Experience Zuzu

We haven’t been inside yet — full disclosure, we were underdressed and out of time — but the building alone stopped us on the sidewalk: a striking Woodward facade right next door to the Guardian Building, with an expansive, genuinely lovely patio out front that we photographed longingly. Inside, by all accounts, the theatrics continue: Zuzu is Elia Group’s Miami-and-Vegas-inspired Asian fusion showpiece, opened in August 2023 and designed by New York firm iCrave to be maximal in every direction. The menu runs hand-rolled sushi, wok-fired specialties, and dishes from the charcoal oven and wood-fired grill, with tableside drama as a house style — an omakase sushi tower, A5 wagyu you sear yourself on a hot stone — plus sake, champagne, and bottle service for the committed. A second concept, Upstairs Bar, holds down the floor above.

It’s loud in the celebratory way, dinner-only, and unapologetically a scene — which is exactly why it’s on our list for the next occasion that deserves a production, a proper outfit, and maybe a pre-dinner gawk at the Spirit of Detroit a block down Woodward.