Hunter House Hamburgers

Surrounded by modern condos and office buildings in the Detroit suburb of Birmingham, Michigan, a small building clad in white porcelain panels has been serving hamburger sliders for nearly 75 years.

Inside, the roadside restaurant features an open grill where cooks smash tiny balls of beef into a bed of sizzling onions, the aroma of which emanates throughout. Stainless steel stools with black vinyl seat cushions line the simple counter, while family photos, vintage street signs, and an old-fashioned illuminated menu board adorn the walls.

The 900-square-foot interior has hardly changed since Hunter House’s doors opened in 1952—that’s when it was founded by local entrepreneur Don Ellenwood—and same goes for its simple burger-and-fries-forward menu. (They only added onion rings in 2011. It was a big deal.)

Ellenwood ran Hunter House until he passed away. Then, in 1982, it was purchased by Al and Martha Papazian. It has remained in their family for three generations.

A number of development plans in recent decades have threatened to displace the Birmingham mainstay. In the mid-2000s, an idea was floated to incorporate Hunter House into a new hotel development, which was never realized. And in 2019, news broke that a developer wanted to tear down the restaurant to make way for a mixed-use building, but public outcry prevented city planners from moving the proposal forward.

Today, the local landmark continues to stand the test of time. Pass by its corner location on Woodward Avenue, and you’ll probably catch the scent of grilled onions.