The Detroit food scene is picking up and more spots every year are starting to get the recognition that they deserve on a national and even global scale! Now, with Detroit’s development and growth skyrocketing in recent years, Detroiters are being spoiled with the amount of incredible options we get to choose from whenever we want to have a quality meal!
It wasn’t easy to narrow down ten of the best restaurants in the Detroit area, but we gave it our best shot:
1. Alpino – Detroit, MI
Alpino offers a cozy and authentic alpine-inspired restaurant with an incredible dining experience that doesn’t cost an arm and a leg. The food is always fresh and the menu is often a reflection of seasonal ingredients used to put together a menu that certainly has something for everyone! Not to mention that Alpin won Metro Detroit’s 2024 Restaurant of the Year from the Detroit Free Press.
Location: 1426 Bagley St, Detroit, MI
2. AlTayeb Restaurant – Dearborn, MI
The Lebanese cuisine served is top-notch, and the incredible service of this restaurant recently got this restaurant officially listed as a semi-finalist for the James Beard Most Outstanding Hospitality Award!
Location: 15010 W Warren Ave Suite 111, Dearborn, MI
3. Folk – Detroit, MI
Claiming that the brunch and lunch experience that you can have at Folk is the best you can have in all of Detroit would not be a crazy claim, it was even acknowledged this year by the James Beard Foundation and listed as a semifinalist for their highly reputable “Most Outstanding Wine and Other Beverages Program” Award!
The simple food menu may not be incredibly expansive, but don’t be discouraged by that because everything they do have on their menu, is a done to perfection!
Location: 1701 Trumbull, Detroit, MI
4. Sozai – Clawson, MI
Just a 20-minute drive from Downtown Detroit, this Japanese spot is serving sustainable sushi that is so good it got them listed as a semifinalist for this year’s James Beard Best Restaurant Award. The owner and chef of the restaurant, Hajime Sato, is also a Certified Saké Advisor, meaning that the fun does not need to stop at the incredible food, you can also sample high-quality Saké with the guidance of an expert!
Location: 449 W 14 Mile Rd, Clawson, MI
5. Ladder 4 Wine Bar – Detroit, MI
Once a historic firehouse by the name of Ladder 4 closed in 2000, the building was purchased by the owners of Ladder 4 Wine Bar in 2015 and restoration work on the building began in 2019. Now, inside the old firehouse is one of the best restaurants in Detroit which was even acknowledged by the New York Times as recently as last year as one of their top spots to eat in the whole country!
Location: 3396 Vinewood St, Detroit, MI
6. Freya – Detroit, MI
Loaded with critical acclaim, this “multi-course dinner restaurant” is probably one of the most expected places to make this list. The restaurant’s price-fixed five-course menu is a special treat that everyone can enjoy as the restaurant can happily accommodate preferences for omnivores, pescatarians, vegetarians, celiacs (or those with gluten intolerance), and vegans!
Location: 2929 E Grand Blvd, Detroit, MI
7. Maru Sushi & Grill – Detroit, MI
Sushi with style, this upscale Japanese spot is one of the top date-night spots in the city with food that satisfies in a setting that impresses! The best part is that you can get authentic Japanese cuisine without breaking the bank ranging from high-quality rolls to crowd-pleasing shared plates, like their honey garlic shrimp or house-made gyozas!
Location: 160 W Fort St, Detroit, MI
8. Marrow – Detroit, MI
This butcher shop and restaurant combo is a local pioneer in terms of food sustainability, putting into practice a genuine nose-to-tail dining concept that makes a dining experience that is as delicious as it is unique! The locally sourced meat could not possibly be fresher and the quality seasonal ingredients make every dish delicious.
Location: 8044 Kercheval Ave, Detroit, MI
9. The Apparatus Room – Detroit, MI
Serving some high-quality new American fare and equally high-quality craft cocktails, The Apparatus Room is one of the best spots to grab a meal in Detroit! Located in the Detroit Foundation Hotel, you’ve probably walked past in before, and if you haven’t stopped in for a meal, this is your sign to do so!
Location: 250 W Larned St, Detroit, MI
10. Selden Standard – Detroit, MI
This spot is famous for its use of seasonal local ingredients to create innovative New American dishes that have bold flavors that result in one of the most memorable meals you can have in Detroit! This hyperlocal spot even lists out the farms and producers that source all of its ingredients, taking farm-to-table to a whole new level. This is the perfect spot for special occasions because of how great it is, but its important to realize that the price points aren’t so high that you can’t go more often if you were inspired to do so!
Location: 3921 2nd Ave, Detroit, MI