New Changes Coming to Former Johnson County Restaurant and Sports Lounge

AME Golf & Brew Lounge was located in Overland Park’s Oak Park Mall but closed after less than a year in operation. The entertainment concept featured golf simulators, screens, and ballpark-style food, but shut down at the end of April. However, a new entertainment lounge and restaurant will take its place across from Pandora on the mall’s lower level. District Eat and Play, owned by Adam Ilbak, plans to open on July 15.

The new space will offer mini golf, arcade games, laser tag, pool tables, and large screens for watching Kansas City’s sports games. The menu will include salads, chicken wings, and other American favorites according to Ilbak. Along with his brother, Ilbak runs two other full-scale locations in Orlando and Salina. They also opened a gaming center called District Jungle near the food court of Independence Center a year ago.

Ilbak believes these entertainment lounges are a good way to bring people back to malls since so much shopping is done online. The Overland Park location will cater to a wide range of ages, from 7 to 70, just like their other locations. Ilbak, who is based in Los Angeles, is planning to expand further in the Midwest with additional locations in Kansas and St. Louis.

In addition to District Eat and Play, a streetwear company called Street Dept. will be moving into the former AME Sports memorabilia store. According to Sean Phillips, a spokesman for the mall, Street Dept. is set to open the following week. The Minnesota-based AME Sports declined to comment on the reasons for their closures at Oak Park Mall.