October 03, 2019
Blog by Juan Carlos Dueweke-Perez, Images by Featherston Moments
The idea of Southwest Detroit Restaurant Week (SWDRW) was not a straight-forward one. It was influenced in part by the regeneration of Detroit’s downtown and midtown, the impact of social media on restaurants, and admiration of Latin America. With so many restaurant weeks, you might be asking yourself “why should I go to this one?”
SWDRW is similar to other restaurant weeks in multiple ways. It lasts for 10 days. It features 24 restaurants. So, what’s different? The most risque is that SWDRW does not have a fixed price. It aligns with Hispanic Heritage Month. During those 10 days, each restaurant will feature an exclusive dish that represents its heritage. And more importantly, the main goal behind the event is for consumers to interact with an entire neighborhood in a new way.
To those who are not from Southwest Detroit, especially to folks from the Metro area, Southwest Is equivalent to Mexicantown, and as a result, it is often thought that we only have Mexican food. Doing a little digging during its inception, it was surprising to us to find out that even we had missed the diversity that exists in the neighborhood. Among the cuisine represented are Venezuela, Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico, El Salvador, Honduras, Cuba, Colombia, multiple regions of México, and of course, TexMex.
Aside from shifting the way in which folks perceive and interact with the neighborhood, we want to set a norm for inclusivity. That’s why many restauranteurs decided to offer halal, pescatarian, vegetarian, and even a vegan option.
The event will be going on between October 4 – 13, 2019. You can view a full list of restaurants at http://swdetroitrestaurantweek.com. Follow and like us on Facebook and Instagram at @swdetroitrestaurantweek
