The newest venture of restaurateur Mario Camaj — who’s previously brought Tallulah Wine Bar and Besa — Zana offers American cuisine with hints of European influence in Birmingham. This fine dining establishment opened in late October, and features an interior accented with soft greens and pinks, monochrome tile floors, and large glass lighting fixtures. Named for the Albanian folklore of the “fairy of the mountains,” the menu at Zana includes starters like wagyu meatballs and steak tartar, entrees like coco-spiced lamb chops and rigatoni with rabbit sugo. Pro tip, be sure to order an espresso martini with tequila instead of vodka from the bar.

The In-N-Out Burger-inspired, all-halal spot California Burgerz has made its Macomb County debut with the opening of a Warren location on New Year’s Day. The aesthetic of the eatery is loosely inspired by that one famous burger chain on the West Coast, but with its own unique offerings like seasoned curly fries, thick milkshakes, and juicy Angus beef burgers.

Situated inside the space formerly occupied by Antihero, Tigerlily is an inspired sushi and robata grill spot that specializes in Edomae-style sushi, shareable small plates, and “fireside cooking.”

Helming the kitchen is a veteran in sushi-making, chef Chris Vasquez, a metro Detroit native who comes to Tigerlily from the critically-acclaimed Japanese restaurant Momotaro in Chicago’s Fulton Market.

The Bangladeshi disapora has found a new hang-out spot in Abba Music Cafe and Restaurant in Warren. The eatery opened over the summer of 2022 during a food festival and offer guests a mix of dishes typical of most area Bangladeshi restaurants like butter chicken, biyani, and tandoori chicken, but also more unique choices, according WDET, such as bhortas (mashed vegetables with spices) and mogoj bhuna — dried beef brain curry.

This sleekly-designed cafe and bookshop landed inside a dramatically-renovated former mini-market in Hamtramck in January and offers Hamtramckans a stylish spot for espresso drinks, deli sandwiches, baked goods, and space to curl up with a good book.

This sit-down eatery in the city’s Jefferson Chalmers neighborhood offers east siders a legit place for soul food. The second location of this business launched in November and came as a result of a community engagement process that involved asking surrounding residents what kind of restaurant they felt was lacking in the community. Expect Southern comforts like fried catfish, black eyed peas, mac and cheese, cobbler, and Saturday barbecue specialities like ribs and chicken.

Bunny Bunny, the South African/American Southern restaurant in Eastern Market, has returned several months after announcement its departure. This time, diners can expect a more casual setup with counter service, an abbreviated menu, and a frequent rotation of pop-up chefs on hand to showcase their offerings.

A new steakhouse touting Asian fusion inspiration has made its way in Brome Burger’s former downtown Detroit location in the city’s financial district. The spot, which launched in late November, features a variety of sushi rolls, nigiri flights, Vietnamese spring rolls, Shanghainese soup dumplings, wagyu sliders, ramen, chicken and waffles — featuring miso buttermilk fried chicken, taro waffles, and kimchi pineapple slaw — and a cherrywood smoked Peking duck. The spot also includes an array of European, Oregon, and Michigan, an extensive offering of sakes, and a cocktail menu that is split up by shaken, stirred, and N/A beverages.

The founders behind restaurant group Four Man Ladder, which operates Grey Ghost and Second Best, opened the highly anticipated Basan Detroit — a mood-lit restaurant that takes a playful Midwest approach to Japanese izakaya bar culture — in November inside the newly restored Eddystone Apartments building across the street from Little Caesar’s Arena. Here, chef Eric Lees takes Grey Ghost’s famous thick-cut bologna and wraps it inside bao buns, grills octopus, wagyu steak, and trumpet mushrooms on a robata grill, while beverage director Will Lee bar manager Alex Kirles draw subtle inspiration from traditional Asian ingredients for their cocktail menu, such as with the Ube-B — garnished with a butterfly-shaped sponge cake on a Pocky stick and is made with a creamy, vodka-based drink featuring black sesame oil and ube.

This long-anticipated “playful French” inspired cocktail bar is situated on the ground level of the historic Carlton Lofts in Brush Park. Behind the venture, hospitality veterans Joseph Allerton and Travis Fourmont. Named after the Parisian neighborhood, Quartier Pigalle — known for its nightlife, bars, and bistros — the space gives off unpretentious French brasserie vibes and a high caliber dining and drinking experience. Expect a variety of hot or cold small plates like bison tartar and chef Nyle Flynn’s selection of oysters, or heartier entrees like a Coney-style steak and frites. At the bar, a brief selection of French wines, a cocktail menu that highlights French spirits, and bottles of Budweiser, Jolly Pumpkin on draft or in the bottle, and other select craft brews and ciders.

Empire Kitchen & Cocktails returns to Brush Park following a two-year closure. Expect the spot’s familiar pizza, chicken wings, burgers but, according to Resy, is now Black-owned and promotes a “for Detroiters by Detroiters” ethos.

Traditional Yemeni coffee is continuing to expand its presence in metro Detroit with the opening of a Midtown location of Haraz Coffee House, the Dearborn-based chain that features a variety speciality espresso drinks like the saffron latte, teas like the Adeni chai, and pastries like the milk cake made with saffron and rose milk. Several locations are already dotted throughout the region. The growing chain will also soon add a spot at the Wayne State University campus early this year.

Ima founder Mike Ransom is now flexing his background in fine dining with the opening of Ima Izakaya inside the space formerly occupied by Gold Cash Gold. Guests can expect many of the growing chain’s casual favorites, such as its popular udon, pho, rice bowls, shrimp dumplings, and chicken karaage. In addition, Ransom adds a touch of creativity with new arrivals like hamachi crudo made with yellowtail, yuzu-lemon confit, jalapeno, micro cilantro, and black sea salt, robata grill with skewered bites, market cut meats, and a more robust bar menu. The new spot replaces Ima’s original Corktown location just down the street.

The Eater Award-winning Ladder 4 operates as a wine bar and retail wine shop, with more than 200 varieties for sale and a particular focus on natural wines. The space hosts live music events, features three patios and a spacious backyard, and a full-scale menu developed by John Yelinek, a veteran of the beloved, shuttered downtown steakhouse Michael Symon’s Roast, and who also helms the Park Ranger pop-up.