Eater Award-winning Corktown noodle bar Ima is preparing to expand to a third restaurant. Chef Mike Ransom confirms to the Detroit Free Press that he’s in the process of signing a lease for the shuttered Sweet Lorraine’s Fabulous Mac n’ Brewz property at 4870 Cass Ave. near Wayne State University.

Ransom opened a second, larger Ima restaurant in Madison Heights last November with an expanded menu, but says he’s also been in the market for a new Detroit location, too, as his four-year lease in Corktown winds down. There are currently 10 months left on the lease before it transitions to month-to-month. Ransom believes there’s a chance the building could sell.

The Sweet Lorraine’s building has been vacant since last winter. Before the restaurant opened, the building was home to the Marwil Bookstore. At 3,700-square-feet, Ima Midtown will be the largest of Ransom’s restaurant set and will feature a bar. With its close proximity to the university campus, Ransom plans to add more options for students including some fried food options, more non-alcoholic beverages, a bigger dessert menu, and grab-and-go items.

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Ransom is aiming to open this fall in the new space. Stay tuned for more updates as the project moves forward.

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