Developer Joe Barbat and a group of investors are creating Pao Detroit, an “Asian-inspired” restaurant with a bar and nightlife elements, according to emails from Barbat and signs on the building’s facade.
The 3,500-square-foot Pao is planned to open in March in the first and second floors of the former Briggs Hotel, now Briggs Houze apartments. It’s at 114 W. Adams Ave. by Cliff Bell’s and Rusted Crow Detroit.
The restaurant group, Prime Concepts, includes Barbat; Jody Haddad, a nightlife businessman and promoter; salon owner and nightlife promoter Fiaz Almaki; and Derek Dickow of Birmingham-based Steward Media. The group has spent approximately $1.5 million, Barbat said.
Two other partners in the restaurant group, Stolion Liti and Howie Barnes, are acting as operating partner and executive chef, respectively, for Pao. The two are also partners in Prime29 and Nara restaurants in West Bloomfield.
