Inside Maru Sushi, Downtown’s New Stunner

Brenna Houck is a Cities Manager for the Eater network. She previously edited Eater Detroit and reported for Eater. You can follow her on the internet at @brennahouck.

A new, massive restaurant Maru Sushi & Grill opened its doors in downtown Detroit on Friday adding to a still small but growing list of sushi restaurants across the city. Located in the Federal Building on Fort Street, the 145-seat restaurant is the sixth location for the Michigan-based chain and, folks, it’s a stunner.

Designed by Detroit-based architecture firm Rossetti, whose past restaurant projects include Vertical Detroit and Jim Brady’s Detroit, Maru feels modern without looking out of place within the surrounding building. Diners enter through a pair of glass doors in the Federal Building lobby.

The eatery forgoes those popular metal bar stools in favor of wood, and blends a mixture of subway tile, stone, and leather into the design. The terrazzo floors have been kept in tact as has a former revolving door — now transformed into a cozy leather-bound booth. White marbled counters surround both the squared-off bar and sushi bar and globe lights individually dangle from the ceiling.

Maru isn’t dedicated to traditional sushi. The restaurant offers a range of options from rolls and hibachi grills, to small plates like fire cracker shrimp and ceviche. The chain is also wisely catering towards downtown works with “express lunch” options. Take a tour of the new eatery in the gallery below.