Stonetown (627 Prospect Ave.), which opened downtown three years ago, has closed. The Southern fusion restaurant was developed by the Angie’s restaurant group, which operated multiple Angie’s Soul Café locations, Zanzibar Soul Fusion at Shaker Square, and Jezebel’s Bayou on Larchmere. Jezebel’s Bayou is no longer around.

But, says Angie’s owner Akin Alafin, don’t yet close the book on Stonetown.

“We’re getting it back and will reopen it within a couple months with the exact same name and concept but under new ownership,” he explains.

Alafin says that a few years into the business, he decided to sell off Stonetown to a management team of owner-operators. It did not end well.

“It was my vision; I created the concept,” he explains. “But unfortunately, when the offer was made to buy it I had a lot going on, and the team seemed like they were good owner-operators. It felt like it would work out, but it didn’t work out; they couldn’t handle it.”

The negative reviews started piling up and all that good will Alafin had built up began to trickle away. When the business closed its doors two weeks ago, he reached out to the landlord to see about getting it back.

“Now, we’re a lot stronger,” he says. “I’ve got Angie’s together. I’ve got Zanzibar together. So it’s a perfect time for us to go and get it back. Our number one goal is to undo the damage – to get back to good service and good food. We’ll reach out to people and do what we can to get them back in the door to give us another try.”

This article appears in Mar 9-15, 2016.

For 25 years, Douglas Trattner has worked as a full-time freelance writer, editor and author. His work as co-author on Michael Symon's cookbooks have earned him four New York Times Best-Selling Author honors, while his longstanding role as Scene dining editor has garnered awards of its own.

3 replies on “Stonetown on Prospect is Closed, to Reopen Under Original Management”

  2. Stonetown suck ass now it was the shit before yall came yall will never be as good as the old crew

  3. In the event that stonetown has reopened it has absolutely the worst let me say it again absolutely the worst star rating suck as well as review please reevaluate before trying to bash the old management you should have fought to have that team with you as of right now it was better close than open after you selling it to whom you try to degrade the food is absolutely horrible and the service is absolutely horrifying please do a reality check and use words very wisely and the different between angies and stonetown is before closing angies have always been gross and inconsistent I just read a review while stonetown has reopened about raw chicken being served to a party of 25 and how horrifying their experience were and how that was a major day to them so again reevaluate before trying to bash someone else you shall call the old crew back you would be better off and see while u at it Akin if they could show you new recipes for angies to have consistently good food and service angies has always been a hole in a wall it’s a disgrace so don’t think because you relocated and the inside may look good it all goes back to what’s being dished out bartender suck at stonetown and I could go on but I think my rant is over now and not to mention money is not everything without good being discharged it hard to be successful in the out come of any situation so with that being said stonetown shall close again it was by far better with old management than today or shall have not even been reopened it’s was better off close but it was good while it lasted great luck stonetown family and please contact that young lady who has had her party of 25 thinking it’s was the old management team again good luck hope your business succeed by far the worst food in Cleveland know the difference between soul comfort food form scratch please bring back the original stonetown soul food that tastes like every thing because at angies the taste you get is out the box and bag and not homemade

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