Downtown Specialty

Run by Herman Hayes, known in Detroit as Uncle Herm, Dilla's Delights honors the memory of his late nephew, the influential hip hop producer J Dilla. When it opened in 2016, the highly anticipated shop quickly—by 8 a.m.—sold out. Hayes uses organic ingredients to make his oft-inventive, sought after flavors. While there are no seats at Dilla's, fans make use of the narrow counter space looking out onto Downtown Detroit.

Juice shops are not ubiquitous in Detroit as they've become in many cities. For your juice-fix here, go to Drought. Opened by four sisters, the company makes organic, cold-pressed juices, often using produce grown in Michigan, each one glass-bottled. Green #1 (chard, cabbage, apple, celery, kale, lemon) is a favorite. Drought also has oat and chia shakes, cold brew coffee, and packaged one-day cleanses. The new "Biocean" seawater shots at the checkout are said to be effective boosters, too. There are four Michigan locations; the Detroit storefront is located inside the Chrysler House, and is just meant for grabbing a juice on the go. (Fair warning: A quality chocolate shop with gift-worthy packaging, called Bon Bon Bon, sits directly across the way. Also inside building: the Dime Store restaurant.)

A true-blue Detroit classic, these two Coney Island diners are open all day and share a wall—and a long-standing rivalry pertaining to the city’s best hot dogs. Basically, everyone in Detroit likes either American or Lafayette—it’s down-and-dirty food, but a quintessential Motor City experience.