Who opens a restaurant at 49th and Pennsylvania, where parking is limited? Lauren Weghorst, who co-owns the Slapfish announced for 115 E. 49th St. with her husband Mark, has an answer. She told WIBC that limited parking wasn't a worry "because we know everyone walks."
This fall's new arrivals are settling on the same short stretches of Pennsylvania Street and College Avenue that the neighborhood association lit last winter. On Sunday, Nov. 29, the switch that turns on this year's lights gets flipped at 49th and Penn, the corner Slapfish chose. The season is filling in one walkable corner at a time, with one corner on the route still waiting for someone new.
A Bet on Foot Traffic at 49th and Penn
The Weghorsts set a grand opening for Saturday, Nov. 14, with a ribbon cutting, doors at 11 a.m., and free lobster rolls for the first 100 customers. Mark Weghorst told WIBC that people should "get in line early" and that they had given away more than 200 at an earlier event.
He calls Slapfish fast-casual seafood: "very approachable, affordable, high quality seafood." The best-sellers he named are the lobster roll, a power bowl with shrimp and salmon, and fish and chips. 49th and Penn is the fifth central Indiana location. The first opened in 2019 inside Broccoli Bill's, the business run by Mark's father, followed by Mass Ave, Fishers at The Yard, and a Carmel location connected to Market District.
The couple chose the corner partly because of family ties. Both told WIBC they grew up spending time in the area. Mark said this is a neighborhood that "really does support" local businesses like Sullivan Hardware, and he made that comment during a live broadcast from Sullivan's own Boo & Beers event. Earlier this year, Random Ripplings quoted him calling Meridian-Kessler "a natural fit for a walkable neighborhood with a close-knit community."
Slapfish shares the intersection with Café Patachou at 4901 N. Pennsylvania St., which serves daily and offers carryout and delivery. Breakfast at one corner and seafood at the other is the 49th and Penn the neighborhood will gather around on Nov. 29.
A Restaurant Building That Waited Five Months
A few blocks south, the season's other opening shows how the neighborhood's restaurant spaces turn over. Root & Bone, the Southern-inspired restaurant at 4601 N. College Ave., announced on April 27 that June 7 would be its last day of service after six years in SoBro. The 3,658-square-foot space was then marketed for lease as a "turn-key" restaurant, IndyStar reported. Its farewell post read, "This community welcomed us, supported us, and made it easy to do what we love: take care of others."
On Nov. 6, Indianapolis Monthly reported that Bocado Brunch & Te'Kila was holding its grand opening in that building that day. It is the second location for a restaurant that started in Noblesville. Proprietor Hugo Zavala told Current in 2025 that he built Bocado by combining a breakfast concept and a Mexican restaurant concept, and he summed up the appeal as "breakfast and tacos."
Bocado's menu describes Mexican flavors with a modern American twist. Brunch plates like chilaquiles and tres leches French toast share the menu with tacos and Mexican-American entrees. Bocado runs all day, every day, which matters for the season ahead:
| Day | Hours at 4601 N. College Ave. |
|---|---|
| Monday–Thursday | 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. |
| Friday | 9 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. |
| Saturday | 8 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. |
| Sunday | 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. |
Those hours come from Bocado's OpenTable page. Bocado stays open until 8 p.m. on Sundays, two hours after a 4-to-6 p.m. event ends, and that is exactly when the neighborhood's biggest holiday event happens.
The Switch, and the Four Corners It Lights
The Meridian-Kessler Neighborhood Association's MK Shines! is Sunday, Nov. 29, from 4 to 6 p.m. The association describes it as the kickoff for "the lighting of four business intersections for holiday cheer," with the switch flipped at 49th and Pennsylvania Streets.
The 2026 page doesn't name the four intersections. The 2025 event lit 49th and Penn, 49th and College, 52nd and College, and 54th and College for the whole season, and last year's switch-on included holiday music, hot chocolate, and drinks from Upland and Shake-Up. Here are last year's lit corners and what operates at each heading into this season:
| 2025 lit intersection | Nearby businesses | This season |
|---|---|---|
| 49th & Pennsylvania | Café Patachou, 4901 N. Pennsylvania St.; Slapfish, 115 E. 49th St. | Slapfish's grand opening was announced for Nov. 14 |
| 49th & College | Greek's Pizzeria, 4901 N. College Ave.; Pots & Pans Pie Co., 4915 N. College Ave. | Thanksgiving pie pickup runs Nov. 20 to 26 |
| 52nd & College | Aristocrat Pub & Restaurant, 5212 N. College Ave. | Hosts holiday parties and sells electronic gift cards |
| 54th & College | Twenty Tap, 5408 N. College Ave.; Fat Dan's Deli, 5410 N. College Ave. | Three businesses on the corner closed in June |
Bocado, at 46th Street, sits a few blocks south of the lit corners. A Sunday plan that starts with the switch at 49th and Penn and ends with dinner on College fits inside Bocado's hours.
The Lit Corner With Dark Storefronts
The 54th and College corner has looked different since June. The owners of The Bulldog Bar and Lounge, English Lounge, and Pizza King posted on June 16 that all three would close for good on Friday, June 19, WRTV reported. Their post, quoted by WRTV and WISH, thanked their guests and staff and closed with, "It's time to watch someone else make great memories here." In July, Random Ripplings listed The Bulldog and the attached English Bar as closed at 5380 N. College Ave.
Twenty Tap and Fat Dan's Deli are still open next door, with Twenty Tap offering food to go and Fat Dan's posting current hours and online ordering. At 4601 N. College, a closed restaurant became Bocado in five months. At 49th and Penn, a new tenant set its opening ahead of the switch. At 54th and College, the closed storefronts at 5380 N. College Ave. haven't filled yet. If last year's lineup returns, this corner will be lit all season next to them.
The Ten Days Between Pie Pickup and the Switch
From publish day, the dates fall in this order:
- Friday, Nov. 20, through Wednesday, Nov. 25. Thanksgiving pie pickup windows open at Pots & Pans Pie Co., 4915 N. College Ave. Individual pies can sell out, and the Caramel Pumpkin Pie already showed as sold out.
- Thursday, Nov. 26. Thanksgiving Day pickup at Pots & Pans runs from 8 a.m. to noon only.
- Saturday, Nov. 28. Bocado opens at 8 a.m. on Saturdays and stays open until 9:30 p.m.
- Sunday, Nov. 29, 4 to 6 p.m. MK Shines! switches on the lights at 49th and Pennsylvania.
For a group holiday dinner after the switch, the Aristocrat at 52nd and College hosts holiday parties and sells electronic gift cards. Greek's Pizzeria at 4901 N. College Ave. offers carryout and delivery for a night in.
When a storefront like 4601 N. College or 115 E. 49th St. changes hands, it changes how the block feels for everyone who walks it. Sellers along these corners can count new neighbors like these as part of a home's story. If you're thinking about what a home near 49th and Penn or along College Avenue could bring heading into 2027, The Dakich Team would be glad to walk the block with you and prepare a complimentary home valuation.
