Hazel Park’s celebrated restaurant Mabel Gray is getting a lot of love lately.
USA Today just named it one of the top 44 restaurants in America, highlighting its innovative seasonal menu, “continuous excellence,” and creative leadership from chef-owner James Rigato.
Known for its ever-changing menu and focus on local, fresh ingredients, Mabel Gray is approaching its 10th anniversary this fall.
USA Today praised the New American eatery for balancing tried-and-true staples like steak frites with imaginative seasonal dishes, such as sweet corn tossed in umami miso butter and crunchy chicharrónes.
Rigato and his team have kept the restaurant fresh by traveling the globe for culinary inspiration, returning with new ideas that have shaped Mabel Gray’s dynamic menu. The restaurant also recently unveiled a new private dining room and wine cave, where sommelier Paulina Schemanski “flaunts her skills in Champagne and vino,” USA Today wrote.
This recognition comes just a little more than a week after Hour Detroit magazine named Mabel Gray its 2025 Restaurant of the Year, praising upscale eatery for its longevity, creativity, and commitment to keeping its staff engaged and inspired.
Rigato opened Mabel Gray in 2015 in a former Coney Island on John R Road, helping to usher in Hazel Park’s transformation from a blue-collar suburb to a hip destination for food lovers and young professionals. Known for its affordable housing and welcoming community, Hazel Park has drawn a new wave of residents and businesses, including high-end restaurants, cannabis dispensaries, and pop-up dining experiences.
Mabel Gray isn’t the only Michigan restaurant earning national recognition from USA Today. Tomato Brothers in Howell — known for its nostalgic vibe, classic Italian and Greek dishes, and addictive breadsticks — also made the list as one of the best restaurants in the country.
For Hazel Park, the accolades for Mabel Gray are yet another sign that the once-overlooked city is becoming a culinary hotspot. As Rigato once told Metro Times, “Ferndale and Royal Oak are the darlings of the area, but to me, Hazel Park has always been the overlooked, funky cousin.”
