"Real eyes realize real lies" is the newcomer's mantra. (Photo: Pastaio)
A handmade pasta and pizza spot inspired — sort of — by Tupac Shakur is coming to downtown Royal Oak at the former site of HopCat, which was the former site of Woody's bar.
Pastaio, where dough is prepared daily in front of guests, is the concept of Florida-based restaurateur Pasquale Lamarra. He tells The Detroit News why he's drawn to the area:
"I really fell in love with Detroit and the Metro Detroit area and I felt there was a need for what it is we do, which is handmade pasta and pizza. We make it in front of your face," he said. "We have this saying like Tupac: don't believe what you hear, real eyes, realize, real lies. So that's why we make it up front. There's no faking it at that point."
The 5th Street eatery is due to open this fall with a club upstairs whose name — 00, or double oh — is reportedly a nod to the flour used by the restaurant. (Here's hoping the rapper responsible for the restaurant's ethos gets a nod over the speaker system).
The HopCat branch closed during the pandemic and has since gone through bankruptcy with plans to reopen elsewhere in metro Detroit.
