05/23/2026
Michaels Bar & Grill, operated by the Yakumithis family, has been a downtown Toledo staple for years serving homemade food and offering breakfast all day long.
Emmanuel and Minnie Yakumithis first opened the Baltimore Cafe downtown in 1922 and it served as a key gathering spot. In 1945, the cafe moved to its current location at 901 Monroe Street in a castle-like building which was constructed in 1897. The structure once housed Fred’s Karate School.
The restaurant closed in 1987 for one month to completely reinvent the space and it reopened as Michael's Bar & Grill. Michael Yakumithis, son of Emmanuel and Minnie, ran the restaurant for years until his own sons, George and John, continued operating the business.
Emmanuel Yakumithis was born in 1890 in Greece. He immigrated to the United States in 1912 and married Minnie in Monroe, Michigan in 1920. Emmanuel passed away on May 28, 1978 and was buried in Section X3, Lot 42. Minnie lived until 1997 and was laid to rest next to her husband. Their sons John, who died at age 45, and Karl, who died at age 53, are also buried in the Yakumithis plot. Michael passed away in 2021 and was interred in the same lot.
