Crossing the Lines: Waffle Café Detroit puts a spin on a breakfast staple
The owners of Waffle Cafe Detroit are reimagining the classic waffle.
Very Berry Waffle at Waffle Cafe Detroit on June 7, 2023.
This story is part of WDET’s Crossing the Lines: Live6 series, exploring the neighborhoods around the intersection of Six Mile Road and Livernois Avenue. See more Crossing the Lines coverage »
There is a new restaurant in Detroit that is looking to change the way we see waffles.
Waffle Café Detroit has set up shop on the Avenue of Fashion on Livernois and is showing we could do more with waffles than add butter and syrup.
“I determined that waffles was something everybody loved,” says co-owner Kimyana Freeman. “I couldn’t stop thinking about all kinds of things that you could do with waffles.”
The menu reflects that from the sweet to the savory. There are loaded baked potato waffles, waffle pizzas, strawberry cheesecake waffles and more.
When you walk into Waffle Café Detroit, you’ll find a space that is stylish and reflective of the spirit of Detroit. Motown is filling the room and artistry surrounds the space with iconography that celebrates the city.
Co-owner Larry Phillips wants the space to feel like home — a place that feels “comfortable…a place that makes you wanna chill. People can come in here on their lunch break, come get some work done, have a business meeting here. It’s a versatile place. We feel like we can do a lot of things here,”says Phillips.
Despite the variety of options at the café, Kimyana shares that they all share a key ingredient. “Our main ingredient is love. If you don’t make it with love and not doing it in love, then why do it? We hope that’s what [people] feel when they come here.”
Crystal Rice-Jenkins visited the restaurant twice within the first two weeks of their grand opening. On her second visit she had the Zuperman.
“This reminds me of a bagel in the morning…with cream cheese but it’s a waffle,” Rice-Jenkins says. “I never had something like it. I would’ve never thought to put this together.”
That was the general feeling all patrons seemed to share during my visit. A new and enjoyable meal that was creative and tasty.
Both Kimyana and Larry said that their location at 11865 Livernois will be the first of many — they want to keep going and expand the business. As the duo grows Waffle Café Detroit’s footprint, they are seeking feedback from customers to improve the dining experience.
Kimyana and Phillips are having fun creating new ways to reimagine the classic waffle.
“Waffles, you can’t go wrong with them. They go with everything,” says Phillips. “Even if your mind can’t conceive it, they do. All you have to do is come here and try.”
Waffle Cafe Detroit is open Mon.-Sat. 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Learn more at wafflecafedetroit.com.
