Lawrence’s dining scene continues to flux, with a Pan-Asian restaurant preparing to close, an Italian restaurant set to open soon and a coffee shop opening downtown. Plus, a chain thrift store is coming to town.
Oriental Bistro & Grill, 1511 W. 23rd St., announced in a post on Tuesday that it will permanently close on June 30 because of landlord issues and a family member’s illness.
The restaurant thanked customers for their support over the past few years and asked patrons to be patient with staff during its final days, noting that inventory is limited.
Palermos Italian Restaurant made a post on April 30 saying that they’d be open soon at 3140 Iowa St., which is between GameStop and PopShelf. The restaurant has also recently filed for a liquor license with the city.
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Neither the bistro nor the restaurant could be reached for further information prior to publication.
Uplift Coffee’s third Lawrence location is now open at 945 Massachusetts St., serving coffee from 6:30 a.m. to 10 p.m. every day.
The space was previously home to Rusty Taco, which closed about two years ago.
The downtown location will also have cocktails available daily starting at 4 p.m. See the latest shop’s menu here.
Also on the horizon, a Savers thrift store will open at 2525 Iowa St. in the old Office Depot storefront.
According to Ben Sweeney, whose construction company is doing the renovations, the store will be open in about six weeks.
Savers has eight locations around the Kansas City area, according to its website.
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Courtney Lane (she/her), staff reporter, has worked with The Lawrence Times since April 2026. She can be reached at [email protected].
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