Ugly Tuna Saloona, formerly located inside The Gateway, will be reopening at a new location before Senior Crawl on April 30. Credit: Lantern File Photo
After closing its doors almost exactly a year ago, Ugly Tuna Saloona will be returning to Ohio State’s campus next week, officially rebranding as “Ugly Tuna 2.”
According to the Ohio Secretary of State’s website, a trademark filing for the name “Ugly Tuna 2” was filed on April 10 by Alicia Zambelli, an attorney at the Isaac Wiles law firm. On Oct. 15, the names “Ugly Tuna Tavern,” “Ugly Tuna LLC” and “Ugly Tuna Saloona” were all filed by the original owner, John Votino.
Votino confirmed to 614NOW on Wednesday that Ugly Tuna 2 will be located at 195 Chittenden Ave., which is currently under renovation and will be “open for business around April 25 or 26.” Votino said he hopes to have the bar in full swing by Ohio State’s senior crawl on April 30.
The original Ugly Tuna Saloona shut down after the previous year’s Senior Crawl. Its old location on the second floor of Gateway has been remodeled as an office space.
Ugly Tuna’s reopening signifies a trend of campus bars closing and relocating in the past year. Too’s Under High closed in fall 2017 and rebranded as Three’s Above High, and The O Patio and Pub closed last summer and relocated to Lane Avenue from its original High Street location.
