With new owner, sushi, ramen and renovation are coming to a downtown Belleville hotspot

Chaos is coming to downtown Belleville.

Chaos Sushi Bar & Grill, that is.

The new sushi and ramen restaurant will open later this month at 126 E. Main St., the site of Lexi’s Bar, Food & Fun, or Lexi’s BFF.

Mike Rieder bought the business and the building from Brandon McGraw, who opened Lexi’s BFF last year after he sold his concept for The Quarter Restaurant.

Rieder said in a phone interview that he closed on the property April 3.

He closed Lexi’s on April 24 to start renovations on the building. The kitchen and its flooring were updated. Painting is currently in progress, and flooring in the dining room will be replaced.

On April 25, a post on the Lexi’s BFF Facebook page announced that Chaos Sushi Bar & Grill is coming soon.

“We will feature Lexi’s BFF famous bar and pub food along with exciting additions such as sushi, ramen, tempura, and more! Soon we will announce an official grand opening date,” stated the post.

Riede will reopen the restaurant with the goal of accomplishing two things: to maintain the legacy of Lexi’s BFF and to offer Belleville a sushi and ramen restaurant, which I think is long overdue.

Lexi’s will remain on the bar side of the building, while Chaos resides on the dining room side.

Moving fast at 126 E. Main St.

So how did all of this happen?

Riede, who resides in Millstadt, said that he and his family often enjoyed dining at Seven. When he learned they would close, he considered taking over the location to open his own sushi restaurant.

Then he learned that the two buildings occupied by Seven have two different owners. This would complicate things for a career Air Force member whose only experience in the sushi business is that he really likes sushi.

In a separate interview, McGraw said that Riede came into Lexi’s as a customer and asked if he was interested in selling. It wasn’t the first time a customer asked him that, but once he heard what Riede had in mind, it was the first time he was really open to it.

One thing led to another, said Riede, and eventually McGraw agreed to sell the business and the building.

It was all pretty quick, said McGraw. (Like when The Quarter Restaurant closed one week and opened as Lexi’s BFF the next. Boom, boom, boom.)

He’s since gotten to know Riede and describes him as a good guy.

McGraw said he’s excited to see what he does with the business and is available to help as needed.

“This guy’s gonna be awesome down here,” he said.

Getting ready

While Riede owns the property, he co-owns the business with partner Cheyne Carroll. Together, Riede said they want their business to be innovative, open to everyone’s tastes and a fun place for people to go.

They already have staff ready to go.

The staff from Lexi’s will remain, as will the chef. A sushi chef and a ramen chef have joined the team.

Riede said renovations should be done by May 12. Around that time, I’ll be getting an inside look at the renovated restaurant before it opens and meeting everyone.

I’m hoping to have details on the menus for you too.

So there’s definitely more info coming soon. In the meantime, check out the Lexi’s BFF Facebook page for other updates.