10 Great Restaurants in Detroit

Selden Standard's claim to fame is that it helped kickstart Detroit's food scene when it opened in 2014. You can find New American cuisine served on small plates at this upscale eatery. The shareable dishes are made with locally sourced ingredients and cooked in a wood-fired oven.

There are several seating options here. To watch the chef in action, ask for a seat at the "Chef's Counter", which overlooks the kitchen’s oven and grill. The large communal table in Selden Standard's dining room is better suited if you're dining in a large group.

The Apparatus Room is an industrial-chic bar and restaurant in the Detroit Foundation Hotel. The sleek eatery serves dinner from Wednesdays to Sundays, brunch on weekends and coffee and to-go items from the Apparatus Cafe.

The dinner menu consists of local, fresh farm-to-table New American food, such as salads, soups, steaks, and pasta dishes. Complementing the menu are signature craft cocktails and Michigan-made draft beer. While the restaurant has a casual dress code, patrons tend to dress smart casual over the weekends or on weekday nights. Bookings are recommended.

Marrow is a neighbourhood butcher and restaurant in Detroit’s West Village. With a “let nothing go to waste” philosophy, the chefs work hard to find creative ways to incorporate offal cuts into their dishes, such as the stomach, heart, liver, tongue, and kidneys. The result? Intriguing plates like the grilled heart on skewers, thinly cut cured tongue served with creamy carrot butter and marrow bone with caramelised onion jam.

You can order the prix fixe dinner menu or a la carte, both of which include pescatarian and vegetarian options. The 80-seater restaurant includes a 10-seat bar facing the open kitchen, allowing you to watch all the action.

Pegasus Taverna has been dishing out traditional Greek cuisine in a relaxed atmosphere for over 20 years. You can find authentic dishes such as moussaka, stuffed grape leaves, lamb chops, plus sweet and flaky baked goods. Many of the options are suitable for vegetarians, making the restaurant an ideal place for any group looking to dine together.

You can pick up your favourite Greek cheeses, souvenirs, and pastries at the deli counter to take home with you. The restaurant is aptly located in Greektown in Metro Detroit, near the Greektown Casino and the Detroit Riverwalk. It opens until late on Friday and Saturday nights, so pull in to wrap up your night with a delicious midnight meal.

Chartreuse Kitchen & Cocktails is an award-winning, seasonal farm-to-table restaurant in Midtown Detroit, next to the Wayne State University. The menu changes depending on which fresh local ingredients the chef and restaurateur can source that season. But freshly baked bread, vegetable risotto, shepherd’s pie, grass-fed rib eye, and smoked salmon pasta are some examples of what you can expect here.

The green-painted dining space is warm and welcoming. You can head to the cocktail bar if you don’t feel like sitting down for a big meal. It’s a great place to enjoy snacks and drinks in a lively and unpretentious vibe. Table bookings are essential, especially for Saturday evenings.

Grey Ghost is a restaurant and cocktail bar between Midtown and Brush Park Historic District. The swanky eatery’s locally sourced meats and creative cocktail, beer, and wine lists keep the crowds coming. The menu focuses on elevated New American and European cuisine. You can find calamari, pork chops, oysters, steaks, and a handful of vegetable dishes, among other options.

Close to all the main attractions in the area, Grey Ghost is an excellent place for dinner and cocktails after a day of sightseeing. The hip restaurant is usually buzzing on the weekends. If you can’t get a table, there’s plenty of standing room and space at the bar.

Takoi started as a food truck in 2014 and has since become a must-eat destination in Detroit. From the outside, the restaurant looks like an ordinary building. But step inside, and you’re treated to pulsing music, an open-kitchen concept, and bright neon lights.

Lovers of Southeast Asian cuisine will find the restaurant’s creative offerings impressive. Many dishes on the menu are shareable Thai plates, such as the khao soi (coconut curry noodle soup) and crispy spareribs. You can also order fusion plates like the smoked duck ramen, fried chicken sandwich, and oyster mushroom sour curry.

El Asador Steakhouse in Southwest Detroit is a casual spot serving authentic and flavourful Mexican food with international influences. Alongside favourites like tacos, mole, and enchiladas, you can find cazuela de mariscos (Colombian seafood casserole) and rib-eye steak topped with Poblano pepper green sauce.

Everything on the menu is made from scratch using fresh, local ingredients. Bookings are essential, especially for groups of 4 or more. El Asador doesn’t serve alcohol, but you are welcome to bring your own beer or wine.

Flowers of Vietnam is located in the former Vernor Coney Island space in Mexican Town, a few miles west of Downtown Detroit. The former pop-up-turned full-service restaurant serves traditional and modern Vietnamese cuisine. The menu changes regularly, but you can typically find pork, shrimp and tofu rice dishes, signature meat platters, and caramel chicken wings.

The modern menu is complemented with creative cocktails, such as vodka, jasmine tea, prickly pear, and lemon. Service is friendly but can be a little slow on busy nights. Bookings are recommended on weekend nights.

Voyager is a sophisticated yet casual bistro in the neighbourhood of Ferndale in the Northern Detroit metro area. The eatery serves fresh seafood plates, creative cocktails, and wine in a small, intimate, and cosy setting.

Although the seasonal menu changes throughout the year to reflect which seafood is the freshest, the restaurant always serves oysters, crab, and lobster. Happy hour takes place from Tuesdays to Fridays, between 4 pm and 6 pm. The service is friendly and attentive. Voyager is a popular spot, so bookings are essential.