Le Petit Zinc Bids Adieu to Original Home in Corktown

Corktown’s beloved French-influenced restaurant Le Petit Zinc is moving on from its original location on the corner of Howard Street and Trumbull. The secluded cafe known for its sweet and savory crepes and patio garden announced on Saturday that it would be relocating after its final service on Sunday.

According to a statement shared on the eatery’s Facebook page, the operators were unable to come to an agreement with the owners of the building and say they were “were caught off guard by the landlord’s unwillingness to work with us.” The new location is still unconfirmed and Eater has reached out to the owners for more details.

Le Petit Zinc opened in 2009. Since then the surrounding Corktown neighborhood has undergone significant changes, welcoming in many new businesses and restaurants as others have sold or relocated. In 2016, the Le Petit Zinc building was one of three Corktown restaurant and bar properties listed for sale by O’Connor Real Estate. At the time Zinc’s owner Karima Sorel said that her mother was considering selling the building but that the business would not be included in the sale.

Earlier this year forthcoming nanobrewery Black Bottom Brewing Company confirmed plans to occupy a portion of Le Petit Zinc and collaborate with the restaurant. It’s still unclear whether this plan will go forward and Eater has reached out to Black Bottom Brewing for comment.

Le Petit Zinc is encouraging fans to stop by the restaurant this weekend ahead of the closure. The establishment is opened for extended hours on Saturday from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. and Sunday from “9 a.m. until last crepe served.” Stay tuned for updates.

Update, September 9,1:14 p.m.: Karima Sorel tells the Detroit Free Press that after communicating with her mother Teresa Kelly through an attorney since January she has been unable to secure a lease for the building. Sorel, who co-owners Le Petit Zinc with Dine Drink Detroit founder Scott Rutterbush, was informed by a sheriff that the locks to the building will be changed on Monday.

She and Rutterbush are in the process of securing another location, likely in Corktown, and hope to reopen by the end of the year with a liquor license that will enable them to sell beer produced by Black Bottom Brewing Company.

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