Joe Louis Southern Kitchen

3100 W. Grand Blvd., Detroit; 313-788-8338; joelouissouthernkitchen.com

Joe Louis Southern Kitchen surely is a knockout when it comes to Southern breakfast staples.The restaurant features classics like, buttermilk biscuits, croquettes and rice, shrimp and grits, country fried steak, and much more.

Photo via Joe Louis Southern Kitchen/Facebook

Lobster Food Truck & Pitstop

10405 Ford Rd., Dearborn; 313-406-5854; thelobsterfoodtruck.com

The Lobster Food Truck & Pitstop is what the dreams of lobster lovers are made of. From lobster mac-n-cheese, fried lobster bites, and of course, a lobster roll (hot or cold), it gives Detroit a taste of the sea all year round.

Photo via The Lobster Food Truck/Facebook

Ima

2015 Michigan Ave., Detroit | 4870 Cass Ave., Detroit | 32203 John R. Rd., Madison Heights | imanoodles.com

Located in Corktown, with newer outposts in Midtown and Madison Heights, this Japanese eatery is run by chef-owner Mike Ransom. Filling menu items are created with a base of either rice or udon noodles and they're freaking delicious. Try the Midtown location's spicy karaage chicken sandwich.

Photo by Tom Perkins

SuperCrisp

4830 Cass Ave., Suite C, Detroit; 313-474-8880; supercrisp.com

Chef Mike Ransom’s karaage fried chicken sandwich at his other restaurant Ima was so popular that he decided to open another shop dedicated to it. Beyond the famous fried chicken sandwich, SuperCrisp also offers burgers and fries topped with Asian flavors like kimchi and wasabi. There are also plenty of vegetarian options available.

Photo via SuperCrisp/Instagram

Baobab Fare

6568 Woodward Ave., Suite 100, Detroit; 313-265-3093; baobabfare.com

Opened by immigrants, Baobab Fare brings East African fare, coffee, and fresh juices to Detroit’s New Center neighborhood. Their signature dish is Nyumbani, a slow-simmered beef dish served with fried plantains, peanut stewed spinach, and coconut rice.

Photo via Google Maps

Louisiana Creole Gumbo

2051 Gratiot Ave., Detroit; 313-567-1200 | 13505 W. Seven Mile Rd., Detroit; 313-397-4052 | 29216 Orchard Lake Rd., Farmington Hills | detroitgumbo.com

Louisiana Creole Gumbo has been a staple in Detroit’s Eastern Market since 1970. More than 50 years later, the cajun restaurant expanded to the suburbs and opened a new location in Farmington Hills.

Photo by Kelley O'Neill

Trap Vegan

20198 Livernois Ave., Detroit; 313-340-2988; trapvegan.com

Dope. Healthy. Good AF. This vegan fast-food restaurant offers plant-based burgers, smoothies, acai bowls, and salads. When Trap Vegan opened in November of 2021, they sold out the first day — that’s how good it is.

Photo via Trap Vegan /Facebook

Spudz & Cluckz

18456 Grand River Ave., Detroit; 313-394-1374; spudznclucks.com

Spudz & Cluckz is a fast-casual restaurant that pushes the culinary boundaries on wings and loaded fries offerings. Some of Spudz & Cluck's menu items include Samurai fries, fries loaded with your choice of meat, seasonal vegetables tossed in a garlic butter sauce, and the Breakfast Butter Clucker sandwich, a fun twist on traditional chicken and waffles.

Photo courtesy of Spudz & Cluckz

ImaginATE

401 S. Lafayette Ave, Royal Oak; 248-633-8899; imaginaterestaurant.com

Owned by Chef Omar Mitchell, ImaginATE uses technology and creativity to elevate the fine dining experience. ImaginATE makes dining entertaining with the addition of Le Petit, a digital dining experience that shows animated chefs and characters preparing your order digitally before the server presents your real plated meal.

Photo via ImaginATE/Facebook

Detroit Vegan Soul

19614 Grand River Ave., Detroit; 313-766-5728; detroitvegansoul.com

Having a desire to make healthy food more accessible, Detroit Vegan Soul’s mission is to help people live healthier lives by offering a menu full of great tasting and nutritious vegan food.

Photo via Detroit Vegan Soul/Facebook

Good Cakes and Bakes

19363 Livernois Ave., Detroit; 313-468-9915; goodcakesandbakes.com

Owned by April Anderson and Michelle Anderson, this Livernois Avenue organic bakery has been in the spotlight since it opened — and we know why. Look no further than Good Cakes’ lemon gooey butter cake, strawberry crunch cake, and 7-Up pound as well as a mouth-watering selection of cupcakes and cookies. Vegan? They’ve got you covered with whole cakes in red velvet, double chocolate, carrot, and lemon pound cake varieties.

Photo via Good Cakes and Bakes/Facebook

Kuzzo's Chicken & Waffles

19345 Livernois Ave., Detroit; 313-861-0229; kuzzoschickenandwaffles.com

Founded by former NFL player Ron Bartell, this chicken and waffle eatery serves food that will provide all the comfort your soul needs. After closing in 2019 for kitchen renovations, the Avenue of Fashion mainstay reopened this year better than ever.

Photo via Kuzzo's Chicken & Waffles/Facebook

Bert's

2727 Russell St., Detroit; 313-567-2030; bertsentertainmentcomplex.com

If you haven't been to Bert's Saturday morning barbecue cookout, you're missing out. The slabs of ribs and smoked sausage are cooked on a massive outdoor charcoal grill, filling Eastern Market with mouthwatering smells. Plus, they have karaoke.

Photo via Bert’s Marketplace/Facebook

Central Kitchen and Bar

660 Woodward Ave. #4a, Detroit; 313-963-9000; centraldetroit.com

Co-owned by Dennis Archer Jr., Central Kitchen and Bar offers unique takes on classic dishes like burgers and salads.

Photo via Central Kitchen and Bar/Facebook

Sweet Soul Bistro

13741 W. McNichols, Detroit; 313-862-7685

This westside bar and restaurant is located at McNichols and Schaefer Highway. The bistro takes bar food and the legacy of Motown and weaves them into a menu that’s full of mouthwatering dishes.

Photo via Sweet Soul Bistro/Facebook

Chef Greg’s Soul ‘N’ The Wall

10009 Curtis St., Detroit; 313-861-0331; facebook.com/Chef-Gregs-Soul-N-The-Wall

In 2007, Greg Beard opened Greg’s Soul “N” The Wall in the tiny brick storefront that used to house Brothers on Curtis near Wyoming Road. Since then, the soul food favorite has revived the Boogaloo Sandwich, a more sophisticated cousin to the Sloppy Joe, that was created in Detroit in the 1960s.

Photo by Tom Perkins

Parks Old Style Bar-B-Q

7444 Beaubien St., Detroit; 313-873-7444; parksoldstylebar-b-q.com

Remember that Buster Poindexter song from the '90s, “Hot Hot Hot”? No? Uh, OK, anyway the song embodies the “North End Detroit” heat of Parks Old Style Bar-B-Q which means cayenne-powder dusted chicken that is, well, hot, hot, hot. Opened in 1964, they now go through 2,500-3,000 of ribs each week because, yeah, it’s that friggin’ good.

Photo via Parks Old Style Bar-B-Q/Facebook

House of Pure Vin

1443 Woodward Ave., Detroit; 313-638-2501; houseofpurevin.com

Looking to indulge with a fancy bottle of something that will take all your worries away? Founders Regina Gaines, Terry Mullins, and Andrea Dunbar opened this trendy wine hub in the heart of downtown Detroit in 2015.

Photo via House of Pure Vin/Facebook

The Block

3919 Woodward Ave., Detroit; 313-832-0892; theblockdet.com

This establishment, owned by Michael Byrd, is a contemporary restaurant and bar combo. The menu consists of burgers, chicken wings, and other elevated pub favorites.

Photo via The Block Detroit/Facebook

Detroit Soul

2900 Eight Mile Rd., Detroit; 313-366-5600; detroitsoul.net

Detroit Soul, owned and run by Sam Van Buren and Jerome Brown and their wives, makes classic soul food with a health-focused twist. Buren and Brown, both of whom are descendants of parents and grandparents who relocated to the North from Selma, Alabama, during the Great Migration, have reimagined family recipes for greens, fried chicken, smothered pork chops, and catfish.

Photo via Detroit Soul / Facebook

Ivy’s Kitchen & Cocktails

9215 E. Jefferson Ave., Detroit; 313-332-0607; ivykc.com

Opened by Nya Marshall on the city’s east side in 2019, Ivy’s Kitchen & Cocktail offers casual yet high-end American fare, like squid ink pasta, charred branzino, and short rib stroganoff, with burgers and chicken sandwiches, too.

Photo via Ivy’s Kitchen & Cocktail/Facebook

Dime Store

719 Griswold St., Suite 180, Detroit; 313-962-9106; eatdimestore.com

Jeff Alexander, Larry Kahn, and Ann-Marie Murphy preside over this Chrysler House eatery. Look no further for a prime brunch destination, complete with made-from-scratch breakfasts.

Photo viaDime Store Facebook

COOP

474 Peterboro St., Detroit; coopdetroit.com

Chef Maxcel Hardy expanded from his deservedly popular River Bistro in Rosedale Park to a stall at Midtown's Detroit Shipping Co. food hall. Whereas the emphasis at the Bistro is on soul food, Coop's inspiration is a Caribbean food truck. Familiar island favorites jerk chicken, rum cake, and ginger beer do make room, though, for Southern fare like mac and cheese and Brussels sprouts with bacon.

Photo via COOP Detroit / Facebook

Vicki’s BBQ

3845 W. Warren Ave., Detroit; 313-894-9906

Vicki's is one of Detroit's barbecue old-timers that's up at the top of the list in any conversation on our barbecue heavyweights. That partly owes to the St. Louis-style cut ribs that Vicki's cooks over an open pit (though you can also get them smoked). But the highlight in what's basically a highlight reel meal is the vinegar and tomato-based sauce.

Photo via Tom Perkins

Yum Village

6500 Woodward Ave., Detroit; 313-334-6099; yumvillage.com

Yum Village in Detroit’s north end is full of Caribbean and West African dishes like jerk chicken, maafe, jollof rice, suya fried chicken, smoked pepper fries, and several vegetarian options.

Photo via Yum Village / Facebook

Fusion Flare Kitchen and Cocktails

16801 Plymouth Rd., Detroit; 313-653-3700; fusionflare.net

When owner-chef Maashelle Sykes opened her new American and soul food eatery in 2019, it marked the first full-service restaurant to open in Detroit’s west side Joy community in nearly 20 years. Their menu includes plates like fried catfish with a remoulade sauce, grilled pork chops, and buttermilk fried chicken, and different preparations of shrimp, as well as vegan options.

Photo via Fusion Flare Kitchen and Cocktails/Facebook

Jamaican Pot

3031 W. Grand Blvd., Detroit; 313-659-6033; thejamaicanpot.com

Jamaican Pot has a new location in the New Center One building in Detroit's New Center neighborhood. The menu is similar to that at its small carryout spot on Eight Mile Road near Greenfield, with offerings like jerk chicken, barbecue jerk, pepper steak, oxtail, and curried goat. And, of course, it offers what is perhaps the best dish Mama Rose makes, fricassee chicken with veggies in a brown gravy flavored by garlic, onion, scallion, and thyme.

Photo via The Jamaican Pot catering service and take out restaurant / Facebook

Sloppy Chops

13226 W. McNichols Rd., Detroit; 313-646-2900; sloppychopsrestaurant.net

If you aren’t afraid of a little mess in the name of good food, then try Six Mile’s newest addition, Sloppy Chops, helmed by chef Al El. This casual fine dining establishment serves up signature entrees, like lobster tacos, lamb chops, as well as handcrafted cocktails.

Photo via Sloppy Chops Restaurant/Facebook

Motown Bistro

2735 Russell St., Detroit; facebook.com/themotownbistrodetroit

Located in Eastern Market, Motown Bistro & Oyster Bar focuses on seafood including lobster mac and cheese, lobster bites, blue crab potato skins, and more than 150 rare scotches and bourbons.

Photo via Motown Bistro/Facebook

Le Petit Dejeuner

6470 East Jefferson Ave., Detroit; 313-725-0257; facebook.com/lepetitbreakfast

Le Petit Dejeuner describes itself as a family dining breakfast restaurant. Dishes are meant to be shared amongst family and friends. Serving waffles, pancakes, crepes, and other delicious breakfast foods, sharing with your family is easier said than done.

Photo via Le Petit/Facebook

The Kitchen by Cooking with Que

6529 Woodward Ave., Detroit; 313-462-4184; thekitchenbycwq

This space at 6529 Woodward serves as a culinary classroom of sorts where vegans and meat lovers can hone their culinary skills; a place for businesses and individuals to rent a shared commercial kitchen; and a place where visitors can rent private dining space.

Photo via The Kitchen by Cooking with Que / Facebook

Baker’s Keyboard Lounge

20510 Livernois; 313-345-6300; theofficialbakerskeyboardlounge.com

Believed to be the world's oldest continuing-operated jazz club, this legendary spot is owned by Eric Whitaker and business partner Hugh W. Smith III. Some of the musicians who have played the club include: Ella Fitzgerald, Miles Davis, Oscar Peterson, George Shearing, and Nat "King" Cole, to name a few.

Photo by Tom Perkins

SavannahBlue

1431 Times Sq., Detroit; 313-926-0873; savannahbluedetroit.com

Contemporary northern soul food eatery is getting in on the fine-dining curbside action. SavannahBlue is the place to snag sides of collard greens, maple glazed yams, and crab cakes to pair with blackened shrimp farro jambalaya, braised oxtail, southern fried catfish, or St. Louis barbecue ribs.

Photo via SavannahBlue/Facebook

Cafe D’Mongo’s Speakeasy

1439 Griswold St., Detroit; 313-961-0000

Founded by Larry Mongo in 2007, this Friday and Saturday-only bar and restaurant has served as the backdrop for locally produced movies and has been featured on the Travel Channel’s Bizarre Foods with Andrew Zimmern. It’s also regularly frequented by celebrities and local talent.

Photo via Cafe D'Mongos/Facebook

Narrow Way Cafe

19331 Livernois Ave., Detroit; 313-397-7727;thenarrowwaycafe.com

Skip Starbucks and head to the Avenue of Fashion, where you can find Narrow Way Cafe. The coffee shop brews Zingerman's beans and bakes Avalon baked goods. Its freshly renovated, sharp interior — complete with hardwood floors, industrial lights, and exposed ductwork — includes a garage door that can swing open on nice days to provide an open-air feel.

Photo via Narrow Way Cafe/Facebook

Flood’s Bar & Grille

731 St. Antoine St., Detroit; 313-963-1090; floodsdetroit.com

Family-owned and operated soul food spot Flood’s Bar & Grille is a Detroit institution. Located in a beautiful historic building near Greektown, Flood's has been serving up classic soul food since 1987.

Photo via Flood’s Bar & Grille/Facebook

Sweet Potato Sensations

17337 Lahser Rd., Detroit; 313-532-7996; sweetpotatosensations.com

Cassandra and Jeffrey Thomas have been preparing all manner of sweet potato treats for almost three decades. Although pie is what they’re best known for, the bakery specializes in other confectionary goodies such as; cheesecake, cake, cookies, and more.

Photo via Sweet Potato Sensations/Facebook

Motor City Soul Food

12700 W. Seven Mile Rd.; 313-472-5885; officialmotorcitysoulfood.com

Motor City Soul Food has two locations, one located in Oak Park and the other in Detroit. They have all of the best fixings — neckbones, fried chicken, meatloaf, catfish, potato salad, peach cobbler, you name it. Their macaroni and cheese is a must-have alongside some fried chicken.

Photo via Motor City Soul Food/Facebook

Maty’s Senegalese Restaurant

21611 Grand River Ave., Detroit; 313-472-5885; facebook.com/matys-restaurant

Maty’s is Detroit’s first and only Senegalese restaurant and every visit promises to deliver a deeply flavorful dish. If you’re lost, the first dish to try is the fish, which they cook whole with ingredients like mustard powder, onion, pepper, and vinegar with a few twists.

Photo by Tom Perkins

Saucey Crab

21754 W. Eleven Mile Rd., Southfield; 248-728-4444 | 21639 W. Eight Mile Rd., Detroit; 313-693-4631 | sauceycrabs.com

The inspiration for Angie Middleton’s Saucey Crab dates back to her days as a Chicago hairdresser. On their days off, she and her co-workers would get together and buy crab and a case of beer. A few years later she would move to Detroit to open the Sauce Bar with her husband, and on Wednesdays they started hosting a seafood boil night. It has helped lead the Viet-Cajun boil trend in Detroit, and now has two locations.

Photo by Se7enFifteen

They Say Restaurant

267 Jos Campau, Detroit; 313-446-4682; | 17810 Vernier Rd., Harper Woods; 313-309-3600 | theysayrestaurant.com

Founded in 2006 and known for live music, They Say has since opened a second location in Harper Woods.

Photo via They Say Restaurant/Facebook

Cornbread Restaurant & Bar

29852 Northwestern Hwy., Southfield; 248-208-1680; cornbreadsoulfood.com

Beans & Cornbread has a new location, a new look, and a new name.The longstanding Southfield soul food restaurant is now called Cornbread Restaurant & Bar, and has moved down the street to 29852 Northwestern Hwy. The menu largely remains the same, as does the restaurant's commitment to honoring important Black historical figures through its decor.

Photo via Cornbread Restaurant & Bar/Facebook

Cutters Bar & Grill

2638 Orleans St., Detroit; 313-393-0960; cuttersdetroit.com

Cutters Bar & Grill is an Eastern Market staple that dishes out flavorful pub and bar favorites like wings, steak bites, and their Cutters stuffed burgers.

Photo via Google Maps