Best Of 2018

Image: Best Fish & Chips

22200 Fenkell Ave., Detroit; 313-533-0950; scottysfishandchips.com

There are some people who go to Scotty’s for the fish, the hand-sliced potatoes and onions, and hand-shredded cabbage for the coleslaw. Sure, they enjoy the tartar sauce and a ketchup-enriched shrimp sauce made by hand. But a lot of them go for the memories. You see, Scotty’s is located in Detroit’s Brightmoor neighborhood, which was once thickly planted with Southern-born auto workers, nowadays a poster child for disinvestment and decay. But Scotty’s remains stubbornly implanted on Fenkell, impervious to change, looking very much like a 1960s diner. Oh, there are touches that scream “family-owned business,” such as the motley collection of about 200 lighthouses kept on display, or the back room with its taxidermied fish, and portraits of roiling, dark seas or of upright and erect clipper ships. Meals come complete with a “joke of the day,” usually a giggle-inducing shaggy-dog story. A warning before you set out for the land of lighthouses: Scotty’s is closed Sundays and Mondays and only accepts cash. —Michael Jackman

Food

Image: Food
Image: Best Bagel
23316 Woodward Ave., Ferndale; 248-548-2580; newyorkbagel-detroit.com
Image: Best Bakery
741 E. Nine Mile Rd., Ferndale; 248-545-7295
Image: Best Bar Food
511 S. Main St., Royal Oak; 248-216-1112; themorrie.com
Image: Best Barbecue Restaurant
1403 S. Commerce Rd., Wolverine Lake; 248-438-6741; cayagrill.com
Image: Best Breakfast/Brunch (Ann Arbor/Ypsilanti)
2501 Jackson Ave., Ann Arbor; 734-663-3663; zingermansroadhouse.com
Image: Best Breakfast/Brunch (Detroit)
719 Griswold St., #180, Detroit; 313-962-9106; eatdimestore.com
Image: Best Breakfast/Brunch (Suburbs)
23144 Woodward Ave., Ferndale; 248-398-0444
203 Pierce St., Birmingham; 248-258-6278; eatattoast.com
Image: Best Burger
1326 Brush St., Detroit; 313-818-3708; basementburgerbar.com
Image: Best Cajun
22848 Woodward Ave., Ferndale; 248-691-7145; howesbayouferndale.net