The Best Soul Food Restaurants in Detroit

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Promising Southern flavors presented with Detroit style, Savannahblue is a high-end restaurant with a “contemporary northern soul food” menu. Its entrées, including braised oxtail, shrimp and grits and Motor City boil (mussels steamed in cajun broth), are on the pricey side, but the service and setting make it a must-try.

You can’t argue with anywhere that promises to cook the same way your grandmother did, and J’s specializes in “real down-home Southern-style soul food.” It’s been around since 1983, and this little café with a big menu offers soul food dinners including turkey chops, perch, baked ham, salmon patties, and neck bones.

Another carry-out-only place with locations in Detroit and Oak Park, Motor City Soul Food was started by George and Martha Clay, who brought their authentic cooking to the city from Mississippi. It featured on Andrew Zimmern’s Travel Channel show Bizarre Foods in 2012 when he tried the oxtails, chitlins, and okra.

“Vegan soul food?” That’s right. Though vegan food isn’t often thought of as comfort food, and soul food isn’t thought of as healthy food, Detroit Vegan Soul has merged the two with tasty results. There are two locations—one east and one west—with menus featuring vegan versions of staples such as hush puppies, cornbread muffins, “catfish” tofu, and okra stew.

Is there any better name for a soul food restaurant than Cornbread Restaurant & Bar? Since opening in 1997 in Southfield, it has been regularly named among the best Southern food in the city. A local favorite that’s not on the menu is the Swamp Thing, which is fried catfish, collard greens, and gumbo over rice, with two jumbo shrimp to top it all off.

Adding a signature twist to recipes that have been passed down for generations, Uptown BBQ & Soulfood has been serving up some of the city’s best BBQ for over 25 years. House favorites include the rib & shrimp combo, the BBQ Chicken featuring the house BBQ sauce which has not changed since it opened, and the smothered pork chops.

Up on 8 Mile, Detroit Soul’s specialties include fried or smothered pork chops, meatloaf, and turkey wings, all served with two of 12 available sides and a cornbread muffin. Weekend specials include a variety of fried fish and slabs of ribs. Call ahead to avoid a wait.