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A weekend in Dearborn: two days of halal food, museums and coffee
A first visit to Dearborn, planned meal by meal: the Arab American National Museum and Warren Avenue on day one, The Henry Ford and West Dearborn on day two, with where to stay, how to get there and what to order.
Before you go
Dearborn is an inner-ring suburb of about 110,000 people, bordering Detroit on its north and east and about seven miles from downtown. It is the first Arab American-majority city in the country: 54.5 percent of residents reported Middle Eastern or North African ancestry in the 2020 census, with Lebanese the largest group and Yemeni next. It is also the company town of Ford Motor, with the world headquarters, the Rouge plant and the museum complex Henry Ford dedicated in 1929.
The city has two halves for a visitor. East Dearborn has Warren Avenue, Schaefer Road and the Michigan Avenue stretch of Yemeni and Lebanese kitchens. West Dearborn has the museums, the hotels, the downtown strip and the newer burger-and-coffee scene. Plan one day for each.
Day one: East Dearborn
Morning: bakery, then the museum
New Yasmeen Bakery is a Lebanese bakery and deli on West Warren Avenue in East Dearborn, established in 1986. It is owned by the Siblini brothers, who named it after their earlier bakery in Lebanon; the family also runs bakeries in Windsor and Ottawa. It bakes pita daily and sells manakeesh, fatayer, spinach and meat pies, markouk flatbread, sweets and a deli counter of hot Lebanese dishes.
What to order: Pita bread, Zaatar manoushe, Fatayer, Knafeh.
Zabihah lists all food at the bakery as certified halal; no certifier is named.
13900 W Warren Ave, Dearborn, MI 48126DirectionsCallDetails
Then the Arab American National Museum, 13624 Michigan Avenue, the first museum in the country devoted to Arab American history, opened in 2005 and a Smithsonian affiliate. Hours are Wednesday 10 to 5, Thursday and Friday noon to 8, Saturday and Sunday 10 to 5, closed Monday and Tuesday. Admission is $10, $5 for seniors and students, free for children five and under. Parking is free in the municipal lot behind the museum.
Lunch: the classic
Lebanese restaurant on the Warren Avenue corridor, founded in 1989 by brothers-in-law Zaki Hashem and Khalil Ammar. In 2016 it received the James Beard Foundation's America's Classics award. It now has three locations: Dearborn, Dearborn Heights (27346 Ford Rd) and Canton (6505 N Canton Center Rd).
What to order: Al-Ameer platter (kabab, tawook, kafta, shawarma), Raw kibbeh, Shredded lamb with almonds, yogurt and rice.
Restaurant states its menu is 100% halal certified; no certifier named on the site.
12710 W Warren Ave, Dearborn, MI 48126DirectionsWebsiteDetails
Afternoon: sweets and coffee
Middle Eastern pastry house founded in Dearborn in 1979 by the late Riad Shatila and still family-run; the company is led by his widow Zinat Shatila. It sells baklawa, maamoul, knafeh, French pastries and ice cream, ships nationwide, and has branches in West Bloomfield and (since 2023) Dearborn Heights at 26771 Ford Rd.
What to order: Pistachio baklawa, Knafeh, Mango ice cream.
Fully halal per Zabihah listing (Muslim-owned, owners confirmed halal status); no certifier named.
14300 W Warren Ave, Dearborn, MI 48126DirectionsWebsiteDetails
Yemeni coffee house opened on Schaefer Road in September 2017 by Ibrahim Alhasbani, whose family grows coffee in Yemen. It is widely credited with starting the Yemeni coffee-house wave in Metro Detroit and has grown to more than 30 US locations, including a West Dearborn cafe at 22000 Michigan Ave and one in Canton (42051 Ford Rd).
What to order: Yemeni pour-over coffee, Adeni chai, Sabaya / bint al-sahn honey pastry.
Alcohol-free; Zabihah listing quotes the business as serving 100% halal food and drinks.
6655 Schaefer Rd, Dearborn, MI 48126DirectionsWebsiteDetails
Walk Warren Avenue between the two. The block-by-block guide names every stop, and Hashem's at 13041 is where to buy coffee, nuts and spice blends to take home.
Dinner: Yemeni lamb
Yemeni restaurant that opened on Michigan Avenue in 2015 under owner Ismael Aljahmi, after a first location at 10327 Dix Ave in the Southend. Sheeba now lists four locations (East Dearborn, West Dearborn at 22048 Michigan Ave, Canton and Sterling Heights) and is known for slow-roasted haneeth and mandi platters.
What to order: Lamb haneeth, Fahsa, Lamb and chicken mandi.
Fully halal and alcohol-free per Zabihah; the company site also states it is a halal establishment.
13919 Michigan Ave, Dearborn, MI 48126DirectionsWebsiteDetails
Order the haneeth or mandi and read the Yemeni food guide first if the menu is new to you. End the night a block away at Haraz, open to 11 PM.
Day two: West Dearborn
Breakfast: ful and fatteh
Lebanese breakfast-and-brunch restaurant owned by Ali Hamade and chef Ahmad Sanji. The first location opened in Garden City (873 Inkster Rd) in 2017 and the Dearborn location on Warren Avenue opened in 2020. In October 2021 the New York Times named it one of its 50 favorite restaurants in the US, the only Michigan entry.
What to order: Lebanese breakfast (foul, fatteh, hummus varieties), Makanek with sunny-side eggs, Batata harra.
Lebanese Muslim-owned restaurant covered as halal dining by Arab American News; no certifier posted on its archived website.
15010 W Warren Ave, Dearborn, MI 48126DirectionsDetails
AlTayeb is on the west end of Warren Avenue, a short drive from the hotels. It was the only Michigan restaurant on The New York Times' 2021 list of the 50 best in the country.
Late morning: The Henry Ford
The museum is at 20900 Oakwood Boulevard, open 9:30 to 5 daily. Greenfield Village, the outdoor collection of nearly 100 relocated historic buildings, runs on a seasonal schedule, Friday to Sunday in the off season. Adult admission is $34 to $39 for the museum and $37 to $39 for the village depending on the date, with youth and senior discounts and a bundle for both. Parking is $10 per vehicle. The Ford Rouge Factory Tour is a separate ticket, about $24, and runs Monday to Saturday; there is no production on weekends, so if you want to see F-150s being built, go on a weekday.
Lunch: a smash burger downtown
Counter-service burger restaurant at 22062 Michigan Avenue in west Dearborn, opened in 2015 by Sam Abbas as Brome Burgers & Shakes and renamed Brome Modern Eatery in 2017. Burgers are made with grass-fed beef; the menu also has chicken and fish sandwiches, salads, a vegan burger, breakfast sandwiches and shakes. A downtown Detroit branch followed in 2018 and the company has announced further metro Detroit locations.
What to order: Super Smash Burger, Hand-spun shakes, Brisket sliders, Kale Crunch salad.
Website states every protein is halal and third-party verified; Deadline Detroit describes it as known for halal burgers. Certifier not named.
22062 Michigan Ave, Dearborn, MI 48124DirectionsCallWebsiteDetails
The downtown strip is a short drive from the museum. The West Dearborn guide has the rest of the block, including District 12 and KRÜM.
Afternoon: knafeh
Lebon Sweets is a second-generation family-owned Lebanese sweets shop on West Warren Avenue, with a second store at 25873 Ford Rd in Dearborn Heights and another in Sterling Heights. It is known for the CheeseDome, a portion of kanafa served inside sesame bread, which it has trademarked. The counter also sells baklava, nabulsi kanafa trays, maamoul, nammoura and sfouf.
What to order: CheeseDome (kanafa in sesame bread), Kanafa, Baklava, Maamoul.
No written halal statement found from the business. The menu is sweets and desserts; if it matters to you, ask about gelatin before you order.
13743 W Warren Ave, Dearborn, MI 48126DirectionsCallWebsiteDetails
Dinner: rotisserie chicken
Casual Lebanese grill on Warren Avenue known for its rotisserie chicken and garlic sauce, with a second location in Dearborn Heights at 25412 Ford Rd. The restaurant describes its food as family recipes.
What to order: Rotisserie (BBQ) chicken with garlic sauce, Chicken shawarma, Shish kafta.
Fully halal per Zabihah listing (staff assurance); no certifier named.
13251 W Warren Ave, Dearborn, MI 48126DirectionsWebsiteDetails
Late: Turkish dessert
Galata Sweets is a Turkish bakery, coffee house and late-night cafe on Mason Street in West Downtown Dearborn, opened in October 2022 by Imad Mohamad. It serves Turkish breakfast, baklava, kunefe, pide, simit, doner wraps, Turkish coffee and desserts such as tres leches and San Sebastian cheesecake, with decor and ingredients imported from Turkey. Metro Mode reported the owner describes it as the only full-concept Turkish restaurant in the state; a second location opened in Sterling Heights.
What to order: Turkish baklava, Kunefe, Turkish breakfast, San Sebastian cheesecake.
No written halal statement found on the website. The kitchen is Turkish bakery, doner and desserts; ask before you order.
1035 Mason St, Suite 102, Dearborn, MI 48124DirectionsCallWebsiteDetails
Getting there and around
- By air. Detroit Metropolitan Airport is in Romulus, about 18 miles southwest of downtown Detroit. SMART's FAST Michigan bus runs from both terminals to downtown Detroit along Michigan Avenue through Dearborn.
- By train. Amtrak's Wolverine stops at the John D. Dingell Transit Center, 21201 Michigan Avenue, three times daily each way. The station is next to The Henry Ford.
- By bus. DDOT and SMART both serve the city; several SMART routes stop at the transit center.
- By car. The two sides of town are a short drive apart. Warren Avenue has small lots beside each business; West Dearborn's public decks have been free since 2015; The Henry Ford charges $10.
Where to stay
- Dearborn Inn, 20301 Oakwood Boulevard. Opened in 1931 as one of the first airport hotels, 231 rooms, two blocks from The Henry Ford. It reopened in March 2025 as Dearborn Inn, Autograph Collection.
- The Henry, Autograph Collection, 300 Town Center Drive, at Fairlane Plaza beside the mall and Ford headquarters.
If you have a third day
Hamtramck, on the far side of Detroit, has Yemeni and Bangladeshi kitchens on a different grid. The Hamtramck guide covers it. Or stay put and do the sweets and bakeries guide properly.
Sources (14)
Museum hours, prices and travel facts are as published on the dates checked; confirm before you go. Each restaurant's facts are sourced on its own page.
- en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dearborn,_Michigan
- clickondetroit.com/news/local/2023/09/26/census-data-shows-arab-american-population-in-dea
- thehenryford.org/visit/plan-your-visit/
- thehenryford.org/visit/plan-your-visit/admission
- thehenryford.org/visit/plan-your-visit/directions
- thehenryford.org/visit/ford-rouge-factory-tour/
- en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Henry_Ford
- arabamericanmuseum.org/visit
- visitdetroit.com/inside-the-d/best-things-in-dearborn/
- en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dearborn_Inn
- en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_D._Dingell_Transit_Center
- en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Detroit_Metropolitan_Airport
- arabamericannews.com/2021/10/27/altayeb-restaurant-makes-new-york-times-top-50-list/
- arabamericannews.com/2015/03/06/Dearborn-begins-decommissioning-paid-parking-in-downtown-d
Questions people ask
How far is Dearborn from Detroit and the airport?
Dearborn sits about seven miles west of downtown Detroit and borders the city. Detroit Metropolitan Airport is in Romulus, about 18 miles southwest of downtown; SMART's FAST Michigan bus runs from both terminals to downtown Detroit through Dearborn along Michigan Avenue. Amtrak's Wolverine stops at the John D. Dingell Transit Center next to The Henry Ford three times a day each way.
Where should I stay?
The Dearborn Inn on Oakwood Boulevard, built by Henry Ford in 1931 and reopened in 2025 as a Marriott Autograph Collection hotel, is two blocks from The Henry Ford. The Henry, Autograph Collection, is at Fairlane Plaza by the mall and Ford headquarters. Both are on the west side; Warren Avenue is a ten-minute drive east.
Do I need a car?
It helps. The two sides of the city are several miles apart and the food is spread along long commercial streets. DDOT and SMART buses run along Michigan Avenue, and the museums and West Dearborn are walkable from each other with some effort, but Warren Avenue and Schaefer Road are a drive.
What makes Dearborn different?
It is the first Arab American-majority city in the United States: the 2020 census found 54.5 percent of residents report Middle Eastern or North African ancestry, mostly Lebanese and Yemeni, and in 2021 it elected its first Arab American mayor. It is also Ford's hometown, with the company's world headquarters, The Henry Ford museum complex and the Rouge plant.
