Hazel Park’s Joebar Is Transforming Into a Latin American Restaurant

Joebar is undergoing yet another big change just shy of two years after its debut in Hazel Park. Owners Joe and Cari Vaughn has struck a deal with chefs Michael Barrera and Moses Fishman to relaunch as a Latin American restaurant called Latido at Joebar, the Detroit Free Press reports. The revamped restaurant is slated to reopen on Tuesday, January 22, with a new menu and updated hours. It will operate through the 2019.

Barrera is the former executive chef at high-end steakhouse Prime & Proper and its sibling Townhouse restaurants and Fishman is a former sous chef at Livernois Tap in Ferndale. The pair both have roots in South America and Central America and plan to highlight dishes from Panama, Peru, Columbia, and Argentina. Diners can expect options like tamales prepared with quinoa instead of corn masa, sancocho (chicken stew), and empanadas as well as a fleet of desserts by pastry chef Corinna Collins (previously Gold Cash Gold and Wright & Co.).

As part of the transformation, Joebar is eliminating its daytime lunch and coffee format with Chicago’s Dark Matter Coffee. The restaurant’s attached pop-up spot Frame will continue business as usual. While Latido is taking over daily operations at Joebar, it may not be a permanent arrangement. The partners plan to evaluate whether to stay at Joebar or relocate to another space at the end of the year.

• Chef Duo Will Bring a Central and South American Restaurant to Hazel Park [Freep]
• All Joebar Coverage [ED]