What are the best black-owned restaurants in Detroit?

[Scottathew]

And for the record, I'm white! "Black-owned" is a clumsy phrase, I know [[imagine if I said "white-owned", lol), but it was just expedient.

Cool. I don't think you were being racist or had bad intentions. I just wanted to point out that maybe your question was about wanting to find the best place for a specific type of food, not a specific race of ownership.

I haven't really ventured to any African inspired food places, but I can tell you that the Cadieux Cafe is a local place that's pretty good!

[Honky Tonk]

1917 American Bistro. Livernois near 7 Mile Rd.
Dave plays there about once a month with the LL7 Latin Jazz Machine. He hasn't tried the food, but the place is always packed!! Other musicians we know are also playing there....it is becoming the place to be!
http://www.1917americanbistro.com

Is there a cover charge to hear the Jazz?

[Cincinnati_Kid]

hmm... I suppose it also depends how one defines "best"-- if your taste runs from deli-type places and "dives", or your [[virtually) invite-only/reservation jacket-and-tie type places.. [[as such, do carry-out-only places count? If so, Motor City Soul Food on 7 Mile & Meyers is excellent.)

I think Hour Detroit puts out an annual list of restaurants throughout the region, including plenty from the city..

I've ate at Motor City Soul Food and wasn't impressed at all. Maybe you have to order specific items. I order some smothered pork chops with mac n cheese and it didn't taste too good. I know the line is always out the door though. Maybe I'll try something else in the future, but after that visit, I said I won't be back here anytime soon.

[poobert]

Sure, carry out counts! Now that I think about, Dutch Girl Donuts just north of 7 on Woodward has some real good baked goods, and that's carry out only.

I'm fairly certain that the owners of Dutch Girl Donuts, are, intuitively, Dutch-Americans.

Not a bad thread though. Of course I applaud all business owners in the city making a go of it. The eateries and hangouts in this city have a character you certainly don't find elsewhere, especially compared to the uncivilized dumpy slop-troughs like Applebees that pass for dining these days.

[EastsideAl]

Whatever happened to Sherman Sharpe, who ran the odd, expensive, but often quite good Harlequin Cafe in the West Village for several years? I was told by someone that he died a couple of years ago, but I have no other information. I remember going there for jazz on the weekends and sitting out front drinking coffee on his benches on warm days.

[Ststannies]

Couldn't agree more with you. The race of the owner shouldn't be a determining factor, it should simply be the type of food that's being served.

[MidTownMs]

Really don't any of you have lives?

What is the point of blowing this up? If someone asked about polish-owned places or greek owned coney islands I would suspect you would be contributing more than just snark. Don't get me wrong snark can be fun, but in this case its pointless.

I have a life. Do you? I said the same thing you just said in my post. What does this post or any other post have anything to do with whether or not the people who post here have lives?

[canuck]

There was an On The Road type cuisine show on PBS the other night, "Rick Sebak's Breakfast Special" where they went form breakfast places in Maine, Connecticut Philly, Hawaii and one "black owned" place in Detroit; Connie and Barbara's soulfood restaurant. It was a nice hour long show jampacked with comments from customers and staffa like about what made these places special.

I agree with those who say this black owned or african cuisine is a non issue. We are talking ethnic here whether Soulfood or creole, carribean or african per se, it is not about ghetto mentality. In fact, if anything brings folks together and sharing it is cuisine and music.

[DetroitPlanner]

I have a life. Do you? I said the same thing you just said in my post. What does this post or any other post have anything to do with whether or not the people who post here have lives?

Good job, I was wondering if anyone would see the irony in my posting!

[j to the jeremy]

Oh God, classic Metro Detroit, extremely racially segregated, but when the topic of race comes up in a public forum, they can't even believe you'd discuss such a thing. I'm simply curious because I think each culture brings something different to the table when it comes to cuisine [[if I asked for the best Polish-owned restaurants, would anyone care?), and I'd like to know more about what black Detroiters and black suburbanites are doing in the local culinary scene. Is that wrong?

I konw, right? It's hilarious how predictable the denial is around these parts. Your original question must have struck a nerve with the many whitefolk on DYes...

City Wings on W Grand and Third is supposed to be good, and so is Sweet Potato Sensations in Redford. Tons of BBQ and Soul Food places that I don't know the names of are also good. But I've only been to a couple so that's not much help.
I believe Southern Fires is black owned and that's a really popular place as well

[downtownguy]

I did say "best", so I specified quality. And I didn't want to ask something stereotypical, like what place makes the best soul food. Maybe a black guy runs the best Polish restaurant in town. I'd find that just as interesting as if it turned out a white guy did the best soul food in Detroit. And we know that there has been some complaints made and articles written about the relative lack of black-owned liquor stores and grocery stores in the city, so it's a socially relevant topic.

I think it's totally relevant and just shows the typical knee-jerk reaction to anything black by many white folks. It's a shame so many white people in our region don't embrace and celebrate the rich black culture we have here. So what if we discussed "black owned" and "white owned" and "purple owned"? The economic disparities and racial inequities of our region is part of it's history. There's nothing wrong with having a frank discussion without getting your panties in a twist. For the record, I'm white.

[j to the jeremy]

Also, Louisiana Creole Gumbo is REALLY good, at least when I've eaten it waiting at the Bus Station. Great red beans and rice.

[downtownguy]

One of my favorite area restaurants of any color is The Blue Nile. Black-owned by a very generous, civic minded gentleman, the food and culture is Ethiopian, as is the ethnicity of the owner.

[Honky Tonk]

One of my favorite area restaurants of any color is The Blue Nile. Black-owned by a very generous, civic minded gentleman, the food and culture is Ethiopian, as is the ethnicity of the owner.

Hear, hear!

[gazhekwe]

I will vouch for Sweet Potato Sensations also. And Peteet's Cheesecake on Nine Mile west of Coolidge? The BEST cheesecake around. Many different flavors.

[jcole]

According to the people on The Nine on Fox 2, Side A' Fries on McNichols and Littlefield is supposed to be awesome. One of the best burger places they've tried on there.

[Pickford-Bentler]

The building that houses Sweet Potato Sensations used to be a German bakery. My father would buy our birthday cakes there - yum. Later on, when it became Sweet Potato Sensations, he would buy sweet potato pies for Thanksgiving dinner there - more yummy for the tummy.

[jackie5275]

New Center Eatery
Best chicken and waffles. Nicely breaded wings. Not from frozen. Great oatmeal with almonds.
3100 W. Grand Blvd, Detroit, MI

Thanks for this info. I drive past there a couple of times a week always wondering how it is, but never knowing anyone who's been in there who can give me an opinion.

[Zacha341]

It's small and is only open until 4 pm as they are sorta like a pancake place but very good. If I am going to do some fried chicken it will be there and not some fast food joint!

Thanks for this info. I drive past there a couple of times a week always wondering how it is, but never knowing anyone who's been in there who can give me an opinion.

[Kathleen]

Is there a cover charge to hear the Jazz [at the 1917 American Bistro]?

No, there isn't a cover charge.

[Honky Tonk]

No, there isn't!!!

Cool! I'll have to check them out. Thanx.

[downtownguy]

Whatever happened to Sherman Sharpe, who ran the odd, expensive, but often quite good Harlequin Cafe in the West Village for several years? I was told by someone that he died a couple of years ago, but I have no other information. I remember going there for jazz on the weekends and sitting out front drinking coffee on his benches on warm days.

About two years ago, I heard he was trying to put together financing to open a new restaurant in the old Baile Corcaigh location on Trumbull in Corktown. It didn't happen and now someone else in the space. The Harlequin was a great place!

[gvidas]

I think the original question is a legitimate one. Uncomfortable, maybe, but legitimate. There's a huge difference between owning a business and having a job: usually, the more money you have, the more money you can make. I don't have statistics to back this up, but I'm under the impression that owning a business tends to run in the family -- if your parents were in business for themselves, you are more likely to try it, and to have the money to be able to try it.

As Detroit changes/grows/comes back, opportunities for new businesses arise. One significant measure of the success of a Detroit comeback is, I think, whether lifelong Detroiters are going to be in a position to capitalize on those opportunities: Will they have the money, or the credit, to start or buy a business when the opportunity presents itself? Or will they be so drained by the preceding decades that they can only watch the city change around them?

Given the demographics of our fair city, these questions very quickly come back to the broader question of racial equality and the long echos of our particular history of systemic disenfranchisement.

That said, I think the burgers at Cutter's Bar & Grille [[2638 Orleans, east side of Eastern Market) are some of the best in the city. Usually I and whoever I walk in with are the only white people there, but I don't know anything about the ownership.

[nain rouge]

I'm fairly certain that the owners of Dutch Girl Donuts, are, intuitively, Dutch-Americans.

You know, I thought that at first, but then I never saw anyone that looked even vaguely "Dutch" working there, so I wrongly assumed it had been likely been sold to a local resident.

Turns out I'm an even bigger idiot than I thought! This Yahoo! video proves you're right: http://in.news.yahoo.com/video/detro...-23799376.html

I like how the narrator has to throw in all the usual, over the top cliches. According to him, virtually every neighborhood in Detroit is "in absolute ruins."

[Kathleen]

Enjoy this Detroitblogger John/Metro Times read on Dutch Girl Donuts:

http://www2.metrotimes.com/news/story.asp?id=14689