The Resy Hit List: Where In Detroit You’ll Want to Eat Right Now

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, the space serves as a neighborhood butcher shop. By night, it transforms into an intimate spot ideal for date-night, featuring dishes from less showcased cuts of meat. While not a typical steakhouse, Marrow still offers standard cuts of Michigan beef, along with tartare and dishes featuring its namesake ingredient. Chef de cuisine Eddie Moreau, with a background at Central Provisions in Portland, Maine, ensures the seafood is as stellar as the meat. Pro tip: Opt for the five-course family-style tasting at $90 per person.

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, chocolate, and an abundance of cheese take center stage. But the restaurant setting allows for a selection of wines by the glass, and an impressive cellar with 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. They also recently began hosting a three-course prix fixe for $55 every Wednesday.

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 have come to rely on, Clark’s initial impact can be most felt in the desserts — she 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.

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, while bursting with flavor.

More info here.

Chef Ki Hye Kim, a five-time James Beard semifinalist, showcases a garden variety of Korean-American dishes that highlight the bounty of Michigan produce. Expect classic dishes like bibimbap and ttekbokki, plus daily kimchi, and Korean fried tofu and chicken. The Kerrytown restaurant also fosters collaborations of all sorts, from chef-driven pop-ups to book readings and hands-on demonstrations and workshops.

At Sozai, you won’t just find your usual suspects like tempura and chicken karaage or typical maki rolls. That’s because chef Hajime Sato is on a mission to spread the gospel of sustainability in sushi, only featuring carefully sourced seafood like wild-caught albacore, sayori, and Florida pink shrimp. 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.

More info here.

Located on the Dearborn Hills golf course, this spot brings old-school vibes to the country club, along with a menu stacked with riffs on familiar favorites. It’s fully halal and guests can expect sticky lamb ribs, chipotle chicken bites, and a fish and chips sandwich layered with grouper, malt vinegar potato shreds, and a green remoulade sauce on housemade sourdough. There are plenty of other hand-held options too, and cocktails are quality and provide a touch of whimsy — like the Transfusion with Nicaraguan rum, cassis, Meletti, and ginger beer finished with a brûléed lime wheel.

Chef Ray Garrett’s menu at this award-winning seafood restaurant and oyster bar mirrors the area’s 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).

This small-yet-mighty wine bar (with just seven seats) is tucked in the back of the Siren Hotel. It’s a bar that takes its list very seriously, but not itself — think biodynamic wine, dirty martinis, porrons of Bud (if you’re into that), and late-night housemade ice cream. Nick Arone, a veteran of the beverage industry, is also making fluffy loaves of focaccia and layering it with buttery mortadella with pistachio pesto. There’s also small snacks, deep-pan Detroit-ish pizzas, and Underbergs poured over gelato.

No reservations. Find more info here.

Named for the blank page bookending a story, this independent bookstore is also a bistro and bar — a space Virginia Woolf might call a “room of one’s own” for book- and food-lovers alike. Grosse Pointe native Lindsay Scallen originally envisioned Flyleaf as a simple cafe for bibliophiles, but the concept evolved into a vibrant bistro as demand soared. Chef de cuisine Christina Soldano helms the kitchen, crafting a rotating seasonal menu that pairs perfectly with literary-themed cocktails and pastries from Le Rouge, a small local pastry shop in Grosse Pointe Park.

Wood-fired pizza, giant salads, and cocktails — all done with careful intention. At this spot, prep begins with grains that were grown on their privately-owned, cooperative Farm — Fox Hollow Farm in Metamora, MI — milled in-house on an Osttiroler grain mill and blended with a well-loved sourdough starter. The top-selling pizza is named after the farm and is loaded with red sauce, mozzarella, bacon, onion, and a fresh cracked Fox Hollow farm egg. Also look for farm-fresh vegetable dishes, seasonal soups, and riffs on classic apps.

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 regional specialties like steamed mussels, burgers, sandwiches, pommes frites, complete with feather bowling. Of course, there is an extensive selection of over three dozen Belgian beers alongside a rotating bottle and draft selection. Since 1933, Cadieux has upheld these cherished traditions on the east side. Reservations for dinner are encouraged, and advance bookings for feather bowling lanes are available via phone or email.

It’s easy to become transfixed by the inspirational tale of Baobab Fare founders Hamissi Mamba and Nadia Majimbere, the couple who landed in Detroit as refugees after fleeing violence and political instability in their home country of Burundi. In a few short years, the duo rallied the community with their 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 soon. Baobab has become the quintessential Detroit success story.

More info here.

What started as Maxwell Leonard’s hobby turned heads 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. Alongside loaves and sweet pastries, the spot sporadically hosts collaborative pop-ups with local chefs (that sell out in a flash). 

Find more info here.

This sandwich haven is located next to the Secret Bakery in Ferndale. Sandwich savants Michael Finsilver, Courtney Mcintosh, and team curate a small menu of rotating sandwiches, though the spicy mortadella, Clong turkey, and killer tofu have held their spots as signature staples. The rotation also includes a seasonal dip served with crackers, a salad highlighting current produce, a vegan or veggie-based soup, and bread sourced from Proof Bakery in Birmingham. It’s one of those sandwich shops where you enjoy half and roll up the rest for later. And while you wait, be sure to check out the small but mighty retail section or sip on a housemade carrot coconut chai.

Find more info here.

The new modern Mexican restaurant on Third Street is backed by a dream team: Run by Adriana Jimenez and Lukasz Wietrzynski alongside executive chef Ricardo Mojica and head chef Stephanie Duran, the group synthesizes their experiences in contemporary kitchens to showcase wood-fired specialities from Mexico City. The menu includes a thorough selection of seasonal tostadas, grilled vegetables, whole fish, and protein-powered entrees to share. Cocktails lean heavily on agave-based spirits and a large selection of small production Tequilas and mezcals.