The 25 most beautiful metro Detroit restaurants and bars

By Lee DeVito on Mon, Dec 12, 2022 at 9:19 am

It’s a common saying among chefs: you eat with your eyes first. While this usually applies to plating a dish, there is something just a bit more special about eating in a stunning restaurant, too. Whether you’re planning for a big event, celebrating a birthday, or trying to impress a special someone, the Detroit area offers a number of gorgeous eateries that offer a feast for your eyes as well as your mouth.

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Burereau Detroit

Highlands

400 Renaissance Center, Detroit; 313-877-9090; highlandsdetroit.com

You can’t beat the Highlands, with its breathtaking 360-degree views from the GM RenCen’s 71st and 72nd floors of the city, the Detroit River, and our neighbors in Canada. The sight is exceptional at night when the streetlights turn on and you can appreciate Detroit’s unique radial street layout, which resembles the spokes of a giant wheel.

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Instagram, @townhouse.detroit

Townhouse Detroit

500 Woodward Ave., Detroit; 313-723-1000; townhousedetroit.com

This downtown spot reopened after a closure of nearly a year with an updated menu and redesigned interior with lighter and brighter colors. That includes the space’s beautiful atrium, filled with sunlight and plants.

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Instagram, @deluxxfluxxdet

Deluxx Fluxx

1274 Library St., Detroit; 313-788-7015; deluxxfluxx.com

There’s a reason why so many people use photos taken at this basement club as their profile pictures on dating apps. The Day-Glo-coated design by New York City-based artists Faile and Bast is out of this world, and even includes custom arcade games.

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Christian Harder

Candy Bar

1509 Broadway St., Detroit; candybardetroit.com

The Siren Hotel’s lounge bar offers plenty of eye candy, including a blown glass chandelier, pink plush booths, and rosy marble tables. The fanciful cocktails are like a cherry on top.

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Instagram, @barda_detroit

Barda

842 Grand River Ave., Detroit; 313-952-5182; bardadetroit.com

This Argentine restaurant in Detroit’s Core City neighborhood is bathed in red light, evocative of its wood-fired menu. The next-door Core City Park is a former parking lot that was transformed into an urban oasis with trees, art installations, and salvaged architectural material from Detroit’s past recovered from the site.

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Michelle Gerard

Chartreuse

15 E. Kirby, St D, Detroit; 313-818-3915; chartreusekc.com

Named after a family of green and yellow liquors made by Carthusian monks in France, the walls of this Midtown spot are painted a bright and verdant hue. In keeping with this theme, this space has featured art installations made out of plants throughout the years.

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Instagram, @willisshowbar

Willis Show Bar

4156 3rd Ave., Detroit; 313-788-7469; willisshowbar.com

The new owners of this long-abandoned Detroit jazz club painstakingly re-created its sleek Art Moderne style, updating it with eye-popping color-changing LED lights that wash the players on the small stage located behind the bar in color.

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Hayden Stinebaugh

Zana

210 S. Old Woodward Ave., Birmingham; 248-800-6568; zanabham.com

A newcomer to Birmingham’s dining scene, Zana general manager touted the space’s beauty, saying, “Guests should expect a dining experience that will transcend taste… through alluring ambiance, bold flavors and unparalleled service.” The centerpiece of the design is a hand-blown glass light fixture commissioned from the Czech Republic.

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Instagram, @badluckbar

Bad Luck Bar

1218 Griswold St., Detroit; 313-657-9177; badluckbar.com

Accessible via an alley near Capitol Park, Bad Luck Bar has a speakeasy vibe with an over-the-top interior that matches the fanciful cocktails, including hexagonal lighting fixtures and a shelf of liquor bottles so tall that they must be reached with the help of a ladder.

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Lee DeVito

Joe Louis Southern Kitchen

6549 Woodward Ave., Detroit; 313-788-8338; joelouissouthernkitchen.com

Not only is this brunch-centric comfort food spot named after Detroit’s Nazi-defeating heavyweight boxing champ, but it’s also charmingly designed to resemble a Southern homestead complete with a porch and fake plastic trees, in honor of Louis’s hometown of LaFayette, Alabama.

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Courtesy photo

The Apparatus Room

250 W. Larned St., Detroit; 313-800-5600; detroitfoundationhotel.com

The former headquarters for the Detroit Fire Department has been reimagined as the Apparatus Room at the Foundation Hotel, a warm and inviting space with leather couches, lit by Edison bulbs.

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@wallymikhu, Instagram

The Whitney

4421 Woodward Ave., Detroit; 313-832-5700; thewhitney.com

Located inside an opulent mansion built by a 19th century lumber baron, which cost the equivalent of about $9.5 million in today’s dollars, The Whitney offers the rest of us a taste of how Detroit’s upper class lived. Its weekend afternoon tea and summer garden parties offer an even more affordable price point to enjoy this elegant space.

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Courtesy photo

Takoi

2520 Michigan Ave., Detroit; 313-855-2864; takoidetroit.com

The owners have transformed a former Corktown auto body shop into a popular Thai-inspired spot with a dining area and equally stylish bar drenched in color-changing hues.

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Instagram, @lumen_detroit

Lumen

1903 Grand River Ave., Detroit; 313-626-5005; lumendetroit.com

This angular, futuristic building in Detroit’s Beacon Park has won awards for its design, which features sliding glass walls that can open the space up in the warm weather and a green roof.

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Instagram, @freyadetroit

Freya

2929 E. Grand Blvd., Detroit; 313-351-5544; freyadetroit.com

While this upscale spot’s interior is minimal, with exposed gray brick and glass block windows, it nonetheless has a warm and inviting feel with an open kitchen and a vinyl record player.

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Courtesy photo

Time Will Tell

6408 Woodward Ave., Detroit; instagram.com/timewilltelldetroit

This little storefront bar exudes a retro yet timeless charm, including floral wallpaper and an old-school jukebox.

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Instagram, @theskipdetroit

The Skip

1234 The Belt, Detroit; 313-724-3145; theskipdetroit.com

The Skip is located in the Belt, an alleyway decorated with artwork by big names in street art. This little bar carries the vibe inside, where you’ll find a mural by Shepard Fairey.

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Instagram, @besadetroit

Besa

600 Woodward Ave., Detroit; 313-315-3000; besadetroit.com

This fine dining spot has a sleek, contemporary interior with futuristic light fixtures, a large wine rack, and beautiful views of downtown.

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Courtesy photo

The Oakland Art Novelty Company

201 W. Nine Mile Rd., Ferndale; 248-291-5295; theoaklandferndale.com

This stylish bar is known for its inventive cocktails and candle-lit ambiance, chandeliers, and tall wingback chairs.

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Instagram, @tigerlily_ferndale

Tiger Lily

231 W. Nine Mile Rd., Ferndale; 248-733-4905; tigerlilyferndale.com

This upscale sushi spot features anime-inspired murals by Detroit illustrator Glenn Barr, an open marble-top bar, and chairs that resemble pieces of sushi. An attached “speakeasy”-style tiki bar called Mai Tiki sports an island-themed wraparound mural and thatch canopy.

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The 25 most beautiful metro Detroit restaurants and bars

Tags:

Highlands

Townhouse Detroit

Deluxx Fluxx

Candy Bar

Barda

Chartreuse

Willis Show Bar

Zana

Bad Luck Bar

Joe Louis Southern Kitchen

The Apparatus Room

The Whitney

Takoi

Lumen

Freya

Time Will Tell

The Skip

Besa

The Oakland Art Novelty Company

Tiger Lily

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