Casual and budget-friendly, Elliot's Wood Fired Kitchen & Tap has opened in New Albany.

Replacing Soulshine Tavern & Kitchen at 266 E. Main St., the latest Elliot's is a follow up to other restaurants of the same name in Newark and Pataskala.

Michael and Andre Sarap, along with Tom Sheehan, gutted the Soulshine space and added brick facades, a new bar with 20 taps, tufted booths, high-top tables and the crowning achievement — a wood-burning pizza oven festooned with decorative tiles.

"We thought about opening another restaurant but weren't 100% committed to it," said Andre Sarap, who owns the Elliot's store and Red Oak Pub in Newark, with her husband.

Hesitation came in the form of sourcing: Would there be enough flour, yeast, cheese, tomato sauce and toppings in the local market to make a consistent Neapolitan-style pie?

After working with local distributors, the answer was a resounding yes. Dough is made in house, cheese is from Grande Cheese Co. and tomato sauce hails from Stanislaus Foods.

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Among the early favorites of Elliot's specialty pies are roasted red pepper and goat cheese, and "Mamma Dre's" (named after Andre Sarap), with pepperoni, sausage, ham and bacon.

An assortment of "Elliot's Classics" and build-your-own pizzas also are available.

Meatballs, a blend of pork and beef, are made locally to the restaurant's specifications and served as an appetizer and in sub form, set on bread from Buckeye Bread Co.

Street tacos are another house specialty, featuring four distinct styles — braised chicken, marinated steak, fish and shrimp. All get a topping of Southwest slaw, cilantro and avocado.

Andre Sarap, who has a penchant for healthful food, assembled a list of fresh salads with homemade dressing.

Small plates consist of blistered shishito peppers and Brussels sprouts roasted in sriracha honey.

Entrees include fish and chips, eggplant parmesan and a stir-fry.

Most prices are $8 to $15.

The interior seats 78, including the bar, and 36 on the patio. The plan is to create an all-seasons room for year-round dining.

The Saraps opened the casual Red Oak Pub 10 years ago. But it wasn't until they were introduced to a space in a building constructed in 1890 that they thought about another name. The building has served as a grocery store, diner and, for the longest time, Elliot's Hardware.

Michael Sarap decided to honor the space by keeping part of the name.

They originally were going to do a taco joint until someone suggested wood-fired pizzas, something that was less common in the area, he said.

The first Elliot's was opened in 2017, followed by the Pataskala location in 2021.

Sheehan, whose wife, Joanne, is sisters with Andre, said he wanted to join the company after several years working with the locally based Brassica restaurants.

"I knew it was successful, and I wanted to get out on my own," Sheehan said.

"This is a family effort," Michael Sarap said. "This is a family thing."

Expansion plans are in the works but the growth will be methodical, Michael Sarap said.

"We're going to watch it carefully," he said. "We're definitely going to Zanesville."

Kitchen hours are 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. daily. For more information, call 614-855-4600.

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This article originally appeared on ThisWeek: Elliot's Wood Fired Kitchen opens third area location in New Albany