edible Neighborhood
Milwaukee Junction
Intersection of Cars, Culture and Food
Named for its intersection of two railroad lines—the Detroit, Milwaukee & Western and the Chicago, Detroit & Canada Grand Trunk junction—the Milwaukee Junction neighborhood was the epicenter for Detroit’s emerging auto industry in the early 1900s, especially when the first Ford Model Ts rolled out of the Ford Piquette Avenue Plant.
Other car manufacturers also set up shop—Anderson Electric, Brush and Cadillac, to name a few—as well as carriage makers beginning to transition from carriages to wooden automobile bodies. Later, the Milwaukee Junction became known for its stamping and metal fabricating capability. Adjacent to New Center, it spans East Grand Boulevard to I-94 and I-75 to Woodward Avenue
Today, this area is fertile ground for music and art, with a techno label and museum putting down roots alongside the Tangent Gallery and murals wrapping around buildings like the Chroma. Most recently it has become home to a growing food and drink scene with high-end restaurants, coffee shops and more.
THE KIESLING
The cool corner building that houses craft cocktail bar The Kiesling was built in the 1890s by the family of the same name, who operated a general store there. It eventually became Milwaukee Cafe with a saloon in the back half of the building. After several iterations as a bar, it shuttered in the mid 1990s.
“It has a rich history,” says General Manager David Valdez, who worked as a barback at the bar in its early days. “It’s been a bar. It’s been a cafe. It’s been a grocery store. It’s been all kinds of things.”
More than two decades later, it’s come full circle after Carlo Liburdi and Ashley Davidson teamed up to breathe new life into the space while preserving historical features like original murals and a mosaic on the stoop.
“The owners wanted to pay respects to the history of the building, the history of Detroit, and offer something to the community, a nice place to gather and hang out, like creating these community spaces,” Valdez says.
In 2020, The Kiesling Kitchen opened, offering bar bites such as Fromage Fort (whipped cheese) and a vegan mushroom sandwich and hosting weekly pop-up artists and chefs, mostly on Mondays, including the popular Val’s Pizza, a regular before wintertime. Next up they plan to give brunch a try on the weekends.
The Spot: The Kiesling, 449 E. Milwaukee Ave.; kieslingdetroit.com
Don’t Miss: The drink menu often changes, but Kiesling mixologists are masters at putting twists on classics, such as the Oaxacan Old Fashioned, with mezcal, agave and flamed grapefruit.
MILWAUKEE CAFFÉ
With the success of The Kiesling, the owners opted to tap into the daytime scene with the cozy Milwaukee Caffe, says Valdez. While the tiny coffee spot adjacent to the bar isn’t the type of place to post up for hours, that’s by design, says Valdez, who modeled it after a Bay Area coffee shop: Coffee connoisseurs come through for handcrafted espresso beverages made on the Italian-inspired bar, like a pink peppercorn coriander latte or an iced latte with vanilla cardamom syrup. They also offer locally roasted beans and often rotate bean purveyors, so it’s a good opportunity to try something new.
The Spot: Milwaukee Caffé, 447 E. Milwaukee Ave.; milwaukeecaffe.com
Don’t Miss: “Our specialty drink is a shakerado. It’s super creamy and a little bit sweet,” says Emily Fisher, barista. “Our cold brew is good too; we make it all in-house.” Also check out those seasonal lattes.
FREYA
From the team behind Chartreuse Kitchen and Cocktails comes Freya (and soon cocktail spot Dragonfly). The tasting-menu restaurant follows the same ethos as the Midtown staple, featuring Michigan producers and farmers, but partner Sandy Levine says Chef Doug Hewitt has more room to innovate at the new Milwaukee Junction space. Levine says it took a while to seal the deal on the building—which he says was home to a drill company founded by a Civil War general for the Union—because the restaurant scene wasn’t like it is now and the locale wasn’t a factor. But now “I’m certainly happy that so many places have opened up since then. It’s kind of fun to be part of this new restaurant area,” he says.
The Spot: Freya, 2929 E. Grand Blvd., Detroit; freyadetroit.com
Don’t Miss: With their ever-changing menu, it’s tough to recommend anything beyond simply having faith that Hewitt’s seasonal specials will knock your socks off.
THE GATHERING COFFEE CO.
More than a place to grab an espresso in the morning, The Gathering Coffee Co. is a philanthropic-minded company, creative hub and community-oriented space, the latter being a challenge considering it opened just a few months after the pandemic hit. With pop-up shops featuring clothing and art and events like horror movie night, The Gathering is an apt name. The drinks are seasonally driven, such as a caramel apple “chaider” during the fall—and in a nod to its commitment to creativity, it has offered a drink in an actual film canister.
The Spot: The Gathering Coffee Co., 2831 E. Grand Blvd.; gatheringcoffee.com
Don’t Miss: A drink off the seasonal menu, such as an iced lavender oat milk latte during the warmer months or a campfire hot chocolate during the winter.
OAK AND REEL
Another business that opened in the midst of the pandemic, Oak and Reel is a seafood-focused Italian restaurant from Chef Jared Gadbaw. The Michigan native left his home state to attend culinary school in New York, where he would spend the next several years, including working at renowned restaurants Eleven Madison Park and Marea, the latter of which earned two coveted Michelin stars while he was chef de cuisine. This stylish space on East Grand Boulevard has the sophistication of a NYC restaurant, perfect for a special occasion, but is also laid back enough for a casual dinner with friends.
The Spot: Oak and Reel, 2921 E. Grand Blvd.; oakandreel.com
Don’t Miss: The pastas, especially the ravioli, and desserts such as gianduja, a decadent and dreamy chocolate bar with hazelnuts and cacao nibs.
BUCHAREST GRILL
Started in Corktown—a location that closed in 2021 to make way for new development—the Bucharest Grill empire has evolved to include five locations all over Metro Detroit, including a Milwaukee Junction outpost. The house-made fare ranges from classic Romanian dishes to Middle Eastern concepts and American standards, all with a unique Bucharest twist.
The Spot: Bucharest Grill, 110 Piquette St.; bucharestgrill.com
Don’t Miss: The question isn’t whether you’re getting shawarma but what kind, from beef and chicken to vegetarian and falafel.
JAM OUT
Founded in 1932 by Henry Jamison “Jam” Handy, film production firm The Jam Handy Organization produced more than 25,000 educational, instructional and promotional films, including 7,000+ training films during World War II for the U.S. Armed Forces. Today the industrial building that bears the filmmaker’s name is a performance and event space, hosting everything from weddings to film fests.
And keep your eyes open for another performing arts venue in the works at Stanley Hong’s Mannia Cafe building, just around the corner. In late 2021, the Detroit Historic District Commission approved plans for the 1970 building designed by late celebrated Black architect Nathan Johnson to become an art space, lounge and restaurant. After Hong’s Chinese restaurant closed in 1995, the building became home to Rhythm Kitchen, where area rappers, including Eminem, battled. Later it housed a few churches before emptying in 2013. The example of futurist Googie architectural style became an individual historic district in 2017. The Jam Handy, 2900 E. Grand Blvd.; thejamhandy.com; also Stanley Hong’s Mannia Cafe building/ future “Stanley’s,” 265 E. Baltimore.
GEEK OUT
Vault of Midnight, with locations in Ann Arbor and Grand Rapids too, relocated from downtown to this bigger storefront along Grand Boulevard in 2021. That means more space for comic books, board games and art, including a 1,000-foot mural depicting Detroit comic book creators and characters painted by Detroit-born artist Brian “Sintex” Glass. Vault of Midnight, 2857 E. Grand Blvd.; vaultofmidnight.com
ADMIRE ART
Murals are a familiar sight throughout Milwaukee Junction, including the Chroma Building’s Girl with the D Earring, an eye-grabbing Sydney James mural portraying a Detroit woman wearing a quilted garment featuring signage and logos of historic North End/Paradise Valley businesses and a glowing Old English “D” dangling from her ear.
James didn’t stop there. She was part of a trio who brought the inaugural BLKOUT Walls Festival to Detroit’s North End last summer, creating a masterpiece of murals in seven days. For a map, visit blkoutwalls.com/2021-murals.
WHERE MILWAUKEE JUNCTION MEETS NEW CENTER
BAOBAB FARE
The wife-and-husband team of Nadia Nijimbere and Hamissi Mamba started Baobab Fare as a pop-up, introducing Detroit diners to the food of their homeland Burundi. After winning the Hatch Detroit entrepreneur contest grand prize in 2017, not to mention the hearts and stomachs of Detroit diners, they finally opened the doors to their brick-and-mortar on Woodward in 2021, serving up their signature fare such as the Nyumbani—braised beef with plantains, peanut-stewed spinach and coconut rice. Now they’re paying it forward, hosting pop-ups and coming full circle.
The Spot: Baobab Fare, 6568 Woodward Ave.; baobabfare.com
Don’t Miss: You guessed it—The Nyumbani
THE KITCHEN, BY COOKING WITH QUE
A place where herbivores and carnivores can happily share a meal is the idea behind Quiana “Que” Broden’s restaurant/demonstration kitchen. With burgers and shawarmas that come with Beyond Meat or the option to swap out for chicken, Broden has found that happy place. The Kitchen offers a 16-seat kitchen classroom where guests can enjoy chef tastings and culinary demonstrations/cooking classes or grab a salad or a sandwich.
The Spot: 6529 Woodward Ave.; thekitchenbycwq.com
Don’t Miss: The MLT—maitake mushroom “bacon” topped with butter lettuce, tomatoes and garlic mayo on sourdough bread.
SUPINO PIZZERIA
For years, Supino Pizzeria in Eastern Market has been packing in pizza lovers in search of Dave Mancini’s signature thin-crust Neapolitan pies. While Supino has expanded in that famed district, in early 2021 the popular pizzeria branched out north to this sleek outpost slinging the same pizzas that made it famous.
The Spot: Supino Pizzeria, 6519 Woodward Ave.; supinopizzeria.com
Don’t Miss: One of the classic choices is the Bismarck, with fresh mozzarella, smoked ham and a sunny-side-up egg.
YUM VILLAGE
Specializing in scratch-made Afro-Caribbean cuisine, Yum Village found a brick-and-mortar home in the former Atomic Chicken space on Woodward Avenue in 2019. Before it was a restaurant, it lived many lives, including Airbnb experience, pop-ups and then a food truck. Now that it has a home base, the business has evolved to include the Yum Village Market Pantry with grab-and-go meals and customizable meal plans and has served as a culinary incubator for fledgling food concepts.
The Spot: Yum Village, 6500 Woodward Ave.; yumvillage.com
Don’t Miss: You can’t go wrong with the Classic Village Combo, jerk chicken and jollof rice with sweet and spicy plantains. Or you can always customize your own bowl. Pair your meal with a freshpressed juice.
