A & L Ham Palace

Meanwhile as all the new Detroiters and hipsters are frequenting all the square plates, tapas, gourmet sliders, ghetto shawarmas, Noodle Kings and Queens, I have found peace in the A & L Ham Palace… a Southwest Detroit institution. This is the real Detroit… it is here where all the time tested Detroiters come to get away from it all and have a great breakfast or lunch.
I have came here for take out and to eat in probably a hundred times in the last eight years. I may live nine miles away near Belle Isle on Detroit’s Eastside, but the Ham Palace is known in the hood and worthy of cross town hood travel for breakfast.
I wish they would pitch the margarine… one of my few complaints. This is a gritty place, if you’re a vegetarian, a person with allergies, in need of gluten free, take yourself up the street to Corktown. You will see more dudes in flame retardant green suits eating here (Marathon Refinery Workers) than anywhere, City of Detroit workers, construction and cement workers, you name it… this place can get very busy.
I have never been to the bathroom here… it’s probably scary.
I can’t stop ordering the three eggs over easy, ham, hash browns and rye toast… I always usually order the same thing. I crave it at times and have to come here and I will probably come here a hundred more times too.
Old School Detroit wonderfulness.

This is a really good place to eat starting with breakfast, the price is more then fair and you won’t leave hungry !!! The owner and his wife a great people, and they treat the customers well.

A great little greasy spoon. You feel like you are walking into these people’s kitchen in some eastern european city. The ambience is lacking, but that’s not why you go there. If you care about the ambience, the lack of windows and the concertina wire on the roof will deter you before going inside. The chotchkes (including topless female pig figurines baring their bosoms) on the wall provide a nice backdrop for the grown 20 – 30 something son of the owner who sleeps on one of the booths. There was a cauldron of pig nuts or something bubbling in fat on the griddle, and I understood it was «their» breakfast. They can have it…
Aside from the «charm», the food was great and at great prices, with good friendly service. The ham was fantastic, and puts the overpriced «Honey Baked Ham» stuff to shame.
I don’t get to Detroit very often, but I’ll be sure to stop again.