Here are 10 must-see spots in Detroit. Let me tell you why. I hadn’t been to Detroit in like seven years. And as someone who travels all over the country and all over the world, there was a buzz and energy and a renowned sense of spirit that is better than most places. And definitely better than when I was here last time. New businesses, casinos, people, and, of course, a great mix of the classic and new restaurants. Any city that’s this walkable is vibrant, and there’s a real sense of ‘only here’ that makes it a place I love traveling to. Only a few days to explore, though, so let me know in the comments what spots I missed. And make sure to sub so you don’t miss one bite.
Videos coming soon from Toronto, Miami, Philly, and, of course, my hometown of New York City. Plus, check the link in the caption for the brand-new newsletter and podcast. Diving deeper into my meals, interviews, and news. Plus, new merch. Hello, egg-solid Sando teas. Eastern Market has been the beating heart of Detroit’s food scene for 150 years. You can find all kinds of local produce and products across 43 acres of stalls. But of course, I’m here for the prepared foods. First up, People’s Pierogi has a bunch of pierogis you can choose from, plus hot dogs and sausages, but I went with their breakfast sausage, egg, and cheese pierogi. Plus the special of the day, jalapeno and cheddar, with, of course, some sour cream and sauerkraut. Okay, these look awesome.
Oh, they smell good, that kraut smells good. So I got a breakfast with sausage, egg, and cheese, and I got a jalapeno cheddar, which is what she recommended. I don’t know which one’s which, so we’ll bite into it and find out. We’ll go to this one first. Ooh. That’s the jalapeno one. You’ve got that, not crazy heat, but certainly that little heat and the jalapeno flavor just like bursting through. Mmm. Oh, man. It’s so super crisp. Great texture. And then cheese and sour cream and dill, like, this is a great combo. Mmm. All right. Let’s try this one. I mean, obviously. classic combo, sausage, egg, and cheese. Because of the eggs, it’s a little drier than the jalapeno and cheese. But still, that frog is so good. But did you prefer the… I’ll be right back. No complaints. Thank you. Mmm, so, so good. Thank you. I’m done. Let’s grab something sweet. Right next door is Baby Bakery, and they have this mini cheesecake with chocolate chips and crushed nuts. You didn’t even see the cheesecake layer.
Wow, what I appreciate is that sometimes cheesecake can be a little bit too sweet for me, but the richness of the chocolate and those nuts balance out really, really nicely, and I like that added, like, crunch texture you’re getting from just loading it up with nuts. And finally, Shawarma stopped catering. Everything looked amazing. But I went with their loaded fries. It has garlic sauce, a special sauce, and then a choice of Shawarma on top. And I went with lamb. Let’s get a good bite. We forget everything. Mmm. I feel good with that bite. Mm. That garlic sauce is incredible. Still getting that lamb. The other sauce in there is a little sweet. And then, having a base of French fries, ugh. How could it get better? I love lamb.
It’s perfect for this, because that garlic is so strong. You need a meat with, like, a little more there. And lamb has that. Oh, man. Dude, I could go to town on this. No problem. The Brakeman is a craft beer hall in Detroit, and yeah, you can get your own beer tap table, but the food was so much better than it needed to be at a place with fun vibes like this, and that’s because it comes from Penny Red’s, which you can find in the back. Got their side wines or fries. Oh my god, this honey butter biscuit and god damn the fried chicken. I got it with their kimchi barbecue sauce and their good, tangy sauce.
Lafayette and American have sat next to each other for over a hundred years, each serving its version of the Detroit Coney Dog: a hot dog smothered in Coney sauce, then topped with Kenobi and chili, raw onions, and mustard. People love to argue which is best, but I let you guys decide on Instagram and ended up at Lafayette. I was nervous when I decided to eat this at 10 in the morning. Nice snap of that hot dog. It is loaded with onions. You need to be like, ‘Oh yeah,’ onions. I do love onions. I love raw onions. It could be overpowering. I’m here for it. I like that crunch. I like how creamy that chili is. It’s just like the simple warm spices of the chili. I like the mustard in there. And a bite of nostalgia sometimes tastes better than what would be like the technically greatest food of all time.
Iggy’s Eggies is this cute takeaway spot right in the middle of Detroit that lets you customize the perfect egg sandwich. So I went with an English muff with their jammy yolk egg and Iggy sauce. Plus, I added American cheese, sausage, mashed avocado, and a hash brown. That is all texture. You don’t have to get so loaded up. I went, maybe, a little crazy with it, but look at those layers. It is a thing of beauty. I mean. and the super crispy hash brown. Having that. Nice creamy avocado. Having a jammy yoke in there. And the melted American cheese, damn, it’s good, just like the jam in the middle. I can’t tell what the sauce is, with all that I’ve gotten there with the sausage, too.
It’s not coming through as much, but like this is always going to be amazing. Even that sausage has a nice little crisp, and it’s still really juicy. I’m satisfied. Hell yeah. While in Detroit, I went to the Little Caesars Arena to check out the Pistons and, of course, get some food. First up, from the homemade stand: the Detroit French Zip, with sliced roast beef, Swiss cheese, and zip sauce on ciabatta bread, with this jus on the side for dipping. The bread is really crusty, the meat is really tender, and you get just like even more intense meat flavor coming through things like little air, flat pepper, and cheese too. It’s actually like legitimately good. 313 Grill has this double smash with American cheese and caramelized onions.
Mmm. I really like the sweetness from those onions. Great layer of American cheese. Just that bit of char. Great levels of salt. Bun can be a bit better, but the flavor is coming through. Mmm. The little crisp. They got enough crisp on the edges. Thank you, Prince, of the Solid Fries. A little extra salt, but okay. Eggroll Diva is a food truck in the Detroit area, but they also have a stand in the arena. I got their Jamaican Jerk Chicken Eggroll: chicken, peppers, onions, cabbage, carrots, and Jerk Sauce, along with Ranch and their Sweet Chili Sauce on the side. Mmm. Whoa. Oh, dude. They warned me about that heat. How many of them have Sweet Chili Sauce? That brought it.
It’s already, like, in my eyes. Like, obviously, it has that sweetness, but there is chili heat there. And it’s like the warm spices. From the jerk chicken, perfect little vessel in the egg roll, kill that. I like the Rancho more because I’m sweating. I’m already sweating from that chili, sweet chili sauce. And from the coop, these massive chicken tenders and fries. I got that with honey mustard and some ranch. Yeah. Thank you. That chicken has crunch. It’s crazy juicy too. I’m between a ranch and a ham mustard. I’m normally a honey mustard kind of person. Ranch works with that chicken. I used pieces of tenders, and this was the norm. You could also get a bigger box. It’s not like an Asian spicy fried chicken sandwich I was looking into. Tenders have become a staple at these arenas, so we have to try that. Thank you. Mmm, good fries. Very much like that malty flavor coming through. Mmm. Thank you.
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