Detroit
We took a trip to Detroit over Memorial Day Weekend 2024 for my brother-in-law’s baby shower. It was hands-down one of the best trips I’ve been on recently. Perhaps it’s because I had very low expectations for Detroit, or very few plans made in advance, but honestly, Ronnie and I both left saying “this was one of the best trips we’ve taken in a long time.” I wasn’t originally planning to share my city guide, but we had so much dang fun, that I felt like I had to get my recs written down because I know how much I will be raving about our trip to everyone I know. Here goes.
Eat
I’d heard that Detroit was having a food revival, but I didn’t expect to be so blown away by what I found… Here were my favs from our time there.
Morning Coffee — If you’re staying at the Shinola (see below), you will need a car or an Uber to head to Haraz Coffee House. It’s like a coffee shop meets coffee museum. I got to try Khaliat Nahl (aka Honeycomb Bread Stuffed with Cheese) for the first time and it blew my mind. I asked my friend, who is from Lebanon, why she gate-kept this for so long. I’m still working on convincing her to set up a cooking class for the two of us with her mom :) Stay tuned.
Morning Donuts — Dooped Donuts were incredible. We had the Creme Brulee donut with a coconut cream filling, and OMG.
Lunch — Go to Penny Reds and order the fried chicken bucket, the honey butter biscuits, and get a beer or cider at the connected bar, the Brakeman.
For Dinner — Head to Parc for a great menu, and great ambiance. We had one of our besties (who’s from the area) join us for dinner, and he told us “this is where the suburbs people go to dinner in Detroit” but I don’t care. It was a great spot. The Gnocchi Gratin, holy macaroni, probably my favorite meal of the trip.
Drinks — Head to Paramita, part record shop, part wine bar for local brews and wines, and live music! This place was a shining highlight of our trip. There was a live DJ while we were there, they also had wine from some of my favorite vineyards in Michigan, including Modales (who partners with my parent’s wine brand, Mahan Family Wines)
Dessert — Head to the Huddle ice cream window right by the Shinola Hotel for a vanilla cone with Cherry Dip and Sprinkles! You’ll feel like a giddy little kid.
After Hours — If you’re still hungry after hours, you MUST order a Coney Island Dog from either American Coney Island or Lafayette Coney Island, or both! You also should really get a slice of the iconic Buddy’s Detroit Style Pizza.
Stay
We stayed at the Shinola Hotel. It’s bougee, but it’s a place I’d had on my radar for years! Naturally, when I found out we had an invite for my brother-in-law’s baby shower 15 mins from the hotel, I was like… “Yep, this is my shot, and this is where we will stay.” Youguys……. we loved it. The hospitality was top-notch. If you drive, you can valet your car with in-and-out-access for your entire stay. The front desk people are so nice and accommodating, the rooms are stunning, AND you can watch a mini-documentary about the hotel (how it was built, the furniture in it, the Shinola craftsmanship, etc) on the TV in your room! There was so much intentionality and craftsmanship that went into building this place… everything from US-sourced and forged steel beams that make up the skeleton of the building, to hand-selected bricks, and local-Amish-built furniture. It’s a treasure!
Workout
Traveling with a kid = not conducive to working out while on vacation sans-family or nanny, so we went for a few walks. Tbh, I don’t know the city all too well and there were some parts that felt a little seedy, we stuck to Woodward Ave, which is Detroit’s Michigan Ave equivalent for our walks. We also went to Grosse Point, MI and Saint Claire, MI to putz around their cute little downtowns. This was fun and I’d recommend it.
Play
When you are in Detroit staying at the Shinola, you are blocks from Tigers Stadium, Ford Field, and Lake Michigan. When we traveled to Detroit before and stayed in the burbs with our friends, we had one of the best tailgating days of our lives at Ford Field. People go allllll out for “Their Lions.” Since the Lions are pretty good right now, it could be worth planning a trip in the fall of 2024 and staying at the Shinola on game weekend. I bet you’d run into some cool people at the hotel.
Alright, my friends, I hope I sold you on all the reasons you should get over to Detroit sooner rather than later. It really is a gem of a city and I hope if you go, you have a ball! Here are some pics from our travels.
