The Waffle Iron, 7 E. Seventh St.

Brunch is no longer just for those people who sleep through breakfast. Several downtown restaurants are offering the option on weekends, and now a downtown bar is getting in on the act too.

As I briefly mentioned yesterday, I heard that the speakeasy bar John Brown Underground was planning to start brunch service, and that almost is correct. John Brown actually is planning to expand its brunch service. Some brunch offerings have been available at its bar for awhile now, but beginning on Friday the business is expanding its menu and also will begin serving in a grand room above the bar.

As we reported yesterday, the breakfast spot The Waffle Iron has lost its lease at 7 E. Seventh St., and John Brown Underground will be moving its brunch service into that spot.

“I think brunch is definitely catching on in downtown,” said Aly Bush, event manager at John Brown. “There is a wait at so many of the traditional breakfast places in downtown, and everybody wants to eat in a beautiful place for breakfast.”

John Brown is betting that its old building will fit that bill. The large space features floor-to-ceiling windows that overlook Seventh Street, a copper tile ceiling and an ornate chandelier. The menu, though, is expected to be the main draw. Chef Sarah Hess has added several new offerings to go with the breakfast burritos that had previously been a featured brunch offering. New offerings include something called a Mac Stack, which is a mac and cheese egg sandwich with a choice of meat ranging from bacon to chorizo to fried chicken. Also on the menu is a Cuban sandwich with an egg; a bourbon, bacon, waffle chicken sandwich; biscuits and gravy; sweet onion grits; and a variety of dishes with brie smoked Gouda and manchego cheeses. Lawrence-based Queen of Tarts bakery also will be offering baked goods. Plus, there always has been a debate over whether you eat brunch or you drink it. It should come as no surprise that the speakeasy will feature cocktails on its brunch menu. Bush said there will be a full bloody mary and mimosa bar, with plans to expand the brunch cocktail menu in the near future.

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Breakfast Burrito

John Brown plans to serve brunch from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Friday through Sunday.

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In other news and notes from around town:

• Hopefully I still have some salsa on my tie because that is the only way I’ll ever get any again from Lawrence’s El Mezcal Mexican restaurant. The longtime Mexican restaurant near 23rd and Iowa streets is definitely closed.

I stuck my head in the restaurant this morning, and workers are doing nearly as much damage as I would do to an enchilada platter with a chaser of sopapillas. Construction crews had torn up large parts of the concrete floor, and were chipping away at much of the Mexican tile that adorned the building.

A sign on the door said El Mezcal had closed after 19 years in business. “Everyone at El Mezcal will greatly miss your smiling faces and loyal service and wishes the best for you,” the sign read. “Thank you once again, and we appreciate everything over the years.”

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The sign also read that the building was under new ownership, would be remodeled and would reopen as a new restaurant in the “near future.” I asked one of the workers whether the restaurant would reopen as a Mexican restaurant. (That has been known to happen in Lawrence, where there is no shortage of entrepreneurs who believe when their ship comes in it almost certainly will be hauling cans of refried beans and $3.50 tacos.) He said, however, that wasn’t his understanding. Maybe Italian, maybe something else, but it sounded like it was not going to be El Mezcal under a different name.

The shutdown closes the book on El Mezcal in Lawrence. I remember writing an article about the family-owned business when it first opened nearly 20 years ago. From that point, it took off. At one time, the restaurant had at least three restaurants open in Lawrence. But the 23rd Street location, which was the original location, was the last one to remain open.

The El Mezcal brand also spread to other area towns, although I was never certain whether the ownership groups were the same. The El Mezcal in Ottawa has been in the news over the last couple of years. Last month we reported that a manager of El Mezcal Mexican Restaurant in Ottawa was sentenced to six months in prison and six months of home confinement after pleading guilty to a federal charge of harboring undocumented workers for commercial advantage.