City Guide: Detroit
“Detroit is one of those places that you either get or you don’t,” says restaurant critic Lyndsay C. Green. “My friend once said ‘Detroit has soul,’ and that’s always stuck with me.” Lyndsay’s husband grew up in Detroit, and she fell in love with Motor City while visiting his family. In 2017, the couple made Detroit home; she’s since written extensively about the city’s food scene. Here, Lyndsay talks about famous chili dogs, a bar where dancing spills into the street, and fun things to do even when it’s freezing…
Our guide, Lyndsay C. Green
WHERE TO EAT
Detroit-style pizza is square, and deep but not Chicago deep. The sauce is on top of the cheese, but the cheese also goes over the side, giving it this crispy, lacy edge. The popular spots are Jet’s and Buddy’s. Personally, I really like Grandma Bob’s. (For vegans, It’s Food does Detroit-style vegan pizza pop-ups.)
Detroit-style pizza at Grandma Bob’s
Every Detroiter has their favorite branch of Coney Island, but the two most famous — Lafayette and American — are both over 100 years old and right next to one another. Go for a Coney, which is a hot dog with chili, mustard and onions.
Baobab Fare is an East African restaurant with a small but really good menu. They’ve been nominated for multiple James Beard awards, but remain relatively affordable.
Some of my favorite desserts in Detroit are: the chocolate chip cookies at an underground speakeasy called The Upright (sometimes I just go there for the cookie and don’t even have a drink), the peach cobbler cookie at Good Cakes and Bakes, and The Red Hook’s oatmeal raisin cookie.
The peach cobbler cookie at Good Cakes and Bakes, one of Detroit’s most beloved bakeries
Every year, the Detroit Free Press names a restaurant of the year. Our 2024 pick was Alpino, which has delicious fondue, homemade pastas, and other dishes from the Alpine region. Even though it’s a higher end restaurant, it still feels relaxed and comfortable. Mexican restaurant Vecino was our pick for 2025, and in 2023 it was Ladder 4, a wine bar in a former firehouse. In the summer, the chef makes the best sliders, and it’s so nice to have one on the patio with a glass of wine.
Ladder 4
WHERE TO HANG
Paramita Sound is a tiny Black-owned bar and record shop, where DJs from Detroit and out of town perform regularly. You’ll find everybody in there with a drink doing the hustle. Dancing spills out into the street, and it’s just so special and fun.
A lot of the things people visit Detroit for — like the museums and restaurants — are still enjoyable when it’s really cold out. The Detroit Institute of Art (DIA) is a great — and huge — museum. One of their big pieces is Mexican artist Diego Rivera’s ‘Detroit Industry’ fresco, which covers four big walls. Nearby is the Charles H. Wright Museum, which focuses on African American history. It’s really cool that we have something like that in this city. And I’m waiting for my baby to be a bit older to take him to the Michigan Science Center, which is very popular with kids.
Diego Rivera’s murals at the DIA
Eastern Market is over 100 years old. I shop there for farmers’ produce and groceries, but it’s not just a market, it’s an experience. There’s a blueberry farmer that everyone knows, plus meats, cheeses, and prepared foods, like pierogis. There’s not necessarily a seating area, but there are a couple little areas where you could pop a squat. Also, Bert’s Market Place, across the street, grills out during the summer. So, you can visit the market, then go to Bert’s and have a hot sausage, while you listen to live music.
Definitely go to Belle Isle, which was initially designed by Frederick Law Olmsted of Central Park fame. It’s an island on the Detroit River, where you can rent bikes or boats. America’s oldest aquarium (free admission) is there, too, and offers free admission. Sometimes I love to just walk along the river. The views of the skyline are beautiful.
The Belle Isle Aquarium
WHERE TO SHOP
Janet Webster Jones, the octogenarian owner of Source Bookstores
Two bookstores I love: Source Booksellers and Next Chapter Books. If you want to relax, Vesper Books & Wine is also wonderful, and it’s very close to Periodicals, a cool spot for indie magazines.
Faircloth boutique is a good spot for colorful statement pieces, and nearby Eugenie curates sustainable apparel, shoes and jewelry. For vintage, I really like the stuff at Flamingo. Also, check out Boro or the Velvet Tower.
Eugenie
It’s always fun to pop into Shinola Detroit’s Canfield store. There’s a nice coffee shop at the entrance, so even if you don’t walk away with a new watch, you won’t leave empty handed. Across the street, City Bird has a cute selection of plants, children’s books, kitchenware and other knickknacks. I always find myself there during the holidays.
WHERE TO STAY
One style of room at the Siren hotel has bunkbeds for “friends on an adventure” or “kids with parents across the hall.”
Corktown is the oldest neighborhood in Detroit; it’s really charming. For hotels there, check out Trumbull & Porter or the Godfrey, which is where people ended up staying when I had my baby shower.
Detroit also has a number of cool hotels with great in-house restaurants or bars. The Shinola Hotel has San Morello, and the Detroit Foundation Hotel, in an old fire station, has The Apparatus Room. The Siren is so pretty I sometimes work in the lobby when I’m downtown, and they have Candy Bar, one of Detroit’s more famous cocktail bars.
Thank you so much for sharing your Detroit with us, Lyndsay. Detroiters out there, what else would you add to the list?
P.S. More Cup of Jo city guides, and the #1 trick to enjoying family travel.
(Top photo by Kahari King/Unsplash.)
Comments
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More of these! I love the city guide posts and use them so much for traveling! Anyone else remember the Design Sponge City Guides? They were so so good too!
Thank you!! I just moved back to Michigan (I grew up here) from Chicago and am working in downtown Detroit. All of these spots are going on my “to-visit” list. :)
Hi Jo! I’d love to do a city guide for Mexico City! I actually already have one up on my Substack (CDMX, my love – https://justmyangst.substack.com/p/cdmx-my-love), but it would be so fun to revisit it with fresh eyes — find new spots, play tourist in my own city, and report back the best findings.
I would love to read this!! I hope it happens :)
Love seeing Detroit! Does that mean Cleveland is on the list?
Yes Cleveland should be on the list!
Freya, for the best unpretentious tasting menu.
This is a good guide. Some friendly additions: Fancy dinner in a mansion- The Whitney Sexy speakeasy- Jacoby’s Senegalese food- Maty’s Coffee shop with a cool vibe and drinks and music on weekends- Rosa Biggest and Best deli sandwiches- Rocco’s For the literary types- 27th Letter Best place for a picnic- Detroit Riverwalk
a question for cool people from detroit: is there a fun place to go dancing that is for the 30+ crowd? i like current music (i lived through the 2000s and 2010s and have no need to relive them; thanks!), but i live in ann arbor where all the places to go are for college students.
Spot Lite is so fun for dancing!! https://www.spotlitedetroit.com/ I’m in my late 40’s. We went dancing there for my birthday. We go there right when it opened and were one of the first groups dancing, but it filled up quickly and we felt quite hip when we left before midnight and got to walk past the much younger, much hipper folks waiting in a LOOONNNNNGGGGG line to get in. It was very fun.
Love most of these spots! BUT…… The cover pic is so old! The river walk looks so much different these days. That area has paths up the hill now and fields of wild flowers. It’s so beautiful and has been wonderful seeing it develop over the years. Also did she mention the Oudolf garden? One of my favorite places for sure at any time of year.
Big yes to Grandma Bobs & Ladder 4! Also check out Kiesling (cocktail bar), Oak & Reel (Italian) and Coriander (canal-side farm to table). Gems!
This makes me so so so happy!!! As a Detroit resident I’ve been to lots of these (and I’m so thrilled to see my favorite Next Chapter Books called it) but I will be using this post as my summer bucket list. Thank you!
I love this guide! As a Cleveland girl, I deeply appreciate positive pieces about midwestern industrial cities which are so often under-appreciated, overlooked and misunderstood. Detroit, I will see you this summer!
Yes! Fellow Cleveland girl with a brother and his family in Detroit and I loved seeing this
OMG same! former detroiter, current clevelander, totally love this post!
Love all these recommendations, in both the OP and the comments. Just wanted to add a couple of things not mentioned: The Detroit Historical Museum is a very short walk from the DIA, and it has a wonderful permanent exhibit exploring the 1967 Uprising. https://www.detroithistorical.org/exhibitions/detroit-67-perspectives It is a wonderful museum, with quality permanent and rotating exhibits, but I think this one in particular is unique, important, and specific. Also there are so many murals in the city! https://ace.detroitmi.gov/mural-map Don’t miss any work by Sydney G James! Her pieces are incredible.
So great to see the love for Detroit! My whole family is from there (everyone went to U of M) and I grew up going to visit relatives (my parents moved to the Bay Area before I was born) in the ‘burbs (West Bloomfield, Farmington Hills), but my grandparents would sometimes take me downtown for dinner and show. I hadn’t been back to downtown until a cousin’s wedding in 2018 and it was amazing to see how much it had changed. The rehearsal dinner was at a restaurant in Greektown and when we came out it felt like we were in Vegas or New Orleans—tons of 20-somethings (the young women wearing practically nothing) lined up for the clubs. My husband and I are heading back in November for another cousin’s wedding so this guide is wonderful to have. We had brunch at Dime Store last time (highly recommend) and of course hotdogs at Coney Island (Lafayette). Looking forward to checking out some of these recs. Thank you, Lyndsay!
Yesssss! Love this!!! Keep the city guides coming
This is perfect timing because my husband and I are about to visit Detroit for the third time at the end of the month. My recs would be Mudgies for sandwiches, Supergeil in Corktown for an amazing meal, and Motor City Wine on a Friday night if No Boundaries Quartet are playing. Also love Honest John’s in Midtown for a basic but delicious breakfast. Looking forward to trying some of the spots on Lyndsay’s list this time around.
I moved to Detroit (well, technically Dearborn) three months ago and I LOVE IT! I’m going to try all the places noted in the original article here (thank you Lyndsay!), and in the comments. Detroit’s community spirit and pride is like no other places I’ve lived, and is a great place to be if you love the arts of any kind. I’m really into fibre arts and am happily finding community in various knitting, crocheting, mending and fashion upcycling groups here. And the music and festival scene is amazing! I love Spotlight (coffee shop/gallery/record store by day, club at night) and the Congregation, Flo’s Boutique in midtown, the vegan ice cream at The Cold Truth on Cass. There is so much to see, do and discover here, and the people are so freaking friendly. If anyone is interested in a Detroit area Cup of Jo followers meet-up, I’d be happy to host or coordinate! I’d love to make more friends here, especially anyone who’s up for going dancing!
Hi Justine, I come to Detroit once a month and I am interested!
Checking in from Ann Arbor! Would love a meet up.
I’m also in Ann Arbor & work in Detroit!
Yes please! Count me in!
dearborn is my favorite! lived there for awhile in 2008.
Now I’m convinced I need to go to Detroit asap! I love reading about people’s passion for the places they call home.
I love this! I grew up in Canada about on hour from the Windsor-Detroit border, and we’d cross there occasionally to shop or for a US road-trip, but I never knew how cool Detroit was until more recently. Now my husband occasionally flies out of Detroit for work, and we always try to arrange it so that I drive him to the airport and we have an extra day to explore the city together before he leaves. We’ve had amazing food, been to the coolest stores, and gotten fantastic last-minute tickets to great music and comedy. I can’t wait to show him this list and to put it to use!
I love this! Both my parents grew up in Detroit in the 50s-60s, before migrating over to MN, so I have lots of affection for Detroit. When we would visit family, my dad would drive us around their old neighborhood, and it wasn’t easy to see, it was very sad, lots of boarded up houses and vacant lots. It’s been a while since I’ve been there, and every time I hear about Detroit it’s always about how great it is again, so I’m thrilled! Looks like I need to get back there, stat!
I have cousins who live near Detroit, and we have had family meetups there… what a fun city. Another amazing place to eat is SheWolf Pastificio & Bar on Sheldon St. The Aporel These Years Spritz is one of the best drinks I have ever had…highly recommend!
SheWolf is amazing – never disappoints!
SOOO happy to see my hometown featured!! It’s such an underrated foodie paradise and there’s always something going on downtown. Eastern Market on Saturday mornings followed by breakfast/brunch is unmatched, and the DIA is a top ranked museum in the US.
If you can pop over to Dearborn, I’d also really recommend The Henry Ford Museum & Greenfield Village! It’s actually two museums, but you could get a ticket to both (or one). I love them both, and it’s worth the trip. I was born in Detroit but grew up in Ann Arbor, and every so often we would feel the pull, so we’d make our way over for the Detroit Institute of Art, a show at the Fox or Joe Louis Arena (sigh, it’s gone now), or a Tigers game, or a coney at American (see, we really do all have our preference), or Sister Pie (seriously – go get some pie). We could get Jet’s closer to home, but sometimes that would tide us over. It’s a beautiful city, and there are so many folks working to get it back to the place it was.
Sister Pie recently (temporarily?) closed :/
Marie, looks like it’s a planned hiatus https://www.sisterpie.com/interlude
Looks like Sister Pie is closing the regular store, but will start doing pop-ups: https://www.reddit.com/r/Detroit/comments/1kxfs1o/sister_pie_is_closing/
Seconding the Greenfield Village recommendation. I grew up going as a kid multiple times a year. It’s so cool walking through all the historical houses, riding the old carousel, and eating at an old tavern! I brought my kiddo there recently (she’s 3) and was amped that she could walk around going into houses at random! It’s a great place for kids. You can easily spend a day there.
This is so fun! Can you do one about Seattle? I recently moved to Seattle and have no idea what to do here. I’ve heard there are cool boutiques to shop for clothing and jewelry, and amazing restaurants, but I don’t know where to start. Googling it hasn’t been very helpful. A guide like this with the lovely curated taste of Cup of Jo would be amazing. Thanks!
we did one a while back, but we should do an updated one! https://cupofjo.com/2016/06/21/best-things-to-do-seattle/
We visited Seattle last year and used the Cup of Jo post as a guide! Here are the activities we all loved: -Go to a Mariners Game -Stopped by Bakery Nouveau and drove to Gas Works Park. We enjoyed our our Bakery Nouveau sandwiches and croissants while watching the sea planes land. -Waited in long a$$ line at The Flour Box (totally worth the wait! Go early!) – Headed to Alki Beach and had dinner at Harry’s Beach House. We then hung out at Alki Beach. We drove to Molly Moon’s Ice Cream shop. We got an ice cream flight.
For boutiques, walk around Ballard and Queen Anne. Seattle is built around all its natural landmarks, so let that be your guide. Within the city limits, try the lakes (Green Lake, Gas Works Park on Lake Union, kayak from Agua Verde). Check out things along the Sound (Ballard locks, West Seattle water taxi, Discovery park). Do all the islands (Bainbridge, Whidbey, San Juans), preferably by ferry. Go into the mountains (Leavenworth, Methow Valley).
For anyone moving/traveling anywhere, Reddit is your friend. It’s my #1 for planning a trip.
My mom and I went to Detroit in 2022, and it was amazing! We went mainly for the incredible art museum but also the food! We ate at Savannah Blue the first night, and I had the best blackeyed pea hummus of my life. The chef would not tell us the recipe though… My favorite restaurant we went to was Grey Ghost. Everything was phenomenal: the service, the food, the presentation. That is probably in my top five favorite restaurant experiences ever. Also, for all the book lovers, you have to visit John K. King Books. It is four floors of books! They give you a map when you go inside. There were several books that I remember not buying, and I wish I had!
My partner is from Birmingham and his parents still live close by. When we visit John K. King is at the top of the list! I could spend hours!
Yay, yay, yay, a City Guide! I love these so much and have missed them! And Lyndsay’s ideas make me want to visit the city so much!
My dad fell in love with Detroit style pizza from Via 313 visiting us in Austin. He makes it regularly now using the King Arthur recipe and pans from Lloyd’s pans. I make it gluten free with 90% Caputo Fiorglut and 10% quinoa flour.
Last fall I was in Detroit for a long weekend for a reunion with friends. I got to the city a few hours before everyone else and went to The Schvitz, a bathhouse with two saunas and pool. It was perfect…such a relaxing couple of hours. It would also be a lot of fun with friends too, especially on a cold winter day! https://schvitzdetroit.com/
Love seeing this fascinating city highlighted here! Lyndsay’s comment about getting it or not getting it is so right on. I had not been in 20+ years but went back with the kiddos 2 years ago, and I’m telling you, we got it! Our five days were not enough! Lyndsay’s recs make me want to go back even more! The DIA and Charles H. Wright museums are essential stops in my mind. The Fox Theatre, Detroit Symphony Orchestra, and the Detroit Opera…even if you just take time to step foot in the buildings, these are amazing, vibrant cultural institutions that have fought to stay alive and relevant in the downtown area. Lastly, I recommend doing the Ford Rouge factory tour. It’s a rare opportunity to see modern manufacturing and assembly lines live and in person. We took our teenagers two years ago and had a hard time tearing them away. Our tour guides were former Ford employees/retirees – full of so many positive things to say I had to marvel, and wonder if they were required to memorize a script! But they also answered our many questions and shared perspectives from their long careers in the company which were just fascinating.
…makes me want a hot dog…real bad -Jennifer Coolidge
Yessss!! Bringing back the city guides!
Yes to Grandma Bob’s! The lobster roll pizza is to die for! And the Belle Isle conservatory is now open after an extensive renovation. Also be sure to walk around Michigan Central Station! It has so much history and even if you don’t take a guided tour there are a lot of photos and artifacts on display! And for bookstores – John King!!
Detroit is an amazing city! A few other recs I have, some I see echoed by other commenters: – The bar up the elevator at the Renaissance Center – Dime Store (brunch spot) – BonBonBon (handcrafted chocolate truffles) – Slows BBQ – Sister Pie – Sfumato/Castalia (parfumerie by day, cocktail bar by night!)
What a lovely surprise to see this post this morning. I have been a resident of Detroit for the last 8 years (plus for about a decade in the ‘90’s). There are so many great things to do, see and eat in this city, but what makes it really special are the people! Detroiters really are the best.
They really are!
What a delight to read a new city guide! Thank you for sharing this wonderful city.
I love this! I grew up in. Detroit suburb (NOT one of the fancy ones, LOL) and we used to go there from time to time as kids in the 1970s and 80s but I never really felt like I spent enough time there to know the city or be able to find my way around. So many of my neighbors growing up were first generation of their family moving out of the city and to the burbs. Usually when we go home it is a whirlwind of trying to see family, but this is a good reminder to try to fit in a visit to this great city!
No mention of the Heidelberg Project?!
ohhh i’m so glad to see this series is (hopefully) back!!! we were contemplating a quick detroit trip with our kids this summer (driving in from cleveland) so this timing is impeccable.
I love a good city guide! Thank you for this.
it’s 6am and now I want a hot dog lol
SAME. A dog and peach cobbler cookie!
hahahahaha
While working on this travel guide, I found myself constantly craving hot dogs.
Love this! I’m from Ann Arbor but have always loved Detroit. I met my Scottish husband there- we fell in love with the people and the culture. We even decided to get married there in one of the beautiful old churches (of which there are many!) and had our reception in the old Casino building on Belle Isle (before it was cool to do so!). Detroit will always hold a special place in my heart. We live in Scotland now but have Detroit memorabilia everywhere in the house- from Pewabic pottery to Lions gear!
Bookmarking this guide for the next time we visit family in Michigan! We normally head west to the lakes or stay in the middle of the state near family but I will definitely try to carve out some time for Detroit on our next visit.
THE PIZZA!!! Mouth watering. If you live in LA and crave that Detroit pizza, we love De La Nona in DTLA. The best atmosphere and food.
Pewabic Tile is a must-see if you’re interested hand-crafted art-moderne (?? I think!) pottery and tiles. Such an interesting studio, with history, and offering classes, etc. I have not been there for years, but I know there had been a movement to provide tours of the incredible downtown architecture that can be missed while on a quick drive-through. I need to go back!!
I stopped at Pewabic when I was in Detroit last year and fell in love with their pottery. Ended up buying some of their beautiful house number tiles for my new home. I love looking at them every day!
A play of mine was just presented at the Detroit Public Theatre – they are an amazing cultural institution and well worth a visit if you are in town!
Well that’s COOL!
That’s amazing. Congrats, Emily, and thanks for the tip!
I’m so happy to see Detroit feature in CoJ. I moved here from Mexico 12 years ago and I have seen the incredible resurrection of they city. It’s vibrant, unique and unapologetic. Additional recommendation is to stroll through Indian Village, a beautiful historical neighborhood or bike along the Dequindre Cut, a reclaim unused train tracks. Make a stop at Warda patisserie, James Bead winner, or have a drink in my favorite unassuming bar, Time will Tell.
Thank you Lyndsay! Please tell me that there will be more of these guides coming!!
Yes!!! Coming up soon: Marseilles! And please let us know what other cities you’d like to hear about xoxo
Dublin!!
Plug for Flagstaff AZ! My hometown is higher than Denver so they train Olympians here. It is also where they train astronauts for moonwalks. My kids play among ponderosa pines and igneous rocks and we see pueblos and cliff dwellings built 1000 years ago on the weekends. We got great pizza and a summer Shakespeare troupe. Pluto was discovered here. It’s on Route 66. We have 3 walkable neighborhoods (we walk to coffee, dentist, PT, school, hairdresser, breweries, and friends here in Sunnyside). The art scene is alive and well. Please do Flag!
If anyone is interested in Milwaukee, I volunteer to write it!
Marseilles, nice! And so many other cities: Bangkok! Delhi, Mumbai! Helsinki! Tokyo, Kyoto! Zurich! Thank you
Wildly enthusiastic about this new series!
Baltimore!!
OMGosh Joanna my husband is from Marseille!!! We live in Vegas but I’m currently in France with my daughter for the summer. We’re staying at my in-laws who live in Carry le Rouet…about 20 from Marseille. Can’t wait to see what you write about one of our favorite cities!!!
oh wow, missy, that is so awesome! xoxo
Whitney, I would love to hear about Milwaukee! Other cities….. Cincinnati, Washington DC, Baltimore, Philly, Chicago, Louisville KY.
Yesss to Detroit love! My family is from Detroit but we live on the other side of the mitten in Grand Rapids. We visit Detroit regularly and love Belle Isle, the DIA (seriously, I could spend hours just in the Diego Rivera room),and shows at the Fox and the Fillmore – going to see the Pixies there with the kids in July! I second Trumbull and Porter, and if you’re staying there, you should have brunch or lunch at Mudgie’s (especially good for vegetarian friends :)
Thank you for this – I lived in the Detroit area for a while as a kid and have great memories of having city adventures with my family. It’s such a great place! Also just for anyone who is interested in Detroit but hasn’t spent much time in Michigan – the whole state is filled with gems. Ann Arbor, Traverse City, the eastern coast of Lake Michigan, the UP, etc.
Woot – so fun to see Detroit featured! If you like to tour interesting and/or historical buildings, there are a ton you can go in around downtown Detroit. The Masonic Temple (www.themasonic.com – keep checking the calendar, the tour dates pop up kind of randomly), the Guardian Building (tourdetroit.com/tour/insiders-guardian-building-tour), the Fisher Building (www.eventbrite.com/o/pure-detroit-3623406533) which houses my favorite women’s shop of all time, The Peacock Room (www.shoppeacockroom.com – there are four different shops in various locations, but the Fisher building has my two favorites), Michigan Central Train Station (www.detroithistorytours.com/michigan-central-tours), the Opera House (detroitopera.org/detroit-opera-house-tours), Fox Theatre (www.foxtheatre.org/events/tour-tickets), the Fisher Mansion (www.iskcondetroit.com/temple-tours/ – quirky, but worth experiencing), Pewabic Pottery Museum and Fabrication Facility (www.pewabic.org/pages/tour-hands-on-workshop), the Edsel and Eleanor Ford House (www.fordhouse.org/ – a little farther afield), etc. I could go on and on! One of my favorite tour companies is Detroit History Tours (www.detroithistorytours.com/shop). Detroit Preservation also does some great tours (preservationdetroit.org/preservationdetroittours), and the Detroit Historical Society has amazing behind the scenes tours (www.detroithistorical.org/events – you need to be a member and they sell out fast, but worth it if you can snag some tickets). Detroit also has some canals, and you can kayak them (www.detroitriversports.com/public-kayak-tours)!
I would add the patisserie,Warda. It’s across and down the street from Red Hook. Go to both! So good! And the little donut shop & gift shop inside the Michigan Central Station. Bryan Cranston was there yesterday! It was in the Detroit Free Press today! Thanks for this! It’s an awesome tour guide!
I second Warda as well as Sister Pie, BonBonBon, and Slow’s BBQ. One cannot go wrong at Warda though, especially if you add the mint tea!! Also, there is a memorial to the Underground Railroad at the riverfront. It was the last stop before people left for Canada!!
I’ve only been to Detroit once, driving through, but my husband and I had dinner at Flowers of Vietnam and it remains one of the best meals of both of our lives!
I live a few hours east of Detroit and we took the train last summer to visit. While it’s not a walkable or transit-oriented city, you can get by without a car for a few days. The trick to enjoying yourself is looking up: because the city paused in its growth, there are so many beautiful buildings that have been preserved. If anyone is interested, I have a round up of some of the architecture in an old Instagram highlight: https://www.instagram.com/s/aGlnaGxpZ2h0OjE4MDU1Mzc4NjU0Nzc5Mjg0?igsh=MXhsZncwbDc5aGpxaA==
Thanks for the great photo tour, Kate! As a former Ann Arbor resident, really enjoyed it
What a great guide! Last time I was in Detroit, I also loved the rosemary shortbread cookies from Sister Pie.
Yes Sister Pie!! I was jumping on to add that rec too! They’re a cheerful and heartwarming bakery a little ways out from downtown. They have a fantastic mission, very women help women, and create the most mouthwatering and inventive pies and cookies! Salted Maple Pie? Cardamom Tahini Squash Pie? Juniper Olive Shortbread? I mean…. sheesh. Looks like they’ll have a table at Eastern Market this summer, so keep an eye out!
Looks like Sister Pie is closing the regular shop and will start doing pop-ups: %3Fwidth%3D1284%26format%3Dpjpg%26auto%3Dwebp%26s%3D27d65f66352e4ec2cab4c65725fb60719d672de4
Looks like Sister Pie is closing the regular shop and will start doing pop-ups: https://www.reddit.com/r/Detroit/comments/1kxfs1o/sister_pie_is_closing/
Buddy’s all the way! And I second the comment about Beirut. You can’t go to metro Detroit and not eat Lebanese food. My parents and grandparents were born and bred in Detroit and I grew up in the suburbs. Love to see this!
I looooove seeing Detroit get some love! I don’t live there now, but grew up there and spent a few additional years there after college. Pie Sci has my favorite pizza in the city with delicious vegan and gf options: https://piescipizza.com/ And, not technically in Detroit but in Ferndale (which is right outside of it), is my favorite comedy club! It’s probably what I miss the most about the area. I recommend their all-star improv showdowns: https://www.gocomedy.net/
Love this guide! You’re making me want to visit again. My son and I had a great visit years ago and really loved the Motown Museum — we talk about it frequently!
Love the Motown Museum!
John K King Used and Rate Books is legendary— 4 floors of books on every conceivable topic. The people who work there have magically encyclopedic memories too; whatever your most niche interest, they’ve heard of it and can locate a book to suit your fancy. I think it would be a fun way to explore interests on a date. ALSO Detroit has over 2,000 urban community gardens!! They’re a beautiful source of community and a hopeful movement toward food equity.
Yay!!!! I missed these city guides and am so interested in visiting Detroit. My parents grew up there and my grandma lived there until 1999, but I havent been back since she moved I’d love to get there for movement but also just to do every thing on this list and enjoy Detroit. Can’t wait to see what else folks add to this excellent roundup!
Might I add a lunch stop on your way to/from the Detroit airport? Beirut Restaurant is this cozy Lebanese place that will BLOW YOUR MIND.
We do this but with Yemeni Cafe in Hamtramck, which is unbelievably good.
YES! to the Yemeni Cafe – the food is soooooo good!
Detroit has been on my bucket list for a long time, and this only makes me want to visit more! And oh my god, could Lyndsay be any more beautiful??
Okay, sports fans are maybe not this site’s target audience, but I feel like there’s some Detroit Lions pride that’s missing here! The vibe in Michigan has changed a lot since the Lions got good :)
I noticed the vibe shift last year when I went home to the Detroit suburbs for Christmas! It was unexpected in the very best way a so fun to witness!
I loooove this guide, and I’d add: take the glass elevator (facing outward) in the Renaissance Center — it goes up to the 72nd floor, which is taller than all the surrounding buildings, so it feels like you’re going to fly out the top. You can get a drink at the restaurant at the top. Here’s a little video of the elevator: https://youtu.be/y0JTnwxcgkw?si=UGaIadF828dXscf1&t=72 Also, the Motown Museum is AMAZING, although it’s currently under expansion and supposed to open October 2026. One of the most magical museums I’ve ever been to; they give you a tour and tell behind-the-scenes stories while playing all the incredible music. SO cool: https://www.motownmuseum.org
Have you been hacked??? Shocked to see you recommend an elevator ride much less a 72 floor one! ;)
Hahahahahahaa I think it’s bc when I’m there I’m always with my dad — and I always feel safe with him :)
I second the Motown Museum. My parents and their friends grew up in the D (as we affectionately call it) and recall parking outside Hitsville USA (the record company whose headquarters are now home to the Motown Museum) and listening to Aretha, the Jackson 5, live!, as they recorded in the studio! 🤯. Cliff Bell’s Jazz Club is also a musical gem. And yes, yes to Belle Isle – the Aquarium is stunning and it is so fun to swim in the Detroit River!
@Joanna Goddard – “I’m always with my dad — and I always feel safe with him”, sob!!! that’s so sweet.