Grand Rapids Restaurant Rumor Mill

[RiversideGR]

11 hours ago, joeDowntown said:

Lucy’s is great. Glad to see it continue in the creston location!

I agree completely. Prior to covid they were open in the evenings with dinner and bar service. I would be excited to see that return since that stretch of Plainfield doesn't have many options for dinner/drinks.

[Winston1206]

1 hour ago, RiversideGR said:

I agree completely. Prior to covid they were open in the evenings with dinner and bar service. I would be excited to see that return since that stretch of Plainfield doesn't have many options for dinner/drinks.

I went to Lucy’s for dinner a few times when they were open in the evenings and enjoyed it. Went for trivia once too. Would be great to see them open later especially after they put in that full service bar

[Cookin_peacocks]

Work in the old Gardellas is happening. Heard a restaurant is going in.

[joeDowntown]

16 hours ago, Cookin_peacocks said:

Work in the old Gardellas is happening. Heard a restaurant is going in.

It’s a French restaurant. We discussed it a few months ago:

https://www.wzzm13.com/amp/article/news/local/grand-rapids-central/former-j-gardellas-building-to-be-a-new-french-style-restaurant-parts-of-bar-sold-to-movie-set/69-c7b7e5b3-2d77-40ca-ad98-9ac4ab15cfce

[walker]

On 8/27/2022 at 9:09 AM, GRDadof3 said:

In poking around the development site at the city, I see that Condado Tacos is taking over the Omelette Shoppe in Breton Village. 2nd location for GR then. 

Sometimes it seems we could have a thread just for tacos restaurants: 

WOODTV: Breton Village welcomes newest Condado Tacos

[arcturus]

Michigan's last remaining Walhburgers restaurant is in Grand Rapids.

https://wgrd.com/grand-rapids-wahlburgers/

 

Memory lane for those who remember these closed restaurants.

https://wgrd.com/royals-pizza-grand-rapids-permanently-closes/

 

[Jonesey]

On 2/27/2023 at 12:18 PM, arcturus said:

Michigan's last remaining Walhburgers restaurant is in Grand Rapids.

https://wgrd.com/grand-rapids-wahlburgers/

 

Is Wahlburgers even that good?  It always seemed kind of gimmicky and all I've heard are mediocre reviews

[joeDowntown]

I ate there once. I thought it was pretty good (if standard burger/fries is your thing). Atmosphere was nice too. And I only passingly know the story of wahlburgers. It’s worth giving it a shot and I think they did a decent job pulling in elements of GR. 

[Pattmost20]

New commercial kitchen and small business incubator looking to open in June.

This is my buddy Wes's company, Tiny Dinners. I know in talking with him that they've been looking at commercial spaces for a while, I'm excited to see it moving forward. I've been to a number of his pop up dinners, they are always fantastic. I'm glad to see they'll have a dedicated space. 

[arcturus]

3 hours ago, Pattmost20 said:

New commercial kitchen and small business incubator looking to open in June.

This is my buddy Wes's company, Tiny Dinners. I know in talking with him that they've been looking at commercial spaces for a while, I'm excited to see it moving forward. I've been to a number of his pop up dinners, they are always fantastic. I'm glad to see they'll have a dedicated space. 

Good luck to him, I like the concept.

'Zemla is eyeing a space in a walkable neighborhood with both a commercial kitchen and retail storefront'

No wonder he's had trouble finding something,  half the world also wants that and landlords know it.  Elk Brewing's former location maybe? 

[GR_Urbanist]

The old Erb Thai location on Wealthy could also be a viable spot.

[Pattmost20]

2 hours ago, arcturus said:

Good luck to him, I like the concept.

'Zemla is eyeing a space in a walkable neighborhood with both a commercial kitchen and retail storefront'

No wonder he's had trouble finding something,  half the world also wants that and landlords know it.  Elk Brewing's former location maybe? 

99% sure he already has a lease signed, but I don't want to be the one breaking the news. However, if you follow Tiny Dinners GR or Chef Shack on instagram, I believe he has posted the location or teased the location on there.

[joeDowntown]

New cocktail bar opening in Plaza Towers. Plaza towers always felt like a bit of a dead zone on a busy intersection. I think it's great that they're carving out a spot for street level activity:

https://www.crainsgrandrapids.com/news/restaurants-1/high-end-cocktail-bar-coming-to-grand-rapids-plaza-towers/

[mgreven]

3 hours ago, joeDowntown said:

New cocktail bar opening in Plaza Towers. Plaza towers always felt like a bit of a dead zone on a busy intersection. I think it's great that they're carving out a spot for street level activity:

https://www.crainsgrandrapids.com/news/restaurants-1/high-end-cocktail-bar-coming-to-grand-rapids-plaza-towers/

I sent this to a friend that lives there and it sounds it’s been built out for a bit but just sitting there?

[Cookin_peacocks]

13 hours ago, mgreven said:

I sent this to a friend that lives there and it sounds it’s been built out for a bit but just sitting there?

They began working on this years ago. It's in the former apartment storage area. 

 

I'm shocked it's actually happening. But I don't think you'll even know about it unless they add signage.

[thebeerqueer]

2 hours ago, Cookin_peacocks said:

They began working on this years ago. It's in the former apartment storage area. 

 

I'm shocked it's actually happening. But I don't think you'll even know about it unless they add signage.

The article mentions an exterior entrance. Does anyone know where that would be?

[Cookin_peacocks]

1 hour ago, thebeerqueer said:

The article mentions an exterior entrance. Does anyone know where that would be?

There's a stairwell that comes out into the circle drive off Fulton.

 

There's also a back door that comes out into the tunnel that's off the Courtyard circle drive.

The entrance is in the apartment lobby. 

So, unless they make a new entry, and maybe they are, it's going to be one of those.

I think the concept is good, but from what I know of the project, seems poorly executed, as it's simply an old large room that was used for tenant storage. No windows, no real entry way. 

 

Maybe they changed the layout of the apartment lobby. Maybe they made the doorway/stairwell entry nice. I don't know. I haven't been in there in 4 or 5 years. But from what I remember of it, it's going to be a windowless room that has really awkward access. 

[egrguy]

Sidebar is basically a basement storage area with zero windows and I've always enjoyed the atmosphere there.

[joeDowntown]

It looks pretty nice for for a converted storage area. And happy they are squeezing life out of a dead zone 

[demhem]

14 hours ago, egrguy said:

Sidebar is basically a basement storage area with zero windows and I've always enjoyed the atmosphere there.

Agreed. These small cocktail lounges can get away with no windows/no street presence and succeed because of the speakeasy/private vibe (Sidebar, Lowbar in TC, several in Chicago I can't remember the name of anymore). Some are located in basements or down drab hallways. 

[Cookin_peacocks]

I'll have to take your guys word for it. I don't anticipate going to a high end cocktail bar. 

[Zads]

https://www.crainsgrandrapids.com/news/restaurants-1/k-pocha-brings-korean-street-food-to-west-michigan/

"To open K-Pocha, the husband-and-wife team of Lam To and ThienHa Phan are teaming up with college friend Phong Nguyen, owner and executive chef of Monsoon, a Vietnamese restaurant in downtown Grand Rapids.

The new restaurant is opening soon in Bayberry Market at 5751 Byron Center Ave. SW in Wyoming, the location of the now-closed sandwich shop Windy City Grille. "

[Prankster]

3 hours ago, Zads said:

https://www.crainsgrandrapids.com/news/restaurants-1/k-pocha-brings-korean-street-food-to-west-michigan/

"To open K-Pocha, the husband-and-wife team of Lam To and ThienHa Phan are teaming up with college friend Phong Nguyen, owner and executive chef of Monsoon, a Vietnamese restaurant in downtown Grand Rapids.

The new restaurant is opening soon in Bayberry Market at 5751 Byron Center Ave. SW in Wyoming, the location of the now-closed sandwich shop Windy City Grille. "

Monsoon is a great restaurant, glad to see they’re successful. 

[Zads]

Story from WOODTV on the new pizza spot going into the old Brick Road Pizza location.

https://www.woodtv.com/news/grand-rapids/electric-cheetah-owner-bringing-new-concept-to-brick-road-pizza-spot/

"Testa Rossa Pizzeria will offer Sicilian-style pizza, live music and more, owner Cory DeMint said."

"The menu will offer something for everyone, with a mix of modern-American and traditional Italian dishes. The pizzas will be thin and crispy, baked in “high-temperature ovens creating a nice, Sicilian-style pizza using very high-quality ingredients,” DeMint said."

"DeMint said Testa Rossa Pizzeria will have its soft opening in the next few weeks, which will focus on the restaurant’s pizza, salads, beer and wine. The grand opening will be sometime this fall."

[Zads]

Details on the former J. Gardella's space.

https://www.crainsgrandrapids.com/news/restaurants-1/high-end-restaurant-scholar-to-open-downtown-this-summer/

"“He would describe it as things that your great-grandmother (who) might have immigrated from Europe (would make),” Winks said, “You’re going to see your typical great steaks and seafood dishes. The cuisine at Scholar reflects historic Americana with elevated classic American dishes, … old American that is timeless, not trendy.” 

Renovations at Scholar are nearing the finish line, and Winks is planning to open the concept in time for the ArtPrize crowd. He’s targeting a mid-to-late August soft opening, followed by a grand opening to invite the public into his new space. "