Several notable restaurants and breweries in metro Detroit said final goodbyes in July. A soft-serve shop in Midtown Detroit known for vegan and gluten-free offerings also said farewell, while a popular Corktown bagel shop alluded to preparing for a future location because of a landlord dispute.
Here’s a sample of metro Detroit restaurants that announced closures or potential location changes in July.
Avalon Kitchen & Café
An Ann Arbor location of the beloved Avalon International Breads, closed July 19. A Facebook post said the location was “transitioning” and that some of Avalon’s brunch dishes would be offered on the brunch menu at the Pretzel Bell, which is next door.
Cadillac Straits Brewing
The Madison Heights brewery marked its final day July 18 with a party. The taproom remained open after the closing to sell remaining products. The Madison Heights brewery opened just before the pandemic and cited “market conditions” for its closure.
Cold Truth Soft Serve
This Midtown Detroit establishment known for scratch-made vegan and gluten free offerings is shuttering.
In an Instagram post, the owners said they had been operating without a lease for two years. “We recently found out that the space was being advertised to find a new tenant,” the post reads. The post also stated that Cold Truth had received notice that it must vacate the space by Aug. 31. Its last day at the Midtown location is Aug. 30. Locations in Ann Arbor and Ferndale remain open.
Height’s Brewing
After more than two years in business, this downtown Farmington establishment is closing Aug. 2. In a July 23 Facebook post, its owners cited rising costs as the reason, including “loan payments that kept moving in the wrong direction, and a few challenges we never saw coming.” Height’s Brewing opened in February 2024 at 23621 Farmington Road.
Lincoln Yard and Little Yard
Birmingham’s Lincoln Yard and Little Yard was a project from Union Joints hospitality group and Roger Penske Jr. The group operates several metro Detroit restaurants, including Clarkston Union and Vinsetta Garage. Co-owner Curt Catallo cited a “premature opening as a challenge for the business” and said the closing was “not a reflection of the restaurant’s current staff in place.”
The project, a multi-concept restaurant, transformed a former Birmingham school bus repair garage into two eateries — Lincoln Yard, a full-service restaurant serving brunch, lunch and dinner, and Little Yard, a smaller cafe ́ offering an all-day breakfast menu and coffee. In 2025 Lincoln Yard and Little Yard landed on the Detroit Free Press/Chevy Detroit Top 10 New Restaurants list, coming in at No. 10 for its “eclectic offerings and bright, family-friendly atmosphere.”
James Oliver Coffee
This popular Detroit café and bagel shop recently hinted at a possible closure of its flagship location in the Corktown neighborhood. In late June, its owners taped a handwritten note to a wall near the front entrance stating they are in a lease dispute with their landlord. While the message didn’t include much detail, it did allude to a potential closing.
“While we hope to continue serving you in Corktown, we are also preparing for the future, including plans for a new bakehouse location,” reads the note.
The husband-and-wife owners opened in Corktown in 2021, taking over the space that once housed Detroit Institute of Bagels. They retained the original baker from DIB.
Free Press and Hometown Life staff reporters contributed to this report.
Contact Detroit Free Press food and restaurant writer Susan Selasky and send food and restaurant news and tips to: sselasky@freepress.com. Follow her on X, formerly Twitter: @SusanMariecooks. Subscribe to the Eat Drink Freep newsletter for insider scoops on food and dining in metro Detroit.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: These metro Detroit restaurants revealed closings and changes in July
Reporting by Susan Selasky, Detroit Free Press / Detroit Free Press
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By Susan Selasky, Detroit Free Press | USA TODAY Network
