Spring Pop Ups

Exciting new restaurants opening in Northville

By Ebony Caldwell |

Photos by John Heider

Spring’s reawakening gets many prepared for long drives with the windows rolled down, refreshing wardrobes, starting a garden and maybe even enjoying an outdoor concert. Along those moments, tummy rumbling may start to seek satisfaction.

If you’re driving through the Northville community, there will be several new restaurants to choose from, including a new brewing company in downtown Northville, and two well-known favorites that are bringing new locations into the community.

Let’s start in downtown Northville, where Great White Buffalo Brewing Company opened earlier this month after an extensive rebuild of the former Yogurt Palooza site at Main and Center.

A love for brewing and a dream of pursuing his own business led Eric Sokoloski to sell his home and put aside a career in accounting. His partners in the GWB venture are his brother Ryan Sokoloski, who has previous bar experience with Chelli’s in dining and a vast range of beers, wines, ciders and seltzer.

Eric Sokoloski, who opened GWB on March 3, says his dream began to take flight 10 years ago when he took a risk by dropping his past profession and started taking brewing classes at Schoolcraft College. As he refined his home brewing skills, he began planning to make his passion project a reality. Last year he began the renovation and rebuild at the location in the heart of downtown Northville.

There are eight beers on tap, house-blended root beer, red and white wine, and gluten-free cider.

There is a full menu featuring pizza, plant-based chicken, vegetarian, gluten-free options as well as vegan. Bean burgers, plant-based chicken for sliders, and breading that can also be requested gluten-free. There is

Detroit, and John Skrabal, a classmate who he befriended while attending brewing school. They both help Eric promote and manage the restaurant, located at 101 W. Main Street.

Great White Buffalo has indoor seating for 50 people. There will also be an outdoor patio with a bar for additional seating. Sokoloski says guests can look forward to casual also a children’s menu.

“The whole theory is to be very inclusive, and have a little something for everybody. I know there’s a lot of allergies and we got a little of everything for everybody,” Sokoloski said.

Great White Buffalo is planning a number of upcoming events and festivities. Initial hours of operation are subject to change, but expected to be 4-10 p.m. Wednesday, 4-10 p.m. Thursday, 4-11p.m., 4 p.m.-midnight Friday. Saturday and Sunday operational hours are still to be determined based on staff availability. For more information, visit www. greatwhitebuffalobrewingco. com. Guests may call (248) 924-2607 for questions and inquiries.

The new restaurant brings the total eateries in the city of Northville to 35, which include sit-down restaurants, cafés, coffee and smoothie shops.

Jessica Howlin, marketing assistant with the Northville DDA, said there is always room for more. She said the DDA can help find a space for anyone looking to open a new restaurant in town. Visit www. downtownnorthville.com for available properties.

Hudson Cafe

Over on Haggerty, just north of Six Mile Road in Northville Township, you’ll find the brand new location for Hudson Café, which originally emerged in the heart of Downtown Detroit on Woodward Avenue in 2011. The Detroit location is currently under renovation, but the entire staff is being homed in Northville momentarily, until the improvements are finalized. Construction began on the restaurant, which uses the namesake of the beloved Hudson’s department store, last November.

The Northville location, which opened March 3, will offer a similar menu and atmosphere as the original location.

Owner Tom Teknos said coming to Northville (in the former Applebee’s location) made sense because a lot of the customers in Detroit came from the area.

“After being in downtown Detroit for a little over 11 years, downtown has been great to us with the community and surrounding cities,” he said. “I spent time in the dining room and asked guests where they were coming from and what other towns and cities would support us. The Northville, Livonia, Plymouth, and Salem areas were a big target area, where guests would come visit us from.

“After the previous restaurant’s lease ended in the middle of Covid, we decided to take over to begin the new build,” Teknos continued.

A lot of the fan-favorites from the original location are on the menu, such as pancakes, omelets, Voodoo Eggs Benedict, which is a housemade corn cake with chorizo (spicy Spanish pork sausage), cheddar and ranchero sauce. Seven different kinds of chili’s smoked in-house are also house favorites, along with sandwiches and salads. The feature of the day when you’re greeted by the host will be offered. Options for gluten-friendly, vegan selections such as tofu scramble, and the Beyond Burger are made available upon request.

Teknos said guests can expect to experience a vibrant, modern, brunch feel upon entering the establishment. There are 112 seats in their dining area, 14-seat availability at the bar, and a 50-seat event space that can cater to bridal showers, baby showers, business meetings, award banquets and medical symposiums. The outdoor

Hopcat

The Northville area will also welcome a new HopCat location, expected to open this summer. It will open in the former Claddagh Irish Pub at 17800 Haggerty Road, near Schoolcraft College. The Claddagh closed its doors in 2019 after more than 15 years in business on the Livonia/ Northville border.

Grand Rapids is the home of the original HopCat, which opened in 2008, and has since expanded to many other locations, including Ann Arbor, East Lansing, Detroit and Royal Oak. The restaurant is known for its beer-battered Cosmik fries, with a signature black pepper seasoning.

seating area will also provide a bar, with liquor allowed.

Hudson Café is located at 17101 Haggerty Road. They are open from 8 a.m.-3 p.m. seven days a week. To order online, visit www.hudson-cafe.com or DoorDash, which is one of their delivery partners.

The Detroit Hudson Café is due to reopen in April, once the remodeling project is completed.

Patrons can also look to have a choice from upscale bar food and craft beer. Its menu includes several options of smash burgers, with an alternative for a turkey burger, chicken wings (bone-in or boneless), brisket tacos, soups and salads. Their signature Cosmik fries can be loaded with bacon, red onions and pickled jalapenos. With the loaded fries, guests can also have a topping of their signature warm beer cheese sauce.

Ned Lidvall, CEO of Project Barfly, the hospitality association and a parent company of HopCat, offered no further details about the new location. Visit www.hopcat.com for additional information.