New sandwich shop opens on Ocean Drive

Cheryl Vitale and her daughter Anna Wall took over the former axe throwing center on Ocean Drive to open Red Bird Kitchen.

Vitale said the new location allows them to be more than just a restaurant. They have expanded their offerings to include catering and hosting private parties. They wanted to provide alternatives for people looking for a place to go after other cafes closed.

Vitale and Wall looked to other restaurants in Homer for inspiration when designing their menu. Vitale said they chose their core offerings.

“It’s kind of a sandwich shop, but we do rice bowls and there’s soup. And what we like to do, what we’ve been doing for a couple of years, is make Friday night dinners in our commercial kitchen on East End Road. So we’ll probably do that too,” Vitale said.

Wall said their menu changes weekly, but they are in the process of settling on a regular offering.

“The sandwiches will always stay the same; the rest seems to change. But I hope we can stick with that and then just have specials,” Wall said.

In addition to the dining area, the duo created a space where people can hang and sell artwork. The restaurant also has a book and puzzle library. Vitale said anyone can trade puzzles there.

“We thought, you get puzzles, you make them and then what do you do with them? So we thought people can come and trade them in for another puzzle they haven’t made yet,” Vitale said.