Essential Detroit-area restaurants serving cuisine from all around the world

Africa: Nwanneka

27532 Schoolcraft Rd., Livonia
A subtly designed interior with great lighting is what you’ll be met with once entering Nwanneka’s Place. The choices of African cuisine range from jollof rice, fufu, and Egusi stew. Food is served in big portions and for a good price, but a helpful tip is to call ahead for ordering to avoid long wait times.  

Photo via Nwanneka / Facebook

Bangladesh: ZamZamRestaurant

11917 Conant St., Hamtramck
With a promise of excellent service and authentic Bangladeshi cuisine, ZamZam restaurant offers customers a true taste of home-cooked style Bangladeshi food at low prices. With food made from scratch everyday, and a chef that has been making South Asian cuisine for over two decades, ZamZam is a must-visit spot in Hamtramck.

Photo via Rob Widdis

China: Midtown Shangri-La

4710 Cass Ave., Detroit
Cholada Chan, owner of Midtown Shangri-La, used to have to go to Canada to get a good Dim Sum. Using that as her inspiration, she stepped away from her previous career of owning a market to pursue Shangri-la, which has two locations — one is Midtown and one in West Bloomfield. Drawing from her Chinese, Thai, and Indian culinary background, her menu is a true reflection of who Cholada Chan is.

Photo via Shangri-La / Facebook

Cuba: Vicente’s Cuban Cuisine

1250 Library St., Detroit
Familiar elements from the Caribbean are here — plantains, yuca, papas rellenas, thin beefsteak, and lots of black beans and rice. Bistec de palomilla is steak pounded very thin, marinated in mojo sauce (orange and lemon juice, garlic, onion, and sugar), then lightly breaded and well-fried. It’s served with fried onions on top and a side of plantains. Fried and breaded pork are on the menu too, as are lobster and shrimp, arroz con pollo, and several paellas.

Photo via Vincente’s Cuban Cuisine / Facebook

Dominican Republic: Asty Time

7340 McGraw Ave., Detroit
Owned by Asty and Edna Acosta, this passionately energetic restaurant is small, sweet, and guaranteed to give customers a selection of tasteful Dominican dishes. Food made from scratch, with some of it getting the “sofrito treatment” — a style of cooking that exemplifies sauteing — is one of many reasons to drop by. The Acostas are the restaurant’s only fluent English speakers, so be sure to bring a friend that’s fluent in Spanish, as the menu is formatted in the language.  

Photo via Tom Perkins

Germany: The Dakota Inn Rathskeller

17324 John R St., Detroit
Since 1933, Detroiters have gotten their fill of bratwurst at the Dakota Inn, which offers a Bavarian style menu in an old Heidelberg atmosphere. It is the type of classic German Rathskeller or Biergarten that was a mainstay of German immigrant community, and still has the very best German cooking in the city.

Photo via The Dakota Inn Rathskeller / Facebook

Greece: Pegasus Taverna

558 Monroe St., Downtown Detroit, Greektown
Classic Greek country cooking blends simple ingredients like vegetables, grains and cheeses with fragrant herbs and spices to create wholesome, delectable meals that are as healthy as they are delicious. Pegasus is proud of their fine Greek cuisine.

Photo via Pegasus Taverna / Facebook

Honduras: El Catracho

4627 W. Vernor Hwy., Detroit
“El Catracho” means “The Honduran.” Ignore the “antojitos” (appetizers) part of the name; you’ll get giant full-course meals here. Saturday is the day to go to El Catracho, really, because that’s when soup is served with thick hand-patted corn tortillas — so dissimilar to factory-made. These soups are not ones that can be tackled with just a spoon. You’ll need a knife and fork, too; it’s a whole meal in a big white bowl.

Photo via Rob Widdis

Egypt: Lolo Potluck

3950 Rochester Rd., Troy
When most people think of Medditerranean Cuisine in Detroit, they think Lebanon. Lolo Potluck seeks to expand people's idea of cuisine with their classically Egyptian menu. Lolo Potluck is known for many outstanding dishes like their Mashy, a grape leave style dishes with their own Egyptian twist. The menu features a selection of vegetarian, vegan and traditional dishes, for any kind of dietary restriction. 

Photo via Tom Perkins

El Salvador: Pupuseria y Restaurante Salvadoreño

3149 Livernois Ave., Detroit
It helps to know Spanish here, but it isn't essential; the menu has translations, and your waitress, who, along with her sister, the cook, is from El Salvador, is supremely welcoming. If you're not drinking horchata, jamaica or tamarindo, or Jarritos, the Mexican pop, I recommend a licuado, which is bananas or fresh strawberries or both in a blender with milk, tall and thick, with cinnamon on top.

Photo via Pupuseria el Salvador / Facebook

Ethiopia: Taste of Ethiopia

28639 Northwestern Hwy., Southfield
Just in case there's one reader left who hasn't eaten Ethiopian, it works like this: You use injera, a spongy flatbread made simply from water and the ancient grain teff to scoop up your food — no flatware.

Photo via Tom Perkins

Hungary: Hungarian Rhapsody

14315 Northline Rd., Southgate
Phenomenally popular after 24 years downriver, Hungarian Rhapsody is for those seeking prodigious plates of comfort food. Be prepared for a longish wait for your food, and perhaps use it to peruse crafts from the old country, dolls dressed in the national costume, and embroidered tablecloths and runners. The tables are set with the lovely cloths, too, luckily protected under glass.

Photo via Tom Perkins

India: NeeHee’s

45656 Ford Rd., Canton
Thrillist ranked NeeHee's Indian vegetarian street food among the country's best 23 Indian restaurants. Vegetarians rejoice, as the entire menu is tailored to you. 

Photo via Tom Perkins

Iraq: Ishtar

3625 15 Mile Rd., Sterling Heights
 With the area’s large Chaldean population, most would think Detroit would accompany multiple Iraqi restaurants, but Ishtar is only one of few. Most of the praise goes to the chicken dishes, sizeable in portion, seasoned to perfection, and sometimes partnered with veggies. A lot of the dishes are served with traditional Iraqi tanoor bread, good for dipping, wrapping, and grabbing. There’s also a spew of fresh smoothie options, and for those celebrating another year, an extra special birthday surprise.

Photo via Ishtar / Facebook

Jamaica: The Jamaican Pot

14615 W. Eight Mile Rd., Detroit
Stepping into Jamaican Pot’s small carryout shop in a nondescript northwest Detroit stripmall puts one in a place that’s a bit of a rarity in the city. Aside from the jerk and curry, the menu is heavy on thyme, garlic, scallions, and ginger, some which is detectable in the Bob Marley. The vegetarian jumble of red beans, butter beans, scallions, carrots, and other root veggies soaks in an intense sauce that drenches a pile of white rice.

Photo via Tom Perkins

Japan: Fumi

24271 Novi Rd., Novi
The first thing you'll notice at an izakaya is that what qualifies as "pub fare" in Japan tends to be a lot healthier than what boils in oil before landing on a bartop here in most bars. At Fumi, there's a lot of mixing and matching of soy, mirin, and ginger. There's plenty of fresh ingredients, and even the deep-fried plates — karaage, tempura, or agedashi — aren't overfried.

Photo via Tom Perkins

South Korea: Korean Palace

34744 Dequindre Rd., Sterling Heights
One of the treats about eating Korean food is the array of a half-dozen side dishes — banchan — that come with the meal. That the little plates of banchan will appear soon after you order is just assumed by the mostly Korean clientele at Korea Palace — you won't find a reference to them on the menu.

Photo via Tom Perkins

Lebanon: Al Ameer

12710 W. Warren Ave., Dearborn
What started off as a small, three-booth eatery with a limited menu, has now become one of the most classic Lebanese restaurants in Michigan. In the 1990s, Khalil Ammar and Zaki Hashem’s mediterranian establishment rose to popularity, growing notably for the simplicity of their food, meat lightly spiced but taste and flavor fulfilling.  

Photo via Al Ameer / Facebook

Mexico: Taqueria Mi Pueblo

7278 Dix St., Detroit
Southwest Detroit’s Mi Pueblo long ago established itself as one of the town’s go to spots for Mexican fare. While the bulk of its trade is in tacos, the family restaurant now also offers a variety of hot bowls.

Photo via Mi Pueblo / Facebook

Morocco: Casablanca

2333 Washtenaw Ave., Ypsilanti
The pressure is on as Casablanca is the only Moroccan restaurant in Detroit, but this Moroccan spot holds the title well. The menu consists of Morocco-style hot chicken, a lamb tagine bowl, and a Moroccan meatball sub just to name a few. A list of vegan options are also offered, and all under $11.

Photo via Casablanca / Facebook