Greektown Casino Reveals $15M Monroe Market and Ramen Restaurant Renovations

Detroit’s Greektown Casino-Hotel has pulled back the curtains on its $15 million renovations of “food hall”-style dining space Monroe Market. When it debuts on May 1 on the third floor of the casino, the new restaurant space will feature six fast-casual dining counters as well as a full-service ramen bar called Noodle Art.

The massive 11,000-square-foot dining area, which replaced the former Market District, was renovated by architects from Rossetti Associates and features a 280-square-foot “living wall” with a video screen, communal seating, and themed food stalls. Unlike a tradition food hall that leases spaces to different businesses, each to the restaurants in the food court were developed and operated by casino staff.

Diners will have the ability to order, customize, and pay for their food using primarily at touch-screen kiosks. A cell phone app allows gamblers to use credit for casino meal comps at the electronic kiosks.

Patrons can expect everything from fried chicken to gelato and barbecue brisket from Monroe Market. Here’s a rundown of each of the stalls:

Brenna Houck

• American Burger Bar: This American-style food stand offers burgers, coney dogs, and even breakfast sandwiches served on a glazed doughnut.
• Basil Leaf: A 7,000-pound stone Italian oven bakes Neapolitan-style pizzas to order with toppings ranging from coney hot dogs to chicken wings at this stand. There’s also salads available.
• Josephine Bakery: This sweets station is named after an longtime casino employee and serves up pastries and desserts including gelato, pies, and macaroons. There’s also Great Lakes Coffee available.
• Pit Boss: Monroe Market’s barbecue stand is located inside a retro Airstream trailer. Customers can find everything from Polish sausage to brisket to pulled pork and chicken on the menu. There’s also a variety of sauces available and picnic-style sides like coleslaw and potato salad.
• Southern Fry: Expect wet-dredged fried chicken, collard greens, mac and cheese, biscuits with honey, and other fried foods from this stand.
• Tia Loca: This Mexican street food counter features tacos, burritos, salads, and bowls as well as “walking tacos” served in a sliced open bag of Doritos. It’s also the only space where diners order and pay a server behind the counter.

Brenna Houck

Beyond the food stalls, Greektown has also introduced a new full-service restaurant separate from Monroe Market called Noodle Art. The glassed-in space features a Japanese pop-art aesthetic and a horseshoe bar decked out in blue tile. Noodle Art offers several styles of ramen with a choice of pork, chicken, or soy broth as well as items like Japanese fried chicken, dumplings, and tuna sashimi.

Greektown Casino, soon to be renamed the JACK Casino-Hotel, also plans to unveil an new cocktail bar later this summer.

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