Take a bite at these tasty Motor City nook-and-cranny eateries
With
the recent success and popularity of the Food Network's "Diners, Drive-Ins, and
Dives" -- a show that scowers the map for the best and most unique nook-and-cranny
eateries in the country, we here at Metromix decided to do the same for the
metro Detroit area. Although some Michigan
culinary fare has already been featured on the show - The Fly Trap in Ferndale, Krazy Jim's Blimpie Burger in Ann
Arbor, and Joe's GizzardCity in Potterville -
we've discovered a lot more tantalizing and tasty dive restaurants in the area
for you to check out and enjoy.
23700 Michigan,
Dearborn
Nestled on a corner off a small side street and Michigan Avenue, Miller's Bar is the quintessential dive. Besides serving one of the best burgers you will ever taste, this place is a no-frills working-class pub that regulars have been making a staple in their weekly dining and drinking schedules for more than 50 years. Basic and understated is the name of the game at this watering hole as Miller's offers no menus or checks. All they serve is hamburgers, cheeseburger, french fries, and onion rings, so the choices are pretty simple. When you're done eating, instead of a waitress bringing you a bill, protocol is for you walking up to the register, and paying the bartender after you tell him or her what you had -- everything is on the honor system.
Not a traditional dive, but definitely has some serious dive qualities. First, the Union, as regulars call it, resides in an old church, smack dab in the middle of downtown Clarkston. Second, the majority of the seating is on wooden benches giving patrons the feel that they are parishioners at a Sunday morning sermon. Already a local hot spot - waits for tables on weekend nights can sometimes be close to an hour and half or more - the Union is famous for two things: their wide beer selection and their macaroni and cheese. Offering an array of foreign and domestic beer, both on tap and in the bottle, the Union can go toe-to-toe with any watering hole or brewery in the state. And then there is the absolutely to-die-for mac and cheese, made from a top secret recipe, that unlike a lot of restaurants that offer the down-home comfort food as a side dish, is a meal all in itself. One customer described it as, "If God woke up one morning, decided to invent the ultimate recipe for macaroni and cheese, and then bestowed it upon the Union." Other favorites at the Union include, sausage and bratwurst, meat loaf, and their daily-changing cracker crust pizzas.
When most people in the area want quality Mexican food, they head to the city's much-revered Mexicantown, located a few short blocks west of the Ambassador bridge. However, real food aficionados in metro Detroit know if authentic Mexican-fare is what you're looking for, the numerous taquerias dotting the Motor City's Southwest side more than fit the bill. One of the best is Senor Lopez's, a tiny, street-side taqueria on Michigan Avenue. Small and nondescript, Senor Lopez's serves all the traditional Mexican dishes one could want and they provide it for a great price. Tasty dishes ranging from quesadillas ($4.50) and enchiladas ($4.50) to carne asada and chicken mole all cost less than eight bucks.
A genuine throwback to the good ol' days of soda-pop fountains and neighborhood diners, the Whistle Stop, hidden on a side street in Birmingham, oozes with old school charm. Unlike the various trendy eateries that fill the posh city's downtown area, the Whistle Stop is simply down-home eating, served with a smile at an overly- affordable cost. Whether its the breakfast specials (homemade french toast, pancakes, eggs, hash browns and more) or the delicious hand-crafted pies and cakes available for dessert (apple pie and their famous chocolate bumpy cake are the most ordered), the Whistle Stop will not disappoint. Speaking of old school, some of the wait staff at the restaurant have been working there for more than three decades and each of them know most of their customers by their first names.
27000 John R Rd.,
Madison Heights
Everybody in Detroit knows about sliders, an area specialty for years. While other cities have only the chain White Castle to choose from, Detroit has a diverse selection of individually-owned slider joints that serve those greasy, yet scrumptious mini-burgers we all crave. In terms of taste combined with bang for your buck, you can't beat the Telway on John R in Madison Heights. Open seven days a week, 24 hours a day, the Telway delivers mouth-watering flavor fests in a bun and they sell them by the sack. A dozen sliders for the road only costs $7.60. Always a favorite of the local late-night eating scene, the Telway also serves a mean breakfast. Crowds of people pile in the small chalet-type building before work to order steak and eggs, omelettes, and grilled cinnamon rolls, a Telway trademark.
From the outside, the Green Lantern resembles an ordinary bar. But once someone steps inside and they catch a smell of the freshly-baked pizzas cooking in the kitchen, it quickly becomes clear: the Green Lantern is much more than a place just for drinks. As one patron put it, "The pizza is to die for, the best you'll ever have -- guaranteed." Once you take a taste of either their signature deep dish or mouth-watering original style, you'll most likely be fast to agree. Don't forget the homemade submarine sandwiches either, they compare to any first class Italian sub shop you find in the area. After discovering the pizza at the Green Lantern, a slice of heaven is truly only a short drive away for any metro-Detroiter.
Imagine one man, one beautifully-cooked baked ham, and counterside grill -- that is what you will find at Mike's Famous Ham Place in Southwest Detroit, only a 10 minute drive from the downtown business district. Only open from 6 a.m.'til 3 p.m., this place is ham heaven for sure. The menu is simple and to the point: for breakfast ham and eggs, for lunch ham and pea soup and ham sandwiches stacked out high with the succulent pork sliced straight off the bone before your very eyes and served on a bakery-fresh poppeyseed roll. Residing in a dusty and faded white tile building on a corner of Michigan Avenue, Mike's Ham Place is easy to miss. However, people don't come there for aesthetics, they come there for the best damn ham sandwich you can find in the area. And as one regular put it, "Once you find this place, you'll keep coming back for the high stack."
Metro Detroit loves its Coney Island hot dogs. And with good reason - there are many excellent Coney islands to eat at in the area. But for a Chicago-style hot dog (prepared with tomatoes, grilled onions, hot peppers, celery salt, and topped with whole pickle), there is no need to look any further than Hippo Dog in Troy. Hippo Dog is the only spot in Southeast Michigan that specializes in Chicago-style dogs, providing the area with a taste of the Windy City right here in Detroit. Although only open to 7 p.m. on weekdays and Saturday and til 5 p.m. on Sundays, if you make it there to give it a try, your opinion on hot dogs will most certainly shift to include the Chicago-style dog on your list of must have eats. A simple, unadorned brick building located on the corner of Rochester and 15 Mile Road, some have claimed it is a difficult place to notice when driving past it on Rochester Road. Once you find Hippo's, however, you will certainly be coming back for more.
The only strictly-Italian restaurant to make our list, Luigi's on Jefferson Avenue in Harrison Township, offers an amazing meal at a low price in an atmosphere that could be best described as "hole in the wall." Make no mistake about it though, Luigi's serves up authentic Italian food to die for and those people who know about it, swear by it. "Their food is one of a kind and when you're there, they treat you like you are part of the family," said one customer. Whether its traditional pasta, that's always homemade, chicken, or one of the various meat dishes - veal is a favorite of most regulars - when you stop to eat at Luigi's you know you are going to get a five-star dining experience at a fraction of the cost.
