The Resy Hit List: Where In Detroit You’ll Want to Eat Right Now
There’s no question we hear more often: Where should I go eat? And while we at Resy know it’s an honor to be the friend who everyone asks for restaurant advice, we also know it’s a complicated task. That’s where the Resy Hit List comes in.
We’ve designed it to be your essential resource for dining in and around Detroit: a monthly-updated (and now expanded!) guide to the restaurants that you won’t want to miss — tonight or any night.
Five Things In Detroit Not to Miss This Month
- Detroit Sandwich Party: Building on the success of chef Carlos Parisi and friends’ annual Detroit Sandwich Week — which takes place the week between Christmas and New Year’s, the summer Detroit Sandwich Party honors the city’s finest sandwich artisans in a free event in historic Eastern Market. On September 1st from 12-5 p.m. guests can enjoy half sandwich offerings from over 25 local vendors, allowing for multiple flavor combinations. Join the industry in a celebration that will include music, drinks, and of course — sandwiches!
- Mussel Beach Music Festival: Looking for last-minute Labor Day plans? Cadieux Cafe presents the 2024 Mussel Beach Music Festival in their biergarten. For $10 enjoy some of the city’s best mussels and music by Eastside Elvis and The Motor City Mafia, The Muggs, and Supercrunch. Tickets are $10.
- Dally in the Alley: The yearly community festival, which celebrates the Cass Corridor neighborhood, filled with live music, visual arts, performances, food, and beer — takes place on September 7th from 11a.m.-11 p.m. The event is entirely run by volunteers (thank you for your hard work!) and draws tens of thousands of people to the festivities between Forest and Hancock and Second Avenue and Anthony Wayne.
- Mardi Gras Indian Funk: Bask in the 1930s ambiance of Cliff Bell’s while enjoying a live jazz performance by The Rumble on September 12th. Composed of second chief Joseph Boudreaux Jr. of the Golden Eagles, trumpeter Aurélien Barnes, trombonist José Maize Jr., bassist TJ Norris, guitarist Ari Teitel, keyboardist Andriu Yanovski, and drummer Trenton O’Neal, the group blends New Orleans funk with dynamic brass. The show begins at 9:30 p.m. Snag your ticket here.
- Urban Harvest Dinner: On Sept. 25, chef James Sumpter of Cibo will highlight two of Detroit’s incredible urban farms in a six-course dinner that’s quite literally farm-to-table. Featherstone Farms and Stoney Creek Mushrooms will be on site to talk about their farms and fresh produce used to curate the menu. Wine pairings are also available. Reserve your seat here.
New to the Hit List (Sept. 2024)
Leila, Standby, Evening Bar.
1. Ladder 4 Wine Bar Chadsey Condon
Housed in a meticulously restored firehouse by James and Patrick Cadariu, Ladder 4 has steadily gained acclaim, including the Free Press’ 2023 restaurant of the year, for chef John Yelinek’s culinary excellence. Yelinek collaborates closely with local suppliers, adapting a seasonal menu with French and Mediterranean influences to showcase the freshest produce from the on-site garden tended by his wife, Charlotte Gale. But Yelinek’s efforts play in service to Ladder 4’s greater purpose as a wine haven. With a focus on European natural-leaning wines, a rotating glass selection, and curated cellar, by Omy Bugazia shine. Don’t miss the O-B-O (One-Bottle-Only) service, with rare selections from the bottle shop — but once it’s poured, you can’t repeat.
2. Marrow West Village
Proprietor Ping Go and chef Sarah Welch champion sustainability at Marrow, advocating for whole-animal butchery to reduce waste in the Great Lakes food system. By day, Marrow serves as a neighborhood butcher shop. By night, it transforms into an intimate date-night spot, featuring dishes from less showcased cuts. While not a typical steakhouse, Marrow still offers Michigan beef cuts, tartare, and its namesake dish. Chef de cuisine Eddie Moreau, with a background at Central Provisions in Portland, Me., ensures the seafood is as stellar as the meat. Pro tip: Opt for the five-course family-style tasting at $90 per person.
3. Baobab Fare New Center
It’s easy to become transfixed by the inspirational tale of Baobab Fare founders Hamissi Mamba and Nadia Majimbere, the refugee couple who landed in Detroit after fleeing violence and political instability in their home country of Burundi. In a few short years, the couple rallied the community with their optimism, love, and heartwarming East African cuisine, and in 2021, opened on one of New Center’s most iconic corners. In addition, they’ve launched a spinoff product line, food truck, and a forthcoming second location is planned for this year. Baobab has become the quintessential Detroit success story.
More info here.
4. Phoenicia Birmingham Birmingham
As icons go, few have stood the test of time as long as Sameer Eid’s Lebanese-American jewel. But the restaurant’s age doesn’t show, especially with the addition of executive chef Talia Clark, who ran the short-lived but heralded Ochre Bakery kitchen. With a stalwart menu that regulars order from without even looking at, Clark’s initial impact can be most felt on desserts. Sure, Eid’s rice pudding got praise 30-some years ago, but Clark has brought finesse to the sweet side of the menu through elegant cardamom custard tarts and slices of chocolate peanut butter pie. It’s a challenge to improve a beloved classic, but Clark appears to have succeeded.
5. Evening Bar Downtown
6. Warda Patisserie Midtown
Algerian-born pastry chef Warda Bouguettaya became a household name in 2022 when she won the James Beard Award for Outstanding Pastry Chef — the first chef from Detroit in 30 years to win a Beard. But the acclaim came as no shock to savvy Detroit locals, who had long been drawn to Warda for impeccable pastries. These creations are a tribute to her heritage, and the insights gained from a life spent traveling across the globe. From mango and black sesame financiers to yuzu-glazed madeleines and sand-dollar-shaped pear and frangipane tarts, each creation is devastatingly beautiful in its simplicity, but bursting with flavor.
More info here.
7. Standby Downtown
The contemporary cocktail bar in the Belt has teamed up with Matty Matheson to introduce a new menu featuring comfort food classics. The current menu offers a variety of largely shareable dishes, including coconut shrimp with jerk mayo, mortadella sliders, Alabama BBQ grilled wings, steak frites au poivre, and taquitos, plus salads like smashed cucumbers with chile crisp. And of course drinks like the Meditate, Medicate, Meditate, with its mix of both mezcal and Tequila, plus yellow Chartreuse, Cappelletti and pineapple liqueur, bring a whole lot to the table in a single glass.
8. Sozai Clawson
At Sozai, you won’t just find your usual suspects like tempura and chicken karaage or typical maki rolls. Nope, chef Hajime Sato is on a mission to spread the gospel of sustainability in sushi. After pioneering his approach at Seattle’s Mashiko, he moved to the Detroit area, and has tapped into the bounty of the Great Lakes. To truly get the vibe of Sato’s genius, you’ve got to snag one of the 13 seats at his specially crafted bar. That’s where the magic happens, with his exclusive omakase experience. It’s like a backstage pass to a sushi symphony.
More info here.
9. Leña Brush Park
Leña, meaning firewood in Spanish, centers its wood hearth as the focal point of the Brush Park restaurant. Inspired by the cuisine and culture of Spain’s Catalan and Basque regions, the menu is a collaboration with the team behind Shelby and Coffee Down Under, executive chef Mike Conrad, executive sous chef Marcello Molteni, and pastry chef Lena Sareini. Anticipate a range of offerings from a pintxos menu to substantial main courses. Complementing the cuisine is an approachable wine list featuring Spanish selections, a specialty cocktail list, curated gin and tonic menu, and a low-alcohol beverage program highlighting sherry and vermouth.
10. M Cantina Dearborn
Puebla native Junior Merino has brought a touch of “Nuevo Latino” to Dearborn with a restaurant that mirrors Mexico City’s chic Condesa or Roma Norte neighborhoods. Formerly a renowned New York bartender, Merino now delves into “cocina de autor,” akin to North America’s chef-driven movement. He wears multiple hats at M Cantina — bartender and chef both. And his sensibilities bring a new perspective to pan-Latin dishes: even the chips and salsa experience, with over a dozen housemade salsa varieties in squeeze bottles, sets M Cantina apart, as does the vast collection of agave-based spirits and offerings of edible insects, from chapulines to the rare escamoles.
11. Voyager Ferndale
Chef Ray Garrett’s menu at the award-winning seafood restaurant and oyster bar, mirrors the coastal vibe, harmonizing familiar favorites with original creations — all with a steadfast commitment to great sourcing, sustainability, and seasonality. Those nearby know the real drill: As the sun begins to dip, belly up to the bar for a happy hour filled with rum punches and 2-buck-shucks (aka oysters).
12. Forest Bakery Oak Park
Jo Burke, Kyle Suczynski, and Humna Tak have combined their years of industry experience (Ochre Bakery, Slows, Bar Pigalle, and more) to open a new bakery in Oak Park, and they’re already celebrating its success. The bakery serves up flaky croissants, galettes, and a variety of other great pastries. There’s a particular interest in savory takes — think danish hot dogs (yes, they did just that) or heirloom tomato gilette — in addition to sweeter baked goods. Pro tip: get there early, as they’re bound to sell out quickly.
More info here.
13. Brine Oyster House Grosse Pointe Park
On Detroit’s eastern border, the vibrant entertainment district has embraced a New Orleans touch with Brine. The menu features freshly shucked oysters, seasonal seafood, and popular entrees like steak frites, burgers, and upscale fish sticks. And while Gulf oysters are notably absent, Brine captivates with a “seacuterie” cart navigating the dining room. Executive chef Gavin Russell curates a tempting selection of crudos, smoked shrimp, and tartares, adding tableside finishing touches.
14. Alpino Corktown
Located at the intersection of Bagley and Trumbull, Alpino occupies a historic cobblestone-fronted building that has previously housed various beloved restaurants. Founded by Michigan native and experienced New York restaurateur David Richter, it’s is a tribute to Alpine cultures and cuisines, with such menu highlights as tableside-melted raclette cheese, crispy wiener schnitzel, velvety spaetzle, and a well-curated wine selection spanning the Alpine regions from northern Italy to Slovenia.
More info here or at 313-524-0888.
15. Cadieux Cafe East English Village
Steeped in history as a Prohibition-era speakeasy, the Cadieux Cafe remains a vibrant social hub for Metro Detroit’s Belgian community. Offering a rich array of Belgian specialties, including feather bowling, steamed mussels, burgers, sandwiches, pommes frites, and an extensive selection of over three dozen Belgian beers alongside an extensive rotating bottle and draft selection. Since 1933, Cadieux has upheld these cherished traditions on the east side. Reservations for dinner are welcomed, while advance bookings for feather bowling lanes are available via phone or email.
16. The Rind Berkley
In 2023, Zach Berg and William Werner, the minds behind Mongers’ Provisions in downtown Berkley, expanded their offerings with the The Rind. Chef Will BeDell seamlessly weaves the incredible products from Mongers’ shelves into the menu here — tinned fish, nuts, cured meats, chocolates, and an abundance of cheese (even as a dessert!) take center stage. But the restaurant setting allows for an accessible selection of wines by the glass, and an impressive array of over 150 bottles. And if there’s something you really love, chances of it being available for purchase at the shop next door are high.
17. Secret Bakery Ferndale
What started as Maxwell Leonard’s hobby turned heads in in 2018, when people discreetly snagged fresh-baked loaves from his Hamtramck home. A few years later, whispers echoed again in Ferndale, but a neighbor’s report shuttered the clandestine bread haven. Fast-forward to 2023: Leonard emerged with a commercial space on Livernoise in Ferndale. A toasty aroma greets guests with every opening ring of the door. Alongside loaves and sweet pastries, the spot sporadically hosts collaborative pop-ups with local chefs, selling out in a flash. But, shhh. You didn’t hear any of this from us.
Find more info here.
18. Barda Woodbridge
Chef Javier Bardauil leads this modern parrilla, which in English translates to grill. He pays homage to his Argentinian and South American upbringing through the open-flame kitchen where throughout the night, stacks of chopped wood replenish the fire, meats and fish sizzle on the grill, while local vegetables are roasted and charred in the clay oven. A surprise favorite? The glazed beets, which undergo a trio of cooking techniques, and are then delicately sliced into petal-like forms, and don’t miss the broken pavlova, Bardauil’s spin on the meringue-based dessert. Pro tip: Thursdays bring a sizzling treat as the team fries up empanadas.
Call 313-952-5182 for more info.
19. Vecino Midtown Detroit
The new Modern Mexican restaurant on Third Street is run by Adriana Jimenez and Lukasz Wietrzynski, alongside executive chef Ricardo Mojica and head chef Stephanie Duran. The menu offers wood-fired specialities including fire-roasted cabbage, red snapper, pollo adobado, and bone-in ribeye. Cocktails lean heavily on agave-based spirits and a large selection of additive-free Tequilas and mezcals.
20. Leila Capitol Park
At this Lebanese-style restaurant in Capitol Park, kebab, tawook, and kafta are infused with a distinct char-grilled flavor from the charcoal grill. Named by Samy Eid in honor of his mother and the casual Sunday feasts his family would host, the focus here is on mezze — a series of small, shareable dishes that fill the table with a variety of flavors. The menu, featuring both hot and cold mezze, invites diners to shuffle plates and make room, adding to the lively and communal dining experience.
