Sometimes the best restaurants are found where you least expect — even at your local strip mall. These easy-to-miss Detroit-area restaurants are cooking up something truly special, so whether you’re craving burgers, Indian food, or udon noodles, don’t miss out on these hidden gems.

Noble Fish45 E. 14 Mile Rd., ClawsonThe shop, which is considered one of metro Detroit’s best for sushi, recently expanded its cramped corner to a comfortable eating space within the Noble Fish Japanese market. They offer a wide range of classic rolls, which you can be served or buy pre-made, for a reasonable price. Photo via Noble Fish / Facebook
Quan Nem Ngon30701 Dequindre Rd., Madison HeightsThis spot’s well-laid tables with generous cloth napkins and metal chopsticks, the six chandeliers, banquette, the graceful way the food is presented — all lift the heart. Besides Vietnam’s famous bánh mì sandwiches, Quán Nem Ngon, which means “delicious small restaurant,” offers three ways to order a hefty meal: soups, noodle salads, and protein served with noodles or rice, fried or not. Photo via Quan Nem Ngon Vietnamese Bistro / Facebook
Dae Jang Keum2947 E. Big Beaver Rd., TroyThis Korean restaurant offers a vast quantity of meat with a whole lot of side dishes. Your best bet is the all-inclusive meals that comprise of six kinds of meat, at least eight side dishes, and some strong cool cinnamon tea at the end. The small plates or banchan are fun, too. Photo via GoogleMaps
Trizest33170 Dequindre Rd., Sterling HeightsAn Americanized take on Chinese cuisine from Sichuan, Trizest creates a balance of flavors and consideration for textural interplay that makes the cuisine exciting. The dishes, including vegetarian options, are surprisingly light, clean, and bright, with ingredients that are the hallmark of Sichuan’s piquant flavor portfolio. Photo by Tom Perkins
Thang Long27641 John R Rd., Madison HeightsFresh leafy greens and herbs characterize the Vietnamese food served at Thang Long. Try the fresh and flavorful summer rolls, or do it yourself with an order of Thit Bo, which lets you wrap your own chicken, beef, or pork. Also excellent are the rice noodle soups, which are meals in themselves. Photo by Rob Widdis
Bonoful Sweets & Cafe12085 Conant Ave., HamtramckTucked inside a Hamtramck strip mall, you’ll find this small restaurant which serves affordable Indian, Chinese, and Bangladeshi food. If you decide to eat in, try to snag a booth since they offer a lot of privacy because they have floor to ceiling walls that create little cubbies for your dining experience. Photo via GoogleMaps
Christine’s Cuisine729 E. 9 Mile Rd., FerndaleFeaturing homemade continental cuisine, including pierogies, beef burgundy, stroganoff, smoked sausage, and kraut, Christine’s versatile range of dishes is sure to make anyone’s mouth water. The restaurant also serves fresh sandwiches, entrees, salads and soups. Photo via Christine’s Cuisine / Facebook
Chao Zhou31682 John R Rd., Madison HeightsChao Zhou certainly has Americanized Cantonese dishes on its menu — cashew chicken, chow mein — and they are cheaper. But if you turn to the Chef’s Special pages at the back, you’ll also find more authentic Cantonese food options. Photo by Tom Perkins
Asian Corned Beef14820 W. Seven Mile Rd., DetroitThe most popular menu item is the corned beef egg roll, which is exactly what it sounds like. The egg roll wrappers are folded around a pile of razor-thin corned beef, and the package is dipped into a deep fryer until it is crisp. In its original form, the cured meat is accompanied by gooey, white cheese like mozzarella or Swiss. Photo via Asian Corned Beef / Facebook
Butcher’s Grille22713 Michigan Ave., DearbornLebanese chef Samer Saad is a master with meat, as is evidenced in not only his burgers, but Butcher’s Grille’s shawarma egg rolls, raw meat menu, kebabs, whole chickens, and everything else that lands on his open flame, wood-burning grill. The only thing he adds to the patties is salt — they’re otherwise carried by the freshness and open flame. Less is more when it comes to the city’s best burgers. Photo via GoogleMaps
168 Asia Mart 32393 John R Rd., Madison HeightsBilling itself “Michigan’s largest Asian market,” 168, named for luck, is mostly a supermarket, with live fish and seafood, a bakery, a smoothie booth, 38 aisles, and a vast array of foods. There is a food court in the back with a dozen tables perfect for grabbing a quick bite. Photo by Tom Perkins
Ima32203 John R Rd., Madison HeightsIma head honcho Michael Ransom is a gift to this town. The restaurant boasts six different udon soups and they’re all stellar. The broths are almost too consistent — always fantastic, no surprises. The perfectly cooked Sanuki Udon excels with meat-based toppings that are more akin to cold cuts in their sliced precision. Ima’s udon soups are intense, as the dish is traditionally served in a lighter dashi-based broth with kaeshi. But the broths at Ima are perfect for ramen. Photo by Tom Perkins
H-Mart 2963 E. Big Beaver Rd., TroyH-Mart’s cafeteria fills up at lunch with lots of businessmen, moms with kids, elderly ladies, and others who either visit specifically for the lunch counter, or for a break while shopping. It’s easy to underestimate a cafeteria, but that would be a mistake — some of H-Mart’s dishes will incite moans of pleasure. Photo by Tom Perkins
Fumi24271 Novi Rd., NoviHere, there’s a lot of mixing and matching of soy, mirin, and ginger. There’s plenty of fresh ingredients, and even the deep–fried plates — karaage, tempura, or agedashi — aren’t overfried. Photo by Tom Perkins
Kola Lounge32523 Northwestern Hwy., Farmington HillsAt this modern hip-hop lounge/restaurant, you will find a menu featuring some Nigerian-only specialities. The yam-heavy menu includes coconut rice and beans, steamed fish, sweet plantains, and African donuts. Photo via GoogleMaps
Kaku Sushi869 W. Long Lake Rd., Bloomfield HillsInstead of traditional rolled sushi, this restaurant serves “deconstructed sushi,” — the ingredients are piled into a bowl. The ingredients are laid out salad-bar-style, and once you’ve selected all of your items, your server tosses them with the sauce. First-timers can choose a bowl already designed by the chef. If you’re old-school, you can also order eight-piece sushi rolls. Photo by Tony Lowe
Kitchen Hanzo6073 Haggerty Rd., West Bloomfield TownshipKitchen Hanzo is modeled after establishments at home that keep the salarymen happy with draft Sapporo, sake, and shochu, liquor made from potatoes, barley, or rice. The small plates served alongside the drinks are shareable or not; you can make a meal and an evening of them, or stop at one or two. Photo by Tom Perkins
Liang’s Barbecue30953 Dequindre Rd., Madison HeightsLocated in one of Madison Heights’ many strip malls that contain a variety of Asian eateries, the tradition of “whole beast cookery” is on display in the glossy whole hogs, ducks, and chickens hanging from hooks above the counter, and the chewy beef belly, intestines, and other offal simmering in gravy steam pans. Liang’s offers a refreshing impression of authenticity with its versatile array of Chinese dishes. Photo by Tom Perkins
Le Banh Mi29141 Dequindre Rd., Madison HeightsJust as some restaurant locations appear cursed, the shop at 29141 Dequindre seems to be blessed. The specialties in this incarnation are the banh mi — the Vietnamese sandwich invented as a product of the country’s French colonial rule — as well as smoothies, milk tea, and desserts. However, some of the best eating here is found not on the menu, but in the premade “grab ‘n’ go” items sitting on the counter. Photo by Tom Perkins
Karahi Korner27616 Middlebelt Rd., Farmington HillsYes, Karahi Korner is a hole in the wall. Pretty much literally so. There’s a hole in a wall in the back of a small, basic Indian and Pakistani grocery store. It’s essentially a carryout window, so when it’s time for fragrant Pakistani cuisine, you walk through the store, approach the window in the back wall, place your order, pay, take your delicious food, then leave. Photo via Karahi Korner / Facebook

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