Detroit’s Canadian cousin, the unassuming city across Lake St. Clair has much to offer. Despite its lackluster skyline, Windsor has some of the closest and most reasonable malls, restaurants, movie theaters and more.

Although not an immediately obvious target of interest, Windsor’s vast selection of Chinese food options is worthy of recognition. Canadian Chinese food hasn’t branched away from its original flavors like American Chinese food has. At Sun Hong BBQ and Seafood Restaurant, the food was fresh, authentic and much cheaper than its American counterpart. Strung with Chinese New Year decorations, we knew the second we walked that we had chosen the right place to go. The staff were polite and friendly—our waitress took the time to explain some of the dishes and waved us off as we left despite it being rush hour.

To start our meal, we enjoyed a cup of wonton soup. With a strong broth, strips of tender pork and chicken wontons, we were surprised by how much flavor the soup had compared to what we were used to. Every element of the soup was excellent. We tried some of the more “American” style Chinese food, but it wasn’t something to write home about; on the other hand, their dim sum was. The handmade, pan-fried pork dumplings were perfectly spiced and balanced a variety of textures well. Shockingly large, the pork siu mai had a smoky maple bacon flavor and had a nice presentation, with a whole shrimp on top of the massive bulk of meat. The star of the show was the pork buns, which were pillowy soft with a barbecue filling that packed a punch. Overall, the food experience was excellent and far cheaper thanks to a 75 percent discount built into the bill with the USD-CAD exchange rate. Considering it was only a 20-minute drive from Grosse Pointe, it is a great spot to go to for a weekend night out.

Before you leave Winsdor, your trip will not be complete without sampling a Canadian staple: poutine. Available at basically every restaurant, poutine is a tasty dish consisting of French Fries smothered in gravy and cheese curds. We stopped at a small poutine stand and sampled a traditional version, though they featured many add-ons and other toppings that elevate the dish. Despite its looks, the dish itself tasted quite good and was worth the 7 USD we paid for it.

Aside from dining options, Windsor is home to Devonshire Mall, a huge shopping center that falls a similar distance to Grosse Pointe than Somerset. This center is over 1 million square feet and uses all of its space for people’s enjoyment.

Filled with over 150 well-known stores like Sephora and Lululemon to pop-up phone case stands and IKEA, Devonshire is a great place to shop if you’re looking for a place where you can get everything done in one trip. It also has a large array of food options like Taco Bell, KFC, bubble tea and other ethnic fast food options. If that is not enough, it also has a connected indoor arcade and movie theater with over a dozen movies playing each day. Devonshire Mall also hosts many events throughout the year to support the community. On the day that we went, they had Chinese New Year celebrations between 12-4 p.m. with traditional dancing, music, food and art. If you plan to make a trip out, be sure to look online to see what events may be going on during your visit.

Considering the variety of entertainment, shopping and food options in Windsor, everyone in Grosse Pointe should consider taking a trip out to Canada. Not only does it offer some items not found in the US, it is an opportunity to see how people live on the other side of the river and broaden one’s worldview.