Sameer Eid, founder of the long-running Lebanese American restaurant Phoenicia, died on Friday, Aug. 15, his family spokesperson tells Hour Detroit. He was 85.
“Sameer came to the U.S. in 1961 and built a life rooted in family, hospitality and his Lebanese heritage, and for more than 54 years, he personally oversaw every detail at Phoenicia, creating one of Michigan’s most celebrated restaurants,” said spokesperson Justin Near in a statement.
Ten years after immigrating to the United States from Lebanon, Eid founded Phoenicia in Highland Park, then moved the restaurant to Birmingham in 1982, where it has remained a staple ever since. The business has stayed in the family, now owned and overseen by his son, Samy. In 2019, Samy established Chickpea Hospitality, the group that also owns and runs local restaurants Forest, Leila Detroit, and Wilder’s.
Phoenicia has drawn much acclaim in its 54 years — with praise from local and national publications like Esquire, Travel + Leisure, and Wine Spectator. Its recipe for toum (Lebanese garlic sauce) was published on the New York Times Cooking website. In 2020, Sameer and Samy were semifinalists for Outstanding Restaurateur at the James Beard Awards.
In a 2016 interview with Hometown Life, Sameer shared a list of prominent guests who had dined at Phoenicia, including Jane Fonda, Bette Midler, George Hamilton, and former President Bill Clinton.
In a 2013 Hour Detroit review, restaurant critic Christopher Cook described Sameer as “one of the most recognizable figures on the metro Detroit restaurant scene. His manicured hands, his swooping white mustache, his regal bearing, and his immaculate tailoring are all reminiscent of a gentleman from a distant time and place…”
In 2024, he was interviewed for Keith Famie’s Detroit: The City of Chefs, a documentary series produced for Detroit PBS. In his online biography, Sameer described his ideal last meal as “One bite of each item on the Phoenicia menu.”
Visitation will be held Tuesday, August 19, from 2 to 7 p.m. at A. J. Desmond & Sons Funeral Home in Royal Oak, and funeral liturgy will follow on Wednesday, August 20, at St. Mary Orthodox Basilica in Livonia, with visitation beginning at 10 a.m. and mass at 11 a.m. Read the full obituary and more information here.
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