There are plenty of options for fancy or fine dining in downtown Detroit, all the big names that get talked about constantly and which are often in the choice locations. But there are also a lot of hidden restaurants, cheap dining options scattered around downtown Detroit that you may never have heard of. They might have odd hours and be closed on evenings and weekends when you come down to visit or maybe they just look closed.

Harmonie Way, 218 East Grand River Ave.
This little café in Harmonie Park on the little strip of Grand River between Broadway and Centre serves Middle Eastern food as well as American food. You can find halal cuisines here. Get your usual Middle Eastern meals like chicken shwarma or falafel. I don’t recommend the salmon croquettes but whatever you do get the garlic sauce. They also sell vegan wheat-free baked goods. On weekends they are open on Saturdays until three o’clock.

A few doors east is the clothing/style boutique Spectacles and a few doors west is the new coffee shop Espresso Jazzy Cafe. Throughout the week they are open until early evening so you can go there after work and on Saturdays are open as long as people are coming. So why not support the new downtown coffee shop? It’s a small space, perfect for Harmonie Park, with free WiFi and they have food and snacks as well as Java.

Bucharest Grill, 2040 Park Ave.
This is another place that you have to know that it exists in order to find it. Next to Park Bar near Cliff Bell’s, actually on Elizabeth, this is another place to go for cheap but great chicken shwarma. Four bucks. Is it Romanian? I don’t know. There are only a few other Romanian restaurants remaining in the city of Detroit for you to compare. But if you’re downtown and want a quick cheap but healthy bite to eat then find yourself at Bucharest Grill in Foxtown.

Bagley Grill, 220 Bagley St. # 602
Speaking of grills, you could always go to the Detroit Breakfast House and Grill but that’s the kind of upscale place were not going to talk about today. Instead let us talk about three dollar omelettes “any way you like them” at the Bagley Grill in the Michigan Building. That’s what I call a Grill. Were not going to talk about restaurants outside of downtown but there is a place I want to mention near Wayne State. It’s called Campus Restaurant. I know, original name. But they also have great omelettes and vegetarian pita sandwiches. It’s on Cass Avenue a couple blocks north of Warren Avenue.

Also in the Michigan Building is Cracker Barrel Bar which is a bar but the food is good and cheap.

Honorable mentions:
Green Room Salads, 120 W Congress. This is basically a downtown office worker lunchtime place but you can get salad by the pound and maybe save a few bucks rather than going to Salad Creations on Woodward.
Motown Café and Grill, 111 Cadillac Square. Just one block south east of Campus Martius. Not to be confused with the upscale Motor City Grill in the Fisher Building in New Center. This is your typical Detroit Greek diner.