Detroit Street Filling Station sits on the little triangle lot in Kerrytown, right across from the Farmers Market. The whole menu is vegan, and you would not guess it. People drive in from out of town for the food, then stay for the patio.
The name is not a joke. The building opened in 1925 as the Staebler family oil company, so it pumped gas long before it plated cauliflower. The old lamps and wall art still nod to those roots. Now the room is full of plants, and you can buy some of them on your way out.
Start with the Buffalo cauliflower wings. They come with ranch, and they are the thing regulars order every time. Then get The World's Greatest Wrap. It packs grilled tempeh, melted provolone-style cheese, cabbage, pickled carrot-radish, and guacamole into one tortilla. The tempeh and sauerkraut come from The Brinery, so you taste Michigan even when you order the Reuben.
You will find it at 300 Detroit St, in that historic filling station across from the People's Food Co-op. Hours run 11:30 am to 8 pm Monday through Friday, and noon to 8 pm on weekends. Seating is first come, first served, so walk in and grab a table. Reservations only kick in for parties bigger than six.
Come on a summer Monday for Patio Music Mondays, when live acts play the patio from 6 to 8. Detroit Street has weekly live music, and its own house band too. The Pontiac Trail Blazers have played bluegrass for the place since 2017, and they anchor Friday nights next door at the North Star Lounge, the same team's all-vegan bar on the corner of Fifth and Catherine.
Here is the insider move. Go on a Wednesday or Saturday, when the Farmers Market runs across the street. Shop the stalls, then take the covered patio for lunch while the planters do their thing around you.
