La Dulce inside Crowne Plaza to close this week

Just a few months after moving from downtown Royal Oak to the Crowne Plaza Riverfront hotel in downtown Detroit, Spanish restaurant La Dulce is closing.

The restaurant announced the news on social media Monday.

“We would like to thank you from the bottom of our hearts for your patronage over the last few years,” read the statement “We have cherished the opportunity to bring authentic tapas and Mexican cuisine to the cities of Royal Oak and downtown Detroit.”

“It is with a heavy heart that we announce our closure at the end of this week as the Negrete family pursues other business opportunities.”

Owned by brothers Luis and Juan Negrete, La Dulce (not to be confused with Detroit’s longstanding Italian restaurant La Dolce Vita) originally opened in downtown Royal Oak in August 2015. It was known for Spanish tapas, excellent cocktails and a unique decor that made the restaurant look like a china shop with regal furniture and chandeliers made of crockery.

Over the summer Detroit News restaurant critic Molly Abraham reviewed the downtown version of La Dulce, giving it a two-and-a-half star, “very good,” rating.

mbaetens@detroitnews.com

Twitter: @melodybaetens