With a last-minute trip to Detroit to catch an Eclipse comes opportunities to plan meals in a different city. Here are some spots I checked out with very limited time to make the most out of ~1.5 days in Detroit.

Warda Patisserie

I may have e-scootered over to Midtown and back just to try out Warda because a Lebanese bakery in Midtown sounds like the best way to spend my Sunday Monday. After navigating through crowds of sports fans rushing to the game, I turned onto the street where Warda was nestled very casually. There was outdoor seating which was perfect for a sunny Detroit day and I grabbed their Dark Chocolate puff topped with crispy strands and peanuts. It was just as good as it looked and I picked away at this much faster than I would like to admit!

Hudson Cafe

Rushing downtown for lunch I needed a ton of food to last me the day, so Hudson Cafe was the perfect choice for lunch. It was packed to the brim with families enjoying sunday brunch, but I was lucky to get a bar seat for 1. They home make their Corned Beef Hash so I got a massive breakfast combo for $15. It wasn’t the crazy or life-changing, but I always appreciate an american breakfast that makes you so full that you regret getting that much food 80% of the way in.

BARDA

BARDA offers Argentinian food with fresh seafood and contemporary flavors right outside of Downtown Detroit. They offer large plates that are meant to be shared, so eating solo at a restaurant like that is always tough because you feel like you limit the flavors you are meant to try. They recommended their Chorizo as it was grilled and topped with onions and spices to really bring out the smokiness of the meat. I also needed to pair it with their Black Rice with Scallops(!!) The black rice was nestled with smaller scallops all around the dish so I was able to get some in pretty much every bite. I would definitely go back to get this dish as it may have been my favorite of the whole trip!

Ima

This was such a legit Izakaya and I did not expect to be so impressed with a last minute choice before we drove off to Ohio for the eclipse. We got ramen, drinks, dumplings, handrolls and udon to really load up. I really liked every plate we got there, but the mushroom dumplings with the veggie wrappers may have been my favorite! The yaki-udon also was mixed with Kimchi and the sauce was thick and perfectly covered the udon noodles. I would definitely come back here and try all the other dishes that I didn’t get to try the first time!

Apparatus Room

A final meal to top off a hectic 36 hours! Recommended by plently of people and onine sites as a vibe while having great food. The Apparatus room is located in the former downtown fire station so there are massive windows out of the old doors. The sunlight streams in even later in the day and the massive space is filled with table and bar seating on the first floor. I’m picky when it comes to american pasta dishes because you usually feel like you pay a lot for what you are getting. I was really impressed by the flavors and presentation here though! The Gnocchi was bouncy and the cheese was sharp and paired with the sauces well. The stand out dishes for me were the Walleye and the Dessert. I’ve had way too many fishy walleyes in my life so I always appreciate when it’s cooked well and has plenty of other elements to pair with the White Fishiness that comes with Walleye. The Sticky Toffee Pudding was hearty but not too filling and I will never complain about a dessert that has bananas AND ice cream. This would probably be the first restaurant I would recommend to someone visiting Detroit.

Both times I have been to Detroit it’s really impressed me with some of the eating options. Downtown is still litered with a ton of New American which is fine but not really my thing. If you have access to a car or want to rideshare around, there are so many options around the city that would stand out in many different cities. I want to check out Marrow next time as their Butcher’s pre-fixe menu looks amazing, so hopefully I can make it out for some other reason eventually.