Detroit’s Joe Muer Seafood
It all began in 1929 when Joe Muer Sr, a cigar producer, decided to open his first restaurant in Eastern Market. It was a small oyster bar, on Gratiot at Vernor, with only 7 tables and 5 employees. As he gained popularity he scaled back his cigar production, to expand the restaurant. The restaurant continued to grow and they kept expanding. By the 1950s Joe Muer Seafood was one of Detroit’s top dining destinations and was known worldwide. When Joe Sr passed away, he left the restaurant to his son Joe Muer Jr, who then passed it along to his two sons Joe Muer III and Chuck Muer, who also went on to become an icon in Detroit’s food scene . . . until his disappearance in 1993 while sailing through the Bermuda Triangle.
Detroit’s population began to decline in the 70’s, 80’s and 90’s, due to people moving to the suburbs, and fewer people were coming into the city. In 1998 Joe Muer Seafood closed it’s doors. In 2005, Joe Vicari, who had already gained his notoriety with his chain of Andiamo Restaurants, reached out to Joe to see if he would like to reopen Joe Muer Seafood. Joe Muer, who was 75 at the time, was retired and did not want to return to the restaurant business. Vicari respected the Joe Muer Seafood brand and knew it would be a huge success. In 2011, after much hard work and negotiating, and with the blessing of Joe Muer III, the rebirth of Joe Muer Seafood was on. Vicari bought the Joe Muer name and all its intellectual properties and recipes. They picked up where the original left off, serving the finest and freshest seafood in an atmosphere of refinement and sophistication. The location is in the same tower of the Renaissance Center as Vicari’s Andiamo’s location, just 1 floor up.
The atmosphere here is pretty cool and very welcoming. It is a wide open space, with windows everywhere you look, overlooking the Detroit River. The bar is a big oval bar right in the middle of the restaurant, with a sushi bar and raw bar, which is where we always like to sit even when it is not happy hour. The main dining area surrounds the perimeter of the restaurant, donned in white linens.
There is a piano bar with 6 or 8 stools just off to the side of the bar area.
They also have an outdoor patio area for enjoying those beautiful evenings under the stars.
There is a lot of history in the photos on the wall, including pictures of the original restaurant from its early years.
They also have private rooms where you can host parties and special events.
Let’s talk about the happy hour! Joe Muer Seafood’s Happy Hour is 4-6 Monday through Friday in the bar area. They offer discounted wine, cocktails and beers as well as a nice selection of oysters on the half shell, tacos, Pommes Frites (French fries), Bao Buns, sliders, sushi hand rolls, calamari and a cucumber salad. Here is their Happy Hour menu:
Let’s start with the tacos. You get 3 to an order with a choice of beef, chicken or fish. They are served “Baha Style” with slaw, avocado salsa, caramelized onions, chipotle cream and cilantro.
Their Pommes Frites are Parmesan white truffle fries.
The oysters on the half shell are $2 each or you can get 4 Chef choice oysters and a glass of Prosecco for $12.
Their Bao Bun was a braised lamb with a hoisin glaze an Szechuan soy slaw, it was delicious and packed full of flavor.
They have beef or salmon sliders for $5 a piece which are topped with special Joe Muer sauce.
The sushi hand rolls are different from your traditional sushi rolls, they are rolled into cones which you pick up and eat. They come 4 ways, California, spicy tuna, salmon or shrimp tempura and you get 2 for $10, we tried a spicy tuna and a salmon.
There is a cucumber salad that looked good but we did not try. It is made with daikon radish, carrot, scallion, sesame seed, ponzu and Momiji Oroshi (a spicy grated Daikon Radish)
Lastly, and we saved the best for last, is their point Judith Fried Calamari. Lightly dusted calamari served with a lemon butter caper sauce and artichoke hearts, it was super tender and quite delicious.
Here are the things that we tried on our visit!
They have a nice, inexpensive lunch menu as well!
If you can’t make it for happy hour, no problem. There are plenty of other delectable items on their everyday lunch and dinner menus all with the same great vibe and view. Look at some of their amazing food!
Joe Muer Seafood Detroit is open Monday thru Friday at 11:30 for lunch and closes at 9PM Monday thru Thursday, 10 PM on Friday. 4 to 10 PM on Saturdays an 3 to 9 PM on Sundays. They also have a 2nd Michigan location in Bloomfield Hills and a Tennessee location in Nashville.
Until next time . . . live well, eat well and enjoy life!
-Keith & Teresa Becker