The duo is aiming for a late spring opening, so be sure to check back for more details.