Filled with delicious Latin American food and lots of cacti, you're sure to have a fun time at this new Troy restaurant. Gran Castor is the latest creation from the Union Joints, the restaurant group that brought you the Clarkston Union, Vinsetta Garage and Honcho among others.
"We always make sure that the food, the building, the look, the service, it's a complete combination of all of it," said Erich Lines, one of the managing partners of Gran Castor.
Designed by Ann Stevenson, Gran Castor has a colorful relaxed atmosphere you just want to hang out in. They have a lounge area in the center of their main dining room with a fireplace and a variety of comfy couches and chairs for you to sit in as you wait for your table. They also have a coffee bar in a little nook off to the side of the entry way, where you can enjoy a cup of joe and a sweet pastry.
"She wanted to make sure this place had a bit more whimsy, a bit more fun," explained Lines. "You don't always want to be the traditional here's your tables, here's your booths, here's your bar."
Stevenson completely remodeled the place so you would have no idea it used to be a Hooters, or the Wagon Wheel; however, they did pay homage to their predecessors in a small way, which if you are lucky you will spot, or you can ask your server.
The name, Gran Castor, means big beaver in Spanish. Not only does that give you a hint as to the restaurant's location (it's located on the corner of Big Beaver Road and Rochester Road), but it also gives you an idea of the kind of food they serve here.
"It's a very fun kind of food. It is still comfort food, we're always going to do comfort food, it's just that your grandmother is from Argentina, as opposed to being from Georgia," explained Lines.
The food is best described as a Latin American fusion, heavy on the fusion. They have your classics like tacos and burritos, which they do in their own special way, but they also have items like sticky ribs, pizzas and a Mexican porchetta.
Gran Castor is located at 2950 Rochester Road in Troy.