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This post got me thinking we should probably have a thread like this on the Detroit forum. While there's always Yelp, etc, an anonymous review somehow is a lot less meaningful to me than a recommendation of someone on C-D, even if that person is also, by definition, anonymous. So I thought this would be a good spot in which to share your favorites. List the name, city and website if one exists and why you like the place.
I'll start:
Sheeba (Dearborn): great Yemeni food, but be warned - food coma is imminent, so make sure you don't have any afternoon meetings to sleep through.
Shogun (West Bloomfield): it's a Benihana-style hibachi place that also has a sushi bar. We've been to multiple of their locations, but the West Bloomfield remains a favorite because of the chefs. Really funny and engaging, unlike those at some of their other restaurants (particularly the Green Oaks one which has thankfully switched owners). Their "appetizer" soup (fried onion instead of the traditional miso) is so good, we've gone there for it alone.
Pastry House Hippo (Novi): one of the very few Japanese-style bakeries in Detroit Metro. Has great custard buns. It's no 85C Bakery in California, but it gets the job done.
Bucharest shawarma - I love to drop by their piquette ave location - order 2 shawarma's.
Park close to the abandoned piquette ave Packard plant - Imagine that I'm in mad max while killing that shawarma :-)
Bento39 - Novi has a ton of hole in the wall, mom and pop Asian eateries and this is one of my favorites. Takeout place that specializes in Japanese Bento boxes. Every day they have new specials that I've never heard of and they are always amazing.
Bucharest Grill. Great chicken Shwarma sandwich for about $5 makes a complete meal. Be warned, it is not a reasonable walk from Campus Martius during you work lunch break. Bike or drive. Best deal in Detroit.
Vincentes. Cuban. Unique. Tasty. Comes on a plate. Not too expensive. My favorite place for lunch if not in a hurry and on a budget. They have Jazz at night, but i have not been there.
Big City Grille. Just hotel/bar food. However good food. Reasonable price. Not crowded.
Layfayette Coney. Iconic. A dumpy restaurant that has not changed since the 1950s and that is its charm. Basically Coneys (Hot dogs with chili and onions). Cash only. I chose them over American 100% of the time now (after trying both a few times).
American Coney. This is a typical Michigan Coney island place with Greek food items and Coneys. It is pretty much the same as a Leos if you know the chain. However it is pricy for what you get and lacks charm. I am not a fan.
Wright & Company. Awesome unique small plates fine dining. Great atmosphere. Great drink options. Pricey. Beautiful location. Highly recommended. Good luck finding it.
Roast - So far the best fine dining place I have found downtown. However Some people I know hate it, so maybe a mixed bag. Get the beast of the day.
Townhouse. Burgers and fries with a twist. They have other options too. Like everything downtown, too pricey for the quality, but one of the better places IMO.
Central Kitchen. Similar to Townhouse. Not quite as good, but somewhat more unique. More of a gap between price and quality IMO. Sometimes awful service.
Shake Shack. Supposedly amazing burgers (and frozen custard?). I still cannot get in there. I am not one to stand in lines and there are lines even late and early lunch time.
Cliff Bells. Fine dining. Food was surprisingly good. Service was sketchy. Maybe just our waiter. My wife ordered a salad, he brought a steak, she decided to just eat it and not make an issue. The steak was delicious - superb actually, but cost $56!. My dad told the waiter he would pick up the tab, the waiter brought him a Cabernet, then argued with us over whether my dad had ordered a Cabernet. I told him Dad does not drink, and he still tried to argue. Forgot things over and over, brought the wrong things, dropped things and was generally not very friendly or polite. Music was awesome, especially when a high school trumpet player from Grosse Ile got up and played with the band for a while. Good food but over $200 for 5 meals (on was just an appetizer) and the only drinks were 2 beers. Next time we will probably eat elsewhere before going there and just order drinks and an appetizer.
Grand Trunk. I like the food and the atmosphere. It is hard to not long for what it once was (Forans). Still neat place, good food, good service. Hard to get in.
Downtown Louies (bar). Drink here. Skip the food. Disappointing, especially for the price. Indifferent service. Kind of a neat place, but needs new management/ownership or at least a complete revamping of their food service. There are better offerings in the immediate area.
Firebird Tavern. (Greektown). I like this place. I cannto really say why. It is just bar food it is a bar) and a bit pricey for the food, but I find it peaceful and relaxing even when it is full of noisy people.
Andiamos. Ren Cen. OK More or less Italian. Given the price, the food does not meet my expectations. Very good food at great food prices. Still one of the only nice dining option in the ren cen.
Joe Muirs Seafood. Also Ren Cen. Very good food at excellent food prices. Highly acclaimed. I do not understand why. Do Detroit just have unsophisticated pallets? Maybe I just ordered the wrong the the 5-10 times I ate there.
Volt. Rencen motel bar. Good food. Basically in the motel and basically like most other motel restaurants. However this is the only place in the Ren Cen where I do not feel completely overcharged for the quality (only a little bit). For Ren Cen sit down dining I would rank Volt; Andiamo; Joe Muir in that order.
Slices. Thin crust pizza by the slice. Offers only 3 or 4 kinds of pizza. Quirky, almost rude, not not quite ownership/service. In and out in 15 minutes for about $6. Tastes good. Great place for a quick lunch if you are not a health nut.
Dime Store - nope. Pretty unique and decent tasting but no good enough for the price. Too long a wait as well.
Slows - Best smokehouse food around. This is the place you bring your out of town guests. Long waits and big prices. Just sit at the bar and wait. It is fun. We have occasionally gotten some bad meals here when they are really swamped. Ribs are not really their thing.
Gold Cash Gold. Where you go when the wait at Slows is too long. Quirky food options which is neat. Food it good. Not surprisingly a bit overpriced for the quality level. Still definitely worth going at least a few times, just to try some of their various offerings.
Small Plates - used to be awesome. I am pretty sure it closed for a while and reopened. It is always crowded and I have not been able to get in there recently. Similar concept as Wright & Company (order several small dishes and share them with your table), not quite as good - much easier to find though.
Downriver:
Shish Garden. Typical Middleeastern fare, but unusually delicious. Reasonably priced. Great service. The Shhhhhhhh part of the name is because you should not tell too many people about it or it will get crowded. ooops. Great bread puff thigns with garlic goo. great soups. Chicken Fatoush or something like that is my favorite there.
The Round House (trenton) Kinda like slows only cheaper and without the wait. Some of the food is better than slows, most is not quite as good, but still very good smokehouse food. Pulled pork or brisket (drool) and the best cornbread around. Less hectic atmosphere and a better value.
Gregorio's Wyandotte. (Maybe the name is wrong). Culte little Italian restaurant in a home like atmosphere. The food is good, not awesome, but the atmosphere and service are awesome.
Smokies (Wyandotte and Grosse Ile). The one in Wyandotte has a better menu better food and better service. The one in Grosse Ile is still trying to get their act together. Fancy, pricey and super Delicious gourmet pizza is their specialty, but that also have fine dining options like Prime Rib. We love the Wyandotte location. We have kind of given up on the Grosse Ile branch for now. Maybe we will go back in a couple of years and see if they got their act together. They certainly have a nice location on Grosse Ile, especially in the warm months.
Sushi/thai place (not sure of the name). Grosse Ile. Small family owned. Good sushi according to my son. I am not a sushi Connoisseur. The Thai food is awesome. They have great curry options, but if I get anything other than Pad Thai, I end up wishing is had order Pad thai and trying to trade. Still the curry dishes are unique and neat to try.
Question: Why does South Lyon area still have no good restaurants? The whole area has grown like mad, but still pretty much nothing in town. In fact there is not much even nearby except chains. A couple of places in Northville. Some in Novi, but not worth bucking the crowds/traffic most of the time (we left Orange County where excellent restaurants are plentiful to get away from that).
There is a place in Northville that is a branch of the Moose Lodge mini-chain that is very good.
Indian - Indian Flavors - On Orchard Lake Rd between 12 Mile/13 next to ABC Wearhouse. Best Indian lunch buffet at $9 and always in/out in 30 minutes. Food coma but also includes naan.
Middle Eastern - Park Grille - Kercheval in Grosse Pointe Park. My happy place for Middle Eastern (though I can vouch for Sheeba too but I like their location off Dix better - not as nice a setup as Michigan Ave but much better food).
Dessert - Shatilla Bakery - Warren Ave in Dearborn - hands down better than Astoria for desserts.
Casual Fast - 2941 Street Food - Midtown Detroit - Like a Chipotle to go but with Arabic dishes. Drool.
Drunk Restaurant - Taco Bell - Cheese and Bean burritos $1 each - multiple locations.
Bucharest Grill. Great chicken Shwarma sandwich for about $5 makes a complete meal. Be warned, it is not a reasonable walk from Campus Martius during you work lunch break. Bike or drive. Best deal in Detroit.
I've been to the one in Corktown. Big fan.
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Vincentes. Cuban. Unique. Tasty. Comes on a plate. Not too expensive. My favorite place for lunch if not in a hurry and on a budget. They have Jazz at night, but i have not been there.
Yes! I totally forgot about this place. Great skirt steak and the dance floor is there if that's your thing.
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Wright & Company. Awesome unique small plates fine dining. Great atmosphere. Great drink options. Pricey. Beautiful location. Highly recommended. Good luck finding it.
I'm going to have to look this place up. Sounds really good.
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Roast - So far the best fine dining place I have found downtown. However Some people I know hate it, so maybe a mixed bag. Get the beast of the day.
Everyone at work LOVES this place. I really need to explore Detroit proper's restaurants...
I'll throw in a few more, now that I have time to think about it:
Redcoat Tavern (Royal Oak): needs no introduction. Quite possibly the best burger I've had in Dearborn and a cozy (if crowded) atmosphere.
Vinsetta Garage (Royal Oak): also an old classic, inside what used to be an actual garage. Hearty (and heavy) portions and fantastic atmosphere, especially when it's warm outside.
Treat Dreams (Ferndale): my favorite ice cream spot in Metro Detroit. Creative flavors, but I usually go for the ol' favorite salted caramel.
La Salsa (Detroit): crappy location, great Mexican food (good to know the trend is true not only in California). Cash only, if memory serves.
Calexico (Downtown Detroit): we had a whole C-D thread devoted to it. Opinions were polarizing (as taco places go, it's definitely not cheap), but I liked it.
Chartreuse (Midtown): lovely ambiance, great locally-sourced dishes and creative cocktails. Not cheap, but worth it.
Brera Pizza (West Dearborn): super high quality ingredients at what is more than a reasonable price. Where else are you going to get basterma and real mozzarella on a pizza that costs $13 and can last for two small meals?
Lue Thai (West Dearborn): relatively new and small; my favorite Thai place in Metro D, although I am still looking for more. When I talk of sophisticated "lighter" cuisine, I mean places like this, that don't smother their satay in lard.
Bangkok 96 (Dearborn): I warmed up to this place rather considerably in the last few months. A huge favorite among the Ford crowd (so it's always packed during weekdays), it's definitely a bit more "down home" (if such a thing exists for Thai food) as far as sophistication of prep is concerned, but it's definitely serviceable, if a bit heavy on the stomach.
Oyaki Sushi (Dearborn Heights): a sushi joint held by Middle Easterners, but don't let that fool you. Other than a few "quirky" rolls (something with beef), this place is legit and the service is so good, it can sometimes feel overbearing. Much better than XushiKo, which has gone down somewhat since it opened a couple years ago - although I still like them, as well.
Would like to suggest Rocky's of Northville and Steve and Rocky's in Novi for seafood fans. For Korean, I like Tofu House and for sushi, the Farmington Sushi House adjacent to it. You can get either or both, as they share facilities. And for wonderful but simple Mexican food, Burrito King in Novi.
Pollo Los Gallos (Southwest Detroit) - awesome grilled half-chicken or whole chicken meals
Lou's Deli (West side Detroit)- long time deli serving tasty deli sandwiches with a WHOLE LOT of fresh meat - this is not Subway
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