Chef Kate Williams’s Detroit Breakfast Haunt Karl’s Just Closed

Since 2019, chef Kate Williams’ sleek second-floor lunch counter restaurant Karl’s at the Siren hotel has kept spaghetti on people’s plates and boozy breakfast drinks in their bellies. But, the business’ representatives confirmed the restaurant inside the hotel closed on Tuesday, December 6. No further details have been offered, though the business’s team says they are getting together a plan for the future of the location. In the meantime, Candy Bar — along with the Siren’s other outlets including Albena and Sid Gold’s — are open for fans of the hotel.

Fans reached out to Eater Detroit through the tipline to report on the restaurant website’s sudden unavailability. Google Maps updated to “temporarily closed” shortly thereafter, and an article from CBS confirmed the closure with input from the Siren’s staff. Hotel officials told the outlet to stay tuned for an update from the restaurant.

Reached by Eater, Kate Williams confirmed in a text that the restaurant had closed. “We couldn’t come to agreeable terms with the hotel group,” she writes. “There are exciting things on the horizon on both sides. We’re forever grateful to our team, our loyal patrons and guests, and the community for so much joy and great memories. Stay tuned!”

Williams was well-known for her restaurant Lady of the House, which closed in 2021. Her first Siren Hotel project, bubblegum pink cocktail lounge Candy Bar, opened in 2018. Karl’s eventually followed with all-day breakfast and dinner and a full bar. The restaurant was a mood: cinnamon rolls and piping hot coffee, hardy meatloaf, and a familial backbone as William’s grandfather Anton Karl once owned a restaurant on Detroit’s east side. “We wanted this to be as if Karl’s never closed and it just evolved over generations,” Williams said at the time of Karl’s opening. What comes next for her, and for Karl’s writ large, remains to be seen.

Update: 4:11 p.m., Tuesday, December 6: This story has been updated with a statement from Kate Williams.