Steven Martinez is starting over again. After closing his Eastown restaurant Asada in January, the Grand Rapids chef is opening Sunday Best, a deli and market planned for Plainfield Avenue in the Creston neighborhood, according to a report from Crain's Grand Rapids Business.
The move marks the latest pivot for Martinez, whose business has shifted shape repeatedly since 2020, when he first launched his Tex-Mex concept Basalt at the Fulton Street Farmers Market, as Crain's Grand Rapids Business reports. He later opened a brick-and-mortar Basalt at 1450 Wealthy St. SE, where the restaurant built a following for made-from-scratch breakfast tacos and burritos, per 13 ON YOUR SIDE.
A Years-Long Search for a Sustainable Model
In April 2025, Martinez rebranded Basalt into Asada and lowered menu price points to broaden the restaurant's appeal. The change came amid broader economic challenges and changing consumer habits.
Martinez also operated Sidepiece Bodega, a late-night takeout window carved out of the Wealthy Street space that served casual comfort foods and bodega staples Thursday through Sunday, according to Grand Rapids Magazine.
None of it was enough to keep the Eastown restaurant afloat. Asada served its final meal on January 25, 2026, with Martinez telling customers in a video announcement that operating the Wealthy Street location was no longer sustainable, closing the book on nearly six years of business across its farmers market and storefront phases.
From Tex-Mex to a Deli-Market Hybrid
Sunday Best represents a sharper break from the Tex-Mex roots that defined Basalt and Asada. The new venture is a deli and market planned for Plainfield Avenue.
Sunday Best is planned for Plainfield Avenue as a deli and market.
Sunday Best's Planned Creston Location
Sunday Best's planned Plainfield Avenue address is in the Creston neighborhood, home to Creston Brewery.
Asada's closure was one of several in a broader wave of Grand Rapids restaurant shutdowns across 2025 and 2026, with establishments including Rockwell Republic, Beacon Corner Bar, and GR Noir Wine & Jazz all closing amid rising operating expenses and shifting diner habits, per Mix 95.7FM. Even national fast-casual chains haven't been immune to the pressure; Manna Development Group shuttered its 13-year-old downtown Panera Bread location on Monroe Avenue NW this month, citing declining lunch foot traffic, as Hoodline previously reported.
For Martinez, Sunday Best is the latest attempt to find a format that can survive those pressures. His path from scratch tortillas and full-service tacos to a late-night takeout window and now a deli-market hybrid traces a broader story playing out across Grand Rapids, where independent restaurateurs keep reshaping their businesses in search of a model that sticks.
