Detroit, MI
What’s Cooking? Metro Detroit Dining News for January 2026
Coming to the Table
Rock & Brews
- Where: Royal Oak
- Slated to Open: Spring
Rock & Brews — the national restaurant concept founded by KISS’ Gene Simmons and Paul Stanley — plans to make its Michigan debut in downtown Royal Oak this spring in the former HopCat space. As Simmons is fond of saying, “I like being part of a rock and roll band, but I love being part of a rock and roll brand.”
The restaurant will feature three levels: a first-floor dining room; second floor bar with a live concert stage; and third floor open-air rooftop sky lounge with DJing. Beers, “rocktails,” and American fare will make up the menu. Notably, several locations serve a dish named after a Detroit native: Alice Cooper’s Poison Burger. KISS itself has numerous ties to Detroit and Michigan. “Detroit really embraced us before any other city,” Stanley told Howard Stern in 2023, when explaining the inspiration behind the band’s 1976 hit “Detroit Rock City.” 208 West Fifth Ave., Royal Oak; rockandbrews.com
Cardoon
- Where: Sylvan Lake
- Slated to Open: Spring
From the team behind Sylvan Table comes an all-in-one European-inspired bakery, all-day café, deli, and provisions market highlighting local and seasonal ingredients. Cardoon is designed to be “a place where you can grab everything needed for your upcoming dinner party and also enjoy a glass of wine and bowl of pasta before hurrying home after work,” according to a statement from the business.
The café will serve coffee, beer, wine, and cocktails all day. In the morning, it will feature breakfast plates and pastries. Its full-service deli will have sliced-to-order meats and cheeses. The food menu will include schiacciata and panuozzo sandwiches, fresh pastas, pizzas, rustic breads, and viennoiserie. Other selections include porchetta schiacciata, a Danish-style hot dog, mortadella and pesto panuozzo, Swedish cardamom buns, as well as house-made sausages and cured-in-house charcuterie. Cardoon will be owned by Sylvan Table owners Nicole and Tim Ryan and helmed by Scott Martinelli, the opening executive sous chef at Sylvan Table. 2190 Orchard Lake Road, Sylvan Lake; (website coming soon).
Hunã Bar
- Where: Ann Arbor
- Slated to Open: February
A new tiki bar is coming to the space below Echelon Kitchen & Bar with eats and drinks from the same staff. Hunã Bar will feature tiki drinks and pu pus prepared by Chef Joseph VanWagner. Additionally, memberships to the bar will be available offering perks like access to events, members-only days, priority reservations, merchandise, and more. 200 S Main St, Ann Arbor; huna.bar
For a list of more openings, see our article Metro Detroit Restaurants on Our Radar for 2026
New Metro Detroit Restaurants, Bars, and Cafés
Lola’s Taco Bar
- Where: Grosse Pointe Woods
Lola’s Taco Bar celebrated its grand opening on Monday, Jan. 12. It serves tacos, burritos, bowls, queso, rotisserie chicken, margaritas, beers and more in a fast-casual setting. One of its owners, Brandon McRill, founded Rebelle, a Michelin star-winning restaurant in New York City. 20195 Mack Ave., Grosse Pointe Woods; lolastacobar.com
Read our full article on Lola’s Taco Bar here.
Medusa Cucina Siciliana
This Sicily-inspired eatery is the second Detroit restaurant from SheWolf chef-owner Anthony Lombardo — a two-time James Beard Award semifinalist. Medusa officially debuted on Thursday, Jan. 15 in Midtown Detroit. The menu features wine, cocktails, Sicilian street food, pastas, couscous, and small seafood bites like Insalata di Mare (grilled octopus, shrimp, calamari, banana pepper, potato, caper dressing). 644 Selden St., Detroit; medusa-detroit.com
Read our full article on Medusa here.
Slows Bar BQ Berkley
Founded in Corktown, Slows Bar BQ is known for staples like brisket, pulled pork, ribs, mac ’n cheese, and signature sandwiches like The Yardbird. Its new Berkley location finally opened in late December inside the former Berkley Common building. Weeks before that, it opened another location in downtown Ann Arbor. 3087 12 Mile Rd., Berkley; slowsbarbq.com
Recent Food & Beverage Headlines
Motor City Brewing Works is pausing operations on Feb. 8
A Cass Corridor staple for pizzas and house-brewed beers is taking a leave of absence, WXYZ reports. Motor City Brewing Works is the oldest operating microbrewery in Michigan The brewery’s steam line (which operates on Detroit’s 100-year-old thermal steam grid) has corroded, making brewing an impossibility, owner John Linardos tells WXYZ. While closed, the brewery will look for solutions to become independent from the grid and options for the future of the location.
Hygrade Deli has closed and is currently in receivership
The future of a historic deli on Michigan Avenue in Detroit remains uncertain. Hygrade Deli closed in late December and is in receivership after defaulting on two business loans, the Detroit Free Press reports. Hygrade first opened in 1955, over 70 years ago.
Upcoming Dining and Drinks Events
The Fed Community Wine Dinner
- When: Wednesday, Jan. 28
- Where: The Fed, Clarkston
- Cost: Starts at $185 per ticket, available on Tock.
An exclusive wine dinner is happening in The Gold Bar, a “speakeasy”-style bar in the basement of The Fed. The event is open to current and prospective wine locker holders, or simply those who are interested in experiencing a multi-course meal with wine pairings. The evening will feature an afterglow with music from John Arnold.
Vodka Fest 2026
Sample vodkas and meet brand ambassadors from all over the world, who can provide insight on their products. Food is available for purchase, and the evening will feature DJs and dancing. Proceeds from the evening will benefit K9 Charities.
Galentine Night’s Out
Sip champagne and enjoy strolling bites at the hotel’s third annual Galentine Night’s Out Celebration. The night will include a cash bar, live DJ, DIY bath salt making station, bingo, and shopping booths from local vendors.
Super Bowl Sunday Brunch
- When: Feb. 8
- Where: Grey Ghost, Detroit
- Cost: $55 per guest, reserve on Resy.
Get ready for the big game with a multi-course brunch of Super Bowl-inspired fare, with drinks available at additional cost.
Every seat in the Michigan Senate is up for election this year, and eight of those districts are in Wayne County.
In the 4th, 5th and 8th Districts, only one Republican and one Democrat filed for election, meaning those candidates will automatically be nominated and move on to the November ballot. Here are The Detroit News endorsements in the five contested Senate primaries in Wayne County:
1st District (Southwest Detroit and parts of Downriver, including Taylor, Melvindale and Lincoln Park): Two Detroit Democrats are competing for this seat: Abraham Aiyash and Justin Onwenu.
Aiyash is a former state representative who is hoping to return to the Legislature after a two-year absence. He is a progressive whose policy positions align with Democratic socialists.
Onwenu is an attorney who served the Mike Duggan administration as Detroit’s first Director of Entrepreneurship and Economic Opportunity, helping small businesses get a start in the city. Before attending Columbia Law School, where he was president of the student body from 2023 to 2024, Onwenu worked to combat air and water pollution in Detroit, Ecorse and River Rouge.
In the Senate, he promises to be a supporter of legislation to strengthen neighborhoods by lowering property taxes and investing in infrastructure.
He also supports stronger transparency and ethics rules for lawmakers. Justin Onwenu gets our endorsement in the 1st District Democratic primary.
Patrick O’Connell of Ecorse is unopposed in the Republican primary.
2nd District (Northwest Detroit, Dearborn Heights and part of Dearborn): The district is currently represented by Sylvia Santana, who made an unsuccessful bid to be nominated for the Michigan State University board.
The Democratic primary features two Dearborn residents who are hoping to replace Santana: Erin Byrnes and Abbas Alawieh.
Alawieh describes himself as a political strategist, community organizer and pro-peace advocate. He is supported by the Michigan Democratic Party’s Progressive Caucus and aligns with many of its anti-growth positions.
Byrnes is currently a state representative in her second term. Like her opponent, she is well to the left of center on the political spectrum. In the Legislature, she has pushed for utility rate controls.
The two Democrats are similarly positioned. Our choice in the 2nd District is Erin Byrnes, based on her legislative experience.
Harry Sawicki of Dearborn Heights is unopposed in the Republican primary.
3rd District (Detroit, Warren and Madison Heights): The contest to replace incumbent Stephanie Chang has drawn a long list of candidates. The 3rd District starts near Downtown Detroit and stretches north through the center of the city into southern Oakland and Macomb counties.
Eleven Democrats, all from Detroit, are competing in the primary. They are: Mohammad Alam, a Bangladeshi immigrant and Army veteran; LeJuan Council, a property manager and small business owner; John Conyers III, son of the late congressman; LaTanya Garrett, a former state representative; Korey Hall, a former director of community affairs in the Whitmer administration; Adam Hollier, a former state senator; Gary Hunter, a former candidate for Detroit City Council; Kimberly Hill-Knott, former head of the Detroit Climate Action Collaborative; Toinu Reeves, an economist, Abraham Shaw, who owns an auto repair shop, and Eboni Taylor, a community advocate.
There are several interesting and impressive candidates in this race, including Conyers, who just wrote about his father. Garrett has legislative experience, as does Hollier, whom we’ve endorsed in his previous runs for public office.
But we are most impressed with Reeves, a newcomer to politics who brings top-notch credentials to the race. Reeves grew up on Detroit’s east side and is an economist who attended Wayne State University and Dartmouth College.
He serves as chair of the Economic Development Workgroup for Detroit’s District 4 Community Advisory Committee and on the Jefferson-Chalmers Community District Council. He is a former school teacher and autoworker.
Toinu Reeves offers fresh ideas and much-needed skills, and gets our endorsement in the 3rd District Democratic Primary.
Mark Ashley Price is unopposed in the Republican primary.
6th District (Redford Township, Farmington and Farmington Hills): Incumbent Mary Cavanaugh is defending her seat from a challenge from fellow Democrat Stephen Jensen, who shows no signs of a campaign. Both are from Redford.
Mary Cavanaugh, granddaughter of the late Detroit Mayor Jerome Cavanaugh, has served her district well and should be renominated for a second term.
Joi Pokerwinski of Redford Township is unopposed in the Republican Party.
12th District (Parts of Wayne, Macomb and St. Clair counties, including Algonac, the Grosse Pointes, St. Clair Shores, Harper Woods, Mount Clemens and New Baltimore): Incumbent Sen. Kevin Hertel of St. Clair Shores is unopposed in the Democratic primary. Five Republicans are competing in their primary to face him in November.
They are: Joseph Backus of St. Clair Shores, a prolific community volunteer who has run unsuccessfully for other offices; Patrick Biange of St. Clair Shores; John Goldwater of New Baltimore, an oil and gas entrepreneur; Eileen Tesch, the former mayor of Algonac who faced recall efforts, and Shelley Wright, a former general contractor and owner of a process serving company who says Donald Trump inspired her to politics.
John Goldwater has experience growing a business and creating jobs. He would also prioritize improving skilled trades training. The father of six is a conservative who describes himself as pro-life and a defender of the Second Amendment.
Our endorsement in the 12th District Republican primary goes to John Goldwater.
Photos by FOX 2 Photog Scott Federspiel
DETROIT (FOX 2) – A 16-year-old moped driver was hospitalized after a crash on Detroit’s west side on Wednesday night.
The backstory:
Detroit police say the teen disregarded a stop sign while going east on Vassar when he collided with a vehicle turning south on Outer Drive at about 9:30 p.m.
Photos by FOX 2 Photog Scott Federspiel
The boy was taken to a nearby hospital where he is listed in critical condition. The driver of the car, a woman in her 30s, was not injured.
The Source: Information for this report is from Detroit police.
Watch FOX 2 Detroit Live:
Chickens and geese that went missing from a local nonprofit’s Detroit site were found in the backyard of a nearby home, the director of operations said Wednesday.
The Full Circle Foundation, a Grosse Point Park-based nonprofit, said more than a dozen chickens and geese were believed stolen from a chicken coop on Detroit’s east side that also features the Full Circle Edible Garden.
The nonprofit provides training and job opportunities for young people with special needs.
Neighbors who learned from news reports about the missing flock found the “chickens were being held in the backyard of a vacant home not far from the Full Circle Edible Garden,” said Stephanie DiVirgil, director of operations. She said Ribbon Farm 4-H owns the flock.
“The homeowner was contacted, and she reached out to Full Circle to confirm,” said DiVirgil. “We were able to retrieve all of the chickens and geese that were found on the property, 19 in total.”
The foundation and Ribbon Farms 4-H are working to secure the site, including cameras, fencing and lights.
“We will likely start a fundraising campaign to have these items installed,” DiVirgil said. “We’ve gotten amazing support from the community, including offers to help pay for these additional security measures.”
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