Iconic Seafood Spot Joins Marriott

Joe Vicari Restaurant Group said on May 18 that Joe Muer Seafood + Chops will open as the signature restaurant inside the new JW Marriott Detroit Water Square, replacing an Andiamo Italian Chophouse previously announced for the site. Crain’s Detroit Business reported the switch on May 18, and Marriott’s hotel page says the 25-story property is scheduled to open in 2027. The project is rising on the former Joe Louis Arena site along Detroit’s riverfront, next to Huntington Place. City of Detroit materials describe the development as a connected convention hotel with a ground-floor restaurant, meeting space, a spa and a pedestrian bridge to the convention center. ### Which restaurant is actually going into the hotel? Joe Muer Seafood + Chops is the concept now slated for the hotel’s main restaurant space. Crain’s reported that Metro Detroit restaurateur Joe Vicari changed course on which of his brands would anchor the property, and multiple local reports said the Joe Muer concept will take over the ground-floor signature restaurant space first earmarked for Andiamo. (crainsdetroit.com) The Joe Muer brand is one of the better-known names in Detroit dining. Joe Muer Seafood’s website says the company has operated in the Detroit market for more than 90 years and currently has Detroit and Bloomfield Hills locations. ### When is the restaurant supposed to open? January 2027 is the target opening month cited by Crain’s for Joe Muer Seafood + Chops inside the hotel. Marriott’s official page for JW Marriott Detroit Water Square says the hotel is opening in 2027, while other local reports described the restaurant debut as tied to the hotel’s launch early next year. (crainsdetroit.com) (joemuer.com) The timing matters because the hotel itself is still under development. City of Detroit project materials say the Water Square hotel is planned as a 25-story, roughly 600-room property connected to Huntington Place by skybridge. Marriott’s current listing puts the room count at 601 and event space at 53,000 square feet. (crainsdetroit.com) ### What will the Water Square hotel include besides the restaurant? JW Marriott Detroit Water Square is being marketed as a full-scale convention and luxury hotel on the riverfront. Marriott says the property will include guestrooms and suites, a JW Executive Lounge, four dining venues, a spa, fitness center, indoor lap pool and two ballrooms overlooking the water. (detroitmi.gov) City of Detroit documents describe the project as a $396.5 million development with 50,000 square feet of meeting space and three restaurant or lounge venues. The city says the hotel is intended to serve as Detroit’s first convention center hotel directly connected to Huntington Place. ### Why was there confusion about Andiamo? October 2025 reports had identified Andiamo Italian Chophouse as the signature restaurant for the new JW Marriott. (marriott.com) Marriott’s own dining page still lists Andiamo Italian Chophouse at the hotel, suggesting some public-facing materials had not yet been updated after the May 18 change announced by Joe Vicari Restaurant Group. (detroitmi.gov) The newer reports are more specific about the replacement. Crain’s and other outlets said Joe Muer Seafood + Chops — not Andiamo — is now the flagship restaurant planned for the property. ### What is known about the restaurant itself? An 8,000-square-foot footprint was cited in local coverage describing the new Joe Muer Seafood + Chops. The concept is being presented as a riverfront restaurant running parallel to the Detroit Riverwalk, with seafood and chop-house positioning tied to the longtime Joe Muer brand. (freep.com) (crainsdetroit.com) Joe Muer’s existing Detroit restaurant remains open at the Renaissance Center, according to the company’s reservations page. That means the Water Square site would add another downtown outpost for the brand rather than replace the current one. January 2027 is the clearest date now attached to the next milestone. Marriott’s hotel page still lists the property as opening in 2027, and the Joe Muer Seafood + Chops debut is being reported as part of that launch at JW Marriott Detroit Water Square. (tennessean.com) (marriott.com) (joemuer.com)