The Lansing area gained a half dozen new eateries in July, while one retail shop in Lansing’s Old Town closed its storefront, with plans to move to another location.
In Bath, the popular Lansing-area food truck Krystal’s Kitchen expanded by opening a brick-and-mortar restaurant off Main Street. East Lansing got the Lansing area’s first Mochinut location. The Hawaii-based dessert shop chain serves mochi donuts, Korean-style corn dogs and a variety of drinks.
In Lansing, Sea Leveaux, a counter-service Cajun boil restaurant, opened downtown, and a Scooter’s Coffee opened in a former Biggby Coffee off East Michigan Avenue.
Here’s a look at what happened with restaurants and retail in July.
Openings
Krystal’s Kitchen, Bath
Where: 13631 Main St.
The details: Krystal Jackson opened a restaurant in a village storefront after seven years of operating her own Lansing-area food truck. She bought the property late last year, renovated it and opened in mid-July. The restaurant serves breakfast and, in the afternoons, what’s been successful on Jackson’s food truck — rib tips, jerk chicken, pulled pork sandwiches, barbecued chicken, Chicago-style Polish dogs and baked mac and cheese.
Learn more about Krystal’s Kitchen on Facebook at “Krystal’s Kitchen.”
Sea Leveaux, Lansing
Where: 200 S. Washington Square
The details: Sea Leveaux, a counter-service Cajun boil restaurant in downtown, opened its doors on July 2. The 3,000-square-foot storefront was previously home to Grand Traverse Pie Company, which closed more than 2½ years ago.
The sit-down restaurant offers kiosk ordering of Cajun boil-inspired bowls. There is also dine-in seating for about 40 people.
Learn more about the restaurant online on Facebook at “Sea Leveaux.”
Mochinut, East Lansing
Where: 311 W. Grand River Ave.
The details: Michigan State graduate Chris Tebeau opened the Lansing area’s first Mochinut location near MSU’s campus on July 24. The Hawaii-based dessert shop chain that serves mochi donuts, Korean-style corn dogs and a variety of drinks, already has over 130 locations, including spots in Grand Rapids, Kalamazoo and Ann Arbor.
The menu centers around different varieties of mochi doughnuts. The pastry is made with rice or tapioca flour, ingredients that make them fluffy and moist. The chain also serves Korean-style corn dogs, which are hot dogs or cheese coated in a batter and then rolled in panko breadcrumbs or cubed potatoes, then often dusted with sugar.
Learn more about the chain online at www.mochinut.com. Follow the East Lansing location’s Facebook page at “Mochinut East Lansing.”
Downtown Tavern, DeWitt
Where: 129 1/2 S. Bridge St.
The details: Downtown Tavern opened in mid-July, serving breakfast, lunch and dinner. Dishes include hand-battered Cod, Salmon, Walleye and Whitefish, steak and burgers.
Visit the restaurant’s Facebook page at “Downtown Tavern – Dewitt.”
Taco Sharwarma, Lansing
Where: 3122 S. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd.
The details: True to its name, Taco Sharwarma, features a menu that offers both Mexican and Mediterranean dishes. That means the restaurant, which opened on July 6, serves tacos and sharwarma, along with nachos, burritos, kabob plates and gyros.
Visit the restaurant’s Facebook page at “Taco Sharwarma.”
Scooter’s Coffee, Lansing
Where: 3335 E. Michigan Ave.
The details: Scooter’s Coffee, a Nebraska-based coffee shop chain, opened its first Lansing area location in a former Biggby Coffee off East Michigan Avenue in July. Franchise owners Michael Endres, a Michigan State University alumnus, and Bryan Bender are leasing the property. They already operate Scooter’s Coffee shops in Brighton, Livonia and Plymouth.
The coffee shop, which offers dine-in seating, offers iced, blended and hot specialty coffee drinks, Red Bull infusion energy drinks, smoothies, shakes, floats, sodas and teas. Scooter’s Coffee also serves sweet treats, including mini muffins and cookies, cinnamon rolls and Oreo cake bites and sandwiches, omelet bites, and breakfast burritos.
Learn more about the chain online at www.scooterscoffee.com.
Moving
Oracle’s Apothecary, Lansing’s Old Town
Where: 519 E. César E. Chávez Ave.
The details: Oracle’s Apothecary, a shop that sells homemade soaps, oils, candles, body butters, crystals, teas and sage, closed its retail storefront on July 23. The business transitioned to online sales, according to a July 8 announcement on its Facebook page.
It’s temporary, though. The shop is moving its storefront. Expect an update on the new location in the next month.
Classes that the shop offered will continue to be offered at Okemos Coffee Shop, according to the post.
“We aren’t closing, we are pivoting,” it read. “So, raise your favorite drink and send us momentous energy. To us! And to you!”
Learn more about the business online at www.oraclesapothecary.com.
This article originally appeared on Lansing State Journal: Lansing area gains a half dozen new restaurants in July
Reporting by Rachel Greco, Lansing State Journal / Lansing State Journal
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Rachel Greco, Lansing State Journal | USA TODAY Network
