Cafe Prince, the Core City coffee shop that became a citywide talking point for selling a single peeled carrot for $1.80, will close for good on August 30. The cafe's Instagram account announced the closure, telling followers that a new operator will take over the space inside Core City Park just days later.
The shutdown caps a three-year run that began in February 2023, when the cafe opened at 4884 Grand River Ave. in a space previously occupied by Astro Coffee before that shop closed its storefront, according to Bridge Michigan. As reported by the Detroit Free Press, the cafe is owned by real estate developer Philip Kafka, who described the handoff to a new operator as “a passing of the baton.”
Cafe Prince drew viral attention almost immediately after opening for its raw food menu, which at one point included a peeled, shaved carrot for $1.80, two Brazil nuts for $1.80, and half a grapefruit for $4.18, per Bridge Michigan's reporting. The pricing leaned on multiples of 18, a nod to Jewish tradition, and became a flashpoint for criticism over the cafe's high prices even as it built a loyal following. Over time, the menu expanded well beyond raw fruits, vegetables, and nuts to include sourdough pizzas, avocado and ricotta toasts, pastries, soups, salads, and lattes made with housemade oat and cashew milk, according to the Free Press.
A Community Built Around a Controversial Menu
Despite the early backlash over pricing, Kafka told the Free Press that Cafe Prince ultimately established the space, served the neighborhood, and built a community. The cafe says it served more than 2,800 guests per month over its three years in operation. Kafka said he had been searching for a new hospitality professional to run the cafe, a process the Cafe Prince Instagram account described as long and diligent.
Kafka is the president of Prince Concepts, the development firm that has reshaped much of Core City since he began buying land in the neighborhood around 2013. Per Bridge Michigan, Kafka has since accumulated between 17 and 25 acres in Core City, developing more than 20,000 square feet of housing and renovating tens of thousands of square feet of former industrial space. Cafe Prince sits within a Prince Concepts commercial complex that also houses Barda, Puma, Periodicals, and Lady of the House, according to Azure Magazine — the same complex where Hoodline previously covered Chef Kate's return.
A Park Built From a Century-Old Firehouse
The cafe's physical setting carries its own history. Core City Park, the 8,000-square-foot urban woodland where Cafe Prince operates, was completed in 2019 on the site of Detroit Fire Department Engine House No. 12, a building constructed in 1893 that was later paved over as an asphalt parking lot before being excavated, according to design studio D.I.R.T. studio. The park's design incorporated reclaimed building materials uncovered during that excavation.
Prince Concepts' footprint in Core City has not been without friction. Azure Magazine has reported that the firm's residential developments, including the True North Quonset hut units with rents starting at $1,350 a month, have sparked gentrification debates in a census tract with an estimated median family income of $28,029. The company expanded its residential presence again this summer with The Canopy, a duplex development within walking distance of both Cafe Prince and Core City Park, according to listings reviewed by Redfin.
Kafka has also clashed with the city over preservation. In November 2023, WDET reported that a 19th-century former railroad repair building he owned at 4817 17th St. landed on a city demolition list despite his plans to rehabilitate it, even though he had previously renovated six historic structures in the neighborhood. Separately, in July 2024, the nearby Detroit Institute of Bagels abruptly shut down shortly after Kafka acquired it, when several employees resigned over objections to his business practices and political views regarding Israel, according to BridgeDetroit. More recently, BridgeDetroit reported in September 2025 that Kafka publicly repudiated Jeffrey Epstein after federal documents subpoenaed by Congress revealed his father had been a longtime friend of Epstein; Kafka said he met Epstein only once, at age 15.
Farewell Market and Final Sunday Set
Cafe Prince will send off its current run with a Last Sunday closing party on August 30, running from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. at the cafe. The event will include a market selling glassware, plants and fixtures from the former cafe, alongside pistachio butter, dark chocolate, veggie chips and jams, per the Free Press. DJ Casimir is set to perform a live set in the park during the celebration.
A new establishment is slated to open at the same location on September 4, though the identity of the incoming operator has not been disclosed. The Free Press noted that Arad Kauf, tied to the cafe's operation, relocated to New York this year. Cafe Prince's changes over its run — to its menus, artwork, interior design, playlists and sound system — reflected a business that evolved considerably from the raw-carrot concept that first made it famous, even as it remained a fixture of the Core City dining scene alongside newer arrivals like the recent Dublin chef pop-ups Hoodline has covered in the neighborhood.
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