Big Beaver Tavern

Once part of the triumvirate of the area’s classic, old-line Italian-American restaurants (Mario’s, Lelli’s, Larco’s), with roots going back a half century to Detroit’s Six Mile Road, Larco's has now become Big Beaver Tavern, with the management going for a sports tavern format, with burgers, fries, wide-screen televisions and poker and blackjack tables in the basement. The customers seem to enjoy the video games, bartop games and DJs, and the food quality remains high. They're selling 1,000 burgers a week, but they still serve the same 8-ounce filet mignon that they served as Larco's since 1990.