Mitchell's Downtown opened in the old Schaab Metal Products building at 1216 N. Harrison St. in September. Then on September 30, Pufferbelly Ice Cream served its last scoop at its depot on Cass Street, about a block away. So the north side of the St. Marys River gained a restaurant and lost an ice cream counter within about a week. For anyone who walks over from Promenade Park, the north bank in October has about the same number of open doors as it had in August.
That is the useful way to read this fall. What's open across the river is the start of a schedule that runs into 2028. Every project on it has its own date, and some of those dates are firmer than others.
The north bank calendar, in order
Here is every dated item the current reporting supports, from soonest to furthest out:
- Late September 2026. Mitchell's Downtown is open. Whatzup reported it open on September 23.
- September 30, 2026. Pufferbelly Ice Cream's last day at the depot at 1022 Cass St.
- October 15, 2026. The depot building moves to the Schaab property.
- October 21, 2026. Pints for Polio at Hop River Brewing, 1515 N. Harrison St., from 5 to 8 p.m.
- Mid-to-late November 2026. Pufferbelly's hoped-for reopening, 4 to 6 weeks after the move. That works out to roughly November 12 through November 26.
- By the end of 2026. MoRE Brewing's target near Fourth and Clinton streets.
- Late 2026 or early 2027. The second-floor dance club in the Schaab building, depending on which report you read.
- Next spring. The parking garage at The Eddy. The city's July 2026 update called this "this coming spring," which points to spring 2027.
- 12 to 14 months after work starts. Jasper's Table Delicatessen. Work was expected to begin in the weeks after the September 16 walkthrough, which would put the opening around late 2027 if the estimate holds.
- Spring 2028. The Eddy's apartment and retail building.
Riverfront Phase IIb, the public space tying all of this together, isn't on the list because it has no current opening date. More on that below.
What's open at 1216 N. Harrison right now
The Schaab building has stood on Harrison Street by the St. Marys River for more than 120 years. Developer Don Steininger and Schaab Riverfront Plaza LLC restored it. Its first tenant is Mitchell's Downtown, the second location from Todd Smith, who also runs Mitchell's Sports Bar & Entertainment Center at 6179 W. Jefferson Blvd.
According to Whatzup, the menu runs on scratch-made comfort food: smoked wings with house-made dry rubs, smash burgers, Mexican street tacos, and breadsticks with warm cheese sauce. The Journal Gazette reports a salad bar, lunch from 11 a.m., and TVs for college and pro sports. Between the two Mitchell's locations, there are more than 150 screens. The bigger draw for this side of town is the view. Whatzup called a riverfront view "something rare in Fort Wayne" and placed the restaurant just north of Promenade Park, looking over the St. Marys.
Check closing time before a late visit, because the two published schedules don't match. The Journal Gazette lists 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Sunday through Thursday and 11 a.m. to 1 a.m. Friday and Saturday. Whatzup lists 11 a.m. to midnight daily. A new restaurant often adjusts its hours in the first few weeks. The Journal Gazette lists 387-0671 for reservations.
The ice cream shop is moving with its building
Pufferbelly Ice Cream has been in the depot at 1022 Cass St., north of Promenade Park, since May 2024. Owner Zebadiah Boetcker isn't moving into a new storefront. The depot itself goes to an out lot on the north side of the Schaab property on October 15. Fort Wayne Business Weekly gives the new address as 1308 N. Harrison St.
The reopening estimate depends on things the shop can't fully control. Boetcker told the Journal Gazette he hopes settling into the new site and getting through permitting will go smoothly enough to reopen 4 to 6 weeks after the move. If that holds, the shop will reopen in the second half of November, just as ice cream season is ending. When it does, the menu stays the same: hard dip ice cream, bubble waffles, and self-serve candy.
The move also ties Pufferbelly to the building's next tenant. Boetcker will run Jasper's Table Delicatessen, planned for the south side of the Schaab building's lower level. He describes it as a full-service new American deli with meats, cheeses, grab-and-go food, and a walk-up counter selling charcuterie boards made to order, "almost like an adult lunchable." At the September 16 walkthrough, partner Patty Wood said work would start in the next few weeks and estimated "about 12 months to 14 months before this opens." Wood said the plans include plenty of carryout for picnics and a sit-down dining room with a porch. Next fall, the ice cream counter and the deli will be steps apart on the same property, with the same person running both.
The club upstairs has two names and no opening date
The second floor of the Schaab building is planned as a dance club with a patio overlooking the river. Reports don't agree on what it's called or when it opens. Fort Wayne Business Weekly's account of the September 16 walkthrough calls it Flashbacks Downtown, the name Smith used for his former club on The Landing, and mentions a soft launch planned for the week of September 21. Whatzup also used Flashbacks Downtown on September 23 but described it as a plan, not an open club. A WANE report from September 9 names it Retro Rewind, describes a "classic dance club vibe," and says it plans to open in late 2026 or early 2027.
None of the coverage confirms it has opened. For now, the second floor is one more stage on the calendar. The safe expectation is the later window.
The park around the building is still under construction
The Schaab building sits inside Riverfront Phase IIb, the city's plan to connect nearby neighborhoods with a pedestrian esplanade and trails. In a July 28, 2026 update, the city said Phase IIb was "well underway" across the Esplanade east of Harrison Street. That includes the Overlook, Boulder Summit, Hammock Grove, and the North Lawn Amphitheater to the northeast. Additional pedestrian path connections, street improvements, swings, and landscaping were still to come.
The plan is also smaller than it once was. A December 2025 city notice removed the tree canopy trail and the public docks. It kept the esplanade, cascading steps, urban trail, hammock grove, boulder mound, amphitheater, and street connections. That December notice put completion at 2026. The July update shows continued work but doesn't repeat that target or give an opening date. For a walk this fall, expect a new restaurant surrounded by an active work zone.
Where the next openings land
The rest of the calendar spreads out along the river in both directions. Northeast of the Schaab building, MoRE Brewing is building a two-story restaurant and brewery with a riverfront patio and terrace near Fourth and Calhoun streets. In July, the city reported most of the exterior brickwork done and interior work underway. It said guests should be able to try its craft beers and burgers by the end of the year. If MoRE opens on time and Pufferbelly reopens within its window, the north bank will end 2026 with three open food and drink stops near Harrison and Fourth, up from one at the end of September.
To the west, The Eddy is under construction just north of the Ewing Street Bridge, near the historic Wells Street Bridge and Fort Wayne Outfitters. Its 238-space parking garage is expected this coming spring. The building wrapping it will have 111 apartments and 3,300 square feet of retail space and is on schedule for spring 2028, according to the city.
Hop River Brewing at 1515 N. Harrison St. is already open and is the easiest October plan on this stretch. The Rotary Club of Fort Wayne and Hop River are holding Pints for Polio on October 21 from 5 to 8 p.m., ahead of World Polio Day on October 24. The local band Home by 10 will play. Pre-ordered four-packs of a specially labeled Hop River lager cost $11, with part of the proceeds going to global polio eradication through Rotary's End Polio Now campaign.
So a fall evening on the north bank this year looks like this: dinner at Mitchell's, a beer at Hop River, and a walk past the closed depot lot on Cass Street and the Phase IIb construction. Check back around Thanksgiving to see whether the ice cream counter has reopened at its new address.
The riverfront between Harrison and Wells streets is changing month by month, and our team at Lion Heart Realty Group follows each of those dates closely. If you're thinking about where you want to be once the north bank fills in, or how this build-out affects a property you already own nearby, Schedule Your Free Strategy Call and we'll walk through the timeline with you.
