New Cuban Restaurant, Apartments Planned for SW Grand Rapids

A new development that includes a Cuban restaurant is coming to Grand Rapids' southwest side.

First-time developer Juan Lopez is transforming the property at 1516 Cesar E. Chavez Ave. in Grand Rapids' Roosevelt Park neighborhood into a new restaurant called Palmas and a 17-unit apartment complex.

According to Zillow, the property was sold in 2021 for $210,000.

What Now Detroit reports Palmas will have a small dine-in area and a take-out counter. Eventually, Lopez hopes to add outdoor seating. Lopez' mom, Martiza Lopez, will be creating Cuban dishes at Palmas like guava pastries, which are scone-like pastries filled with guava paste and other items like coconut and cheese.

The 1,652-square-foot restaurant is planned for the ground floor of the development, along with two apartments, a common area, bike storage, and a mailroom.

The development will include 15 additional apartments, ranging from studios to two-bedrooms.

According to Crain's Grand Rapids plans for the development project have been submitted to Grand Rapids planning committee.

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As we learn more about the development, we'll update this post.

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