my favorite restaurants in detroit
I'm so grateful to all you Kind Lifers who gave me such great restaurant recommendations while I was shooting Vamps in Detroit.
I tried to get to as many veg or veg-friendly restaurants as I could while I was there, but I worked so many hours, night and day, that there weren't a lot of opportunities to go out to eat.
Although I didn't have time to make it to all the places I wanted to go, the recommendations made me drool! Here are the places I loved, and the places I wanted to go but couldn't make it to.
My favorite eating out experience was at Goodwell's Natural Food Market, next to Avalon Bakery. It was really yummy and so cute. I loved it!
I also liked a sushi restaurant I went to while there. I can't remember the name, but maybe some of you Detroit Kind Lifers will recognize it from my description! If so, let me know in the comments below! They had a decent iceburg lettuce salad with carrot ginger dressing and a good burdock sushi roll. Everything probably had sugar in it, but it was a nice treat. The fried tofu roll was great too. The only problem is that the sauce has a little dairy in it - they should make it with veganaise! Everyone harrass them to do this, and maybe they will. For now, you just order it without the sauce. They also made one of my favorite rolls for me: asparagus tempura with avocado in a roll.
I had a great brunch with Kind Lifer Lisa at What Crepe, that I blogged about here. On another occasion, I went to the Inn Season Cafe for brunch. The French toast was really nice, the vegan omelet was yum, and the cinnamon buns were huge! Just like Cinnabon.
This is my husband Christopher at the Inn Season Cafe. I was super pregnant in the first trimester, so food was hard for me...any kind! I hated it, and I wanted to cry. So that's also why I didn't get to eat at all the places I wanted to try.
I really wanted to make it to Amicci's Pizza, but I just ran out of time. If you're in Detroit, it sounds amazing! Om Cafe also sounded good to me, but I never made it there. Mind Body & Spirits is an organic restaurant in Rochester that was also high on my list. I really wanted to check it out, but didn't get the chance.
Here are some other restaurants that I didn't get to, but that sound great:
- Red Pepper Deli - heard good things!
- The Jolly Pumpkin - looked great, but never made it
- Earthen Jar - an Indian buffet that plays Bob Marley, this place sounds like a great deal, so check it out if you live in Ann Arbor
- The Whitney - this place makes a great vegan tasting menu if you give them 24 hours notice. I didn't get to try it, but it sounds like a great place for fancy pants dining!
- Sangria - this is a vegan tapas restaurant in Royal Oaks that has dancing too! Sounds really fun!
- Sugar Kisses Bakery - this bakery in Berkley sounds great. I didn't make it, but check it out if you're in the area!
- Moo Moo's - this is a vegetarian catering service in Ferndale that could be great for flirts or vegans who need delivery service
- Lark Restaurant - this restaurant is owned by John Sommerville from Top Chef. It's a fancy place, and looks like it serves every kind of animal on the planet, but he told me he could do a vegan meal. If I were in Detroit again, I would check it out, because I heard his food is great and it's 85% organic.
- Seva - vegetarian restaurant in Ann Arbor
I know I was in Detroit like a hundred years ago now - I think I left in September! But I had a great time there, and wanted to share. What are some great vegan or vegetarian restaurants in your town?
33 comments
-
A few comments on what I found to be a misleading post (personal opinion):
1) First of all, only one place you mention is actually in Detroit. The rest are in the suburbs. Why not explore the rich vegan cuisine of the City of Detroit instead of Royal Oak or Ferndale? Use a bike to get around and avoid driving all the way out of town. The city needs your money and publicity, not the suburbs.
2) "The only problem is that the sauce has a little dairy in it - they should make it with veganaise! Everyone harrass them to do this, and maybe they will."
I'm vegan, but as a rational person I know there is an infinite number of other causes worthier of my energy and effort than harassing a restaurant into eliminating every single drop of milk/dairy from their menu.
3) Did you actually get to explore the city? Did you talk to any locals, do any cultural activities, explore the rich history? Sounds like you worked a lot, but what's the use spending so much time in a city that you don't get to understand or try to come in contact with?
4) Even by the low blogosphere grammatical standards, please follow a few basic rules. Go easy on exclamation marks, it's "iceberg" not "iceburg"; "vegenaise" not "veganaise"; "harass" not "harrass" etc.
Anyway, I don't usually comment, but your post seemed to indicate that you have completely missed the point of the great city of Detroit, so I had to let you know. Hope that I'm wrong and you had a much richer experience than your post suggests.
-
Just went to Detroit for the weekend and had a great time. Dining out was a great experience in the city and vegan options are also available in many restos in Detroit. I love love the "Tempeh Po Boy Sandwhich at PJ lager House and "The Hippie Dippie Sh*T Man" sandwich from Mudgies. I love Slows BBQ's Genius sandwhich (which is really genius!) and shout out to Seva in Midtown (love the roasted cauliflower with vegan General Tso's sauce).
-
Just went to Detroit for the weekend and had a great time. Its amazing to see a lot of urban farming in Detroit. And that they have a huge farmers market. The Eastern market has such a wide variety and the prices are really good too! Vegan options are also available in many restos in Detroit. I love love the "Tempeh Po Boy Sandwhich at PJ lager House and "The Hippie Dippie Sh*T Man" sandwich from Mudgies. I love Slows BBQ's Genius sandwhich (which is really genius!) and shout out to Seva in Midtown (love the roasted with vegan General Tso's sauce).
-
I'm from Detroit too, but live in Pittsburgh. I'm going back to visit my parents in a few weeks, and definitely plan to check out at least one of these restaurants. Thanks for putting together this list! I also wanted to mention the Traffic Jam restaurant in downtown Detroit (very close to the Whitney) always has great vegetarian and vegan options, even though it's not a vegetarian restaurant.
-
Great post! I am from Detroit but live in NYC now and appreciate the wonderful shout out to such a great town that just gets a lot of unfortaunte bad press. Thanks Alicia!
-
Hey Everyone! I actually work at Avalon International Breads. (www.avalonbreads.net) We appreciate the shout-out and I feel super lucky because I have access to both Avalon and Goodwell's on a daily basis. The Avalon scallion dill bread is my favorite.. combined with a bowl of Goodwell's vegetarian chili.
-
I live in the Detoit area as well and have a few suggestions for vegans out there. We all know about Amici's and Inn Season. But here are a couple more. Cacaco a raw vegan restaurant. The Emory has a really good black bean burger and Pronto's in Royal has vegan and veg options. I went to the Om Cafe on Monday and it was really good; had their sietan tacos and seitan bbq sliders with sauteed onions; YUMMY!!! I have to say that NYC had the best options I have seen so far. My goal is to have more vegan restaurants for us to eat at, because honestly the food is amazing. If anyone is going to NYC and needs suggestions I will let you know where to go; AMAZING food!!!!
-
HAD to add another vegan/vegetarian restaurant that just opened in Btown, Indiana where I live...The Owlery. It is seriously fantastic. I had fried tofu "fish and chips" the other night, and I almost died! It was that good.
-
Near to Inn Season now is a raw vegan cafe called "The Cacao Tree Cafe" It's beyond yummmmy
-
Love hearing great things about DETROIT!! With all the bad press its nice hearing the good things exspecially lately. Seva by the way is a good restraunt I have been there a few times and I know people who love it.
-
Wow that looks good. They'd never have something like this where I live.
Also those watermelon slices aren't big enough for me, that's my 2nd favorite fruit next to pineapple. I have eaten an entire grape watermelon before (last Summer) so those little squares seem teeny to me.
-
Mind Body & Spirits was pretty good, but unfortunately... they closed! Here's an update on their status: http://www.mindbodyspirits.com/mbs/
-
Actually, I think the Amici's Pizza link is wrong. It links to a place called Amicci's (extra c) in Hamtramck, which has no vegan options on the menu that I can see. I've never been there but I would guess this is the right one. http://www.amicispizza.com/index.html =)
-
Roots in Bloomington, Indiana...the country fried seitan dinner OR sandwich is great!:) Upland Brewery also has some really good spicy tofu tacos...
-
Inn Season is by far the #1 vegan/vegetarian restaurant around! (And they share their amazing recipes in their recently published cookbook!) Amici's is a close second. My husband and I are regulars at both, and the food never ceases to impress! Seva in Ann Arbor and What Crepe in Royal Oak are also amazing.
-
Amici's in my favorite! I go stictly for the martini's but I can eat there too!!! I love inn season cafe also. Moo Moo's has some good stuff. Om cafe is right near my work and I have not tried it. But the fly trap in Ferndale is really good! And club barts has great veg sausage!
-
Love Jolly Pumpkin! Awesome place! I went with my sister who lives in MI. We ordered a beer sampler and got warm marainated olives and grilled flat bread for an appetizer. I love olives and it was soo good. I had the the chick pea panini minus the yogurt dressing (will definitely get that again) and she really liked the red chile tofu sandwhich. We split the vegan chocolate cake with coconut milk chocolate ice cream and it was, of course, divine. My sister is not vegetarian/vegan but she's cool about trying stuff with me.
-
I live in West Palm Beach, Florida and it's not so easy to find vegan/vegetarian restaurants. I went on happycow.net and found Darbster http://www.darbster.com/ and was so pleasantly surprised and thrilled that I can actually go somewhere other than eating at Whole Foods....and I can bring my dog! If there are any other WPB residents who are vegan or not....I highly recommend the restaurant.....the staff are super friendly the atmosphere is lovely and the food is fabulous! A must try are the palm cakes. OMG!! To die for!!
-
My husband has been doing some work in Detroit, so I really appreciate this post...I may be going there soon myself and am excited to try out these restaurants!
Gretchen
-
I live in the Inland Empire area of Southern California and for me there are two favorite haunts. The Loving Hut in Upland (http://lovinghut.us/upland/), which has an amazing selection of delicious vegan food. They're all over, but Upland is closest to me. And a newer grocery/apparel type store, Viva La Vegan in Rancho Cucamonga, CA (http://www.shophumanitaire.com/) Both amazing places if you live in the IE...I'm learning so much since making this transition...it's AMAZING!
-
I live outside of Detroit and have visited Seva in Ann Arbor many times. It is one of my favorites! I have honestly loved everything I have had from there! Also, there is a place called Big Salad in Grosse Pointe Woods if you are looking for something Vegetarian or Vegan and you need quick service.
-
Amici's is probably the best on the list. It not only offers vegan & veg options but is a certified green restaurant. If you go in the warm weather months (all 3.5 of them) you can eat in the courtyard. Ronin is fantastic for sushi & so is Little Tree. I also have a lot of good luck with the great middle eastern food we have in Detroit. Anita's kitchen in Ferndale is excellent. Bean & Leaf coffee shop sells vegan baked goods & so does the Cupcake Station in Birmingham. Detroit does have good stuff to offer!!
-
This is for Vegcrazy! I live in CT too, New Haven county but I travel 45 minutes to "It's Only Natural" (or ION for short) in Middletown, CT. It's has veg and vegan food. The entire staff is very friendly and all desserts are vegan. If you ever get a chance to take a ride there you will not be disappointed. I was just there for my birthday on May 21 with my husband and 3 kids! Everyone loved their meal.
-
Was the sushi resturant RONIN in Royal Oak?! They are the best!
Le Petite Zinc should also be on the top of your listen for your next visit!
-
I live near Sacramento, CA and I love Sugar Plum Vegan located in Sacramento. http://www.sugarplumvegan.com/ We went there last September for my birthday and that's where I first learned about Daiya cheese. They also recently catered my sister-in-law's wedding and all the food was amazing. Love it! I also love the nut burger at Sunflower Drive-In located in the old part of Fair Oaks, CA.
--Emily Sweet http://www.onesweetvegan.com/
Available at:
Available at:
Join the Discussion!