Detroit restaurant Fort Street Galley offers a unique dining experience
The restaurant offers bar seating with a view looking out onto the Detroit streets
March 1, 2019
Agreeing on one place to eat can be a struggle for a group with different paletes and choosing one restaurant to please everyone can almost feel impossible. With four restaurants to choose from at Fort Street Galley located in downtown Detroit, you can satisfy everyone’s hungry appetite.
There’s Isla, a Filipino-inspired restaurant run by a husband and wife. Next door to Isla is Lucky’s Noble BBQ, serving intricate dishes using local products from famous Grosse Pointe Chef Jimmy Schmidt. Next to Lucky’s is Allenby, proclaiming itself as “ideas in sandwiches”, and the last in the row is Korean-inspired Pursue.
Walking into the food hall, I immediately noticed the exposed ceilings, bright lights and long wooden tables. There is a long bar that runs along one side of the hall, located in a large corner spot on the ground floor of an office building at 160 W. Fort Street, about two blocks from Campus Martius.
As I walked across the hall, I was greeted from a distance by four small kitchens that are narrow galleys. Above each one are colorful signs detailing their fare, with a casual and comfortable feel where patrons can just sit and talk for hours.
The four restaurants line the back wall. Diners order at the counter they choose, take a number and wait to be served. Make sure you don’t forget to grab silverware and napkins– we forgot ours, but the chef kindly brought some to us.
Fort Street Galley is the fourth restaurant of this concept started by Galley Group. It has food halls in Cleveland and Pittsburgh, and the halls seat 200 people.
We ordered ginger beer made in Northern Michigan first– it was tasty, but left our taste buds tingling.
Before our visit, I’d heard the short rib sandwich was outstanding, so that was going to be my choice. It was my dad’s choice, too. Everything at Lucky’s is gluten-free, and my dad was excited for this because he has celiac disease. Thankfully, we were not disappointed by the food. The barbecue sandwich is filled with tender, tasty, short rib, full of seasonings and not too spicy. It’s topped with crispy onions and lettuce.
My dad deemed the bread the best he’s had, and I agreed. Lucky’s provides sauces– a tangy barbeque sauce and a sweet and spicy mustard– both served in old-school styled squeeze bottles.
My sandwich came with creamy, tasty mac and cheese that stayed hot in a mini iron pot. My dad had the Black Tie Cole Slaw. It was topped with crumbled, smoked blue cheese and served very cold. It was different, but delicious.
I had to try one of Lucky’s Michigan-made ginger sodas. It has quite a kick, so don’t order this and expect it to be a typical ginger ale. It came with quite a burn.
Allenby was the second restaurant I heard was great. My mom ordered a cup of cauliflower soup there, and it was one of the best soups we’d ever had. The cauliflower was so smooth and pureed and it was served with olive oil and herbs floating on top. It’s perfect for a light lunch or healthier option, and it went well with an apple salad from Lucky’s. The salad was citrus-y and smoky with cheese, fried onions and crispy kale.
The food was on the pricey side. Each sandwich was $16. The servings are large, though, so consider sharing. It’s more affordable and you can try more things.
The price is the only downside of Fort Street Galley– there’s so much good food in one place, but not enough time or a big enough stomach to have it all. We’ll just have to go back.