Peek Into Detroit's Dining Past

With Classics Week's Power Hour in full-effect, we took a look back in time (way back in fact) to see how Detroit's restaurant landscape has changed. The Detroit Public Library's Burton Collection and the WSU Virtual Motor City archive host a surprising number of restaurant and bakery photos from the early and mid 20^th Century. We unearthed a few here, but also highly recommend visiting Curbed Detroit or Century-Old Images of Detroit Bars.

A "Pirate Ship" Cabaret from the 1920s. [WSU Virtual Motor City]

Playboy Club at 1014 E. Jefferson, 1960s [WSU Virtual Motor City]

Side view of Ma Zott's Restaurant in Center Line, Michigan, with painted advertising reading, "Stop at Ma Zott's Restaurant, beer, wine, liquor, home cooked meals at all time, clean rest rooms." [Burton Collection]

Group of men pose with picket signs that read, "This bakery is unfair to the trade, S.B.O. of A.," in front of Pearlman's Bakery in Detroit, Michigan, in the 1940s. [WSU Virtual Motor City]

Pontchartrain Wine Cellars. This photograph was taken on January 23, 1970. [WSU Virtual Motor City]

The exterior of Ferguson's restaurant circa the 1940s. [Burton Collection]

View of interior of Eastwood Inn restaurant. [Burton Collection]

View of interior of Cream of Michigan Cafe. [Burton Collection]

Luigi's Italian restaurant features a monogrammed entry awning. This photograph was taken on October 29, 1928. [WSU Virtual Motor City]

Schweizer's circa the 1970s. [WSU Virtual Motor City]