"It lends itself to that fun, boisterous family restaurant that locals can go to and where people can celebrate," Cory Barberio told Grosse Pointe News when construction started this summer at 16844 Kercheval. He was describing Angelo's Fine Italian, which opened in The Village on Oct. 29.
This fall the new businesses in the Pointes split by street. The ones that fit into an ordinary weekday arrived along Mack Avenue: a coffee roaster, a wax studio and an infrared sauna under a new owner. The Village got one new restaurant, sized and scheduled for birthdays, holiday parties and the stretch of December when Kercheval fills up after dark.
What's New on Mack Since August
Almost every business change since late August sits on Mack, along a corridor of well over 60 blocks running from the Detroit side up into Grosse Pointe Woods.
| Address | Business | What it is | Hours |
|---|---|---|---|
| 21003 Mack at Hampton, Grosse Pointe Woods | Little Nest Coffee Roasters, opened Oct. 11 | Coffee roasted in-house, pastries, snack plates, a children's playroom and a community room | 6:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. daily |
| 17770 Mack at Rivard, City of Grosse Pointe | Waxing the City, opened Aug. 27 | Waxing, brow and lash tinting, add-on treatments | 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Mon.–Fri., 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sat.–Sun. |
| 17108 Mack at Cadieux, Suite 103, City of Grosse Pointe | CYL Infrared Studio, under new ownership | Private infrared sauna pods, a two-person cabin sauna, red-light therapy, a saltwater cold tub | Check with the studio |
| 14616 Mack, Detroit | Peak Performance Physical Therapy, October ribbon cutting | Orthopedic and sports physical therapy and rehabilitation | Check with the practice |
The hours tell you what each place is for. Little Nest closes at 2:30 in the afternoon. Waxing the City stays open until 8 on weeknights for appointments after work.
Little Nest held its grand opening on Sunday, Oct. 11. Its three owners are Taylor Spencer, her husband Jason Spencer, and her sister-in-law Lindsay Marcano. "We started brainstorming ideas for a business about two years ago and got to work on this about a year ago," Taylor Spencer told Grosse Pointe News. Besides espresso, lattes, teas and seasonal drinks made with house syrups, the shop has a playroom for children and a separate community room.
Waxing the City opened at Mack and Rivard on Thursday, Aug. 27. It is the brand's second location in Michigan. Studio manager Tabitha Mielke is a Grosse Pointe South graduate, and the studio plans to add brow lamination and lash lifts to its menu.
At Cadieux, CYL Infrared Studio has a new owner. Shelley Groh started as a customer in 2023 before buying the studio, and she promoted longtime employee Tyra DuBose to manager. "It was my place to recover after a workout, while the kids were at school," Groh told Grosse Pointe News.
Farther up at 19520 Mack in Grosse Pointe Farms, Glen Williams created Haunted Garage Productions, a charitable Halloween attraction that raises money for local schools and PTOs. On Mack, even the seasonal business was a neighborhood fundraiser.
The Kercheval Storefront That Sat Empty for Three Years
The Village went a different direction, with one address and a larger bet. When Hour Detroit reported Angelo's plans in July, 16844 Kercheval had been vacant for about three years. Its last tenant was City Kitchen.
The restaurant's size puts it in a different category from anything new on Mack. Hour Detroit described a buildout with about 100 seats on the main floor, a 15-seat bar and a private dining room downstairs that seats 40 more. Royal Oak firm VERSA designed the interior. VERSA also worked with Jared Gadbaw on Oak & Reel and The Upright, the bar downstairs from it.
Both chefs come to Grosse Pointe with established reputations. Gadbaw grew up in Garden City and ran the kitchen at Marea, a two-Michelin-star restaurant in New York, for nine years. He came back to Michigan in 2018 and opened Oak & Reel two years later. Barberio, who is from upstate New York, worked under Andrew Carmellini at Locanda Verde. He moved to Detroit in 2018 as the opening chef at San Morello in the Shinola Hotel. Gadbaw still runs Oak & Reel, and Barberio left the Shinola Hotel to focus on Angelo's.
The restaurant is named for Barberio's son. Barberio also told Hour Detroit the name honors the classic Italian American restaurants called Angelo's, including the one on Mulberry Street that operated in New York's Little Italy for 115 years.
A Menu and a Basement Built for Gatherings
The cooking is Italian American, with red-sauce classics and pasta made daily. Grosse Pointe News listed the opening menu:
- Snacks and small plates: eggplant parm bites, artichoke oreganata with preserved lemon, and housemade mozzarella with prosciutto di Parma
- Handmade pasta: radiatore cacio e pepe, stuffed pappardelle with ricotta, toasted hazelnut and aged balsamic, and squid ink spaghetti with lobster sugo
- Beyond pasta: seafood and house specialties
The owners plan events beyond regular dinner service. "We want to make sure that we're presenting a unique opportunity, whether that be through special dinners, wine dinners, or suppers, to drive people in," Gadbaw told Hour Detroit.
Angelo's keeps the latest hours of anything in this post. Grosse Pointe News lists dinner from 5 to 9 p.m. Tuesday through Thursday, 5 to 10 p.m. Friday and Saturday, and 5 to 8 p.m. Sunday, with happy hour from 3 to 6 p.m. Tuesday through Sunday. The 40-seat room downstairs is the part of the building that matters most in December. On Kercheval, that is when office parties, family dinners and post-parade crowds all need a table on the same few nights.
The Village Calendar Angelo's Opened Into
Angelo's opened about three weeks before the busiest stretch on The Village's calendar. These are the scheduled dates from today through the parade weekend:
- Friday, Nov. 20, 5:30 p.m.: The Village Tree Lighting, hosted by the City of Grosse Pointe and the Grosse Pointe Foundation next to Lululemon. The Grosse Pointe South Choir performs, with s'mores, hot chocolate and holiday characters.
- Sunday, Nov. 22: The War Memorial tree lighting, with caroling, hot chocolate and a holiday vendor market.
- Friday, Nov. 27: The Grosse Pointe Santa Claus Parade, produced by the Grosse Pointe Chamber of Commerce.
- Saturday, Nov. 28: Small Business Saturday and Santa's Workshop in The Village.
- Dec. 5, 12 and 19: More Santa's Workshop dates. The Village has not yet announced locations.
The War Memorial also has ticketed events in December. Liquor & Lore: Colonial Christmas is Dec. 3, Bedtime Stories with Santa is Dec. 6 and 10, Breakfast with Santa is Dec. 13, and a Merry & Bright Holiday Dinner is Dec. 19. All of these are scheduled dates, so check the Village events page before you go.
On Nov. 20, Angelo's opens for Friday dinner at 5 p.m., and the tree lighting starts half an hour later a short walk down Kercheval. Your Saturday morning on Mack and your Saturday night in The Village now include two businesses that did not exist this summer. Little Nest opens at 6:30 a.m. at Mack and Hampton, and the private room at 16844 Kercheval seats 40 once the parade crowd heads home.
If you own a home near any of these new addresses and want to know how buyers will see that block once it's busy again, Christopher Hubel would like to help. Let's Tell Your Home's Story.
