Al’s Top Eats: 22 Must-Try Places in Greater Detroit!
1.) Hygrade Deli (3640 Michigan Ave, Detroit) “Detroit’s best reuben and coleslaw. Best damn corned beef, sliced heavenly thin, lovingly smushed between great sourdough rye bread. Always order mine with double meat and I always walk out stuffed.”
2.) Los Altos Taqueria (7056 W. Vernor Hwy, Detroit) “This is the best real deal Mexican food in Southwest Detroit. Taco’s sold by the thousands daily. Two taco lunch special with refried beans, onions & cilantro, on the cheap. Plus, some Grande Pozole stew (pronounced po-zo-ley), can’t go wrong. Always fast, friendly service with a smile.”
3.) Taqueria Mi Pubelo (7278 Dix St, Detroit) “One word: fantastic! Classic two meat plate with chorizo and beef heart. Huracahe topped with al pastor. Negra Modelo on tap. Grande Pozole soup with large chunks of pork butt and chick peas. See my photos, you’ll be hungry.”
4.) Mi Barrio Plaza (4865 Michigan Ave, Detroit) “Sort of camouflaged in a long storefront, this building is white in the front and green in the back. Only open Saturday’s and Sunday’s, this is an old school authentic Mexican market run by a family from Mexico City. They have stalls inside and you can watch them make tortillas fresh in the back on wooden presses called Hurache’s. They have the best goat meat. The husband kills the goat at home and brings it in. Also try the $1.00 flan and the mole.”
5.) Tacos El Primo (3700 Central St, Detroit) “This is a non-descript flea market warehouse near Central and John Kronk. There’s a taco trailer outside and a secret restaurant inside. You walk in, they have a table of salsas, radishes, cucumbers, etc., $1.50 tacos. The lady has a big copper pot full of lard. She rolls dough circles, drops it in the bubbling pot, 3mins each side, it browns, she takes it out, cuts it, stuffs it with Mexican chocolate, rolls it in cinnamon and powdered sugar, it’s $2.00 and it’s the best real churro you’ll ever have.”
6.) Sabina’s Polish Restaurant (3840 Oakwood, Melvindale) “Authentic Polish 100%. Sabina Koziel’s family are from Warsaw and they have a great dill pickle soup. They used to have a great duck blood soup (which goes great with an IPA by the way!) but they mysteriously took it off the menu. Make sure you try the Sweet Farmer’s Cheese Pierogi’s fried, stuffed cabbage, City Chicken, Polish combo plate, Farmers Cheese Nalesniki’s (aka: Polish crepes) topped with applesauce, sour cream and dusted with powdered sugar and the unique open-face Polish sandwich called the Zapiekani, one of the best sandwiches I’ve ever had.”
7.) Sheeba Yemeni Restaurant (10327 Dix Ave, Dearborn) “South Dearborn is Yementown, near the Ford Rouge Plant and there’s also a big enclave of Yemeni’s in Hamtramck. Yemeni food rules! Try the Lamb Haneeth, that’s slow-roasted lamb served with mandi (basmati) rice and get a cup of Adeni Tea, which is authentic Yemeni herbal tea.”
8.) Ishtar Iraqi Restaurant (3625 15 Mile rd, Sterling Heights) “There’s the Iraqi Mile in Warrendale on Warren Road between Southfield and Greenfield, which has 12 Iraqi businesses and delicious samoun bread. And there’s Ishar in Sterling Heights. Try the Iraqi Chicken Shawarma Samoun. And definitely get the Iraqi Kabob dinner, which comes with four kabobs. The Iraqi Kabob here mixes lamb with fat, they skewer it and you can watch the fat drip onto the coals below. It’s mouth-wateringly delicious.”
9.) Zenith’s Lunch (11295 W. Jefferson Ave, River Rouge) “A true Southern eating spot in Michigan. Excellent cast iron skillet cornbread, fried bologna sandwiches, Hillbilly steaks, pinto beans, pineapple upside down cake, etc. Most meals are under five bucks and fabulouso. Jackie ‘Dean’ Baker sure knows what she’s doing.”
10.) M Cantina (13215 Michigan Ave, Dearborn) “Halal Mexican spot run by the illimitable Junior Merino from Brooklyn, New York, everything here is phenomenal. Marinated shrimp tacos, filet mignon tacos, plantain chips (shaved thin, look like bacon almost), chicken tinga empanada, Cinco Leches Cake, etc.
Read Mark Kurlyandchik’s review, which I consider to be one of the best restaurant reviews of all-time”
Mark Kurlyandchik’s Review of M Cantina
11.) Kardashians Armenian Bakery and Grill (11330 Allen rd, Taylor) “Good wood-fired food here. Many Armenians were exiled from their country, they went to Lebanon then came to the USA. The owner’s dad is 2nd cousins with Bob Kardashian, who is the father of Kim. Hickory wood goes in the oven here, they wood-fire everything. This is true Armenian street food. Lahmadjoon is a blend of meat and spices made into a sort of thin personal size pizza. Arancini are fried arborio rice balls, Naples-styles, filled with creamy cheese and served with marinara. Just try everything.”
12.) Alcamo’s Italian Market (4423 Schaefer rd, Dearborn) “$5.00 subs and Arancini (Sicilian style rice balls) are out of this world. Best Italian sub in the area. Fresh flavorful meats, cheeses, sausages, olives. I’m here at least twice a month. Also try the wine, parsley sausage, Mici Romanian sausage, garlic butter. The breads, oils and olives section will blow you away.”
13.) Woodpile BBQ Shack (303 S. Main St, Clawson) “Big Bubba is the pitmaster at Woodpile BBQ. This is real Texas BBQ, folks, courtesy of Steve “Bubba” Coddington. They have the best beef brisket in the area. Fat is love, melts in your mouth. Beautiful bark, deep pink smoke ring, yeah we got a true boss on the smokers. You gotta risk it to get the brisket. Start with The Woodpile Sandwich (brisket, pulled pork, jalapeno cheddar sausage, candied bacon), then go from there.”
14.) Vince’s Italian Restaurant (1341 Springwells St, Detroit) “93yr old Mama is in the kitchen stirring sauce and they have one helluva Pizza Bread Beef Burger. Plus, great pizza and pastas from this family-run restaurant. Been going here since I was kid and I’ll be coming here ‘til I die.”
15.) Duly’s Place (5458 Vernor Hwy, Detroit) “Detroit’s #1 coney is right across from Holy Redeemer at a circa 1921 diner run by Albanian’s. If you’re Downtown, go for Lafayette over American. If you go to Duly’s, get a coney and use the restroom. To get to the restroom, you have to literally walk thru the kitchen. Best kept secret: Duly’s Mexican Omelet.”
16.) Tamaleria Nuevo Leon (2669 Vernor, Detroit) “John King Used & Rare Books is where you go when you want the best books. Tamaleria Nuevo Leon is where you go when you want the best tamales. Classic old school tamale shop, been going strong since 1957. Best tamales in Michigan. Cash only, funny dancing tamale logo and try the Spicy Pork Tamales.”
17.) Hungarian Rhapsody (14315 Northline rd, Southgate) “Phenomenal. Real Hungarian Goulash brought to your table inside a little mini cauldron! It comes with Palacsinta (pronounced ‘pala-chin-ta’) Hungarian crepes filled with warm apricots. Also try the Hungarian Paprika Hot Wings, Turos Teszta, Steak Budapest, Chicken Paprikash. It’s all good.”
18.) Fredi the Pizzaman’s Pizza & Pasta (17900 Allen rd, Melvindale) “Hidden gem in downtown Melvindale. Can’t go wrong with Fredi’s Goulash, it’s spicy and filling and the big slices of pepperoni pizza. Also, every week the owner Fredi Bello does a sports podcast called ‘Fredi’s Corner in the Pizza Cave’ from inside the restaurant!”
Fredi’s Corner in the Pizza Cave weekly podcast
http://www.blogtalkradio.com/ftpm
19.) Pupuseria y Restaurante Salvadoreno (3149 Livernois, Detroit) “Pupusa’s are thick, handmade corn tortilla’s stuffed with goodness. These are not the thin, floppy, assembly-line made tortilla’s you Taco Bell zombies are used to. Try the Jalapeno y Queso Papusa, that’s queso cheese and jalapeno papusa topped with Curtido, a spicy cabbage slaw. Get the Two Papusas with Rice and Beans Dinner.”
20.) Asty Time Dominican Cuisine (7340 McGraw, Detroit) “Monster restaurant! Owner started in his basement, now he has a restaurant. They make a dish called Mofongo n Camarones al Ajillo, that mean’s fried plantain and pork belly topped with garlic shrimp and a fantastic garlic butter sauce that will make you realize God exists.”
21.) Pollo Los Gallos (7135 Dix St, Detroit) “They use real lump charcoal here and you can get a pollos al carbon, that’s a whole chicken cooked over charcoal, for $12.00 dinner to go. Smoked low n’ slow over charcoal is the trick. The dinner includes a whole chicken, 12oz beans or rice, 10 tortillas, 6 half-ounce salsas, 4oz pickled onions with habanero peppers all for only $12.00! They also have goat soup and little plastic containers of $1.00 jello here.”
22.) La2 Mooshi Grill (7737 Wyoming, Dearborn) “Fantastic Lebanese-Brazilian mashup. This isn’t like those fake Brazilian Churrascaria chains. This is a real Lebanese-Brazilian chef who spent 19-years in Brazil honing his craft. The Brazilian Steak here is out of this world juicy and flavorful. Also, the best skewers of meat. Skewers of chicken tawook, sojuk, beef kebab and more.”
