Things to Do/Places to Eat in Detroit

[john_pifer]

Drove up to Northern Indiana today to visit my girlfriend through Sunday. Since there aren't a tremendous number of things to do in her town (Warsaw), we thought we'd drive up to Detroit tomorrow and see the city, since neither of us have been there, and we've already been to Chicago, Indy and Cincinnati on previous trips.

Some of y'all have made some great suggestions in the past, about stuff to do and where to eat in the aforementioned cities, so I thought I'd post up again and hopefully get more suggestions from some of you who either live there or have spent some time there.

My girlfriend and I enjoy great coffee (we're sorta coffee snobs, lol), good food, music, culture, and, of course, cars. When we go to a city or area, we enjoy seeking out local restaurants, and, especially, trying food that the area is famous for. In other words, we try to stay away from Chili's and Charbucks (not that there's anything wrong with those particular establishments; it's just that you can go to those places any time).

I also enjoy architecture. I know a lot of people will say that Detroit has seen better days. But, in the middle of the last century, it was one of the great cities in this country, with the highest per-capita standard of living in the world, thanks to the auto industry. So, I'm sure there have to be some impressive skyscrapers and other buildings that were built.

Do me a favor - if you were planning on posting a negative comment about Detroit, how it's dangerous, etc, please, spare us. Any location can be dangerous; every bigger city in the US has its negatives, and, as long as you stay aware of your surroundings, you'll usually be fine.

So, how about it, guys?

 

[zorobabel]

I know of a great icecream place

 

[john_pifer]

Originally Posted by zorobabel
I know of a great icecream place

LOL.

I eat ice cream year-round, my friend!

 

[SatinSilver]

Art museum, Henry Ford museum in Dearborn. Should be some good Italian restaurants worth visiting if you check out www.yelp.com. I just saw one on Diners, dives and drive-ins. It's a big city with some redevelopment going on which is a positive. Below are some links to some good places:

Diners, dives and drive-ins

 

[MichiganMadMan]

In Detroit proper:
Slow's BBQ across from the Michigan Central Station in Corktown is the best BBQ joint in the area. If you head there on a weekend night, call ahead for reservations.
Two James distillery is just down the street, if you are into craft spirits at all.
The aforementioned DIA is very nice.
I happen to have a soft spot for Art Deco which can be seen in many of the downtown buildings. Unless you really like it, it's probably not worth the wander just for that.
Atwater Brewery is nice, if you are into beer. They have tours on Saturdays.
PizzaPapalis in Greektown (adjacent to downtown, in the shadow of the GM headquarters) will make you a deep dish pizza that will blow your mind. Greektown has a lot of local places as well so if it's not arctic out it's worth a stroll.

In the Detroit Metro area:
The F-150 factory tour in Dearborn is a must. People have all kinds of ideas about how a vehicle assembly plant looks/functions, you should see it for yourself. You leave from The Henry Ford museum, which is also an amazing place.
You could spend a whole day on just those two things.
If you like Polish food, it's worth heading to Hamtramck to check out Polonia. Get the gołąbki (go-lumpki, cabbage rolls), they are excellent.
Buddy's Detroit style pizza is also a good place to go for dinner. There are locations all over.

 

[MrHorspwer]

Given the weather, it's kind of a terrible time to stroll around looking at buildings, which will have you seeing tons of great art deco architecture. A google search will get you the greatest hits. Traffic typically isn't ever bad in the city proper, but parking downtown can be difficult during the week.

If you only have a day and the weather being what it is, I'd spend the early part at the Henry Ford in Dearborn (while you're in Dearborn, hit up Shatila Bakery for some baklava). Check out The Roasting Plant (downtown, right across from Campus Martius, which has an ice rink if you fancy skating) for coffee. The Motown Museum offers a very nice guided tour if you're into music.Third Man Records is a cool stop if you like music as well. Lots of stuff going on in the Cass Corridor area around Third Man and midtown in general. HopCat is nearby for food, as is Great Lakes Coffee Roasting.

For me, I've always been partial to Slows BBQ in Corktown (the one on Michigan Ave.). That'll also get you to everyone's favorite piece of Detroit ruin porn: Michigan Central Station. Bonus: Astro Coffee is just next door if you're fixin' for more coffee. Other icons are America Coney Island and Lafayette Coney Island (they're right next to one another... just pick one). Cadieux Cafe has a fun history and feather bowling, but they don't open until later afternoon.

 

[Virtus_Probi]

For Detroit itself, I'd say Greektown is a must. Also had some great nights at The Old Shillelagh.

I actually preferred to hang around Ann Arbor when I lived in the area and Gratzi is a really nice Italian place that would be worth visiting.
The Blind Pig and 8 Ball Saloon (downstairs) aren't your typical safe yupster/hipster spots, but they were a lot of fun for me.

Royal Oak was also cool, but I don't remember the names of any places. Went through $3-400 bucks on fine wine with two buddies one night, by the end we could have just as well been drinking ripple given the state we were in.

If you're willing to deal with crossing the border, Windsor is a beautiful city...probably don't want to patronize the "ballet" that is so prevalent there with if you are bringing your lady, though.
;^)

 

[Kawiguy454]

Greektown for lunch or dinner, If you want authentic Mexican down near Clark st is good @ lunchtime. Poletown for polish food theres a place downstairs in a house that is an authentic foodie landmark.

 

[390pi]

Agree- Henry Ford Museum and F150 assembly tour.

The f150 assembly tour starts at the Henry Ford Museum; they bus you over to the plant.

 

[john_pifer]

Guys! Thanks so much for the AWESOME posts!

We got a bit of a late start today, and we're just now heading up to Detroit. The plan is to hit up a Polish restaurant (neither of us has had Polish food) and just see a little of the city. If we can get some great food and coffee and just see a few cool things, our day will be made!

So, Poletown is the place to get some good Polish food? Or Hamtramck?

 

[StevieC]

Have a Polish Sausage and some Perogies. I usually get this locally from a Polish part of our town.
To die for.

 

[john_pifer]

Originally Posted by StevieC
Have a Polish Sausage and some Perogies. I usually get this locally from a Polish part of our town.
To die for.


What are perogies?

 

[StevieC]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pierogi

Quote
Pierogi (/pɪˈroʊɡi/ pih-ROH-ghee[1]) are filled dumplings of Central European origin,[2][3] made by wrapping unleavened dough around a savory or sweet filling and cooking in boiling water, or pan-frying. Pierogi which consist of noodle dough and have to be cooked in boiling water are associated with the Central and Eastern European kitchens where they are considered national dishes.[4][5][6][7] Their variant varenyky are popular in Ukrainian and Russian cuisine. Pierogi are popular in West Slavic (Polish, Slovak), Hungarian, East Slavic (Belarusian and western Ukrainian), some Baltic (Latvian and Lithuanian) and other Central and Eastern European cuisines, where they are known under their local names.

Typical fillings include: potato, sauerkraut, ground meat, cheese and fruits. (Although not all together at the same time) The dumplings may be served with a topping, such as melted butter, sour cream or fried onion, or a combination of those ingredients.

Appears I spelled it wrong above... Should be Pierogi.

 

[uc50ic4more]

Originally Posted by john_pifer
Originally Posted by StevieC
Have a Polish Sausage and some Perogies. I usually get this locally from a Polish part of our town.
To die for.


What are perogies?


Feel free to hop over the border to Windsor. We have a first-class Pierogi place - http://www.littlefootfoods.ca/ Windsor also has some of the best pizza on the planet and a casino, if you're into that kind of thing.

Honestly, downtown Detroit is really in the middle of an impressive resurgence.

 

[Kjmack]

I would feel much safer in Windsor at night than Detroit . Now that I'm older and a little more aware of neanderthals in city limits of Detroit I just choose not to go there . Windsor has plenty of good food and fun and parking downtown is like 40 bucks , no thanks