The best food in metro Detroit according to Maryam Khan of Khana

Continuing our exploration of the best of Detroit’s cuisine, we hit up Maryam Khan, the chef and owner of Pakistani food pop-up Khana, to share some of her favorites.

“I’m a self-taught chef and active community member of what I believe to be the greatest city in the world,” Khan says. “I was born in Detroit at Hutzel Hospital on Woodward, grew up gallivanting through Southwest nearly every weekend to satisfy my father’s insatiable appetite for shrimp fajitas, have been love-locked with the dazzling sheds of produce at Eastern Market since childhood, and spent countless hours of my life losing myself to the music on the dancefloors and warehouses dotting Detroit. This city is the greatest love of my life, and an inspiration for my own food baby, Khana. I wouldn’t have been able to grow my business in the ways I have over nearly six years if it wasn’t for the culinary influences and communal support of Detroit and its beloved inhabitants, many of whom I’m forever grateful to for playing integral roles in growing Khana. In the truest sense, it has taken a village.”

In 2023, Khana came in second place on season 16 of the Food Network’s The Great Food Truck Race. While Khana is actually not a food truck, it has acted as a pop-up in metro Detroit since 2018. It’s currently a top-four finalist in Hatch Detroit’s pitch contest, and Khan is fighting hard for the top spot with hopes to take home the $100,000 prize with the goal of opening a brick-and-mortar for Khana soon.

“As a Detroiter who admittedly often complains that we live in a food desert, writing this list of metro Detroit restaurants that I adore reminded me that while we may not yet have the quantity of other metropolises, we do not lack the quality, nor do we leave very much to be desired in terms of diversity,” Khan says. “If America is a melting pot, then Detroit is the secret seasoning that gives it that OOMPH; disregarded by some, but deeply appreciated by those who recognize its immeasurable contributions to the big picture. I hope you all discover a gem or two to add to your rotation of go-tos. A word of advice from me to the reader: make a habit of dining alone every so often with a seat at the bar. Some of my favorite dining experiences have come to life in this indulgent way. Cheers.”

Here are Khan’s favorite metro Detroit restaurants, in no particular order: