Vertical Detroit, the wine-centric restaurant tucked beneath the Ashley apartment building in downtown Detroit, is on its way out. Owners James and Remy Lutfy say the Centre Street dining room will close on or before March 28, 2026, as they sell the restaurant and shift their energy into growing their Fine Wine Source retail business, including a planned Plymouth location.
The move was announced in a post on the restaurant's Facebook page and covered by the Detroit Free Press. Remy Lutfy told the Free Press that "the restaurant is being sold and a new concept is forthcoming," with the downtown spot's last day expected on or before March 28, 2026. Details about the buyer and the next concept have not yet been made public.
Owners Shift Focus To Retail
James and Remy Lutfy are also the team behind The Fine Wine Source, a family-run wine shop in Livonia, and they say the future is in expanding that side of the business. The Fine Wine Source's website lists the Livonia shop at 16721 Middlebelt Road and promotes tastings and wine-club events, offerings the owners plan to extend into Plymouth and other suburbs.
In practical terms, it is a pivot away from full-service dining and toward retail shelves and off-site wine programming, with the Lutfys looking to pour their time into tastings, clubs and events instead of nightly table service.
A Decade In Downtown Dining
Vertical Detroit opened in 2015 as one of Detroit's early wine-focused restaurants and grew into a downtown fixture. The restaurant's site lays out the Lutfy family's long wine background and lists the Centre Street address and reservation details, underscoring how tightly the space has been tied to their hospitality brand.
Over the years, the restaurant carved out a niche with tastings, vertical flights and small-plate pairings, and it picked up national nods along the way. It was included on Wine Enthusiast's "America's 100 Best Wine Bars" list, recognition highlighted in coverage from Daily Detroit.
When To Expect The Change
The Lutfys say they will keep some retail and private-appointment service going at Vertical Detroit as they wind down dinner service in the runup to the late March 2026 deadline. According to the Detroit Free Press, longtime guests are already reaching out about bookings and private events as word of the impending sale spreads.
Customers are being urged to keep an eye on the restaurant's social media for updates on the closing timeline and any final events. Anyone with questions about reservations or private gatherings is advised to contact Vertical Detroit directly for the most current information.
For downtown diners and wine fans, the closure will mark the end of a nearly decade-long run for a Centre Street spot that helped put wine-centric dining on the map in the city's core. The Lutfys say they will release more information about the sale and the next concept in the coming weeks, while they prepare to double down on retail and off-site events.
