Gabriel and Gabriela Botezan knew that opening their first restaurant was a big deal — but they didn’t expect it to be international news. Last October, Libertatea, one of Romania’s top dailies, ran a story about Bar Gabi’s opening in Hazel Park. It spoke of “a small town in the state of Michigan” where “two Romanians have managed to take our traditional cuisine beyond borders and transform it into a modern and refined experience.”
The article was a pleasant surprise for the husband-and-wife team, who previously worked together at two metro Detroit Italian mainstays: Adelina and Bacco.
Nothing about Bar Gabi is arbitrary; it reflects the couple’s propensity for the finest of details. Gabriel describes a distinct noise that pasta makes when it’s perfectly cooked; Gabriela’s focaccia dough also makes a particular sound when it reaches ideal elasticity.
“We [prepare food by] working with our hands and using our senses,” Gabriela says.
Gabriel spent a long time sourcing the perfect pork, a staple of Romanian cuisine. “The pork in Romania is sweeter, and it’s not as big as it is here,” he says. “The flavor is totally different.”
Fortunately, he found a Berkshire hybrid from a farm in Iowa that met his standards.
Bar Gabi’s summer menu features two incredible pork dishes. The first, ceafa de porc (pork neck), features a delectable steak cut seared to perfection and served with crisp cabbage slaw, mini Yukon gold potatoes, and garlic sauce. Then there’s the costite de porc (pork loin) — smoked, slow-braised baby back ribs coated in barbecue sauce — that takes a week to prepare.
The couple’s propensity for details extends into other areas. For example, their professionally curated playlist of Romanian music aligns with the restaurant’s moody atmosphere. They also appointed beverage director Kenneth Laatz to lead the bar. Like Gabriel and Gabriela, Laatz is an auteur of his craft; even the two-ingredient gin and tonic features tonic made in-house.
Being so meticulous, Gabriel admits that his biggest challenge was stepping out of the kitchen: “I had to learn how to trust other people to cook my food.”
The Botezans feel fortunate to have maintained the same team that helped them open in October, and they’re grateful to the community for embracing their unique brand of modernized Romanian staples and Italian fare.
23839 John R Road, Hazel Park; 248-629-4160; bargabi.com.
More of Hour Detroit’s Best New Restaurants 2026
Wilder’s in Birmingham
Rose’s in Detroit
The Franklin Oyster Bar and Eatery in Franklin
Little Liberia in Detroit
Best New Bars
Sunda New Asian in Detroit
Medusa in Detroit
This story originally appeared in the August 2026 issue of Hour Detroit magazine. To read more, pick up a copy of Hour Detroit at a local retail outlet. Click here to get our digital edition.
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