Coming Attractions

Specialty Grocer Eatóri Market Lands in Downtown Detroit With Full Bar

Produce, pantry staples, and prepared foods

by Brenna Houck Dec 15, 2016, 2:35pm EST

Brenna Houck is a Cities Manager for the Eater network. She previously edited Eater Detroit and reported for Eater. You can follow her on the internet at @brennahouck.

Capitol Park’s red hot retail spaces are rapidly filling up with restaurants, cafes, and nail salons. Now revelers can add a specialty grocer to that lineup. Eatóri Market fastened a “coming soon” sign to a 2,500-square-foot space in downtown Detroit’s Malcomson Building today.

“Eatóri Market came from a love of food but also what I think is missing in the city of Detroit,” says Zak Yatim, a former caterer and company co-founder. “There are a lot of great restaurants opening around the city but some of us can't go out to eat every night of the week.” While a few shops such as City Market Detroit offer fresh produce and pantry staples to downtown residents, Yatim and partner Samer Ghafari will take things a step farther with the inclusion of a full bar and limited “hot menu.”

Eatori Market will be located on the ground floor of the Malcomson Building next to The Ten nail salon in downtown Detroit.

The pair are working with metro Detroit designer Kyle Evans on the project. Customers will enter through the bar area at the front of the building passed a retractable gate into the market space. Towards the back of the market, customers will find a prepared foods section offering grab-and-go items, paninis, soups, a chopped salad bar, and possibly a rotisserie.

Yatim tells Eater he’s begun the process of assembling his suppliers and is in talks with bartenders. “I want to definitely use as much [local produce and vendors] as I can and fill in the blanks from there,” he says, adding that the goal is to make items affordable. The market estimates that it will eventually hire between 10 and 12 employees. Eatóri is currently in the buildout phase and is estimated to debut around April or May. In the meantime, take a peek at some of the renderings below: