Diners in Westfield have a new choice when it comes to restaurants on Park Street near Grand Junction Plaza, otherwise known as “Restaurant Row.” Self-described as the “Best between NY and LA,” Nyla’s serves elevated takes on all-American classics.
Although the restaurant is new, the name might sound familiar to some. Nyla’s Market and Cafe in Noblesville was one of the early ventures of the Wolf family. Scott and Nyla Wolf and their children Alec Wolf and daughter Ansley Wolf Affolder are synonymous with the local Wolfpack Restaurant Group.
Scott worked in the restaurant industry, but it was his wife Nyla who had always dreamed of opening a farmers market. That dream became a reality when they opened Hillsdale Farmers Market.
Alec remembers helping out as a boy at the market that sold fresh produce, pumpkins and mums in the fall and Christmas trees during the holidays. Next, the Wolf family opened Nyla’s Market and Cafe in an old, red gas station in Noblesville. Similar to the farmers market, Nyla’s Cafe also served a light breakfast.
Hillsdale and the original Nyla’s closed. Then in 2004, Scott and Nyla opened Wolfies Grill on Morse Reservoir in Noblesville in 2004. With the success of the restaurant, Scott decided it was time for him to “put all the eggs in one basket” and step away from Applebee’s, where he was a franchise consultant, to focus on growing the family business.
By 2015, the Wolfs had opened a fourth Wolfies on Main Street in Westfield along with The Italian House on Park Street, right next door to the big red barn that is now Nyla’s. About two and a half years ago, the Wolfs acquired the barn that housed another locally owned restaurant prior to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Although development took longer than expected, interior murals of Hillsdale Farms and the original Nyla’s now pay homage to the family’s heritage, and when a server at Nyla’s brings the check, diners will find that the check presenter is a mini version of the old menu from Nyla’s Market and Cafe.
“We wanted to bring back those components, the farm-to-table kind of atmosphere, but with a rustic, eclectic feel,” said Alec, who works as Wolfpack’s area director and is, in his words, “all about the concepts and seeing ideas through.”
Since Nyla’s mid-October opening, Alec said they have received positive reviews from customers and have worked to incorporate suggestions to give the community a restaurant they want to return to again and again.
“We have a really good team, people we can lean on,” Alec said. “We have great managers, and our managers are really good to our people. We’re a family. People say that, but we really are. We invite them to our church, to our house.”
In the big red barn at 211 Park St., Nyla’s serves customers 21 and older and provides free valet parking. Open Tuesday through Thursday from 5 to 10 p.m. and Friday and Saturday from 4 to 10 p.m., the Wolf family closes all of their restaurants on Sundays. To see Nyla’s menu or make reservations, go to NylasRestaurant.com.
What’s Next?
Although the Wolfies in Westfield closed in anticipation of the widening of Ind. 32, a new Wolfies Grill will be opening soon in Pendleton, with Ansley Wolf Affolder as manager. By the close of 2023, Wolfpack Restaurant Group plans to be operating 11 restaurants across seven central Indiana communities: five Wolfies Grill locations, three Broken Barrel cocktail lounges, a former Wolfies rebranded as Boomerangs in West Lafayette, and The Italian House and Nyla’s in Westfield.
The Coop
The building to the east of Nyla’s that was once Cone and Crumb is now the kitchen for Nyla’s. It will be opening for fast, casual service serving fried chicken, market goods like Nyla’s homemade blue cheese and tomato bacon jam and grab-and-go items for people hanging out in the park.
The Swanky Mule
Set to open in one of the buildings across the street from The Italian House, the lounge will serve cocktails and cold plates and will provide a walk-in option for people who don’t want to wait for a reservation or for people who want something to do after dinner.
