Best hidden gem restaurants in the Midwest? 6 spots worth a road trip

Nothing sets a city's food scene apart quite as much as its hidden gem restaurants.

For some, it might be a hole-in-the-wall taco shop you'd drive right past if you didn't know it was there. Or a quaint cafe only open for lunch that serves cake slices as big as your head. Or even an unassuming Italian restaurant in the midst of a bustling strip mall.

That's the beauty of so-called hidden gems. You have to just stumble upon them. And once you do, it feels like you're in on a secret.

Here are six of the best hidden gem restaurants in the Midwest, from Michigan to Kentucky, that are worth a visit:

Cottage Cafe | Louisville, Ky

This longstanding restaurant in the Louisville area is filled with flamingos. You'll find a slew of stuffed animal versions, both small and human-size, a flamingo in a snow globe, one in the shape of a basket, and a painting of three of the pink birds with the words, "Don't postpone joy." That is the kind of motto you might hear from owner Susan Stivers as she presides over this popular lunch spot. She opened Cottage Cafe 34 years ago in an empty house, after dreaming about owning a restaurant since she was 9.

“I wanted an older house, so you feel like you're eating at your grandma's,” she told the Courier Journal. "It's cozy and it's different."

The menu is plenty cozy, with house-made chicken salad, turkey and ham sandwiches, creative burgers like one topped with pimento cheese, a meatloaf special on Wednesdays, a hot brown, salads, and huge slices of cake and pie.

Cottage Cafe is open 11 a.m. to 2:30 p.m., Tuesday-Saturday. Closed Sunday and Monday.

— Amanda Hancock, The Courier Journal

Herb & Thelma's | Covington, Ky

Herb & Thelma's isn't exactly hidden. It's actually hard to miss since the pre-Civil War building that houses it sits high on a hill in Covington, Kentucky like a ghost from a forgotten era. The tavern, originally called Heine’s, opened in 1938 but, after Mr. Heine sold it to his son and daughter-in-law, the name was changed to Herb & Thelma’s. It's still home to the Heine's Social Club, which bills itself as “a drinking club with a philanthropic problem.” 

The bar at Herb & Thelma's, in Covington, Ky.

The cozy bar is decorated with equestrian art (this is Kentucky, after all) and plenty of Cincinnati Reds and Bengals memorabilia. Longtime regulars hold court at the bar, and customers young and old sit at tables drinking long-neck beers along with soups and burgers.

Order the cheeseburger — it's one of the best in the Ohio River Valley and comes with a thick layer of pickles and onions, which provide a cool crunch. Bratwursts and mettwursts are also on the menu, along with fried bologna sandwiches, grilled Alaskan pollock sandwiches and veggie burgers.

No matter what you order, wash it down with a Coors Banquet beer in a stubby bottle. Whether you prefer your beer from the bottle or tap, it will come with a freezing-cold frosted mug.

— Keith Pandolfi, The Cincinnati Enquirer

La Jalisciense Detroit | Detroit

A vast majority of restaurants in southwest Detroit draw their inspiration from a cooking style rooted in Jalisco, Mexico. No restaurant says it more plainly than La Jalisciense Detroit, a dine-in restaurant set inside a market, where shoppers can purchase Hispanic groceries and ingredients.

Rio Forrest, 28, of Detroit (right) has a drink at the bar with Noah Brook, 21, of Bloomfield Hills at La Jalisciense Supermercado & Taqueria in southwest Detroit on Monday, Oct. 30, 2023. La Jalisciense hosts their inaugural Dia de los Muertos Tianguis/Festival to celebrate the bond between the living and the dead in their parking lot with food, drinks, art, and a Catrina contest on Nov. 2nd from 3-9 p.m.

La Jaliciense is best known for its corn tacos filled with carne asada, chicken, al pastor, chorizo, beef head or carnitas; and craft cocktails infused with Mexican flavors, like tequila drinks topped with a Jibarito or a Mexican Irish coffee with Tapatio Añejo tequila and Irish whiskey.

— Lyndsay C. Green, Detroit Free Press

Rhythm Kitchen Music Cafe ∣ Peoria, IL

Tucked away along Downtown Peoria's riverfront, Rhythm Kitchen is situated in a cozy, comfortable space behind a yarn store and beneath the Contemporary Art Center of Peoria. Quirky chandeliers made with alcohol bottles and Mardi Gras beads shine from above as artwork adorns the walls.

Customers can find entrees like salmon berry salad and Gumbo Ya-Ya at Rhythm Kitchen Music Cafe.

Customers can find warm, hearty entrees like the Gumbo Ya-Ya or light, bright options like the salmon berry salad, along with other delicious dishes. A row of desserts beckons diners from a countertop separating the open kitchen from the dining area. Each meal is exceptional, highlighting a remarkable attention to detail at the eatery.

Good food is a fundamental part of a fantastic restaurant, as is the service. Staff members at Rhythm Kitchen greet guests with a smile and offer a warm, attentive service — making it easy to return to this gem time and time again.

— Cassidy Waigand, Journal Star

Scali Ristorante | Columbus, Ohio

The food and wine are at levels beyond anything you'd expect in a strip-mall Italian restaurant, the Columbus Dispatch entertainment editor, Emily Rohozen, said. But the atmosphere is so comfortable, you won't feel out of place in sweatpants.

Beef braciole is one of the classics at Scali Ristorante.

The menu includes the requisite spaghetti and meatballs, but dishes such as pollo Mediterraneo (chicken with artichokes, olives, sundried tomato pesto and roasted red peppers in a Marsala wine butter sauce) and penne tossed with shrimp, crab and fresh tomatoes in a mascarpone cream sauce sound more interesting.

— Bob Vitale, Columbus Dispatch

SouthPaw Soul Kitchen | Indianapolis, Ind.

Perhaps I'm just easily swayed by the allure of an exemplary po' boy, but I feel anyone who makes a habit of getting takeout who hasn't tried SouthPaw is missing out. The northside counter-service soul food operation offers a rotating menu of tremendously comforting fare, including meatloaf, oxtails, fried pork chops, green beans and macaroni and cheese, plus fried catfish and spaghetti every Friday and gumbo on select Fridays throughout the year.

A bowl of Chef Ali Foster's authentic seafood gumbo is poured at SouthPaw Catering's Friday night fish fry pop-up at the Fay Biccard Glick Neighborhood Center on Sept. 27, 2019. Foster took his family's recipe from Louisiana and modified and perfected it to his own tastes. Foster says the recipe combines city and county influences.

And while I would generally encourage anyone to get a more interesting side than French fries anywhere other than a burger joint, it is worth noting that chef-owner Ali Foster's generously seasoned, hyper-crispy spuds are among the best I've had in town.

— Bradely Houlin, The Indianapolis Star