Turkish Village Café Closes After One Month, Space To Become Brunch Restaurant

Morning, Ann Arbor! Spooky season (aka October) starts on Wednesday and you know what that means:

• The city’s leaf collection service resumes October 6th

• Two Spirit Halloween stores have appeared in town (one in Briarwood and one in Arborland)

• A terrifying balloon of the character Zozobra got accidentally released in Dexter and freaked everyone out

It’s Fall y’all.

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Percent of Ann Arbor Reading: 3.42%

🍳 Restaurant Switcheroo: After one month in business, Turkish Village Café announced they would be closing their 120 E. Liberty location (they have another restaurant in Dearborn). The space will soon become Solana, a brunch café focused on a smaller menu of high-quality plates, specialty drinks, and vegan and gluten-free options. Plans also include a basement lounge for student groups and events, with the coffee bar open until 10 p.m.

💰️ Bitcoin Dining: Downtown’s Taste Kitchen and Red Lotus have closed and will become two new Vietnamese businesses: Saigon Social House and Block & Brew Café. Saigon Social House will serve elevated Vietnamese dishes like bánh xèo and bún chả, while Block & Brew will focus on coffee and matcha (and even accept cryptocurrency payments).

🦀 Real Seafood’s Future: After nearly 50 years on Main Street, Real Seafood Co. says it may leave Ann Arbor, citing rising taxes, increased costs, and what management calls “aggressive panhandling” affecting business. The restaurant is owned by Mainstreet Ventures, the Ann Arbor–based group behind The Chop House, Palio, and several other local restaurants. No final decision has been made, but leadership says the challenges have put Real Seafood’s future on the table.

🚧 Foster Bridge Reopens: After closing in June for emergency repairs, the historic Foster Bridge on Maple Road is back open to traffic. Crews removed a failed steel cable system and reinforced the 150-year-old span, but the bridge now carries a permanent 5-ton weight limit (fine for cars, SUVs, and light pickups, but no heavy trucks).

TODAY’S SPONSOR: TheRide

🚌 TheRide: It’s your time. Catch TheRide and take back your commute. Enjoy Fixed-Route service from 6am until midnight on most routes throughout the Ann Arbor / Ypsilanti area. Visit TheRide.org for schedules, planning, fares and more information.

🚅 Coast-To-Coast Train: MDOT is studying a potential new east-west passenger rail line linking Holland, Grand Rapids, East Lansing, Ann Arbor, and Detroit. The study begins in spring 2026, exploring route options (via Howell or Jackson) and funding, since Michigan currently covers most Amtrak costs with state taxes. Advocates say the line could cut congestion, connect college towns, and spur walkable communities along the corridor

🌊  “Armored” Shoreline: A new study found that 19% of Lake Michigan’s coast is now “armored” with seawalls, riprap, and other structures (up from just 4% in 2014). While hard armoring protects private property from erosion in the short term, it often accelerates erosion elsewhere and reduces public access to beaches. Researchers warn that without policy changes, Michigan risks losing more of its natural shoreline and the public’s ability to enjoy it

🏈 Michigan Football Tracker: Week 6

• Current Record: 3-1

• Current Rank: #20 in the country

• Last Saturday: Michigan had a bye week.

• This Saturday: Michigan plays a noon home game against Wisconsin (2-2). The Wolverines are 16.5-point favorites.

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That's all for now! Have a great week in Tree Town!

- Andrew

P. P. S. - The Cluster Museum (307 N. Main) opens this Friday

P. P. P. S. - Deep internet rumor warning: Briarwood updated some signage last week. On one of the signs they listed L. L. Bean, who isn’t a tenant. At least… not yet.

P. P. P. P. S. - Thanks to TheRide for sponsoring this week’s Michigander.

Interested in advertising in the Michigander? Click here for pricing. Bulk discounting available.