Urban Bean Co.’s Ed Siegel Thinks PJ’s Lager House Serves Detroit’s Most Underrated Brunch

Detroit is home to tons of restaurants, some in plain sight and some hidden gems. To help guide us through the Motor City food world, Eater is enlisting the city's many food luminaries to share with us their recommendations for Dining Confidential.

Many Detroit caffeine addicts are probably intimately familiar with Urban Bean Co. The corner café offers a unique experience for downtown coffee drinkers with its unusual two-story layout and penchant for hosting electronic DJs.

Others may remember Urban Bean for a rather prickly social media post regarding a city fine. It's the first thing that comes up in conversation with Ed Siegel, co-owner of the café. Siegel can't take credit for the Facebook post — that goes to his partner Josh — but it's certainly something he smiles about thinking back on the incident.

Running a small food business in the city isn't easy he explains, but things are improving for businesses in the downtown area. "Seeing this neighborhood come up around us has been an interesting experience." When Siegel isn't at Urban Bean Co. or managing his Milwaukee Junction real estate project, he likes to dine-out. For a great, under-the-radar brunch, try PJ's Lager House:

"The most underrated brunch in Detroit is the Lager House. There's a lot of other more refined brunches, but theirs is excellent. Last time I went I got shrimp & grits."

Heading downtown for Movement? Urban Bean Co. is hosting DIRTYBIRD Records all weekend long.