Detroit’s 2025 Best New Restaurants & Dining Experiences
We count down the Detroit Free Press/Metro Detroit Chevy Dealers Top 10 New Restaurants and Dining Experiences for 2025.
Once the calendar flips to February, that means the day of celebrating romance, chocolates and making dinner reservations is near.
Yes, Valentine’s Day is just around the corner, and diners are on the hunt for romantic places.
An ideal romantic restaurant is up to interpretation. It can be all about the dining experience, or the ambience or the food and/or drinks.
Perhaps it’s about white tablecloth fine dining, dim lighting or cozy booths. Or maybe it’s a neighborhood spot and favorite place to spend time with your sweetie.
If your plans include dining out with your special someone for Valentine’s Day, here’s a snapshot, though not comprehensive, of places to celebrate romance, from a historic former mansion to a basement space that was once a prayer room to a new spot for cocktails with upscale snacks. These are deemed special in different ways for a date or romantic night out and run the gamut from casual to fine dining. Many may also offer special menus just for Valentine’s Day.
Cafe Cortina
This Italian eatery was founded in 1976 by Rina and the late Adriano Tonon on the site of a former apple orchard. The eatery is now operated by Rina, along with sons Adrian and Giancarlo. Its longtime chef, Ernesto Antopia, and team craft a menu rooted in authentic Italian dishes, including a selection of pasta dishes, plus beef, poultry and fish. There are also vegan options and a vast selection of wines. In the warmer months, Cafe Cortina is also well known for its outdoor patio, which has private dining amid an intimate setting. 30715 W. 10 Mile Road, Farmington Hills; 248- 474-3033 or cafecortina.com
Caucus Club
From wood-fired steaks and chops to osso bucco, the Caucus Club is a classic downtown dining spot. Located in the Penobscot building, the historic Caucus Club originally opened in 1952 across the street from the famed London Chop House. It’s noted as the place where Barbra Streisand got her start. It closed in 2012 and was renovated and reopened in 2017 with a menu change. Business casual is the minimum dress code, per its website.
150 W. Congress St., Detroit. 313-965-4970; caucusclubdetroit.com
Cuisine
A long-time New Center area classic, Cuisine is billed as a modern European-inspired eatery. On Lothrop, across from the Fisher Building, Cuisine is owned by executive chef Paul Grosz. Set in a historic home, Cuisine is white tablecloth fine dining with a seasonal, a la carte menu. A theater menu is also available.Cuisine was named the 2024 Detroit Free Press/Metro Detroit Chevy Dealers Restaurant of the Year Classic; Grosz earned the Sylvia Rector Lifetime Achievement Award for Hospitality.
670 Lothrop, Detroit; 313-872-5110 or cuisinerestaurant.com
Father Forgive Me
This newish wine and cocktail bar is in Little Village, a cultural corridor development in the East Village neighborhood. Father Forgive Me, on the grounds of the Shepherd in a former church garage, is from the owners of Standby (which also is a favorite for intimate cocktails and a shareable menu) in downtown Detroit’s Belt Alley. A spot for intimate signature cocktails and a robust wine list, Father Forgive Me, per its website, offers “mostly snacks, but you can make dinner out of it.” Since its opening, the snack menu has expanded due to demand, with guests assembling dinner using items such as scallop carpaccio and wagyu tartare.
1265 Parkview St., Detroit; fatherforgiveme.com.
Giovanni’s Ristorante
Established in 1968, beloved Giovanni’s Ristorante has long been known as a charming place for special occasion dining. Its menu features a selection of house-made pasta dishes, entrees of meats from veal to filet mignon to chicken and salmon that can be paired with antipasti and salads. There’s an extensive wine list, with wines by the glass, half-bottle or bottle.
330 S. Oakwood, Detroit; 313-841-0122 or giovannisristorante.com.
Highlands
High atop the Renaissance Center, on the 71st and 72nd floors, is Highlands, a steakhouse with spectacular views of the Detroit River and Canada. From James Beard Award-winning chef Shawn McClain, Highlands is a place for a dining experience for any occasion or to enjoy quick bites. As a steakhouse, there’s plenty to offer, from its 8-ounce New York strip to a selection of reserve steaks of Wagyu ribeye and filets to a dry-aged Tomahawk steak. At Highlands High Bar are offerings of oysters, beef tartare and its Highlands burger, a house dry-aged grind of two smash burgers, American cheese, dill aioli and caramelized onion.Highlands, GMRencen, 400 Renaissance Center, Fl. 71, Detroit. 313-877-9090; highlandsdetroit.com
J. Baldwin’s
Longtime metro Detroit chef and restaurateur Jeff Baldwin founded and opened J. Baldwin’s in 2004 in Clinton Township. Its menu has lots to offer, from the chef’s calamari to a mix of shareables of Wagyu meatballs or crispy portobello fries to its artisan, stone-fired pizzas, sandwiches, soups and salads. There’s a selection of grilled steaks, seafood and main dish offerings that include house favorites of chicken Milanese and chicken bella.
16981 18 Mile Road, Clinton Township; 586-416-3500 or jbaldwins.com.
La Bistecca Italian Grille
This family-owned Italian restaurant offers elegant cuisine, from its antipasti to pasta dishes. LaBistecca is known for serving lean and tender Piedemontese beef steaks and classic Italian dishes, it’s a place to that will “remind you of an era when champagne flowed, Sinatra crooned, and the cuisine was simply elegant,” according to its website.
39405 Plymouth Road, Plymouth; labistecca.net
La Dolce Vita
La Dolce Vita is known for its patio, but it’s open year-round for fine dining, with a strict business-elegant dress code. The restaurant near Palmer Park in Detroit is offering a special Valentine’s dinner and drinks menu, including foods like lobster pasta for $75 and chef’s sea bass with a roasted pepper risotto for $75, according to its website. The Valentine’s drink menu includes “Berry in Love,” with Chambord and Hennessy, as well as “Heartbreaker,” with lavender syrup, basil, vodka, St. Germain, pomegranate and more.
17546 Woodward Ave., Detroit; 313-826-6051 or detroitldv.com
Ostrea Detroit
Next to the London Chop House and from the same owners, a highlight of Ostrea Detroit is its selection of oysters served with cucumber and mignonette. Its menu features chilled dishes like cold poached shrimp and ahi tuna or salmon tartare. On the warm side, there’s seared scallops and pan-seared pork belly, along with beef dishes and seafood platters.
536 Shelby Street, Detroit; 313-403-2111 or ostreadetroit.com.
Table 5
In downtown Northville on Main Street, Table 5 features classically prepared dishes paired with locally sourced ingredients, per its website. Main entrees includes cedar plank roasted salmon, chicken paprikash and a dry-aged New York Strip. On its menu are also seasonal cocktails, wines by the glass and a selection of beers on tap.
126 Eat Main Street, Northville; 248-305-6555 or table5.net
The Whitney
This restaurant in Midtown Detroit is a part of the historic Whitney mansion, built in 1894 by lumber baron David Whitney Jr. The restaurant offers fine dining dishes, like beef Wellington, seafood sauté, filet mignon and vegetable risotto. In 2026, the restaurant is offering a birthday dining deal for $50 off of a birthday entree with the purchase of an additional full-price entree of equal or greater value. When dining alone, birthday goers can get a 50% discount of up to $50 on their entree, according to the online menu.
4421 Woodward Avenue, Detroit; 313-832-5700 or thewhitney.com
Wright & Co.
A seat at Wright & Co., especially at or near the windows, gets you views of downtown Detroit’s Woodward Avenue. The second-floor restaurant offers a seasonal menu and a shared plates concept. On its menu is a variety of items, from an artisanal cheese board to pork belly sliders, crispy chicken sandwich and crab gnocchi and crab salad sliders. Its crispy Brussels sprouts are served with sweet chili sauce and roasted and chilled baby carrots are paired with bacon-whipped goat cheese, hot honey vinaigrette, pickled ramps and mustard greens.
1500 Woodward Ave., second floor, Detroit; 313-962-7711 or wrightdetroit.com.
Wine Grotto
This lower-level space at Saint John’s Resort in Plymouth has dim lighting emits the sense of being in a secluded space away from all else. The underground space, a renovated former prayer area for seminarians, is cozy with its domed coves and restored arches and comfy dining areas. Nosh on flatbreads, shareables, charcuterie and cheese while enjoying wines.
44045 Five Mile Road, Plymouth; 734-357-5976 or saintjohnresort.com.
Dining and Cooking