The Roma Cafe closes after 127 years in Detroit.

**p69rrh51** · July-14-17, 04:23 PM

The Roma has been sold to a new owner.

http://www.crainsdetroit.com/article...under-new-name

**Lowell** · July-14-17, 06:17 PM

It seems more like a re-branding than a closing.

"...the head chef is renovating the building in Eastern Market and plans to reopen this fall under a similar name."

I find it interesting that a business that survived, even thrived, during Detroit's wilderness years, would come apart just when Eastern Market and Detroit are rising rapidly.

I will add that I haven't been to the Roma in at least twenty years, after being disappointed with the food twice in a row.

**Maof** · July-14-17, 06:34 PM

When I worked downtown in the 80's thru the 90's, we went every other week [[payday). The atmosphere was fun, "old school" waiters were the best and food was really good. You got to know the waitstaff and they knew what your food and drink order was going to be. Have to say that the last few times we went, it was just not the same. Waitstaff has changed over the last few years. In my experience, it took forever to take and deliver meals. It was before the dinner rush so there was only a handful of people there. Pretty disappointed in the food, just not the same.

**jcole** · July-14-17, 07:25 PM

Originally Posted by Lowell

I will add that I haven't been to the Roma in at least twenty years, after being disappointed with the food twice in a row.

A friend of mine from Indian Village says the food has been horrible the last several times she was there. Probably the competition of all the great restaurants in Detroit now giving them a run for their money

**Meddle** · July-14-17, 10:19 PM

I can honestly say I've never been in there. Always heard good things about it, but that was back in the hey day I guess.

**One Shot** · July-14-17, 11:24 PM

Once and wasn't wowed. Even for the novelty/history I want decent food.

**p69rrh51** · July-15-17, 12:21 AM

Originally Posted by Lowell

It seems more like a re-branding than a closing.

"...the head chef is renovating the building in Eastern Market and plans to reopen this fall under a similar name."

I find it interesting that a business that survived, even thrived, during Detroit's wilderness years, would come apart just when Eastern Market and Detroit are rising rapidly.

I will add that I haven't been to the Roma in at least twenty years, after being disappointed with the food twice in a row.

I have a feeling the fierce competition in the area is a fight the current owners were not willing to contest.
My family were Cardinelli's people and we very rarely went to the Roma. Over the last 20 years or so the handful of times I went there the food and service were "phoned in." Although the last time my wife and I were there for lunch last fall, the food and service were what I imagine the restaurant built its reputation on.

**kathy2trips** · July-15-17, 12:26 AM

Originally Posted by One Shot

Once and wasn't wowed. Even for the novelty/history I want decent food.

Another great Detroit memory bites the dust. My parents would take us here occasionally in the 60s and 70s. My Italian-American mother would never have done so if the food wasn't impeccable.

Joe Muer's, The London Chop House, Sweden House, Aldo's and now Roma Café. Better it goes than serve lousy food; you can get bad food anywhere. Detroit may not have much, but it was always good eating. Thank goodness Red Hots still lives.

**Meddle** · July-15-17, 08:06 AM

Our place was Red Devil. We could walk there if we wanted to. Killer lasagne as I recall.

**Honky Tonk** · July-15-17, 08:42 AM

Originally Posted by Lowell

It seems more like a re-branding than a closing.

"...the head chef is renovating the building in Eastern Market and plans to reopen this fall under a similar name."

I find it interesting that a business that survived, even thrived, during Detroit's wilderness years, would come apart just when Eastern Market and Detroit are rising rapidly.

I will add that I haven't been to the Roma in at least twenty years, after being disappointed with the food twice in a row.

Same here. I haven't been in about 12 years, and that time I remember dinner being mediocre and over priced. Still, I hate to see yet another Detroit icon vanish. Best of luck to the new owners. Kids these days want to eat over priced, crappy food, out of trucks.

**Zacha341** · July-15-17, 08:47 AM

Yeah, the food was horrid at the end. The place needed a face-lift too. Sad for a restaurant to go down that bad, just trudging along to the bitter end, loosing reputation.

Especially in the age of online reviews, like yelp.com etc. Hopefully the new owners will take heed.

**Zacha341** · July-15-17, 08:48 AM

Goodness, had not thought of that place in sometime. Great food, and one of the last pizza sit-down, dine-in places in the D. On Fenkell Avenue or what it on Seven Mile?

Originally Posted by Meddle

Our place was Red Devil. We could walk there if we wanted to. Killer lasagne as I recall.

**dtowncitylover** · July-15-17, 09:02 AM

Originally Posted by kathy2trips

Joe Muer's, The London Chop House, Sweden House, Aldo's and now Roma Café.

Just letting you know that Joe Muer's and LCH are open again.

**eastland** · July-15-17, 09:42 AM

Originally Posted by dtowncitylover

Just letting you know that Joe Muer's and LCH are open again.

True, although today's Joe Muer's in no way resembles its former self.

**Meddle** · July-15-17, 11:06 AM

Originally Posted by Zacha341

Goodness, had not thought of that place in sometime. Great food, and one of the last pizza sit-down, dine-in places in the D. On Fenkell Avenue or what it on Seven Mile?

Fenkell between Prest & Whitcomb. Now a Caribbean Club of some kind.

**preserve** · July-15-17, 12:12 PM

Place really does need updating - the bar area especially. Looking forward to it reopening - the history will still be there and who knows maybe the waitstaff will hang on and hopefully it won't go all natural and organic with craft cocktails and beer. Some old school is still appreciated.

**Meddle** · July-15-17, 12:23 PM

I remember driving by there at 9 or 10 PM and the street was parked full of stretch limos 3 or 4 deep. Guys I didn't really want to know were everywhere. Like a real 'family' place if you get my drift.

Also heard Coleman and company hung out there some which was enough to keep me away.

**Honky Tonk** · July-15-17, 12:37 PM

Originally Posted by preserve

Place really does need updating - the bar area especially. Looking forward to it reopening - the history will still be there and who knows maybe the waitstaff will hang on and hopefully it won't go all natural and organic with craft cocktails and beer. Some old school is still appreciated.

How about traditional i-Talion Fusion Food?

**detroitsgwenivere** · July-15-17, 01:21 PM

I've eaten lunch from Roma's a few times over the last few years. I wouldn't say the food was horrible per se, but I only ever ordered basic staples.

Every time we ordered out, they would screw up the order somehow, and after riding a bike or pulling your car out of the parking garage to go pick up food, then wait for them to fix the order, then bring it back, takes up one's entire lunch hour and the food just wasn't worth all of the effort.

**SammyS** · July-15-17, 01:25 PM

From a business standpoint, didn't this place have a better chance of failing over the past 30-40 years than now? Apart from recent competition, business should have only gotten better over the last 5 years.
IMO, new owner should have kept the name intact. In that way, he could brag on being amongst the oldest surviving restaurants in the city.

**Zacha341** · July-15-17, 03:29 PM

Maybe their senior chef flew the coup and they could not bring up consistent quality past that. I had polenta there and it was messed up. Goodness!

**Farwell** · July-15-17, 03:45 PM

Overpriced for mediocre food. Attention to customer experience has been lacking for years. Rested on their laurels for far too long.

**softailrider** · July-16-17, 07:45 AM

Originally Posted by Meddle

Our place was Red Devil. We could walk there if we wanted to. Killer lasagne as I recall.

Really good food, really good pizza, reasonable prices. At the end it got terrible.

**professorscott** · July-16-17, 10:23 PM

Originally Posted by eastland

True, although today's Joe Muer's in no way resembles its former self.

...which is perfectly OK. Your kindly old professor has quite a history with the Muers, more specifically the Chuck Muer branch of the family. Chuck's finance guy [[what you would call a CFO these days) was the late Leo Beil, whose son owns and runs a great restaurant in Grand Rapids, and one of his more successful managers, Bill Kruse, has a mini-chain of restaurants mostly in and around Rochester, which are pleasantly reminiscent of the glory days of Charley's Crab, though with Bill's own hand heavily into it. So if you want good Muer style food, there's a few places to check out. One reason Chuck was so successful up until his untimely death was that he kept things fresh [[as does Leo, as does Bill). And so we come to his older brother.

Joe Muer's on Gratiot died, a couple miles from one of the then-largest grossing restaurants in the midwest, [[that soul food place in Greektown, whose name escapes me) because it was a dated concept and hadn't been updated or revitalized in decades. In the mid 1990s you had to wear a coat and tie, even for lunch [[this is when almost nobody but attorneys, and not all of them, were still wearing ties to work) and they still had such throwback items as finnan haddie on the menu. Is there anyone here under the age of fifty who even knows what that is? The Vicari family has, IMVHO, done a great job of taking the basic concept and ambiance and bringing it into the 21st century.

**softailrider** · July-16-17, 10:58 PM

V

Originally Posted by professorscott

...which is perfectly OK. Your kindly old professor has quite a history with the Muers, more specifically the Chuck Muer branch of the family. Chuck's finance guy [[what you would call a CFO these days) was the late Leo Beil, whose son owns and runs a great restaurant in Grand Rapids, and one of his more successful managers, Bill Kruse, has a mini-chain of restaurants mostly in and around Rochester, which are pleasantly reminiscent of the glory days of Charley's Crab, though with Bill's own hand heavily into it. So if you want good Muer style food, there's a few places to check out. One reason Chuck was so successful up until his untimely death was that he kept things fresh [[as does Leo, as does Bill). And so we come to his older brother.

Joe Muer's on Gratiot died, a couple miles from one of the then-largest grossing restaurants in the midwest, [[that soul food place in Greektown, whose name escapes me) because it was a dated concept and hadn't been updated or revitalized in decades. In the mid 1990s you had to wear a coat and tie, even for lunch [[this is when almost nobody but attorneys, and not all of them, were still wearing ties to work) and they still had such throwback items as finnan haddie on the menu. Is there anyone here under the age of fifty who even knows what that is? The Vicari family has, IMVHO, done a great job of taking the basic concept and ambiance and bringing it into the 21st century.

I'm not in complete agreement with the above. While not changing with the times my have played a role in that restaurants demise, I think the larger problem was the food over the last two or three years became really mediocre. I think in particular that last head chef they had there was just not up to snuff. I can remember lines to get a table every night we went there, not just the weekends. [[the lines moved though) the last year or two, it was just walk in and get seated. Don't remember seeing the guy in the bow tie at the end either. It was a great restaurant for a long time.