Slows Bar BQ

Slows Bar BQ is the place that helped kick off Corktown's whole comeback. Open since 2005 across from Michigan Central, it's Detroit's most famous barbecue name — brisket, pulled pork, the legendary mac and cheese, and a lineup of house sauces on every table. The crowds never really stopped, either: the reviews keep piling up by the thousands, and regulars still warn about waits on busy nights.

Now, the restrooms. The building has that renovated-warehouse Corktown character — exposed brick and twenty years of heavy foot traffic — and by most accounts, the restrooms wear those years. Reviewers who mention them say they're showing their age, the kind of worn-in you'd expect after two decades of packed dinner rushes. Nothing alarming, just nothing memorable: they work, they're there, and they clearly weren't where the renovation budget went. If you book the private room, word is it comes with its own single-stall restroom so you can skip the main-floor trek — easily the best bathroom deal in the building. Otherwise, set your expectations at functional, not fancy, and time your visit around the rush if you can.

Come for the brisket and the history. The restrooms are just along for the ride. Slows Bar BQ lands at a 5/10 on Shooki.