Detroit’s Norma G’s restaurant closes after 5-year run
Nearly two weeks after its five-year anniversary, Detroit’s Jefferson Chalmers restaurant Norma G’s has hosted its final service.
The 2019 Detroit Free Press/Metro Detroit Chevy Dealers Best New Restaurant No. 7, is best known for its take on Caribbean cuisine in an upscale setting. The restaurant, owned by chef Lester Gouvia, is sought after for Caribbean specialties that nod to Gouvia’s Trinidadian roots. Here, beef patties are flaky and stuffed with ground meat flavored with mild spices. Large oxtails are meaty and tender and ripened plantains are sweet with crispy caramelized bits around the edges.
Since Gouvia transformed Norma G’s from a coveted food truck to a brick-and-mortar establishment, the eatery has become a staple in the east-side community as one of the city’s few dine-in restaurants serving up Caribbean dishes. The space, with its vibrant interior and island-inspired cocktails, became a bright spot for anyone seeking a hearty meal in an elevated, yet approachable, setting among a select few takeout joints. The restaurant also brought a Black-owned dining option to one of Detroit’s rapidly gentrifying neighborhoods.
A Next Door post on the closing circulated earlier this week, and though Gouvia declined to comment further on the closing prior to an official statement slated for Friday, he confirmed that regular diners had been made aware of the restaurant’s closing. He also hinted at hopes for opening a new location nearby in the future, but preferred to focus on Norma G’s closing and the last dinner service on Thursday before looking too far ahead into the future of the restaurant.
Norma G’s closing follows a string of recent metro Detroit restaurant closings — both permanent and temporary — and reductions in service hours. Earlier this month, chef Omar Anani announced a six-month hiatus for beloved restaurant Saffron De Twah. After 35 years in business, 3 Hermanos closed its doors this week, and since the pandemic, cult favorites like Duly’s Place Coney Island and The Clique Diner have limited opening hours.
Norma G’s Cuisine, 14628 E. Jefferson Ave., Detroit. 313-290-2938; normagscuisine.com.