Restaurants go viral all the time on their own or thanks to influencers. Check out these Michigan restaurants that received the red-carpet treatment online.
Michigan’s food scene is ever evolving, with cities like Dearborn making our beautiful state a bona fide destination for foodies. Of course, social media has helped with this. TikTok influencers and everyday users alike create ample content about restaurants around the globe, and that rings true in Michigan, too. Some are free promos, while others are reviews that the restaurants may wish were never posted. In any case, many restaurants have been widely featured online.
The Michigan restaurants that have received any level of online virality, whether of their own making or not, include a variety of cuisines. For example, you’ll find social media-famous ice cream across the state, beloved tacos in Taylor, and fine-dining ingenuity in Farmington Hills. That’s just a taste of what’s to come, though. Now, let’s break down 7 restaurants that have received a fair bit of social media attention.
1. Detroit Loves Tacos #2
Address: 25750 Ecorse Rd, Taylor
Hours: Monday-Friday: 11:30 a.m.-8 p.m.; Saturday: 12 p.m.-8 p.m.
A lot of bad comes with social media, but it can also do wonders for small businesses. One restaurant in Taylor felt that deeply after social media brought life back to their establishment. According to an April 2026 Facebook video from the local news outlet WXYZ-TV, the restaurant’s owner, Alexander (Alex) Quinones, took to TikTok to ask locals to come check out the shop. If business didn’t pick up, Detroit Loves Tacos #2 was going to be closed permanently.
Luckily, business came. Some viewers were surprised that the owner was just 19 years old. Others were tempted by how good the food looked. In either case, this shop is TikTok-famous now, and it’s been bustling since his videos blew up.
2. The Brunch Bar
Address: 90 E Tienken Rd, Rochester Hills
Hours: Monday-Sunday: 8 a.m.-3 p.m.
Another Michigan restaurant that’s received business thanks to social media is The Brunch Bar. This brunch spot keeps classic dishes in mind while elevating them with fresh flavors. For example, you can find Shortribs Benedict and Lemon Ricotta Pancakes here—two unique twists on classic breakfast meals. This ingenuity may be what has drawn influencers to check it out.
One video from @coupleseats on TikTok, posted in August 2025, shows just how good the food really looks. Oh, and it’s racked up thousands of likes and even more views. Many of the comments note that folks either recently tried the restaurant or want to, and it’s likely thanks to videos like this one going around.
3. Steven Lelli’s Inn on the Green
Address: 27925 Golf Pointe Blvd, Farmington Hills
Hours: Tuesday-Thursday: 4 p.m.-10 p.m.; Friday-Saturday: 4 p.m.-11 p.m.; Sunday: 4 p.m.-9 p.m.
No Michigan restaurant has a Michelin Star, but Steven Lelli’s Inn on the Green is one fine-dining establishment that just might deserve one. Located on a golf course, this restaurant routinely serves high-class decisions, and its preparations and flavors have garnered it a fair bit of praise on TikTok. For one, user @thedetroitdiet called this restaurant “the best fine dining in Metro Detroit” in an April 2025 video that’s amassed more than 16,000 likes.
One draw for this restaurant is its tableside cooking. You read that correctly: A cart gets wheeled to your table, and meat is cooked right in front of your eyes on a rectangular hot plate. “This is why I love food,” one user commented with three heart-eye emojis. We hear that! In addition to tableside steak, you can enjoy fried calamari, meatballs made from tenderloin, curried duck, and even lasagna. There’s something for everyone here. It may not be the most well-known restaurant on this list, but influencers are catching on—and you should, too!
4. Harvest Buffet
Address: 1123 129th Ave #9476, Wayland
Hours: Thursday: 12 p.m.-8 p.m.; Friday-Saturday: 12 p.m.-3 p.m. & 4 p.m.-9 p.m.; Sunday: 12 p.m.-8 p.m.
Harvest Buffet has lots of food for one reasonable price, and that’s precisely what tempted TikToker @dondecierraa to eat there in June 2025. Her video of everything she ate during her visit has racked up over 109,000 views, but not everything was perfect. Cierra seemed to enjoy much of what she ate, like the crab rangoons, but some of it didn’t quite hit the spot, like the lo mein, which she called “bland” and “oily.”
A major reason to head to Harvest Buffet is its all-you-can-eat crab special, which ran for $51.99 at the time. Cierra is seen in the video with a plate stacked high with crab, and many commenters noted that it was the right thing to order for the price. “If I’m paying $52 for endless crab the only thing I’m eating is crab,” one user wrote. Others mentioned they missed the old price, with one user noting they got this deal for $32 before the COVID-19 pandemic. In any case, this video blew up, and now you get to decide for yourself whether the price and food quality align.
5. So Cheesy
Address: 720 Town Center Dr, Dearborn
Hours: Monday-Thursday: 11 a.m.-11 p.m.; Friday: 11 a.m.-12 a.m.; Saturday: 12 p.m.-12 a.m.; Sunday: 12 p.m.-10 p.m.
So Cheesy might have fewer than 900 followers on TikTok at the time of writing, but its guests are doing the promo for it. This food truck is situated at a food hall, so there’s plenty of seating and other restaurants to check out. But we’d be surprised if you wanted more after indulging in So Cheesy’s delectable menu. This truck sells everything from Chicken Parmigiano sandwiches to loaded grilled cheeses and Shrimp Tacos, and visitors love it all.
One video from @thedetroitdiet on TikTok showed the influencer dipping So Cheesy’s Pimento Grilled Cheese into tomato soup, and it looked oh-so divine. The video has nearly 19,000 likes, and it’s just one example of So Cheesy getting some well-deserved love online. “That grilled cheese looks so amazing,” one commenter wrote. Truer words have never been spoken!
6. JJ’s Custard Co.
Address: 44296 Cherry Hill Rd, Canton Township
Hours: Monday-Thursday: 3 p.m.-9 p.m.; Friday: 3 p.m.-10 p.m.; Saturday: 1 p.m.-10 p.m.; Sunday: 1 p.m.-9 p.m.
JJ’s Custard Co. has nine locations across Michigan—Dearborn, Detroit, and Canton Township among them—and part of that success has come from social media. The sweet-treat company has almost 300,000 followers on its TikTok account, and some of its videos have millions of views. Its most viral video is from April 2023 and has over 11 million views. The videos typically feature ice cream combinations customers can order—it’s no wonder folks flock there in droves!
Naturally, other people post about JJ’s Custard Co., too. For instance, the same @thedetroitdiet video in which the influencer enjoys So Cheesy sees him hit up the ice cream shop as well, since one of its nine locations is at the same food hall as So Cheesy. All of this attention has helped JJ’s Custard Co. grow into a force to be reckoned with here in Michigan. But who knows? It might just branch out of our beautiful state if this success continues!
7. Lillie Bell’s
Address: 14635 Telegraph Rd, Redford Township
Hours: Tuesday-Saturday: 12 p.m.-9 p.m.; Sunday: 1 p.m.-5 p.m.
We mentioned before that not all social media attention is good attention, and that’s sadly the case for Lillie Bell’s in Redford Township. Michigan native and TikTok legend Keith Lee hit up the establishment in May 2024, and after spending about $90 on just three meals, he found himself disappointed. His video has racked up nearly 3 million likes since being posted two years ago.
According to his video, Lillie Bell’s reached out to him to come taste its food, but when he did, he wasn’t impressed. “That’s one of the worst things I’ve had in a long time,” he said after tasting the side of greens. He also rated the lamb chop 4 out of 10 stars. Some of the other meats were apparently better, but overall, he was not impressed.
Folks still go to Lillie Bell’s, and it’s continued to grow since Lee’s video was posted—in part because it was posted. The photos on the restaurant’s website look yummy, especially the catfish and candied yams, so maybe this one’s worth a shot before judging it based on a single video reaction.
