“We’re home now,” Hazel Park’s new Romanian restaurant Bar Gabi blends old-world flavors with a modern twist

Michigan is home to one of the largest Romanian populations in the U.S., many living in the Detroit area. However, there aren’t many Romanian restaurants for people to experience the taste of home — or for those who aren’t Romanian, to try something new.

Hazel Park’s Bar Gabi is bringing rustic-modern Romanian dishes to the Metro Detroit suburb. Owned by Romanian couple Gabriel and Gabriela Botezan, the bistro, located in the old Frame Bar, is where they first became acquainted with the space after doing pop-ups for nearly five years. 

“I remember I said, ‘Gabi, I swear to you, if this space ever becomes available, I want this,’” Gabriela says. 

Now, they’re cooking up Romanian classics like Sarmale, pork and rice stuffed pickled cabbage, and Mititei, skinless sausage — all with a modern edge. The menu also offers traditional desserts made by Gabriela, including Albinita, a layered honey cake with Crème fraîche, and a cocktail menu with spirits from around the world.

Combining their talents, Gabriela feels her sweet treats complement her husband’s savory dishes. The couple hopes people can feel the soul and harmony that they both put into their food, which is part of the experience at Bar Gabi.

“When I talk to tables, people say ‘I can tell you cook with your heart because you can taste it,’” Gabriel says. “People can tell we do everything from scratch.”

Bar Gabi, located at 23839 on John R Road, is open Wednesday through Thursday from 5 p.m. to 10 p.m., Friday through Saturday from 5 p.m. to 11 p.m., and Sunday from 3 p.m. to 9 p.m. 

Romanian Roots

Growing up in Romania, Transylvania native Gabriela and Bucharest native Gabriel both have memories of cooking with their families.  

“In our culture, you always cook with your family, mom, dad, and grandparents. So it sticks with you,” Gabriel says. He recalls memories of watching his father cook soup and chop vegetables, and from there, “I just fell in love with cooking,” he says.

For Gabriela, it was also about self-sufficiency. 

“Growing up, my mom and dad did business and were going out of the country, and I was in high school,” Gabriela says. “The funny thing is, I wasn’t really partying; I was at home cooking.”

Inside the restaurant, people will find the cozy, moody, castle-inspired interior that gives folks a taste of their home country. On their menu, there is a symbol that blends a wolf and a dragon, known as the Dacian Draco, an important image of Romanian culture, as it represents strength and the fusion of the Romans and the Dacians, who inhabited Romania.

Hanging on the walls are red, white, and black handmade hemp napkins with a folk-stitch pattern crafted by Gabriela’s grandmother and great-grandmother nearly 100 years ago, along with hand-painted blue plates.

“There’s no Romanian that doesn’t have something like this,” Gabriela says. 

Behind the Menu 

For the couple, it’s not just about bringing food that tastes delicious; it’s a labor of love. 

After they met in 2013 and married six months later, they became co-workers — Gabriel as a line chef working the pasta station and Gabriela as the pastry chef, at the former Bacco Ristorante in Southfield. The focus on fresh, local foods brought back memories of Europe.

“That’s what we used to do. If you wanted something, you’d go out in the garden and pick it, then you go inside, wash it, and you cook it,” Gabriel says. 

Gabriela chimes in, “it’s the same with pastries,” she says. “You want to make a pastry, you go get the eggs from the chickens, and you go milk the cow.” 

The focus on food from local farmers to ensure quality and authenticity has always been important to the couple, so when the time came to run their own restaurant, they knew that was something they wanted to implement. 

The restaurant gets its produce from Del Bene distributor, and much of its meats from Motor City Seafood, both of which are located at the Eastern Market. Bar Gabi also serves homemade pasta made completely from scratch with farm-fresh eggs from a local poultry farmer that Gabriel used to work with at a previous restaurant.

“He’s got some bad ass eggs,” Gabriel says. “This is the closest to Europe, super orange egg yolk.”

The menu was also designed to change with the season. In the spring, the couple is going to come out with a different menu that is a little lighter but still filled with classics like chicken liver.

The restaurant is also rekindling an old flame from Frame with its chef battle series, their most recent on February 17, brought in Chef Ederique Goudia, who specializes in New Orleans cuisine.

The series will invite local chefs to go up against Bar Gabi’s dishes, and the customers decide who the winner is. The couple is excited for what this new space will bring as they settle in one of Metro Detroit’s “booming” cities. 

“We’re home now, let’s be creative and be our people,” Gabriela concludes.