Essential Detroit-area restaurants serving cuisine from all around the world

By Metro Times editorial staff on Sat, Jul 20, 2019 at 11:12 am

The Detroit area is home to people from all around the globe who have brought beautiful cultures and exquisite cuisines to the city. If you don't have the time or money to actually travel the world, why not step out your front door and visit these restaurants for a truly international experience?

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Pakistan: Karahi Korner

27616 Middlebelt Rd., Farmington Hills
A literal hole in the wall, located in the back of an Indian and Pakistani grocery store at 12 Mile and Middlebelt Road. The chef’s touch of spices, heat, and acid are what makes this delicious takeout square an underrated gem. You can always count on chicken karahi and biryani between 1 and 2 p.m., and kebabs after 4 p.m. These are three essentials out of the 15-optioned menu, which isn’t always available in full, but whichever choice is made will be guaranteed to satisfy your appetite.

Photo via Tom Perkins

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Peru: Culantro

22939 Woodward Ave., Ferndale
Culantro is a family-run operation near Nine Mile Road and Woodward Avenue that's offering a fine introduction to the nation's interesting cuisine. Among Culantro's most popular options are those that are also most popular in Peru, like the pollo a la brasa and aji de gallina. In the former, a whole bird is marinated for 24 hours before it lands in a special coal-fueled stove brought in from Peru. It's pretty clear from the flavor as to why Culantro would import a charcoal oven instead of simply using gas.

Photo via Tom Perkins

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Poland: Polish Village Cafe

2990 Yemans St., Hamtramck
Not only is the food good, but it's presented on the menu with the kind of indifferent spelling that screams authenticity. (Don't miss the specials board by the entrance).

Photo via Metro Times

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Puerto Rico: Rincon Tropical

6538 Michigan Ave., Detroit
Puerto Rican food is meant for those with a huge appetite, and an example of this can be witnessed at Rincon Tropical, where servings are well-suited and heavy. You may also want to stop by during the weekend, where there’s a DJ mixing the sounds of merengue, bachata, and reggaeton — and the drinks are cheap.

Photo via Jane Slaughter

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Russia: Royal Eagle Restaurant

18745 Old Homestead Dr., Harper Woods
The restaurant is housed on the grounds of a Russian monastery (St. Sabbas), complete with miniature onion domes. Tucked into a quiet east-side neighborhood, the location, however, is a venue for religious practice first and foremost.

Photo via Rob Widdis

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Senegal: Maty’s

21611 Grand River Ave., Detroit
As the city’s only Senegalese restaurant, you can be forgiven for not having tried it yet. And yet, for cuisine that — in theory — is so unusual in Detroit, the suite of flavors in Maty's jumbo portions of meats and fish alludes to something familiar.

Photo via Tom Perkins

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Syria: Al Chabab

12930 W. Warren Ave., Dearborn
Chef and co-owner Chamo Barakat makes sure to proudly incorporate the roots from his home of Aleppo into Syrian eatery, Al Chabab. This small family restaurant is loved for its authenticity of culture, as well as its friendly service. A suggested dish is the muhammara, a hot pepper dip consisting of spices, oils, and rich protein.

Photo via Tom Perkins

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Thailand: Satay House

31101 Dequindre Rd., Madison Heights
If you’ve been keeping a bucket list of all the world cuisines you want to try, now you can head to Madison Heights — already known for its excellent Vietnamese restaurants — to cross off Malay. Lovers of Chinese and Thai will feel at home, but there are enough differences to be intriguing.

Photo via Jane Slaughter

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Venezuela: El Rey de Las Arepas

7701 McGraw Ave., Detroit
You will definitely be ordering arepas, the Venezuelan version of the empanada (or samosa or pasty). It's ground corn flour is shaped into a circle, grilled, split like a biscuit, and then filled with whatever you like. It's sort of like a huge English muffin, but with flavor.

Photo via Rob Widdis

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Vietnam: Que Huong

30820 John R Rd., Madison Heights
Across John R from Thuy Trang is Que Huong. It's a go-to for banh mi, but its pho is also fine — deep, complex broth that shimmers even though the 10-table shop is dim. Like the dozens of other pho spots in Madison Heights, Que Huong can run out of space in its small 1970s strip mall location.

Photo via Tom Perkins

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Yemen: Remas

11444 Joseph Campau Ave., Hamtramck
Lamb is truly the delight of Remas, offered in many Yemeni varieties and also on the Lebanese side as chops or shish kabob. It can be prepared as boram, mandi, haneeth, fahsah, agdah, saltah or masloug, which involve various ways of roasting, boiling, searing, simmering, braising and combining with vegetables for stews.

Photo via Tom Perkins

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