Chick-fil-A is coming to downtown Detroit

The fried chicken chain continues its expansion into Michigan

By Lee DeVito on Thu, Feb 22, 2024 at 3:37 pm

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Chick-fil-A is coming to downtown Detroit.

Southern fried chicken chain Chick-fil-A continues its expansion into Michigan with the announcement of a downtown Detroit location.

According to Crain’s Detroit Business, the company plans to open the store in Dan Gilbert’s First National Building, which also houses Shake Shack and Central Kitchen + Bar.

Gilbert’s Bedrock real estate company is aiming for a May or June opening date.

There is one other Chick-fil-A store in the city, located at the Detroit Medical Center, in addition to about 10 other stores that have opened in the greater Detroit area in recent years.

Aside from its sandwiches, the Georgia-based chain is known for its Christian values, which includes closing for business on Sundays and holidays as well as donating money to anti-LGBTQ+ causes in the past, though the company has moved away from that in recent years.

Chick-fil-A is opening another metro Detroit restaurant: The fried-chicken-sandwich slinger’s latest store is coming to Livonia

Slideshow

20 essential Detroit-area chicken sandwiches you should have tried by now

Penny Red's 1445 Farmer St., Detroit; pennyreds.com Move over Popeye. Meet Penny Red's, the place where fried chicken reigns supreme. Nestled in Downtown Detroit within Parker's Alley behind the Shinola hotel is Penny Red's, where they serve damn fine chicken via either buckets of chicken or a selection of finely crafted and super crispy sandwiches. There's The Classic, which comes with city ranch, sweet pickle, and hot honey. Then there's The K-Town Cutlet which comes topped with toasted peanut, scallion, and kimchi BBQ. But don't sleep on The Dirty Coop, which comes with red slaw, crispy shallot, and baconbombs.com, whatever that is. (We want it.) Photo via Eat Penny Reds/Facebook

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Takoi 2520 Michigan Ave., Detroit; 313-855-2864; takoidetroit.com Another popular Detroit Asian-influenced eatery is serving up its take on the fried chicken sandwich via, well, the fried chicken sandwich. At Takoi in Corktown, there are two options: First, the fried chicken sandwich, which features a fried chicken thigh on a brioche bun with papaya salad, coconut milk ranch, sweet chili garlic, and pickled jalapeños, and cilantro. And then, there's Takoi's nod to Nashville. The Thai Hot Chicken Sandwich kicks the heat up a notch (OK  a few notches) with a fried chicken thigh, house-made thai chili crisp with kewpie, and half sour cucumbers on a toasted brioche. Photo via Takoi Detroit/Facebook

Ali's Pizza and Burgers 11608 Conant Ave., Detroit; 313-826-1403; facebook.com/alispizza313 Perhaps one of the most talked-about chicken sandwiches in metro Detroit sandwich circles (trust us, they exist) comes by way of Ali's Pizza and Burgers in Hamtramck. OK  so chicken may not be in the name here, but they have some chicken tricks up their sleeve, namely the Chicken 65 burger, though technically it's a damn chicken sammie. For the uninitiated, chicken 65 is typically a deep red stir-fry of spicy chicken, onions, and a red chili-based sauce that's served over rice. To create that iteration, Ali's chef Ihtriam Ali takes a thick piece of chicken breast and marinates it overnight in a blend of chilis and spices. It's then double-coated in starch and fried, leaving it with a thick, crunchy crag. That's coated in a semi-spicy 65 sauce and is finished with a mix of sauteed tomatoes, jalapeño, and onions, and held in a soft, basic bun. Photo by Tom Perkins

Street Beet 4626 Third St., Detroit; 313-638-1480; streetbeetdetroit.com OK  so technically the chicken sandwich from Detroit's cult-status vegan eatery Street Beet is not chicken, but put a blindfold on and take a bite and we bet you wouldn't know the difference. Known for its playful take on fast-food chain favorites  and for hours-long wait times at Detroit-area bars as a pop-up before landing more permanent digs within Third Street Bar  Street Beet's OG Fake Chicken Sandwich is as juicy as the real thing. For its vegan concoction, the chicken sandwich is actually a fried tofu patty encrusted with a crispy batter flavored with black pepper and sage, which comes on a brioche bun and is topped with house-made pickles and vegan spicy mayo. Want some spice? Street Beet's Hot Fake Chicken Sandwich, also a crispy tofu patty, is tossed in spicy stuff and topped with pickles, and vegan ranch. There are gluten-free and nut-free options, too. Photo via Street Beet Detroit/Facebook

Eureka Eatery 3080 N. Monroe St., Monroe; 734-457-4571; eurekaeatery.com Don't scoff at a nondescript independent fast food restaurant situated in a gas station in Monroe, because this chicken sandwich might just put all chicken sandwiches to shame  and we're not cluckin' around. Recently, they pivoted from shawarma, gyros, and falafel to fried chicken à la grandma's recipe. Known for handmade chicken and beef products that are antibiotic-free and Halal, Eureka is hailed as the best Nashville Hot Chicken in Michigan by, according to their website, and basically everyone that likes food. Their Cluckin' Chicken Sandwich comes with just pickles, but can be topped with all the fixings. Where shit gets whild is the Cluckin' Hot Sammie topped with slaw and pickles, and can be ordered to fit your heat preference, of which there are a whopping seven heat levels to choose from. (It starts with Country, which has no heat and can get as hot as the Inferno option, to which Eureka wishes those daring souls "good luck.") And, you know what? We're not going to even talk about their bubble waffle cones, which are stuffed with fried chicken, gravy, and mashed potato nuggets, because we can't cluckin' even.Photo via Eureka Eatery/Facebook

Yellow Light Coffee and Donuts 14447 E. Jefferson Ave., Detroit; 313-469-7780; yellowlightdetroit.com From the folks that brought Detroit slider staple Green Dot Stables and ramen hotspot Johnny Noodle King comes a coffee and doughnut cafe that has unassuming chicken sammies worth squawking about. Yellow Light Coffee and Donuts in the Jefferson-Chalmers neighborhood opened drive-thru service during the pandemic offering, well, mostly doughnuts and house-roasted coffee. But they also do chicken. There's the classic fried chicken which comes on a biscuit and is topped with a maple glaze. Then, for those who want some spice in their life, the hot chicken sandwich, also served on a biscuit, comes with hot sauce and pickles. Wanna get weird? Top the sammies with an egg and grab a bag 'o' beans to brew at home. Photo via Yellow Light Coffee and Donuts/Facebook

Ale Marys Beer Hall 316 S. Main St., Royal Oak; 248-268-1939; alemarysbeer.com Great things can come in small packages which is the case when it comes to Ale Marys fried chicken offering. The Royal Oak beer hall has fried chicken sliders made with beer-battered chicken, beer pickled peaches and jalapeños, and beer-battered fries. The only thing missing is a cold beer, which they also have. Photo via Ale Mary's Beer Bar/Facebook

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Leyland “Lee” DeVito is the editor in chief of Detroit Metro Times since 2016. His writing has also been published in CREEM, VICE, In These Times, and New City. He once asked porn star Stormy Daniels to spank him with an issue of Metro Times. She obliged.

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