Philip Kafka, a real estate developer and the owner of Cafe Prince, has confirmed the impending closing of the Core City coffee shop. The café is set to close Sunday, Aug. 30, with a new establishment opening in its place Friday, Sept. 4.
“Cafe Prince came out of a specific moment,” Kafka told the Free Press. “In early 2023, Core City was growing, COVID was still fading, and my talented friend, Arad Kauf, was in Detroit. We saw a chance to build the neighborhood cafe Core City needed, and Arad built it into a real gathering place.”
This summer, Kafka said, Kauf relocated to New York and Kafka set out to find new hospitality professional to operate the café.
“Rather than rush, we took time to find an operator who shares our vision for the neighborhood
and can build on what Arad and the team created. We found a true hospitality expert who is going to bring some new amazing offerings to Core City,” he said.
The news about the closing first surfaced on the Cafe Prince Instagram account on Tuesday, Aug. 18, tracing the evolution of the business since its opening in February 2023.
“The cafe lived in a constant state of evolution,” the post reads, citing menu changes, tweaks to artwork and interior design, the playlists and the sound system — “all in an effort to give energy, not take it.”
The posts says Cafe Prince served more than 2,800 guests per month during its three years of operation. “And now it’s time for our next evolution,” it says.
Though further details are not yet being released, the Instagram post says the search for the ideal operator was “long and diligent,” and alludes to a veteran operator stepping in to take over the space.
“Cafe Prince was designed to serve Core City in a moment when the neighborhood needed energy,” the post says. “It accomplished that, and now it’s time for a seasoned owner, a true food and hospitality professional, to take over the cafe and offer our neighbors, guests, fans, and friends the highest quality cafe service we could find.”
Since its inception, Cafe Prince has faced criticism for its menu of raw, organic fruits, vegetables and nuts at seemingly high prices. Onlookers sneered at “the nude raw carrot,” an early menu item that charged customers $1.80 for a shaved carrot.
The café maintained its commitment to a health-conscious menu, but would expand its offerings to include housemade pizzas with a sourdough base, avocado and ricotta toasts on fresh bread, pastries, soups and salads.
To drink, guests enjoyed lattes with housemade oat and cashew milk or topped with marshmallows made by hand. A small market featured pantry items like pistachio butter, dark chocolate, veggie chips and jams.
Cafe Prince will host Last Sunday, a closing party, from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. Aug. 30. The party will feature a live set in the park by DJ Casimir and a market selling glassware, plants and fixtures from the former café.
Kafka does not consider the current evolution as a closing, but rather a “passing of the baton,” he said.
“Cafe Prince did exactly what we hoped: It established this space, served the neighborhood, and built a community around it. I'm grateful to Arad and everyone who was part of it, and I'm so excited for this next chapter.”
Contact Detroit Free Press Dining and Restaurant Critic Lyndsay C. Green at: LCGreen@freepress.com. Follow @LadyLuff on Instagram and Twitter. Subscribe to the Eat Drink Freep newsletter for extras and insider scoops on Detroit-area dining.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Core City coffee shop Cafe Prince to close Aug. 30
