As blues and R&B tunes pour from the speakers, the aromas of Southern cooking spill from Beans & Cornbread's open kitchen, making mouths water for what Hour Magazine calls Detroit's best soul food. The dishes don't disappoint. From gumbo and catfish to fried chicken and pork chops, each entree oozes flavor and comfort, backed by the addition of homestyle sides such as candied sweet potatoes and black-eyed peas. It's down-home through and through, but as Gayot pointed out, the chef's "experience in upscale restaurants becomes evident" in each dish. The kitchen strives to use the highest quality ingredients, including fresh salmon filets, local collard greens, and farm-raised catfish that know how to milk a cow.

Metromix praised Beans & Cornbread's "modern elegance . . . with cushy purple booths and Motown and jazz memorabilia hanging on the walls," enough to earn TripAdvisor's 2014 Certificate of Excellence.  The restaurant also encompasses two other ambiance-rich spaces: Sidebar wine and martini bar, a sleek lounge with a copper bar and occasional live music, and Red Velvet, a VIP suite with leopard-print club chairs and an AV system ideal for parties and meetings of up to 50 people.