Best New Restaurants Coming in 2023
By: Mark H. Stowers
Restaurants are always evolving and changing throughout Metro Detroit. From burgers to salads, seafood to soul and more, what’s old is new and what’s new is – delicious! Here’s some of the gastrointestinal choices coming or already on tap for 2023 in Metro Detroit.
Best New Restaurants Coming in 2023
Ferndale is the home for TigerLily at 231 Nine Mile Road. In what was the Antihero, TigerLily now offers Edomae-style sushi, sharable small plates, and what’s called fireside cooking. Chef Chris Vasquez came from Memotaro a critically acclaimed Japanese restaurant in Chicago. Japanese Street Corn along with other Japanese staple hot items as well as a cold menu featuring Beet Salad, Beef Tataki, and more. Try a skewer of either chicken thigh, pork belly, Wagyu beef or Spanish Octopus surrounded with select vegetables roasted over binchotan charcoal. A dive into the sushi menu offers both Nigirizushi and Makimono Sushi Rolls. Nigiri and Sashimi are also available. Head to Ferndale for a Japanese retreat of flavor.
If Soul food is more your neck of the woods in taste town, check out Petty Cash as they combine Black Southern culinary style in upscale casual dining. On Livernois in Detroit, Ron Bartell of Kuzzo’s Chicken and Waffles is partnering with Dominic McCord for dishes that are southern, African, Middle Eastern and Mediterranean. You’ll find season, vegan-friendly items on the menu. Reservations are recommended. If Duck Gumbo, grilled bone-in pork chops, pan seared salmon or Lamb ribs are on your mind, get to Petty Cash and don’t forget the Lemon Leche Cake. There’s even a brunch menu with lobster and grits, sweet potato biscuits, short rib hash and more to satisfy that soul food craving.
Dearborn has long been the literal mecca of Middle Eastern cuisine in metro-Detroit. But the Aliz Seafood House offers all that – with seafood. The middle Eastern staples are all served including skewers, grilled kibbie, skewers and hummus but with spicy shrimp and fish instead of the staples of beef, lamb and chicken. Premium European and Mediterranean seafood dishes include loaded fries with cheese or fish or shrimp, red or white shrimp soup as well as fried fish or shrimp. They also serve up grilled platters with fish and shrimp served with rice or fries. An array of fish is offered grilled or fried including Golden Pomfret, Sea Bream, Whiting, Bronizini, Red Snapper, Sardine and seasonal fish. They offer several salmon choices as well. The also offer the standard kids fare of chicken tenders or broasted or grilled.
Circling back to Detroit, check out the Ladder 4 Wine Bar on Vinewood. Live music spread across three patios and a full back yard, more than 200 wines available for purchase combined with a full-scale menu offer a memorable night out. In what used to be a city firehouse, the wine bar and restaurant emerge. The kids menu stands out with favorites as chicken tenders with caviar ranch tickle the pallete as does the grilled cheese with harel camembert cheese, Périgord truffle and pear sauce. Paying homage to the firehouse, the chef offers a fight the fire wing challenge replete with funeral sauce. Adults may be begging to order from the creative fare. But there’s plenty for them. Cheeseburgers, rigatoni alfredo, a fried perch baskets, sticky ribs topped off with a Valrhona chocolate lava cake. Check the website daily for menu changes.
You may know Ima Izakaya from Corktown but they moved to the former Gold Cash Gold location to dish out their famous pho, udon, rice bowls, shrimp dumplings and more. Check out their creative flair with dishes such as Hamachi crudo using yellowtail, yuzu-limon confie, jalapeno and mircro cilantro with a touch of black sea salt. Dive into their menu that features cold, hot, Robata Grill, entrees, Ramen and Udon soups as well as Yaki Udons, pho and Donburi. Beer, cider, cocktails, wine and saki are all available to make the dining experience one to remember.
Breadless opened its doors last March and has been serving up delicious sandwiches – sans bread. Wrapped in greens instead of bread, their mind-blowing combination of flavors include the Cloud 9 – a pastrami with Havarti cheese, shredded cabbage, pickle and red onions surrounded by spicy ground mustard and a house-made Rueben sauce all wrapped in collard greens. Check out the Jerk City Chicken, Buckwild, Chardi 8, Brid is the Word, What the Kale, Spicy Chick(Pea), Smokey Beets or the Detroit Oyster Bar. There’s also bowls with the same names to take in all the goodness of Breadless creations.
This list could go on for days but we’ll top it off with the Hanah Steakhouse that brings Asian fusion to light. Sushi rolls, nigiri flights, Vietnamese spring rolls, Shanghainese soup dumpling, wagyu sliders, ramen, chicken and waffles and even a cherrywood smoked Peking duck fill out the menu. Check them out at 607 Shelby Street in Detroit.
Check out these and plenty more new restaurants all across Metro Detroit. You’re bound to find a new twist on an old favorite.