Wally's

Wally's is the little downtown lifesaver on West Congress — part corner grocery, part deli counter, part newsstand, tucked in among the office towers and hotels. Regulars swear by the homemade soups (word is there are around eight kinds going), plus hot dogs, pizza, and all the chips-water-and-soda basics you'd want on a lunch break. Reviewers consistently rave about the staff too — this is the kind of spot where somebody notices you wandering and actually helps you find the thing. Friendly, cheap, convenient. Downtown Detroit needs more of exactly this.

Now, the restrooms. This is a small weekday convenience store, and the restroom situation reflects that. Nobody's out here writing love letters to the facilities, and you shouldn't expect them to. Don't come in banking on a spacious, well-stocked stop — think bare minimum, if you can get access at all. Places like this pour their energy into the soup pot, not the bathroom, and it shows in the score. Fine in a true pinch, but with the whole of downtown around you, there are better doors to knock on.

Grab the soup, chat up the counter, and plan your pit stops elsewhere. Wally's lands at a 4/10 on Shooki.