The Brahma Steakhouse & Lounge has closed and a new restaurant will replace it in mid-January.
Julie Baker | AnnArbor.com
After being open for nearly a year, the Brahma Steakhouse & Lounge in Pittsfield Township has closed and a new restaurant will soon open in its place.
A sign posted on the window of the restaurant located at 4855 Washtenaw Ave. said the new restaurant, Maiz Mexican Cantina, will open in mid-January.
Building owner Demos Panos confirmed with AnnArbor.com that a new business would be moving in shortly. A banner is now hanging announcing the near opening of Maiz. Calls to the new restaurant owner were not immediately returned.
Brahma replaced The Smokehouse Grill and Pub in 2012. Brahma owner Louie Vushaj said last February he planned on investing $100,000 in renovations. Vushaj could not be reached for comment.
A sign was posted
Julie Baker | AnnArbor.com
Panos originally put the restaurant on the market in 2010 because his family was preoccupied with running its other businesses, including Nick’s Original House of Pancakes on Lohr Circle in Pittsfield Township.
According to township documents, the property’s assessed value was $454,300 in the 2012 tax year, making its estimated market value about double that.
Panos had invested in some remodeling in June 2011, when he told AnnArbor.com the restaurant was performing well. The restaurant seats approximately 230 people.
Brahma is the second restaurant to close recently in this particular stretch of Washtenaw. The Hibachi Grill and Supreme Buffet located in Pittsfield Township’s Glencoe Crossing shopping center is closed until further notice after being open for six months.
Selina Chen opened the restaurant last June in the 12,000-square-foot space at 4735 Washtenaw Ave. Chen opened the restaurant in the former Bistro Bar and Grill space, which closed in 2011 for renovations but then never reopened.
Katrease Stafford covers Ypsilanti for AnnArbor.com.Reach her at katreasestafford@annarbor.com or 734-623-2548 and follow her on twitter.