The 2026 winner of the prestigious Detroit Free Press Restaurant of the Year has a lot in common with the 2012 winner.
The 2026 winner is Rose’s at 10551 E. Jefferson Ave. The owner and chef of the restaurant is Molly Mitchell, who grew up in Howell and got her start in the restaurant business seating people and pouring coffee at Silverman’s, which had been located in the Promenade Mall on Grand River Avenue, just east of National Street.
The Root in White Lake won that same honor in 2012, led by chef James Rigato, who also grew up in Howell, and who got his start in the restaurant biz at the very same Silverman’s. Though at one time he had flirted with bringing The Root to downtown Howell, Rigato is now the owner of Mabel Gray in Hazel Park.
Mitchell’s Rose’s — a quirky, 30-seat diner in a 1964 cinderblock building on Detroit’s east side — had been a breakfast/lunch place before it shut down during the pandemic. It reopened in 2025 as a dinner diner with a menu inspired by Mitchell’s Polish roots; in short order it was crowned the Detroit Free Press’ 2026 Restaurant of the Year.
In addition to its food and atmosphere, the restaurant is also known for its creative cuisine and locally sourced ingredients, as well as for paying its staff a living wage. It has also earned itself a spot on Bon Apettit’s 2015 list of the 50 Best New Restaurants in North America.
The journey of Mitchell, who said in an interview that she has always loved cooking, took her through a lot of restaurants, among them Silverman’s in Howell, Zingerman’s Deli in Ann Arbor, and Tartine in San Francisco.
“I worked as many places as I could to learn,” she said.
Mitchell is the daughter of one of Howell’s most-famous entertainers, Stuart Mitchell, aka Heywood Banks.
Rose’s is closed on Tuesday. It’s open 4-10 p.m. Sunday, Monday, Wednesday and Thursday, and 4-11 p.m. Friday and Saturday.
