Restaurants in Hazel Park

Tracing its lineage back to 1939, Lelli’s remains in the hands of its original founders, the Lelli family, and continues its culinary tradition of rich, Northern Italian steak-house fare. Skilled chefs and servers prepare and present à la carte dishes such as juicy filet mignon, fresh seafood, and house-made egg pastas draped with rich tomato and cream-based sauces, or bookend European-style six-course meals with antipasto and palate-cleansing spumoni. The dimly lit dining room plays host to private events, corporate dinners, and family meals, and frames feasts with light that glints from candles and crystal chandeliers, reflecting off of cherry-wood furnishings and roosting in the folds of alabaster tablecloths.

New Seoul Garden’s chefs conduct culinary tours of East Asia without setting foot on the continent. Instead, they bring the food stateside through a hefty menu of Korean and Japanese specialties, including barbecue and sushi. Like shark-themed mylar balloons, most of their entrees celebrate seafood such as sushi with squid and salmon, though many plates star beef or chicken. Hot-pot dishes actually simmer at the table; rolls of soft-shell crab or sweet shrimp come into being at the sushi bar. The restaurant's interior itself bespeaks Asian roots; spindly tree branches open toward a skylight and several low tables are ringed with mats or seats for sitting on the floor. East Asian fans and artwork cover the walls, culminating in a rooftop tier that evokes a pagoda.

Sweet Lorraine's Cafe & Bar wholeheartedly embraces a smattering of influences, apparent in everything from the menu to the music. Nearly 30 years ago, when Lorraine Platman swung open the doors of her namesake restaurant, she had already racked up several years of success in the cheesecake and baked goods businesses. Her familiarity with healthy, homemade food and her artistic inclination found their way to what she calls "world beat cuisine" at Sweet Lorraine's.

Today, chefs churn out an epicurean mélange of plates, from quesadillas stuffed with pear and brie to yellowfin tuna nicoise salad and chicken and shrimp creole. A host of gluten-free options are also available, and a wine list boasts an extensive selection of 25 wines by the glass as well as a host of craft cocktails.

As he toiled away on the assembly line at Ford Motor Company, autoworker Karl Kurz dreamed of opening a traditional German tavern like those he remembered from his hometown of Weikersheim, Germany. In 1933, he finally got his chance, working nights and weekends to convert a dilapidated Chinese hand laundry into a tiny bar that he called the Dakota Inn Rathskeller.

Eighty years later, the Rathskeller—now run by Karl's grandson—has expanded from three tiny stools to 2,000 square feet. The eclectic décor pays tribute to Karl's memory: trophy animal heads and RV hood ornaments seized during family hunting trips decorate the walls, and hand-painted murals depict scenes from Karl's life, including a rabbit hunt and a group of friends downing enormous mugs of beer. Through arched porticos, waiters in traditional German-style garb deliver Bavarian bratwurst, pork schnitzel, and German-style potato pancakes known as kartoffelpuffer. At night, the hand-carved walls reverberate with German drinking songs such as the “Schnitzelbank”—or woodworker’s bench—as if in tribute to Karl’s remodeling efforts.

In a 1930s-era walk-in vault that once guarded diamonds, The City Grill now stores ruby-hued merlots and cabernet sauvignons. The vault is a relic of McCreery’s Diamond Store, whose art-deco aesthetic has been revived by The City Grill, setting the perfect backdrop for feasts of upscale culinary creations.

The restaurant’s carefully designed atmosphere relies on illuminated globes, exposed brick, and black-and-white photomurals depicting the days in Windsor’s past when even robots had to get around by horse-drawn carriages. A spacious patio invites guests to soak in the fresh air and sip libations that range from Chilean syrahs to signature dessert drinks such as an espresso martini.

The drinks pair with globally inspired food dreamt up by Executive Chef Shawn McKerness, who previously captained the seafaring kitchens of the luxurious Holland America Line cruises. McKerness combines fresh ingredients from local sources for a menu of contemporary food that, like the moon’s wardrobe, changes seasonally. Diners might slice into a horseradish-encrusted tenderloin, Maui-style ahi tuna, or red snapper lounging under exotic fruit salsa.

Randa Marar-Mueller grew up in the restaurant business and always knew she wanted to open her own place. When she returned from Michigan to raise her two kids in her hometown, she found Bacio Café & Lounge up for sale and figured it was time to take the plunge. She called in her mother, renowned chef Norma Marar, and the two overhauled the menu and aesthetic, opening with a menu of grilled paninis, gourmet pizzas, and French- and Italian-style entrees.

While Norma crafts delicacies in the kitchen, baristas cum mixologists steam up lattes and specialty teas or mix a selection of gourmet martinis for after-hours drinks. Gelato—made fresh in-house daily—sweetens palates with flavours such pistachio and mango, and baked goods resting under cake domes and in oversized martini glasses conclude meals more sweetly than a hug from a grandmother.