
The Apparatus Room
A chic New American eatery in a renovated historic firehouse, offering Michelin-star cuisine and craft cocktails.

Highlights
Must-see attractions
Social
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Best Time
Blue hour photography, calmer galleries

The Apparatus Room

Highlights
Must-see attractions
A chic New American eatery in a renovated historic firehouse, offering Michelin-star cuisine and craft cocktails.
"Experience the luxury and visual delight of The Apparatus Room, where deep flavors meet a stunning historic setting."
Book Ahead
Reservations are highly recommended to secure a table at this popular Detroit dining spot.
Bar Menu vs. Dining Floor
Note that the bar menu differs from the dining floor selections; explore the bar for burgers and fries.

Quick Facts
Cuisine
New American
Price
$$$
Phone
(313) 800-5600
Address
250 W Larned St, Detroit, MI 48226, USA
Highlights
Discover the most iconic attractions and experiences

Historic Firehouse Ambiance
Dine in a beautifully renovated firehouse, blending industrial chic with original architectural details for a unique atmosphere.

Michelin Star Chef's Creations
Experience exceptional New American cuisine crafted by Michelin star chef Thomas Lents, known for deep flavors and light sauces.

Creative Craft Cocktails
Savor high-quality craft cocktails, including inventive non-alcoholic options, expertly mixed by skilled bartenders.
Plans like a pro.
Thinks like you
Insider Tips
from TikTok, Instagram & Reddit
Book Ahead
Reservations are highly recommended to secure a table at this popular Detroit dining spot.
Bar Menu vs. Dining Floor
Note that the bar menu differs from the dining floor selections; explore the bar for burgers and fries.
Savor Signature Dishes
Don't miss the highly recommended dishes like chicken and waffles or short ribs for a true culinary adventure.
Enjoy the Ambiance
Sit at the bar for great lighting and a relaxed vibe, perfect for enjoying drinks and people-watching.
Tips
from all over the internet
Book Ahead
Reservations are highly recommended to secure a table at this popular Detroit dining spot.
Bar Menu vs. Dining Floor
Note that the bar menu differs from the dining floor selections; explore the bar for burgers and fries.
Savor Signature Dishes
Don't miss the highly recommended dishes like chicken and waffles or short ribs for a true culinary adventure.
Enjoy the Ambiance
Sit at the bar for great lighting and a relaxed vibe, perfect for enjoying drinks and people-watching.
What Travellers Say
Reviews Summary
The Apparatus Room is praised for its stunning historic firehouse ambiance, exceptional craft cocktails, and creative New American cuisine by Michelin-star chef Thomas Lents. While many highlight the impressive atmosphere and attentive service, some reviews mention inconsistencies in entrees and minor issues like fruit flies. It's recommended to make reservations and be aware of the distinct bar and dining floor menus.
"Modern, sophisticated, and chill. The music was relaxed and hip with beats like Gust of Wind by Pharrell Williams. The drink menu had variety and each one was generously alcoholic.
The food menu was short, but nothing short of culinary excellence. The items had complimentary flavors and textures, like the crispy savory chicken and fluffy sweet waffles featuring a lemon thyme syrup, or the puff pastry sausage strudel with burnt honey and toasted sesame seeds.
I'm excited to come back to try the dinner menu!
Word of caution - black pants and the table napkin left me with lint and wishing for a lint roller. Otherwise, the experience and food was great."
Miranda Flynn
"Stopped in for brunch and a drink. Beautiful atmosphere, quiet and classy. Perfect for a business meeting, date or even quiet time reading a book with a glass of wine. I had the smash burger and a side salad. Almost didn’t get a picture because the food was sooo good!!! So were the drinks! Compliments to Chef Angie and the Bartender Kevin ❤️ A+"
Jessiie B
"One of the better hotel bar / restaurants that I've been to. We mostly had cocktails and small plates which were fantastic. The servers and bartenders were upbeat and cared we were there. Nice comfortable atmosphere."
Don M
What People Like
What People Dislike
Frequently Asked Questions
It's known for its unique historic firehouse ambiance, New American cuisine from Michelin-star chef Thomas Lents, and creative craft cocktails.
Yes, reservations are highly recommended as it's a popular spot, though they may accommodate walk-ins.
Yes, The Apparatus Room has a dual menu system. The bar offers items like burgers and fries, which are not available on the dining floor.
Yes, valet parking is available, but be aware that the price may differ from what is listed online.
Guests often rave about the chicken and waffles, short ribs, and various appetizers. The smash burger is also a hit.
Yes, The Apparatus Room offers a variety of creative non-alcoholic drink options in addition to their craft cocktails.
Mentioned in
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What is it: Michigan native Thomas Lents has traveled around the globe to learn about food and he has now brought all that knowledge to Detroit in the form of the Apparatus Room, his New American eatery inside the Detroit Foundation Hotel. Why go: Everything about this restaurant screams luxury and visual delight. The food also earns raves, especially for the light sauces and deep flavors defining each dish.
Detroit Foundation Hotel - Detroit
And while the large-scale industries that made Detroit famous may have moved on, it’s a city that’s home to no end of small-scale artisanal producers — and just about everything you see, from the staff members’ uniforms to the fixtures and furnishings in the room, is locally made, and much of it is for sale in the hotel’s showroom.
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As a cornerstone of Detroit’s dining scene, The Apparatus Room welcomes hotel guests and locals alike to connect, indulge, and discover the flavors of the city. Located in on the ground floor of the Detroit Foundation Hotel, The Apparatus Room offers a vibrant dining experience that seamlessly blends iconic New American cuisine with the spirit of Detroit. Featuring bold flavors, seasonal ingredients, and locally sourced products, each dish is thoughtfully crafted to celebrate the city’s culinary heritage while embracing contemporary innovation.
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From the beautifully-lit bar to the cozy and comfortable dining room, The Apparatus Room has everything you need for an enjoyable night out in Detroit. This upscale restaurant offers American cuisine in an industrial-style atmosphere inside the Detroit Foundation Hotel. The unique location of the restaurant was previously the headquarters of the Detroit Fire Department, but the restaurant owners have repurposed the space in the most creative and exciting way.
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The Apparatus Room is a restaurant at the Detroit Foundation Hotel, 250 W Larned St, Detroit headed by Michelin star chef Thomas Lents who has previously worked at the Sixteen of Chicago Trump Tower and the prestigious Robuchon at Las Vegas. Lents looks forward to rejuvenating the food scene in Detroit with his culinary skills and experience. This place offers a small a la carte menu carefully crafted to meet the hotel’s standards.
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The hotel restaurant’s menu offers an assortment of starters including smoked whitefish Caesar, chilled artichoke and spinach dip, main dishes including pumpkin and parmesan risotto, roasted Atlantic salmon, and DFH steak frites. Customers can add on additional items including wine, cocktails, and champagne for a complete New Year’s Eve celebration. Call 313-800-5600 or email mweirich@detroitfoundationhotel.com to place orders.
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The Whitney 4421 Woodward Ave., Detroit; 313-832-5700; thewhitney.com Located inside an opulent mansion built by a 19th century lumber baron, which cost the equivalent of about $9.5 million in today’s dollars, The Whitney offers the rest of us a taste of how Detroit’s upper class lived. Its weekend afternoon tea and summer garden parties offer an even more affordable price point to enjoy this elegant space.
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The Apparatus Room: If you’re looking for an upscale breakfast to begin the day or have a business meeting, restaurants at boutique hotels are a good place to start. Apparatus Room at the Detroit Foundation Hotel has parfaits, steel cut oats, quiche and more on their weekday breakfast menu and even more like biscuits and gravy and lamb pastrami hash on the weekend brunch menu. Breakfast is served at 7 a.m.
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Larned St., is another top choice, with Yelpers giving the fancy cocktail bar and New American spot four stars out of 558 reviews. Located in the Detroit Foundation Hotel, The Apparatus Room offers atmosphere and an extensive wine list and cocktails. Expect options like the red Cabernet called Ampeleia, a white lemon curd wine called Maison Idiart and a sparkling wine, such as the Veuve Cliquot Brut Rosé.
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Set inside the Detroit Foundation Hotel, The Apparatus Room reconceives American classics with heartland ingredients. Find warm house-baked heritage wheat bread slathered with pimento cheese, farm chicken basted in Jura wine sauce and a broad wine list. Marrow, a hybrid butcher shop/ restaurant, showcases inspiration from the founder’s childhood in Singapore alongside wines from Europe and California.
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Situated right in front of the Detroit Foundation Hotel’s historic firehouse doors, the Apparatus Room’s patio is an ideal spot for taking in the hustle and bustle of Detroit. Visit the new American restaurant’s social media pages to stay up to date on its special patio events, like Wine Down Wednesdays, a monthly summer gathering with special wine features and samples. Apparatus Room, 250 W.
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Chic, tastefully modern, and just steps from the downtown hustle. The historical meets new-age Detroit atmosphere is the perfect backdrop for a celebratory occasion. The Apparatus Room within the Detroit Foundation Hotel offers a blend of New American cuisine created by Michigan-native, Michelin-awarded, Chef Lents.
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Featured in our restaurant post, we highlight it again here for the drinks!. Located in what was once the Detroit Fire Department headquarters, the Detroit Foundation Hotel’s restaurant is a destination for modern food and classic cocktails alike. The Apparatus Room is about a two-minute walk from Huntington Place.
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This restaurant, located in the Foundation Hotel across from the Huntington Place convention center, offers "iconic New American cuisine rooted in Midwestern ingredients." And cocktails, like the house Rock & Rye, are a menu unto themselves. Hours and more details: detroitfoundationhotel.com/apparatus-room
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Breakfast specialties (blueberry sourdough pancakes!) are joined by sandwiches and salads at the “chic yet approachable” Apparatus Room at the Foundation Hotel, converted from Detroit’s former fire department headquarters (built in 1929). Save room to share a rhubarb tart with vanilla custard for dessert.
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Located downstairs at DFH, The Apparatus Room is quite possibly one of the coolest dining spots in all of downtown Detroit. Coming and going, you will notice that this place is always happening. What makes this spot cool is that the dining room is split by casual dining/meet up and traditional dining.
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The Apparatus Room is located in the super hip and historic Detroit Foundation Hotel. The menu is slightly higher priced, but the food and atmosphere made it perfect for a later afternoon lunch. The best item we ordered was the Ham & Pimento Cheese Panini with Arugula and Pickled Vegetables.
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The Apparatus Room bridges the old and the new, offering iconic New American cuisine by Chef Rece Hogerheide rooted in Midwestern ingredients, thoughtfully crafted cocktails, and esoteric wines. 250 W Larned St, Detroit, MI 48226Neighborhood: Downtown, Detroit Website | Instagram | Facebook
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250 W Larned St, Detroit, MI 48226Phone: 313-800-5600 Visit Website. The Apparatus Room is an immaculately designed bar and restaurant next to the TCF Conference Center near the Detroit Riverwalk in Fort Cass. You can visit the Detroit Spirit Statue and return for lunch within minutes.
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The Apparatus Room is located on the first floor of the Detroit Foundation Hotel. The Detroit Foundation Hotel was renovated from the former Detroit Fire Department headquarters in 2017. The Apparatus Room is a great place to meet people and get a quality dining experience.
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This restaurant is hands-down the most beautifully constructed hotel in the city. It holds a historic significance while conforming to the modern standards at the same time. This place serves New American cuisine which is complemented by Midwestern ingredients.
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What could be more romantic than a candlelit dinner with a breathtaking view of the city?. Well, you get just that at The Apparatus Room. This elegant location is situated in one of Detroit's most popular and gorgeous Hotels, the Detroit Foundation Hotel.
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Located inside the beautiful Detroit Foundation Hotel, The Apparatus Room is the perfect place to get away from the noise of the city and enjoy a meal. This beautifully decorated spot has a menu created by the talented Chef Thomas Lents.
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The Apparatus Room is decorated with waterfall-style lights surrounding the bar area, and decadent tiles throughout. If you’re looking for an extraordinary eatery with polished decorations, this is the one to go to.
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Relax away from the bustle of Downtown and enjoy the fine food and friendly chatter of new friends at this Old Foundation. One of downtown Detroit’s hottest dining spots, Apparatus Room, ranks among the best.
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Detroit is a boutique-hotel renaissance, with equally cool bars at Detroit Foundation Hotel (Apparatus Room), Shinola Hotel (Evening Bar) and The Siren Hotel (Candy Bar) that are perfect for Instagram.
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Firehouse turned bar and hotel, The Apparatus Room offers unique ambiance and a soft warm glow for more romantic and subdued pictures. Sip on a unique cocktail during happy hour and get to posing
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This restaurant in the Foundation Hotel is where you can have the best breakfast in Detroit for its scrumptious American favorites such as toasts and sandwiches served in upscale environs.
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Like Candy Bar, San Morello and the Apparatus Room before it, hotel bars and restaurants become the most reliable middle men for communicating a message of beauty to Detroit travelers.
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- Rating: 3.8/5 (803 reviews)- Price level: $$$- Address: 250 West Larned St. Detroit, Michigan - Categories: New American, Cocktail Bars- Read more on Yelp
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The Apparatus Room - Chic lounge serving breakfast, lunch, and dinner, with an impressive wine list–a short stroll from the Detroit Riverwalk.
Social
from TikTok, Instagram & Reddit