Mister Dips

19 E. Grand River, Detroit; www.misterdips.com
A new brick-and-mortar location of Mister Dips was supposed to open in downtown Detroit last spring but now, it’s looking like this year is the year. Described as “Shake Shack on acid,” the burger and ice cream joint will be located at 19 E. Grand River Ave. in Parker's Alley, and will be adjoining the Shinola Hotel. Mister Dips already has a popular location in Brooklyn, New York, which chef and restaurateur Andrew Carmellini opened back in September 2016.

Photo via Mister Dips/Facebook

Saucy Brew Works

Update: Saucy Brew Works is open
2671 John R. St., Detroit; 734-926-8933; saucybrewworks.com
It was announced in 2019 that a new brewery would be heading to Brush Park in 2020 by way of Cleveland-based Saucy Brew Works. The pizzeria and brewery is now expected to open in March 2021, taking up residence inside Bedrock’s City Modern development, making it the chain’s fifth outpost. Saucy Brew Works’ catalogue of beer includes canned and bottled options like the Habituale, a kölsch-style golden ale, and the IPA ASAP, an American IPA. According to the chain's Cleveland menu, Saucy specializes in Neapolitan New Haven-style pizza.

Photo via Saucy Brewpub/Facebook

Metropolitan Variety Store/Bar & Kitchen

Update: Metropolitan Variety Store/Bar & Kitchen is open
8047 Agnes St., Detroit; 313-469-0976; metropolitanvariety.com
Following some successful brunch pop-ups in 2020, the space once belonging to West Village favorite Craft Work will get a new life after the cocktail bar shuttered last spring thanks to chefs from the former Gold Cash Gold in Corktown, which also closed last year. The restaurant space at Agnes Street will be revived into Metropolitan Variety Store — part neighborhood market, part bar and restaurant, offering cocktails and Latin American-inspired fare. Chefs Haily Enszer and Brendon Edwards from Gold Cash Gold have teamed up with Detroit Shipping Company’s Rick Stanza and beer/wine/liquor buyer Ashley Price to form DSC Hospitalit management group. Though they're offering some food for curbside pickup, the space is undergoing some renovations in the meantime.

Photo via Metropolitan Variety Store/Facebook

Honey

TBD
Chef Max Hardy, who in 2019 was named by The New York Times as one of 16 Black chefs in America responsible for elevating the culinary scene, reportedly has secured a lease in the Harmonie Park area for his long-awaited Afro-Caribbean concept brick-and-mortar, Honey. Hardy says they may have to hold off on the build-out given the mounting costs and slow financial recovery his restaurant, COOP, has suffered during the COVID-19 pandemic. Honey could open in spring 2021 with an 85-seat dining room, open kitchen, and a speakeasy-style lounge area. The space is expected to include a private dining space, as well as a podcast studio.

Photo via GoogleMaps

What's Crackin'

TBD, Near Seven Mile and Livernois, Detroit
Speaking of Chef Max Hardy, Hardy is expected to open another new offering in the fall, first as a pop-up, with a formal opening in 2021. Hardy has teamed up with Ron Bartell, a former Detroit Lion cornerback and the owner of the popular Kuzzo's Chicken & Waffles, for what is being described as a casual seafood boil takeout spot. Slated for Detroit’s Avenue of Fashion district, What's Crackin' will be the latest customizable seafood boil bag restaurant to join the Detroit landscape. Customers can choose their seafood, sauce, and spices, including a selection of Chef Max Signature Spice Blends, which will be made available for purchase.

Photo via GoogleMaps

Dave's Hot Chicken

TBD; daveshotchicken.com
A popular Los Angeles-based Nashville Hot Chicken-style chain is eyeing a Michigan expansion. Dave’s Hot Chicken announced plans to open restaurants in Flint and Saginaw. (The chain is also expanding to Ohio, with plans for Toledo and Dayton stores.) In total, the chain plans to open 25 restaurants across the two states in 2021. The brand was founded in 2017 by chef Dave Kopushyan as a parking-lot pop-up, and quickly caught on and gained investors in the same group behind Blaze Pizza. It now has several locations throughout California, with plans to expand to more than 150 locations throughout the country within the year.

Photo of Dave’s Hot Chicken in Los Angeles via GoogleMaps

Madam

298 S. Woodward Ave., Birmingham;248-283-4200; daxtonhotel.com
Update: Madam is open
It was announced last October that Birmingham would be getting a swanky new 151-room boutique hotel with some high-end dining options. The Daxton Hotel, which is the brainchild of those behind Detroit’s Foundation Hotel, will include a restaurant with Madam. Described on its website as offering “vegetable-forward dishes and classic cocktails with a modern twist,” Madam also promises a “graceful” dining space. Currently, both the hotel and Madam are accepting reservations; both spaces are expected to open in February.

Photo via Madam/Facebook

Portillo’s

14425 Lakeside Cir., Sterling Heights; 630-954-3773portillos.com
Update: Portillo's is open
The Chicago based fast-casual chain will be opening their first Michigan location in Sterling Heights later this year, offering Italian-style beef, Chicago-style hotdogs, chicken sandwiches, and malts.

Rendering courtesy of Portillo’s