What is Detroit-style pizza?

Detroit-style pizza is baked in a 10x14-inch blue steel tray (originally automotive parts trays), with Wisconsin brick cheese pushed to the caramelised edges and sauce applied on top of the cheese. Buddy's Pizza invented it in 1946. A standard square (4 pieces) costs approximately $10–$13.

What is the difference between Lafayette and American Coney Island?

Both are on Michigan Ave downtown and have served Coney dogs (a beef frankfurter with all-meat chili, mustard, and diced onion) since 1914–1917. Lafayette's chili is drier and darker; American's is slightly looser and more seasoned. Both are cash-only, open 24 hours, and cost approximately $3.50–$4 per dog. The rivalry is a genuine civic argument.

What is the best restaurant in Detroit?

Selden Standard (3921 Second Ave, Midtown) has been one of the city's most important restaurants since 2014 — a produce-driven American menu that changes based on local availability. Shared plates run approximately $12–$28; reservations are strongly recommended.

What is Slows Bar BQ's significance in Detroit?

Slows Bar BQ (2138 Michigan Ave, Corktown) opened in 2006 and is widely credited as one of the first restaurants to anchor the Corktown neighborhood revival. Slow-smoked brisket, pulled pork, and ribs; full racks approximately $28–$34. It helped establish the neighborhood as a dining destination before the broader Detroit food renaissance.

Detroit Food Guide | The USA Guides

Detroit has a food identity that most visitors underestimate. The city is the origin of Detroit-style pizza (square, deep-pan, baked in blue steel automotive parts trays, with the sauce applied on top of the cheese). It has two competing Coney Island hot dog chains — Lafayette Coney Island and American Coney Island — that have operated side by side on Michigan Ave since 1917 and prompt genuine civic argument about which is superior. And since 2010, a wave of chef-driven restaurants has opened in Midtown and Corktown that have drawn national attention without the price points those kitchens would command in larger markets.

Detroit-Style Pizza

Buddy’s Pizza — Multiple locations; the original at 17125 Conant St, Northeast Detroit. Buddy’s invented Detroit-style pizza in 1946. The pan pizza is baked in a 10x14-inch blue steel tray, with Wisconsin brick cheese pushed to the edges so it caramelises against the pan walls. Sauce goes on top. A standard square (4 pieces) costs approximately $10–$13 as of 2026; a full tray approximately $20–$30. Open daily for lunch and dinner.

Loui’s Pizza — 23141 Dequindre Rd, Hazel Park (approximately 8 miles north of downtown). Many Detroit food writers rank Loui’s above Buddy’s. Carries only cash. Whole pies only; no slices. Approximately $15–$25 depending on toppings. No reservations; expect a wait on weekends.

Via 313 — 2727 Russell St, Eastern Market. A Detroit-style pizza operation that started as a trailer in Austin, Texas, and returned to its Detroit roots. Dine-in and takeout. Pies approximately $15–$22. Open Tuesday–Sunday for lunch and dinner.

Coney Island

The Coney Island hot dog is a Detroit-specific dish: a natural-casing beef frankfurter in a steamed bun, topped with an all-meat chili sauce (no beans), yellow mustard, and diced raw onion.

Lafayette Coney Island — 118 W Lafayette Blvd, Downtown. The older of the two famous rivals, in operation since 1914. Open 24 hours. A Coney dog costs approximately $3.50 as of 2026; a chili bowl approximately $5. Cash only. The chili is drier and darker than the American version.

American Coney Island — 114 W Lafayette Blvd, Downtown, immediately next door to Lafayette. Founded 1917. Open daily. The chili is slightly looser and more seasoned. A Coney costs approximately $4. Both restaurants are fast, crowded, and unapologetically basic — that is the point.

Midtown and Cass Corridor

Selden Standard — 3921 Second Ave, Midtown. Andy Hollyday’s produce-driven American restaurant has been one of the city’s most important since opening in 2014. The menu changes with what is available locally; past dishes have included duck liver toast, whipped ricotta with honey and hazelnuts, and half-chicken with charred grain salad. Shared plates approximately $12–$28. Open Tuesday–Sunday for dinner; Thursday–Friday for lunch. Reservations strongly recommended.

Chartreuse Kitchen & Cocktails — 15 E Kirby St, inside the Park Shelton building, Midtown. Vegetable-forward creative American. The bar program is taken seriously; cocktails approximately $14–$18. Mains approximately $22–$38. Open Tuesday–Sunday for dinner.

The Roost — 4240 Cass Ave, Midtown. Fried chicken and sides in a fast-casual format: half chicken approximately $14, full chicken approximately $26 as of 2026. One of the city’s busiest lunch spots.

Corktown

Gold Cash Gold — 2100 Michigan Ave, Corktown. A former pawnshop (the original sign remains) serving American comfort food with thoughtful sourcing. The pork belly Benedict at brunch and the duck fat roasted chicken at dinner are frequently ordered. Brunch approximately $14–$22; dinner mains approximately $16–$28.

Ottava Via — 1400 Michigan Ave, Corktown. Straightforward Southern Italian: house-made pasta, wood-fired items, a wine list focused on Italian regions. Pasta approximately $18–$26; mains approximately $24–$36. Open Tuesday–Sunday for dinner.

Slows Bar BQ — 2138 Michigan Ave, Corktown. Opened 2006 and widely credited as one of the first restaurants to anchor the Corktown revival. Slow-smoked brisket, pulled pork, and ribs; full racks approximately $28–$34; sandwiches approximately $14–$18. Open daily for lunch and dinner; long waits on weekends without reservations.

Eastern Market Area

Supino Pizzeria — 2457 Russell St, Eastern Market. A Detroit institution since 2007 for Neapolitan-influenced round pies from a wood-fired oven. Cash only. Whole pies approximately $14–$22; half pies available at lunch. Open Tuesday–Sunday for lunch; Thursday–Saturday for dinner. Expect a line.

Eastern Market Brewing Company — 2515 Riopelle St. A brewery and taproom with Detroit Lager and rotating seasonal taps. Pints approximately $6–$8. The attached food program runs Thursday–Saturday. A useful anchor for an Eastern Market Saturday.

Breakfast and Brunch

Eggroll — 1432 Michigan Ave, Corktown. Southeast Asian-influenced breakfast: wonton egg sandwiches, congee, Filipino longanisa. Mains approximately $11–$16. Weekend waits are long; arrive by 9am or after 1pm.

Dime Store — 719 Griswold St, Downtown. All-day American breakfast and lunch in a 1920s commercial building. Known for breakfast tacos and house-made hot sauce. Mains approximately $10–$18. Open Monday–Friday 7am–3pm; weekends 8am–3pm.

Bars Worth Noting

Batch Brewing Company — 1400 Michigan Ave, Corktown. Small brewery with rotating Michigan-themed beers and a wood-fired menu. One of the more relaxed evening options in the neighbourhood.

Two James Spirits — 2445 Michigan Ave, Corktown. Detroit’s first licensed distillery since Prohibition, producing whiskey, gin, and gin. Tasting room open Wednesday–Sunday. Cocktails approximately $10–$14.

Third Man Records Cass Corridor — 441 W Canfield St, Midtown. Jack White’s record store and event space with a bar and regular live music. Worth checking the calendar before visiting.

The best way to get a local introduction to Detroit’s food scene is on a guided food tour — browse tours and experiences in Detroit for walking food tours and market visits.

Detroit Food Guide

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