Mike’s Famous Ham Place

Some of the best soup I have ever had. I had the bean soup. You need to get it. It is amazingly good. The ham sandwiches are huge. Huge in size and flavor. Go here and get food. It is worth driving almost any distance.

Haaaammmmm… Have you seen that Tom Rubnitz «Pickle Surprise» video? If not, go watch it. I swear it involves ham. Anyway… Mike’s Famous Ham Place deserves to be famous. That ham is incredible. I am a sucker for all things salty, so a ham sandwich with pickles is a good choice for someone like me.
I got the «small» ham sandwich and was given a huge ham sandwich. I’m afraid to know what the large one would have been like. The ham and pickles were both delish and the service was quick and friendly. You can also buy a whole ham here.
There’s not a ton to say, came here for some ham, got some ham. Mission accomplished. I didn’t even steal the tiny Stanley cup from the top of the cash register, because I’m not that much of a dick. 5 stars for Mike’s Famous Ham Place and 5 stars for me.
Cash only!

I’ve lived in Detroit for almost a year and am finally checking it out.
LOVED it.
Small menu, cash only.
Get the ham sandwich with cheese, it’s all you need, promise.

Let’s start out with service. Mike and the other woman employee (not sure of her name) are extremely nice and friendly. They keep your glass full and are very attentive. The food comes extremely fast.
The menu is super short but everything on it is 100% (or so I’ve heard). I’ve been there once and got the ham, eggs, and toast. It was very delicious! Can’t wait to go back and try the soup and sandwiches!
This is not a place for large groups because there’s limited seating and its small inside. More of a place for food to go or a quick bite if you’re in a hurry.
They even have delivery which is awesome!
I’m IN LOVE with this new (to me), hidden gem and Id recommend it to everyone!

The Best Ham Sandwich in the city of Detroit. They are huge with thick slices and the pickles are delicious too! The bean soup is totally to die for. My guilty pleasure is Mike’s!

Hope this place stays open long enough for me to get back to Detroit and have a couple of those ham sandwiches! I was introduced to Mike’s while in Detroit on business and was not disappointed! Their Ham is the best I have ever tasted served piled high on a soft roll. A simple menu and fast service also!

When you only serve 4 – 5 items on your menu and you stay in business on Michigan Ave. in Detroit for more than a few decades those 4 – 5 items have got to be pretty good.
Amazing ham, great atmosphere, great service.

–45 years the best you can tell by all the police and firemen eating Mike and family staff best areound

I’ve only been here for breakfast but it’s awesome. Very limited menu but what they serve is awesome. The owners cook and serve and are very nice. Same owners for like 43 yrs.

Just what I was looking for today – a delicious ham sandwich on a very fresh roll, a cup of bean soup, two slices of pie (lemon and cherry – the cherry was better), and a Coke to wash it down. Perfect!
When my son and I walked in at around 1, the lady looked surprised to see someone. She and the sandwich artist (Mike?) could not have been nicer. What a nice place.

So I was taken here by my father-​in-​law, who was taken her by a business colleague who asked him, «Where’s your ham place?» He obviously didn’t have a ham place, who has a ham place? He then ate at Mike’s Famous Ham Place. Now he has a ham place. He took me to Mike’s, now I have a Ham Place.
To be honest, I’m not a fan of ham. Typically you have it on Easter or Christmas or even Thanksgiving, where it’s typically dry and better off drowned in mayo and mustard the next day on a ham sandwich, and you can always fill up on the cheesy potatoes and green bean casserole instead. But Mike, he has figured out how to do ham perfectly.
First of all, the ham sandwich served is piled at least 6 inches high with meat, with a nice little touch of a ham sliver on TOP of the bread, just in case you needed a quick appetizer. It’s a simple ham sandwich – a basic onion roll, ham, and a few squeezes of basic yellow mustard. But the ham, the ham was freaking amazing. It was moist and juicy and tender, and everything that a good ham is supposed to be (which I didn’t even know until I tasted Mike’s ham). If I’m working for a big ham company, I’m getting Mike’s recipe and starting a marketing campaign, which will result in a ham revolution and make me millions.
The ham is also used to perfection in the split pea soup, which is not only made with the ham bone (as it should be) but you will find huge chunks of ham in the soup itself.
If you find yourself in Detroit looking for a great sandwich, stop by Mike’s Ham Palace and Mike himself, along with his wife, will serve you up just that.

It seems to have been said more then a few times in other reviews but one more time can’t hurt: this place is for ham.
Mike’s is about doing one thing and doing it very, very well.
I wish they were open more but you don’t mess with perfection.

This place is so awesome. It is difficult to choose between the Split Pea soup and the Ham sammie because they are both amazing. The owners are friendly as well. Get yer booty down to this spot for some ham goodness!

I will keep this short, just like the menu at this landmark. Go have a big bowl of ham and bean soup that will be so full it run over the side and a $ 5 ham sandwich (the smaller one) that comes with cheese, and pickles, on a kaiser roll and garnished with ham on top to keep the halves together. Mike will be there as will his wife they have owned the place forever and they treat everyone like regulars. It’s cash only and you will leave full and happy. The entire menu is the Ham sandwich ($ 7 or $ 5) Ham, eggs and toast, soup (bean or pea) and pie (lemon or cherry).

Ham cooked perfectly.

If all you want is ham, this is the place. They have been in the same location for 38 years. Doing ham and soup is the only thing. Bean or Pea soup. Everything is home made. Even the pie. A wonderful Ham sandwich that feeds 2 for $ 5.00. What a deal.
Remember they close at 3PM and closed on Sundays. Family owned and operated. This is a little Gem in Detroit.

It’s a Diner style dive on Michigan Avenue in Detroit, but the Ham Sandwich can’t be beat. They carve you up a fresh sandwich with several thick slices while you watch. The bean soup is a great touch as well. I’ve been eating from this location for 40 years. It used to be Lile’s when I first started going there, now it’s Mike’s Famous. (There is still a Lile’s down Michigan Avenue in East Dearborn which also serves up a mean Corned Beef Sandwich as well.) Mike’s Famous has great Ham, great Bean Soup. You can eat from the counter on a stool or get a carry out which is about 95% of the customer’s who go there. You can even order a whole Ham if you like for about $ 60. A solid 4 stars for a Ham Sandwich done right.

One word describes Mike’s Famous Ham Place: HAM! Geez, it’s right in the name. Do you like ham? If so, you will love Mike’s Famous Ham Place.
I give Mike’s Famous Ham Place five stars not because they are a classic old school diner. Not even because they were mentioned in Metro Times as having one of the best sandwiches in Detroit. I give five stars because they superbly do the very thing they are known for; they serve great ham.
Ham is all they do. You gotta love a place that specializes in one thing and one thing only. It speaks volumes that they have been open so long and remain so popular selling only one main item in a day and age when you can get just about any food that you want anywhere, anytime. Out-​of-​towners in the know always want to go to Mike’s when in the D.
Order your ham alone, with eggs, as a sandwich, or in soup. Regardless of how it is requested, you will receive copious amounts of pork. If you order ham and eggs, you get ham and eggs. There are no pretentious condiments, fruit, or carbohydrate-​laden hash browns taking up precious ham real estate on your plate. Sandwiches are piled high. The soup is chock-​full of ham.
The ham is very tasty. It is not too salty. It is tender and succulent. I like mine with a little mustard and a side of pickles.
I would feel compunction if I wrote a review about Mike’s Famous Ham Place and did not mention their scrambled eggs. Prior to eating at Mike’s, I despised scrambled eggs. After watching coworkers devour them, I broke down and tried some. They are wonderfully light, fluffy, and just delicious. Now, I regularly make myself scrambled eggs using the techniques I have observed at Mike’s.
The owners are friendly. They always make me feel welcomed. We have nice ongoing conversations. They usually give me a good laugh before I leave, too.
The food is wonderful, the portions are ample, and the prices are low. Dining at Mike’s Famous Ham is an experience to remember.

«The difference between involvement and commitment is like ham and eggs. The chicken is involved; the pig is committed.»
–Martina Navratilova
Mike’s is committed too– only 3 main dishes on the menu, all showcasing the product of the pig. A bold & risky move, considering you can drive a little ways away and have your pick of a variety of menu choices. Hell, you can even go to the deli next door, which is legendary in its own right for incredible corned beef sandwiches. When at Mike’s, you have to accept that this is a ham-​only establishment.
The entire menu is:
— ham sandwich
— split pea soup with ham
— eggs and ham
(they do occasionally offer a select pie, but I’ve never tried it and it’s definitely not the star of the show)
When I used to think of ham sandwiches, I thought of the dreck I ate as a kid. You know, the typical Bar-​S cold ham lunchmeat, some mustard, maybe a slice of Kraft american, and white bread. This is not your middle-​class childhood ham sandwich. This thing is massive, the ham is warm, smokey and carved from the bone, and it’s all served on a soft kaiser roll. No frills, no fuss– just a simple sandwich to quiet the rumbling in your stomach. This would be the perfect sandwich to have after doing yard work on a chilly day in fall… and even better would be to have a cup of Mike’s split pea soup to go with it.
It sounds silly to to say my experience at Mike’s was humbling, but it was. My ham experiences revolved around the aforementioned sandwiches my parents packed for my school lunch, and the HoneyBaked Ham dutifully trotted out every year at Easter & Christmas. I was a fan of neither, and essentially wrote ham off as a low-​income meat source for the masses, overprocessed and soaked in sugar. Meanwhile, I continued to eat bacon & prosciutto and extol their virtues to anyone who would listen to my ignorant snobbery. I’m an ass, and Mike’s Ham pointed that out in the kindest way– by stuffing me to the gills and making me want more.

I read about this place a couple of years ago in the Free Press as having the best ham sandwich in the City. Looking for another eatery close to work is always a quest. We almost didn’t go in the first time, but are we glad that we did. It’s a huge sandwich, on a kaiser roll, and OMG — was it wonderful. While in there, the waitress heard me tell my friend that I never had pea soup so I didn’t know if I would like it. Faster than you could say «Ham» she had a sample in front of me to try. I am hooked now.
If you are looking for sweet «honey» style ham, stay home — this is HAM. The way it’s meant to be.
Leave your credit card at home, put cash in your pocket and try it out. Stellar!