After highlighting some of Grand Rapids’ newest street-level restaurants, the spotlight now moves indoors, where the Downtown Market has been quietly reinventing itself. Longtime vendors have upgraded their spaces, new concepts have moved in, and the market’s mix of flavors is broader and more adventurous than ever—a concentrated taste of the city’s evolving food scene.
The Downtown Market, 435 Ionia Ave. SW, drastically changed up its eatery options last year, beginning with a massive upgrade for its long-time tenant Rak Thai.
Following 10 years as a vendor within the market, the Thai restaurant moved into one of the building’s full-service restaurant spaces and rebranded as Rak: Modern Thai and Cocktails. The 5,000-square-foot space was formerly home to Social Kitchen, which closed in 2020, and was empty until Rak Thai’s move. The restaurant’s menu maintained all the mainstays from its time within the market but also expanded to include other Asian fusion dishes and a full cocktail bar.
Meanwhile, the long-time stalwart Aperitivo called it quits in the market but was taken over by Sav Sav by Squibb. Operated by Squibb Coffee, the concept aims to offer cheese, charcuterie and wine, alongside the coffee, maintaining the same feel and product types offered by Aperitivo.
Other vendors have also come into the market, like Myanmar Meals. Aye Soe and Min Tun offer up a variety of eats from Southeast Asia, including chicken crispy rolls, Burmese Samosa Salad with potato curry, pork bao, Cantonese fried rice and coconut chicken curry noodles.
For anyone who may have written off the Downtown Market in the past, the new mix of flavors and concepts makes it worth another visit.
