Marketplace

Taste Kitchen and Red Lotus Will Become Saigon Social House

A new owner is planning a more casual and affordable Vietnamese restaurant called Saigon Social House, he says. It will combine Taste Kitchen with Van’s adjacent plant-based offshoot Red Lotus (Marketplace Changes, January), which he’ll continue to operate until the new venture is closer to launch.

Read More

Bayt Almocha Opens on Catherine St.

A century-old building near Kerrytown has its first tenant since undergoing major renovations. Bayt Almocha is now the area’s fifth Yemeni coffee shop to open within the past few years. The name translates as “Mocha House,” and it’s not just an allusion to the beverage: founder Abdulla Alysofi and operating partner Rafed Al-Serri grew up near Mocha, the Red Sea port whose coffee exports gave mocha its name.

Read More

Ji Hye Kim Adds a Little Kim

Ji Hye Kim’s upscale Korean restaurant, Miss Kim, has become hard to patronize without making a reservation. The chef-owner wants Little Kim to be “more approachable in both flavor and price point. I just wanted to serve more people.”

Read More

From Coney Islands to Turkish Cuisine

Inspired by a trip to Turkey in 2023, Eddie Alasad of Sterling Heights branched out from several Leo’s Coney Islands he owns to launch Turkish Village Cuisine in Dearborn last year. Now he’s customizing the concept for a college town with an all-day, every-day combination of full-service and fast-casual fare.

Read More

Coming Home

“I always missed Ann Arbor—the slower pace of life, seeing familiar faces around town, being close to my family and friends of fifteen-plus years,” Carter says. She enjoys “going back to all of the wonderful restaurants, shops, museums, libraries, parks, and events that I loved growing up and now getting to share that with my family.”

Read More

When Walking at Briarwood Cost $42,000

They allege their parents were coerced with high-pressure sales tactics to purchase wildly overpriced skin care products and devices. One man, who asked not to be identified, said his father, an Ann Arborite with dementia and sciatica, paid them more than $42,000 while walking in the mall for exercise between mid-December and mid-February.

Read More

Torn and Frayed and MF Shrooms

Offering mostly vintage fashions plucked from estate sales and the like, Torn and Frayed (its name evoking a deep cut from the Rolling Stones’ Exile on Main St.) took the spot long occupied by Stadium Pharmacy.

Read More

Once Upon a Grill Exits

Furrokh Khan has closed Once Upon a Grill at 3148 Packard after nine years. Largely a one-person take-out operation, it was known for its authentic kati rolls and biryani dishes.

Read More

Subs and Wings Join the Guys

Two more quick-service eateries have opened in the latest Meijer out-lot building in Scio Twp. Penn Station East Coast Subs and Wing Snob have joined Five Guys (Marketplace Changes, June) and an upcoming UPS Store.

Read More

Taste of Confusion

If you were at Taste of Ann Arbor on June 1, then you might have noticed a little shift in participants. For the first half of the event, Tabe, the new Asian fusion eatery on S. Main, had a table out with the rest of the tents, displaying an array of sushi rolls. They weren’t officially part of the event, so they were taking cash payments for sushi sample boxes, instead of the official pink tickets. People lined up to try their beautifully crafted offerings. 

Read More

Ann Arborites Abroad

Zingerman’s is one of a growing list of local companies offering their own boutique tours. They range from global cuisine to literary explorations of Paris, up-close explorations of Ireland, and even some led by public media personalities.

Read More

YMX Closes Its Doors, but Diggers Remains

Your Media Exchange announced its closure, effective May 25, due to flagging sales. It bought, sold, and traded movies, music, books, and video games for nearly three years at 319 S. Main. Toledoan Broc Curry retains another YMX...

Read More

JD Sports

Upbeat music was pumping inside Briarwood Mall’s JD Sports store as employees busily stocked shoes and clothes in preparation for a late May opening. Romulus-based district manager Greg Gambrell agreed to step out for a quick chat in a quieter space, the mall’s main corridor across from the Apple store.

Read More

Five Guys Arrives at Jackson and Zeeb

Just a decade ago, the land surrounding the Meijer store at Jackson and Zeeb was mostly parking and potential. Those out-lots now host everything from an urgent-care center to a tobacco shop, along with quick-service food and drink options galore. 

Read More

Upcoming Events

View All Events

Upcoming Nightspots