Detroit's 3rd Bucharest Grill at least a month away

Work is progressing on Detroit's third Bucharest Grill, but it will probably be early fall before it opens for business and shawarmas begin flying out the door.

Owner Bognan Tarasov said today the new restaurant at Piquette and John R needs "at least one more month" of work. It's designed to be primarily a carry-out, he said, but it will offer seating for 20-25 guests. If he sees there's enough demand, he adds, he may build a patio next summer.

Tarasov also said he is seeking city approval to expand his second location — a carry-out at 1623 Michigan Ave. in Corktown — with a larger waiting area, a few dine-in seats and a customer bathroom. He's hopeful he'll get the go-ahead and have the work completed by winter to make the restaurant more comfortable for guests, who at times are lined up out the door.

The original Bucharest Grill, which opened in 2006, operates as a walk-up window inside the Park Bar near Grand Circus Park downtown; diners place their orders at the Bucharest counter and find a table in the Park's adjoining barroom. The grill's Middle Eastern menu offers a wide range of dishes, but it is the garlicky, overstuffed chicken shawarma sandwiches that put the restaurant on the map of Detroit's must-try foods.

The still-to-open Piquette-John R location occupies the former Dave's Drive-In, next to Z's Villa, a few blocks southeast of the New Center.

Contact writer Sylvia Rector: 313-222-5026 and srector@freepress.com. Follow her on Twitter @SylviaRector.