The article is published as part of an exclusive content-sharing agreement with neo-trans.blog.
Renovation work is underway for a successor restaurant to the long-running Tick Tock Tavern in Cleveland’s Edgewater neighborhood. And public records reveal the new restaurant concept that will be taking the historic spot onto its next journey.
That new concept is Safar City Fine Casual Dining. Safar is an Indian word for “journey” and is often used to describe the journey in one’s life. That’s apropos for a restaurant spot held by Tick Tavern for longer than most people live — more than eight decades, ending in December 2024. By early next year, the next path could begin.
The new Indian restaurant will occupy a 4,210-square-foot ground-floor space in a two-story, 100-year-old building at 11526 Clifton Blvd. First reported by NEOtrans in March, restaurateur Saravanan Chandrababu leased the space but he declined to identify his restaurant concept at that time.
“I want to announce big with all the details,” he told NEOtrans in March.
Chandrabubu, owner of the Sausalito On Ninth in Downtown Cleveland, still is not revealing much, based on his lack of response to two e-mails sent by NEOtrans in the past two weeks, seeking more information. Instead, his contractors’ building permits and applications are speaking for him.
In total, they detail about $176,000 worth of renovations and improvements planned for the large restaurant venue which previously had a dining room, party room, bar area, kitchen, storage and small bathrooms.
Safar, in addition to offering a dining area, will also have a bar at the same location as the Tick Tock Tavern’s and will have an entrance bearing the name “Legacy Bar” above its doorway, according to plans submitted to the city.
His first building permit was issued in March to remove non-structural elements of the former Tick Tock Tavern. That is, anything that wasn’t purchased during an online auction of restaurant assets held the week of the Tick Tock Tavern’s closure. Assets included kitchen and bar equipment plus dining room furniture and signs.
Next, in June, a city permit was issued for Chandrababu’s first reported concept for the space — Agni Bar and Grille. It included an estimated $143,000 worth of interior and exterior alterations.
Plumbing, electric, heating-ventilating-air conditioning and fire suppression work and permits were submitted separately in recent weeks, adding another $33,000 worth of costs — or investment depending on how one looks at it.
By the way, the name “Agni” is the Hindu god of fire. As the guardian deity of the southeast direction, he is typically found in southeast corners of Hindu temples. But the new Safar City Fine Casual Dining will be located near the west end of the two-story mixed-use building, which has apartments on the second level.
It will have 85 feet of frontage facing Clifton along the first floor which is where Chandrababu plans new signage, window decals and awnings. The exterior signage and awnings alone carry a $10,000 price tag.
Those features are currently being reviewed by the city’s Landmarks Commission for design context related to their surroundings. The new restaurant will be located in the Clifton Boulevard-West Boulevard Historic District, one block from Lakewood.
Chandrababu has been in expansion mode. In 2023, he opened Sausalito Kirtland at 9270 Chillicothe Rd. — an American-fusion restaurant with a banquet facility. In fact, Sausalito does a big business in catering — something that the Clifton location can offer with its large space.
It remains to be seen how long this next journey for the Tick Tock Tavern space will travel. Restaurants usually don’t stay in business that long, with most lasting up to six years on average, according to Restroworks blog.
The Tick Tock Tavern had an 87-year run, but closed after its owner of 31 years John Tripodis retired rather than fight the city’s attempts to deny a renewal of his liquor license. He bought the tavern from his cousin Gus Katsaros who owned the establishment since 1972. Previously it was owned by an unidentified German family.
The city fought the license renewal after two separate, high-profile shootings, one in August 2021 and a fatal shooting in February 2023, both involving tavern customers. Plus there were noise and other complaints, city records showed.
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