“When people share dishes, they’re sharing warmth and connection,” says Tom Teknos, founder of The Hudson Café, which has locations in Detroit, Northville, and Troy. As executive chef, Teknos loves to look into the dining area and see guests sharing bites with their tablemates. One might get the sweet Chunky Monkey pancakes with house-made caramel, white chocolate chips, and banana, a dish created by Teknos’s wife, Kasie; another might order the Voodoo benedict with cornbread, spicy chorizo, and ranchero sauce. Sharing the sweet and savory is a brunch tradition at The Hudson Café.
Anyone from Detroit will know that the name is a nod to the iconic J.L. Hudson department stores; the 25-story flagship store closed in 1983 and was razed in 1998. The Hudson Café in Detroit, located on Woodward Avenue between Grand River and State Street, is directly across the street from where the department store once stood and where the new Hudson’s Detroit mixed-use development is nearing completion.
“A lot of people questioned why I opened The Hudson Café in Detroit in 2011, but I knew there was a resurgence, and I wanted to be a part of it,” says Teknos, whose grandfather, Tom, owned First National Bar on Michigan and Third in the 1940s and ’50s. His parents settled in the Detroit area from Greece in the 1960s. “My parents made their home here, and I wanted to live out their belief in Detroit,” Teknos says.
With the name came a bit of responsibility as well. Those who used to frequent the cafés in Hudson’s department stores will remember the Maurice salad. Here, it’s called the Hudson, one of a dozen salads and sandwiches that are also served on the substantial brunch menu.
“We have groups that come here with nostalgia for the salad,” Teknos says. “We had the third generation of the Hudson brothers come in the first month we opened and give us a nod that the dressing was close to the original one. It took the better part of two months to get the recipe right.”
The Hudson Café also has popover specials now and then, but the nostalgia ends there. Its menu is entirely forward-thinking with Cinnabunn pancakes, vanilla mascarpone French toast, and bacon jam omelets, among dozens of other sweet, savory, and vegan-friendly creations.
And let’s not forget this is brunch, and as Teknos says, alcohol and brunch pair well. “The bar is a big punctuation when you enter the restaurant,” he says, noting that the décor at all three locations includes murals of Detroit in the 1920s and ’30s.
The Northville and Troy locations came about because Teknos realized that while people love to make a day in Detroit to attend concerts, sporting events, and museums, they also want choices. Teaming up with childhood friends and business associates, Teknos opened the Northville location in 2023 and the Troy location last year. Since all the servers and chefs train at the Detroit location, the consistency between all three restaurants is evident. All locations have the ability to host private and corporate events as well.
While Teknos is quick to acknowledge that the success of The Hudson Café comes from loyal patrons and the longevity of its staff, he also owes a bit of it to his family roots.
“Growing up in my house, there was nothing my mom loved more than to feed people,” he says. “She was literally the happiest person in the world to see people smile and to see the joy from the fruits of her labor. I know I got my respect of the hospitality business from her.”
Locations
1241 Woodward Ave.
Detroit, MI 48226
313-237-1000
17101 Haggerty Road
Northville Township, MI 48168
248-308-3793
700 W. Big Beaver Road
Troy, MI 48084
248-509-7695
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