Bert’s Marketplace

Full disclosure before anything else: we have not been inside. But we have walked past Bert’s on every single trip to Eastern Market, and every time the patio does its work on us — a long stretch of outdoor seating running along Russell with the grills going, smoke drifting out over the sidewalk, and a front-row seat to the foot traffic shuffling to and from the sheds across the street. From the outside it is one of the most inviting setups in the district, and we keep not stopping, which is starting to feel like a personal failing.

What sits behind that front room is apparently far bigger than a restaurant. Bert Dearing Jr. opened the Marketplace in 1987 and built it out into a 24,000-square-foot complex — barbecue and southern plates up front, then a live music venue, a second bar, and walls of murals, plaques and memorabilia documenting Black Detroit history. It’s family-run, and Dearing’s long-running Thursday night jam sessions are widely credited with helping revive the city’s jam session scene.

So: on the list, belatedly. Next Saturday market run, we’re going in — and if you’re already down here for a beer at Full Measure, you’re four blocks away.