Grand Rapids approves downtown liquor license for Miro Mediterranean

Overview

Updated 1 hour ago

A downtown Grand Rapids storefront that has seen two restaurants close in two years is getting a third tenant. The City Commission approved a development-district liquor license for Miro Mediterranean. The Mediterranean bar and restaurant is planned for the ground floor of the Residence Inn by Marriott at 10 Ionia Ave. NW.

Miro is linked to Café de Miro, a Kurdish-style Mediterranean group with locations in the Downtown Market and Breton Village. A DDA official said the venue is an expansion, not a move. The approval only covers the city's step — the Michigan Liquor Control Commission must still issue the license, and city records list no menu, name, or opening date.

Why it matters

A Mediterranean bar and restaurant moves into a downtown Grand Rapids storefront that has failed twice — the third attempt will test whether the location can work.

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Key Indicators

Restaurants that closed at 10 Ionia Ave. NW since 2023

Wahlburgers shut in August 2023; The Foolery followed in July 2025.

July 2025

When the storefront last went vacant

The Foolery closed, leaving the space empty until a new tenant.

Café de Miro locations currently open

The Downtown Market and Breton Village outposts operate today.

Voices

Curated perspectives — historical figures and your fellow readers.

People Involved

Melvin Eledge Jr.

Director of operations, Downtown Grand Rapids Inc.

Identified Miro Mediterranean as an expansion of Café de Miro's ownership group at an Oct. 14 DDA meeting.

Organizations Involved

Miro Mediterranean LLC

Restaurant applicant

Seeking a state liquor license for a bar and restaurant at 10 Ionia Ave. NW.

Applicant group planning a Mediterranean bar and restaurant in downtown Grand Rapids.

Café de Miro

Restaurant group

Operating two Grand Rapids locations; linked to Miro Mediterranean.

Kurdish-style Mediterranean restaurant with locations in the Downtown Market and Breton Village.

Grand Rapids City Commission

Municipal governing body

Approved the Miro Mediterranean liquor license request on Oct. 28.

Elected body that must approve new liquor licenses in Grand Rapids development districts.

Michigan Liquor Control Commission (MLCC)

State regulatory agency

Must approve the license before Miro Mediterranean can serve alcohol.

State body that issues liquor licenses in Michigan after local approval.

Timeline

August 2023 October 2026

4 events Latest: Today

Tap a bar to jump to that date

October 2026
City Commission approves liquor license
Today Regulatory

City Commission approved a development-district liquor license; request heads to the state.
Today
DDA reviews Miro license request
Regulatory

Downtown Development Authority reviewed the license; official linked Miro to Café de Miro.
October 14th, 2026
July 2025
The Foolery closes
Closure

The Detroit-style pizza spot closed, leaving the Residence Inn storefront empty.
July 2025
August 2023
Wahlburgers closes downtown location
Closure

Wahlburgers closed its Grand Rapids outpost at 10 Ionia Ave. NW.
August 2023

Scenarios

State approves license; Miro Mediterranean opens

Likely Resolves by Q2 2027

Discussed by: Local officials and the MLive report expect the request to clear state review once local approval is complete.

The Michigan Liquor Control Commission typically grants development-district licenses after the city has signed off, provided the application and documentation are complete. If approved, Miro Mediterranean would bring a full bar and kitchen, plus utility upgrades, to a storefront near Van Andel Arena. Licensing and buildout could take several months. The bigger question is whether the third tenant lasts.

State review stalls or halts the project

Unlikely Resolves by Q2 2027

Discussed by: Not specifically predicted; denial is rare for development-district requests after local approval.

If the MLCC finds problems with the application — documentation, fees, or background checks — approval could slip past a year, or the request could be denied. A denial would leave the Residence Inn storefront vacant again, matching the site's recent history.

Miro Mediterranean opens, then closes within two years

Possible Resolves by End of 2028

Discussed by: The site's track record — two closures in two years — informs concern about the location's viability.

Even with a license, the address at 10 Ionia Ave. NW has a recent history of failure. If the bar-and-restaurant cannot draw enough traffic near Van Andel Arena on non-event days, it could follow Wahlburgers and The Foolery out the door within roughly two years.

Historical Context

2 moments from history that rhyme with this story — and how they unfolded.

1991-1999

Planet Hollywood's boom and bust (1991-1999)

Celebrity investors including Arnold Schwarzenegger, Sylvester Stallone, and Bruce Willis backed Planet Hollywood, a chain of movie-themed restaurants that grew quickly after its 1991 launch and went public in 1996. The company filed for bankruptcy in October 1999 and closed many flagship locations.

Then

Most outposts shut within a few years; the chain reorganized as a fraction of its former size.

Now

It became the standard cautionary tale for celebrity-backed restaurant overexpansion.

Why this matters now

Wahlburgers, which vacated this Grand Rapids space in 2023, followed the same arc of celebrity-branded restaurants expanding fast and then retrenching.

2023-2024

Wahlburgers' nationwide retrenchment (2023-2024)

The Wahlberg brothers' burger chain, launched in 2011, grew to dozens of locations before closing most of its company-run restaurants in 2023 and 2024, including the Grand Rapids outpost in August 2023.

Then

The brand shrank to a small set of licensed and franchise locations.

Now

It reinforced how quickly celebrity restaurant concepts can contract.

Why this matters now

The closure that created this vacancy was part of a chain-wide pullback, not a local fluke — context for whether a local concept like Miro Mediterranean can hold the space.