After visiting a foodie friend in Detroit, it almost feels like a civic duty that we Americans visit the city that was so incredibly decimated less than a decade ago. I heard the tales of urban farms, burned down buildings left to crumble, brand new architecture, and refurbishing the past by retrofitting old buildings to breathe new life, but you have to see it to believe it. And, when your best friend from Boulder moves to Detroit and knows some pretty cool spots to go, you know that food and drink will be some highlights of the visit. We arrived around dinner time, and left the next day by dinner time, so we didn’t need too many meals. The little we ate filled us up for days!
Downtown Boulder is now home to Squared Pizza and Beer, a Detroit-style pizzeria, and I didn’t even realize that was a thing. I’ve been to pizzerias all across the nation, but not one has been Detroit-style. As soon as I heard the news I texted my friend and he said we’d go to Buddy’s, the birthplace of Detroit-style pizza.
It was quite busy at Buddy’s, but we luckily got a table and got to ordering all kinds of things that aren’t healthy for you at all.
But man does that fried food taste good sometimes!
Fried stuffed jalapeños… why not?
Meatballs… sure, we’ll try them!
But, the whole purpose of this excursion was for the pizza, and man was it good! It’s baked in a sheet pan, so it’s squared (rectangular) shaped, somewhat thick crust, crispy, and really worth the calorie bomb! As a Boulderite, I added spinach, green peppers, and roasted garlic as toppings just trying to get a vegetable in me.
And trusty Matt knew where to get craft cocktails afterwards- The Sugar House, Detroit’s original craft cocktail bar, founded in 2011 in a neighborhood called Corktown.
The Sugar House has a menu of 101 craft cocktails as well as seasonal rotating menus. This summer they focused on cocktails inspired by famous Detroit statues. Interesting.
Open the well-worn menu to find a lineup of cocktails named after statues. If it weren’t for the flight the next day, we would have gone on a scavenger hunt to find these in the city.
The place was welcoming, staff knowledgable, drinks on point. And after a few monumental beverages, it was time to sleep… We’re clearly getting old!
Breakfast was not needed after all of that food from Buddy’s. So, after a walk along the Detroit river and a snack on a northern Michigan apple, we went to Jolly Pumpkin Artisan Ales.
Jolly Pumpkin is in my top three favorite breweries, and lucky for me, I’ve now been to all three- Crooked Stave, Prairie, and Jolly Pumpkin- in no special order, mind you.
So much craft sour beer!
If you aren’t a fan of sour beers, Jolly Pumpkin has contracted with an apple orchard to produce a cider, brews other beers under other names, so sour beer haters can still enjoy this artisanal brewer. Also, the street they’re on in Detroit houses Third Man Records and a number of boutiques not to be missed while visiting.
We ended our visit with traditional Mexican food at a place with no website, no social media, and that only accepts cash: Taqueria Lupita. Put it into your mapping app and just go! Everything they serve is delicious!
