Lawrence loses longtime bistro as new restaurant and coffee shop open

Oriental Bistro & Grill at 1511 W. 23rd St. said it will close permanently June 30, while Uplift Coffee has already opened its third Lawrence shop in the former Rusty Taco space at 945 Massachusetts St. The two moves bookend a busy stretch for Lawrence businesses, with one longtime dining spot disappearing and new operators moving into major corridors.

At Oriental Bistro & Grill, the final days will come with limited inventory, and the restaurant said landlord issues and a family member’s illness were factors in the shutdown. The west-side spot has been part of Lawrence’s licensed restaurant scene for years, with Lawrence City Commission minutes from Nov. 5, 2013 showing approval of a drinking-establishment license for the business at 1511 SW 23rd Street. Its closing removes another familiar independent option from a corridor that already handles heavy traffic along 23rd Street.

Just east of campus, Palermos Italian Restaurant is moving toward its own launch at 3140 Iowa St., between GameStop and PopShelf. The restaurant posted April 30 that it would be open soon, and it has also filed for a liquor license with the City of Lawrence. The project adds another sit-down food option to the Iowa Street retail strip, where restaurant and shopping tenants have been shifting as vacancy opens and closes around larger anchors.

Downtown, Uplift Coffee’s new location at 945 Massachusetts St. is now serving coffee and plans to offer cocktails daily starting at 4 p.m. The shop is the company’s third Lawrence location, joining its flagship at 624 N. 2nd St. in North Lawrence and its west-side shop at 4000 W. 6th St. Owner Kelli Huslig said in April that the downtown store would extend the brand’s footprint beyond its earlier locations, and the move gives the Massachusetts Street core another business that blends daytime coffee traffic with an evening draw.

The churn is not limited to food and drink. Savers is expected to open at 2525 Iowa St. in the former Office Depot space in about six weeks, following Office Depot’s 2025 closure announcement. A December 2025 report had said the thrift chain would likely be its first Kansas location outside the Kansas City metro. Together, the changes show Lawrence’s commercial districts still in motion, with independent restaurants, coffee shops and national retailers all competing for space in the city’s most trafficked corridors.