Hudson Cafe serves up stylish breakfast confections in South Woodward Corridor

Detroit’s newest breakfast and brunch joint, located in the space formerly occupied at Detroit Breakfast House and Grill at the Lofts of Merchants Row, is still dedicated to serving fine renditions of a.m. cuisine — but with a more relaxed attitude than its predecessor.

The Hudson Cafe turns out delectable confections like Graham Cracker Crusted French Toast and Red Velvet Pancakes, but the servers are in jeans and t-shirts. The vibe’s more comfortable and less upscale, including cozy additions like a fireplace and cafe bar with free Wi-Fi.

Executive Chef and co-owner Tom Teknos (who studied at NYC’s French Culinary Institute) says he and partners Maurice Wiggins and Stavros Adamopoulos wanted to get in on the ground level of Detroit’s rebirth.

“We saw a lot of increased foot traffic over the past year,” says Teknos. “We spent months and months down here doing demographics research, and we’ve seen an increase in traffic from Quicken Loans and the Chase Building … everybody’s coming down here.”

They also worked with a local marketing firm to come up with the moniker — surveys showed The Hudson to be a local favorite. “It’s a good fit for where we are, since we’re obviously across the street from the old Hudson’s building, and it was a landmark down here,” Teknos says.

The menu emphasizes locally grown products and a commitment to preparing everything in the kitchen; evidenced by one of Teknos’ favorite dishes, Huevos Rancheros. “Everyone’s taken a liking to it,” says Teknos. “We make our ranchero sauce, everything’s housemade, from roasting all the tomatillos, ancho chiles, and dried chiles. It takes about two hours to make, start to finish.”

“Everything’s housemade,” Teknos continues. “All our corned beef hash, all our Benedicts, all our gravys … we feature a daily soup here. We’re using a lot of local vendors from Eastern Market … we take pride in everything we do.”

The Hudson Cafe is open from Monday thru Friday, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Saturday and Sunday, 7 a.m. to 4 p.m., with occasional extended evening hours for Lions and Tigers viewing on the big-screen TV. It’s located at 1241 Woodward Ave. Call (313) 237-1000 or visit the website for more information.

Source: Tom Teknos, Executive Chef and co-owner, The Hudson Cafe
Writer: Ashley C. Woods