Detroit’s food scene runs deep with tradition — Coney Dogs, deep-dish rectangular pizza, Boston Coolers — and equally deep with reinvention. At American Coney Island, where the Coney Dog was invented, third-generation owner Grace Keros tells me, “No, you don’t mess with a 108-year-old recipe,” as she describes the sausage, chili, mustard, and onions on a soft bun. Across the city, you’ll find that classic sandwich reborn as a Coney Dog Slider in a former horse-racing hangout, alongside vegan versions of Detroit-style pizza, chocolate bonbons inspired by Better Made potato chips, new takes on soul food, and more. These stops show how Detroit’s signature flavors — old and new — tell the story of a city constantly cooking up its own rebirth.
Green Dot Stables
Wendy Pramik
Green Dot Stables in southwest Detroit serves Motor City tradition in slider form. The standout is the Coney Dog Slider, prepared with venison chili, mustard, and onions on a mini bun – a playful spin on Detroit’s iconic Coney. Other nods include corned beef, falafel, and gyro sliders, plus the infamous rotating “Mystery Meat,” which has featured everything from wild boar to camel. “My wife and I like to share food, so we wanted everything small and affordable,” says owner Jacques Driscoll, who opened the spot in 2011. Drinks stick to local lingo: The menu says “pop,” not soda, in a city best known for Faygo. True to its name, the building once catered to horsemen from the old Windsor racetrack, a history still celebrated at its Derby Day parties.
Grandma Bob’s
Wendy Pramik
In the Corktown neighborhood, Grandma Bob’s rewrites the rules for the city’s signature deep-dish, rectangular pizza (invented at Buddy’s). “We opened this place seven years ago and just wanted to elevate Detroit-style pizza, using better ingredients, more care, more creativity,” says chef-partner Dan Dewell. The “Big Mack” is the restaurant’s flagship vegan pie – Impossible Burger, vegan mozzarella, Thousand Island dressing, dill pickles, lettuce, and sesame seeds – while the indulgent Lobster Roll Pizza piles on six ounces of wild-caught lobster. Staying true to Detroit’s roots, the crust gets crisp and caramelized in cast-iron pans, and Grandma Bob’s tops pies with a sauce made from organic Italian tomatoes for brightness. With ice cream custard, cocktails, and a come-as-you-are bar vibe, this corner spot celebrates the city’s classics while opening doors to new eaters.
Bon Bon Bon
Wendy Pramik
Bon Bon Bon transforms the city’s favorite flavors into jewel-box confections. Founded in 2014 in the back of a Coney eatery in Hamtramck, Michigan, it now has a handful of locations where each “Bon” is still made by hand, piped into chocolate shells by confectioners known as the “Babes Babes Babes.”
“Butter Butter Crunch, with Better Made chips, milk chocolate, and sea salt, is our top seller,” says retail assistant Olivia Wonfor at the Midtown Detroit store. Its Detroit Collection packs 10 iconic flavors: Bumpy Cake, Boston Cooler, Pączki, and even a colorful Superman bon inspired by Michigan’s tri-color ice cream swirl. Customers build their own boxes from an ever-changing menu, wrapped in fully recyclable packaging. With hundreds of flavors rotating year-round, Bon Bon Bon proves Detroit’s sweetest traditions can be delightfully reimagined.
Mercury Burger & Bar
Wendy Pramik
In Corktown, Mercury Burger & Bar spins D-Town nostalgia into diner classics with local flavors. “Everybody has this memory of fried bologna,” says director of operations Kimber Kirk. “We moved it to the next level.” The signature Fried Bologna Sandwich stacks premium bologna, Gruyère, grilled onions, Dijonnaise, and a “smash” of Better Made chips for crunch. Another favorite is the Boston Cooler, a frothy blend of Michigan’s Guernsey ice cream and Vernors, Detroit’s own ginger soda that was first poured in 1866. Hand-cut fries, corned beef on rye, and boozy milkshakes round out the menu. With its bright neon sign and loyal neighborhood following, Mercury Burger & Bar keeps Detroit traditions alive and well.
SavannahBlue
Wendy Pramik
Soul food is central to Detroit’s culinary identity. It arrived during the Great Migration of the 1940s and ’50s, when hundreds of thousands of families moved from the Deep South in search of a better life. Inexpensive soul food flourished in homes and restaurants across the city, and SavannahBlue on Times Square now offers an elegant take on those beloved flavors. This dinner-only spot calls its menu “contemporary northern soul food,” with scratch-made cornbread muffins, maple-glazed yams, and collard greens slow-simmered with smoked turkey tail. Entrées include cornmeal-dredged fried catfish with candied sweet potatoes, shrimp and parmesan grits with Cajun-spiced shrimp, and red-wine-braised oxtail over cheddar risotto. With craft cocktails, refined décor, and proper attire required, SavannahBlue elevates Detroit’s soul food tradition without losing its roots.
Vecino
Wendy Pramik
Vecino brings Mexico City’s cosmopolitan spirit to Detroit’s historic Midtown, just a few miles from the Mexicantown neighborhood where owner Adriana Jimenez grew up. Since the 1920s, immigrants from the Mexican state of Jalisco have shaped Mexicantown with authentic, affordable food tied to Detroit’s industrial boom. Jimenez, who helped her mother run restaurants there, has taken that foundation and gone upscale with her own venture outside the neighborhood.
“We’re focusing more on Mexico City…a melting pot not just of Mexican food but also different cultures,” she says. Opened in 2024, Vecino hand-presses tortillas from heirloom Oaxacan blue and yellow corn using ancient nixtamalization. Signature dishes include duck enchiladas with salsa verde and Oaxacan cheese, a carrot tinga tetela with crema fresca, and lamb barbacoa cooked over open fire.
Saffron De Twah
Wendy Pramik
With approachable pricing and vibrant spices, Saffron De Twah brings the flair of Dearborn’s Middle Eastern tradition — one of metro Detroit’s most iconic foodways — to the city’s east side. Chef-owner Omar Anani, a Palestinian-Egyptian American, two-time James Beard Award finalist, and “Chopped” winner, opened this modern Moroccan bistro to honor his heritage while using Michigan’s bounty. “In Morocco, the bakers bake the bread; we couldn’t keep up, so we partnered with Rising Stars Academy,” he says, referring to the local school for adults with disabilities, where students make the restaurant’s buns. Diners line up for his cult-favorite chicken sandwich layered with harissa, charmoula slaw, and caramelized honey butter, or for his crispy fish sandwich inspired by a family friend’s recipe. Saffron De Twah reframes Detroit comfort food as soulful, spice-laced meals with global reach.
Wendy Pramik
2025-09-26 13:58:00