What’s On the Menu at Downtown Detroit’s Huge New Outdoor Roller Rink

Bedrock showed films to more than 1,500 people in a downtown lot near Campus Martius Park over the winter. Now, the real estate firm has transformed the Monroe Street Drive-In space into an outdoor recreation area.

The summer-long Monroe Street Midway opens downtown on Friday, May 28, with roller skating operated by RollerCade, a 66-year-old Detroit family business, as well as basketball and handball courts, and public art installations. Of course, all that activity also calls for some food.

Monroe Street Midway will feature a daily rotating roster of food trucks that’s still being finalized. For starters, Belly of the Beast Barbecue, will serve up Texas beef brisket sandwiches, smoked pulled pork sandwiches, and baby back ribs on Memorial Day weekend. Tacos — el pastor, pork, and mushroom — round out the menu.

Skaters (and hoopers) can find an array of salads, subs, pizza, crudite with hummus, and beverages at the separate concession stand.

If nothing on those menus tickles the fancy, don’t fret. The Midway is a short walk (or skate) from Campus Martius Park, Cadillac Square, and an assortment of downtown restaurants. The Downtown Detroit Partnership has recent brought back Downtown Street Eats, a food truck rotation that will serve barbecue, seafood, and soul food classics in Cadillac Square. (Find that food truck lineup here.) Monroe Street visitors can also grab a bite at nearby restaurants Parc, Shake Shack, Calexico, Roasting Plant, or Central Kitchen + Bar.

In addition to providing a space for sports activities, the Midway will have performances by local DJs and host outdoor fitness classes.

The midway is the latest pandemic-era project from Bedrock under the Decked Out Detroit programming umbrella. In December, the company began installing heated pergolas outside of downtown restaurants.

Monroe Street Midway, 32 Monroe Street, is open 12 p.m. to 9 p.m. Sunday to Wednesday and until 11 p.m. Thursday to Saturday.

• Monroe Street Midway [Official site]
• Food Trucks Rolling Back into Downtown Detroit Parks [ED]
• 12 Perfect Places to Picnic in Metro Detroit [ED]
• Detroit’s Drive-In Theater Pop-Up Parks Downtown on January 22 [ED]