Chuck Daniels: A Local's Guide to Detroit

The DJ Cookbook asked the Detroit native Chuck Daniels for some hot tips on his city and he delivered!

Chuck Daniels: Thank you for taking the time out to pick my brain on what’s hot with Food & Record shopping here in the D. I went to cooking school for a brief period and have always had a love for all things food. Detroit has a ton of good grub and very moderately priced. Here are some of my favorites:

Restaurants

Little Saigon: One of my favorite Vietnamese restaurant’s. Their Pho is some of the best I’ve had. I must say I’m addicted to asian food.

Mudgies: Located inside Detroit’s Corktown neighborhood, this  Deli style restaurant is super solid and has some amazing sandwiches. The owner Greg has supported the underground music scene in Detroit for many years and also DJ’s himself.

Bronx Bar: Bronx is the shit! It’s a great local dive bar with amazing food to boot. One of the best burgers in Detroit and their fried pickles are amazing. The jukebox is loaded with good music everything from Slayer to Stevie Wonder.

Bucharest Grill: Hand’s down the best chicken shawarma on the planet! These things are so addictive it’s hard not to eat one and then take one to go. They also have a ton of other great stuff ranging from Arabic to Easter European food.

Hygrade Deli: This Deli has not moved in over 60 years and you can tell. When you walk in it’s like stepping back in time. One of the best corned beef sandwiches in Michigan. This is a traditional Jewish deli with all the good stuff you would enjoy at a New York style kosher deli.

Checker Bar: Checker is great. They originally opened in the 50’s and reopened a few years ago after being closed for quite sometime. Again, Checker is like stepping back in time. They were always known for their burgers and they still make a mean one. The atmosphere is great and if you are there when Robert is bartending you will most definitely have a fun time!

Record Shops

Threads: One of my favorite shops to hit. They have a pretty large selection and always have any of the local Detroit labels. Mike the owner is an old school raver and he is an amazing dude. They also have tons of Detroit T-shirts and vintage cool odds and ends.

Melodies & Memories: One of the old school spots left that I grew up hitting every week. Back in the day people like Seth Troxler & House Shoes worked there and would have been helping me find some cuts. The don’t stock a ton of current dance anymore but if you are looking for Disco, Funk or anything else they are still one of the best.

Hello Records: A fairly new shop, they have a lot of cool stuff in a small space. Anything ranging from Jazz to House music. The guy’s in there are very friendly and are always willing to buy from you directly if you have some hot cuts.

Submerge: If you know anything about Detroit and it’s electronic music history you might know about this spot. Although an appointment is needed John Collins is usually always willing to let you in and show you around. They are not only a distribution company and record store but also our “Techno Museum” where you can see drum machines and different gear that made some of Detroit’s classic music we all know and love. It’s an amazing piece of Detroit’s Techno history and John is a super cool cat.

It’s an exciting time for Detroit, there are new restaurants & retail shops opening up everyday and you can visibly see changes taking place. The best thing is it’s still very affordable to eat and shop. You can have a great meal at the restaurants I mentioned above for about $10!