A fine-dining steakhouse and raw bar called Casa Pasha is set to debut in Rochester Hills in October, taking over the storefront at 6920 N. Rochester Road with a menu built around live-fire Wagyu, sushi and a tableside Caesar finished with fresh wasabi. The address is a familiar one to local diners: it most recently housed Dime Store, the Detroit-founded brunch brand that closed its suburban outpost after less than two years.
Owner Brandon Rubenstein described the name as a fusion of the Spanish word for house with an old Ottoman honorific for status and wealth, telling mlive.com that Casa Pasha translates to “house of luxury.” Rubenstein said he wants the restaurant to feel elevated but still approachable, a balance he hopes will carry through both the dining room and the bar program. Coverage from Detroit Metro Times notes the branding concept was built to signal that upscale experience from the outset.
Dime Store's original downtown Detroit location remains open even as its Rochester Hills branch, which opened in August 2024, shut down in May 2026 amid financial pressures tied to suburban operations, as Hoodline reported in its coverage of Rochester Hills dining shifts. That closure set the stage for Casa Pasha's pivot from all-day brunch to an upscale evening steakhouse, raw bar and cocktail destination in the same commercial suite.
A Kitchen Built Around Live Fire
Executive Chef James Henry, who previously led kitchens at Olin Bar + Kitchen in downtown Detroit, Fillipa in Shelby Township and The Fed in Clarkston, spent seven months developing the concept alongside Rubenstein before its public reveal, according to WhatNow Detroit. The menu blends Japanese preparation with a Spanish-inspired charcoal oven, a Japanese-style grill and classical French technique, an approach the kitchen will execute using a specialized Josper charcoal oven and Josper robata grill for its steaks and seafood, per the same report.
The centerpiece is a kombu-aged tomahawk cooked over live fire, joined on the menu by American, Australian and Japanese Wagyu beef. Henry told mlive.com that the menu stays classical while leaning heavily on ingredient sourcing, a philosophy that also shapes the restaurant's sushi program. That includes bluefin tuna spanning akami to the fattier chu-toro and oh-toro cuts, served as nigiri, tartare and maki.
Sushi, Sudachi and a Tableside Caesar
Henry said good sushi comes down to seasonality and sourcing fish from the coldest possible water, a standard he's applying across the raw bar as well as the sushi counter. The oyster trio arrives with a rice vinegar mignonette and watermelon-mint relish, while a sudachi granita rounds out the citrus notes on the menu — Henry is working with a sudachi grower based in Colorado to source the Japanese citrus.
One of the more theatrical dishes is a coal-smoked Caesar salad prepared tableside with fresh wasabi, white shoyu and nori panko. The dish, like much of the menu, reflects Henry's effort to fuse French technique with Japanese precision and American steakhouse sensibility, a blend also described by 94.7 WCSX in its report on the restaurant's development.
Cocktails, Wine and a Late-Night Bar Scene
Beyond the kitchen, Casa Pasha's beverage program is led by Trevor Wheeler, a 20-year veteran of the craft cocktail world, alongside Michael A. Descamps, an Advanced Sommelier with the Court of Master Sommeliers and a TEXSOM judge. The restaurant will offer cocktails, wine and sake, and Rubenstein hopes it becomes a go-to spot for both celebrations and late-night drinks. The pairing of culinary and beverage credentials is designed to let the restaurant function as both an upscale dining room and a late-night cocktail destination.
Casa Pasha sits inside Papa Joe's Plaza, anchored by Papa Joe's Gourmet Market and neighbored by Ginza Ramen, La Collina Ristorante Italiano and Old Detroit Bar and Grille, on North Rochester Road just north of West Tienken Road. The restaurant has begun building its opening team, with job listings for server assistants and pastry cooks advertising hourly wages between $15 and $75 including tips, according to a posting on SimplyHired.
Betting on Rochester Hills' Spending Power
The upscale bet lines up with the surrounding demographics: U.S. Census Bureau data shows Rochester Hills has a median household income of $120,694, with more than a quarter of households earning above $200,000 annually. That figure runs roughly 1.5 times higher than Michigan's statewide median, underscoring the kind of price point Casa Pasha is aiming to serve.
Still, the suburb's restaurant corridor has churned through both closures and new openings this year, including the arrival of Perk's Pub on Walton Boulevard, as Hoodline detailed in its earlier report. Casa Pasha will hold a soft opening ahead of a grand opening date still to be announced, with regular hours planned for 4 to 11 p.m. Wednesdays through Saturdays once it launches this October.
