Flowers of Vietnam Closes for Renovations on March 19

There are just two more weekends left to try Flowers of Vietnam 1.0. The Southwest Detroit weekend pop-up sensation is slated to close its doors for renovations on March 19.

Helmed by chef George Azar, Flowers of Vietnam began serving up Southeast Asian cuisine inside Vernor Coney Island in January 2016. The restaurant was initially expected to temporarily shutter last summer for a $350,000 renovation and expansion into a full-fledged eatery, however a number of delays pushed back that timeline until this spring.

Azar tells Eater that the restaurant’s team is continuing to work with Detroit-based architecture firm Et al. Although the plans for Flowers of Vietnam 2.0 are still being finalized, the designs call for preserving portions of the current restaurant space and adding a rooftop greenhouse and patio with gardens producing some of the restaurant’s ingredients.

During the construction, Azar will be working with the team from acclaimed Copenhagen restaurant Noma during its upcoming pop-up in Tulum, Mexico. The chef is slated to return to Detroit in mid-May to begin reworking recipes and training staff in preparation for a reopening in late-August — in time for the restaurant’s scheduled Top 10 Takeover with the Detroit Free Press. Get those caramel chicken wings while you can.

• Flowers of Vietnam Chef to Join Noma Culinary Team For Mexico Pop-Up [ED]

• Flowers of Vietnam to Shutter for a $350K Renovation [ED]

• All Flowers of Vietnam Coverage [ED]

• All Temporary Shutters Coverage [ED]