By Melody Baetens, The Detroit News
An ambitious and luxurious dining destination is open in Birmingham.
Big Rock Italian Chophouse is an 11,000-square-foot property at 245 S. Eton east of Woodward. In 2023, Cameron Mitchell Restaurants LLC announced it had teamed up with investor partners Tom Celani and Dario Bergamo to revamp Big Rock Chophouse in Birmingham. Transformed from a train station to a restaurant in the 1980s, it closed at the end of 2021 after a nearly 40-year run.
Now, the expansive property — which includes a 360-seat, 7,718-square-foot upscale Italian steakhouse, a very high-end cigar club, and a second-floor space called the Annex — is welcoming guests.
“People really won’t recognize it inside,” Mitchell told The Detroit News, adding that the Columbus, Ohio-based restaurateur considers the Metro Detroit area like a second home and has opened many restaurants here. Ocean Prime in Troy is part of Cameron Mitchell Restaurants.
“I’ve been up there quite a bit,” he says. “I’ve always had interest and a fascination with (Big Rock) and I like the iconic nature of the building itself, the old train station, the history and all that combined.”
Mitchell said the property, which sits east of Woodward and was once a Grand Trunk Railway Station, needed work. When the project was announced in 2023, they estimated the investment would be $10 million, but Mitchell said he and his partners ended up spending $12.5 million. Mitchell said it is the private cigar club at Big Rock Italian Chophouse that’s going to set it apart from other Italian restaurants and other steakhouses in the area.
“That kind of made the difference to justify the huge cost to reopen it. We’ll have 80 seats upstairs in the Big Rock Cigar Club and then 280 seats downstairs. … It’s going to be a brand new restaurant,” he said.
Restauranteur Cameron Mitchell. (Photo courtesy of CMR, LLC)shot
The private club gives members access to a personal concierge, exclusive lockers, guaranteed reservations, preferred reservations at other CMR locations nationwide and access to a separate lounge and cigar bar, other luxury amenities and special events not open to the public.
The look is a mix of modern and historic charm with new multiple fireplaces, chandeliers, contemporary booths, preserved historical design elements and hand-painted brickwork.
Of the main dining area, not only is the space big, but the menu will be extensive as well. Chris Mayer is the executive chef. He comes to Big Rock from Ocean Prime and more than two decades of experience.
“It’s going to be about 85 items, but it’s the best of both worlds,” said Mitchell. The menu has steakhouse classics and items one would expect at an upscale Italian restaurant. “You can go in there and have an Italian dinner without touching a steak or you can have a great steakhouse dinner, too. It’s an incredible menu. I get excited just reading about it. I imagine myself as a guest in there. I would just want to come back again and again because there are so many things.”
Along with executive chef Mayer, Big Rock Italian Chophouse’s leadership team is general manager Steve Hermiz, a Roseville native who has opened the Ocean Prime locations in New York and Las Vegas, and Sue Simich, sales manager and guest concierge, managing private events, guest relations and more, including exclusive services for the VIPs at the Rock Cigar Club.
the expansive property — which includes a 360-seat, 7,718-square-foot upscale Italian steakhouse, a very high-end cigar club, and a second-floor space called the Annex
“I hope this is an iconic Detroit for the next 30 years,” Mitchell said. “It’s a nod to Detroit, to our second home market. I can’t stress enough about how excited I am.”
Big Rock Italian Chophouse at 325 S. Eton in Birmingham. Call (248) 275-0888 or visit bigrockitalianchophouse.com.
Originally Published: August 5, 2025 at 10:44 AM EDT
Dining and Cooking