It seems the local dining industry is finally bouncing back after the harsh take down it suffered during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic.

We saw the loss of a lot of restaurants in 2020 and 2021, but for some, scraping by became more challenging as certain costs continued to rise.

Some restaurant owners saw fit to retire, others decided to sell their businesses.

Here’s the restaurants that have closed in 2022.

Karl’s 1509 Broadway St., Detroit Popular brunch spot Karl’s announced its closure on social media in November. The restaurant had been operating inside the Siren Hotel for three years and was known for its retro vibes, including a vintage Wurlitzer jukebox. Credit: Christian Harder
Traffic Jam & Snug 511 W. Canfield St., Detroit Traffic Jam & Snug had serviced the Midtown neighborhood for over 50 years until a fire permanently damaged the restaurant in the spring. Credit: Bridget Ekis
Sauce 4120 Second Ave., Detroit Technically Sauce never opened to ever have closed, but it’s on the list because it simply didn’t happen. Fortunately the restaurant group behind Sauce decided to open a new restaurant in the space with a similar concept. Credit: Steve Neavling
Sala Thai 3400 Russell St., Detroit After 20 years serving the Eastern Market, Sala Thai quietly closed its doors in April. The space went up for lease back in August. Credit: Steve Neavling
Astro Coffee and Ochre Bakery 2124 Michigan Ave., Detroit; 4884 Grand River, Detroit This one is a twofer as both places share owners. Astro Coffee initially opened in Corktown in 2011, while Ochre opened in Core City in 2019. In 2020, Astro Coffee moved its roastery next door to Ochre and in May, the owners announced the closing of both. Credit: Michelle and Chris Gerard
Bunny Bunny 1454 Gratiot Ave., Detroit After two years in Eastern Market, fusion restaurant Bunny Bunny was forced to close due to financial issues, according to the owners, who took to social media to make the announcement in September. Credit: Tom Perkins
Chili Mustard Onions 3411 Brush St., Detroit Detroit’s first vegan coney island announced its closure in October. Chili Mustard Onions’ owner does have plans to manufacture the restaurant’s products for retail sale. Credit: Tom Perkins
Ready Player One 407 E. Fort St., Detroit The bar and arcade that served us nothing but nostalgia closed its downtown location earlier this year. The restaurant is now home to “weird” pizzeria chain, Pizza Cat. Credit: Tom Perkins
The Peterboro 420 Peterboro St., Detroit The Peterboro closed for new ownership and renovations back in July, but has yet to re-open. The restaurant continues to tease its grand re-opening on social media, but hasn’t announced an official date. Credit: Steve Neavling
Woodward Bar & Grill 6426 Woodward Ave., Detroit The Woodward was Detroit’s oldest LGBTQ bar and venue. The cocktail bar suffered a devastating fire in June. Credit: Google Maps
Roast 1128 Washington Blvd., Detroit Michael Symon’s Roast abruptly closed one cold January night. So abrupt, that even its employees were blindsided by the closing. Credit: Roast/Facebook
Great Lakes Coffee 3965 Woodward Ave., Detroit In January, after a COVID-19 outbreak hit Great Lakes Coffee Roasting Co., and nine out of fifteen of the workers tested positive, the Midtown shop was closed indefinitely. One month later, Great Lakes Coffee workers from other locations went on strike with claims of poor COVID-19 protocols and unfair wages and labor practices. Credit: Lee DeVito
Pizza Papalis (Greektown) 553 Monroe St., Detroit Pizza Papalis has been a fixture on Monroe St. since 1986, but the loss of traffic throughout the pandemic made keeping the establishment open difficult. This resulted in the closing of the once popular Greektown location, but several others remain open. Credit: Google Maps
Harmony Garden Cafe 4704 Anthony Wayne Dr., Detroit After 30 years in business, Harmony Garden closed its doors in July. Credit: Steve Neavling
Cass Cafe 4620 Cass Ave., Detroit Cass Cafe has been a hub for local artists since the early 1990s. The beloved local restaurant was also a hotspot for vegans and vegetarians due to several meatless options on the menu. The Midtown favorite closed in July. Credit: Liza Lagman Sperl/ Flickr Creative Commons
Street Beet 4626 Third St., Detroit Street Beet, a playful vegan pop-up that had been operating out of Midtown’s 3rd Street Bar, closed for good in February. Credit: Jerilyn Jordan
Taqueria El Rey 4730 W. Vernor Hwy, Detroit A fire destroyed one of Detroit’s favorite taco spots, Taqueria El Rey. The restaurant launched a crowdsourcing campaign in January to help support employees through the devastsation. Credit: Randiah Camille Green
Le Culture Cafe 1452 Brush St., Detroit Le Culture Cafe announced in January it would temporarily be closing its doors on Brush Street. It wasn’t long before “temporary” became permanent. However, the restaurant’s owners opened a sister restaurant, Culture Soul at 24737 W. Eight Mile Rd., soon after its closing. Credit: Google Maps
New Martha Bakery 10335 Joseph Campau St, Hamtramck After 50 years serving delicious packzi in the metro Detroit area, New Martha Bakery closed due to the health of its owners. The space was bought by its neighbor, Dos Locos Tacos. Credit: New Martha Bakery/Facebook
Exferimentation Brewing Co. 7 N. Saginaw St., Pontiac After five years in business, Exerimentation Brewing Co. closed its doors citing the pandemic as the reason for the closure. Credit: Exferimentation Brewing Co./ Instagram
Detroit Vegan Soul (West Village) 8029 Agnes St., Detroit Detroit Vegan Soul had every intent on reopening their Agnes St. location, but the challenges the restaurant faced during the pandemic made it especially difficult. The owner announced the permanent closure of the West Village location in January, but the location on Detroit’s west side still remains open at 19614 Grand River Ave. Credit: Google Maps

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