Marcus All Steak Hamburger

Great burgers, great breakfast. Definitely one of the last old school diners in Detroit if not the oldest. My Dad took me there in the 80’s back when he was a trucker and although I don’t go often, I still try to make it down there for some great cheap food. Had a burger… it had been a year or so since I’d had one and it’s better than I remember.

Bacon and cheese burger is the way to go! Also, they’re shaped like hot dogs… good taste. I’d skip the fries and go with onion rings… so much tastier. This place is full of nostalgia and it’s cheap!

3.5 but the fries takes it to a 4.
While rather simple, these burgers on a hot dog bun are pretty moist and tasty. The onions and relish pickle kick it up a notch. I tried one w/​bacon but the just cheese one was better. Tasted the hamburger more.
The fries are superb. The type of fries you hope every diner like this has. Fresh, nice cut, big bag of fries for the carryout.
You do need to eat about two of the burgers though. I was not full from one.

Chalk one up for the home team here. Marcus has been in business since 1929 and still represents.
It’s a coney island for the most part with a simple breakfast and lunch menu. No dinners as Marcus closes at 4pm. Keep it simple here. Either get the breakfast or stick with the Marcus burger which is a steamed, rectangular burger patty served on a hot dog bun. Cheese is extra but help yourself to onions and relish sitting in abundance on the counter.
Marcus isn’t necessarily old school as it is just old. The whole place is counter seating and really a nod to a diner style of a bygone era where waitresses buzzed around topping off cheap coffee, giving attitude, wearing a uniforms and slinging food fast. Service is simple: If you need it, ask for it. The ladies who work here are very nice.
Not the most contemporary of neighborhoods and not really an area that Mayor Mike Duggan is pushing for revitalization. However, people leave you alone and once you’re in the restaurant, you’re treated like family.

Marcus Burger is the proverbial around the corner, neighborhood restaurant that you grew up with. The food, flavor, and tastes haven’t changed. The décor (if that’s what you can call it) is urban/​industrial/​diner but not in a trendy sense. It’s old Americana with tasty, home cooked meals and pleasant service. You feel like you favor aunt or nice lady next door is serving you. Treat yourself and enjoy a one of a kind Marcus Burger. While you’re there, find out why they serve a hamburger on a hot dog bun.
The only downside may be that the location is off the beaten path and in an old industrial area of Detroit (McNichols — 6 Mile Rd and Mt Elliot — between Mound and Van Dyke). Still worth the drive and the visit!

One of the best places to go for home-​made breakfast and lunch. This place has been around for a long time, and there is a reason why. Everyone should experience Marcus at least once in their lifetime. Amazing food combined with great service, and an awesome environment is unbeatable. Highly recommend.

Everything about Marcus screams blue collar. You know that their horse-​shoe style counters are not only a brilliant innovation but totally unique to the restaurant. Ten people fit around one of these little horseshoes, and there’s 6 of them in the diner. In their heyday, there were likely more than 60 people crammed into this approximately 20×40 room, scrambling to get a hearty lunch and head back to the factory floor. The cook yelling jokes at us, coupled with the wonderfully welcoming and pleasant waitress are part of the historic fabric and the culture that permeates and resonates from this slightly dilapidated diner.
The restaurant is named after the burgers, for their distinctive rectangular shape. They are steakburgers, presumably made with ground round. The story told now is that they bought hot dog buns by mistake one day, and rather than getting new buns, they shaped their burgers to fit the buns. Of course, this tale stuck, and through ownership changes nobody knows the real story any longer (in this case, myth may be more important than truth). There are several varieties and combinations of burgers, none of them more than $ 3.25. They are cooked in a vat of oil, and then smothered in chili, or cheese, or nothing. They’re served on a freshly steamed hot dog bun.
The patty itself is good, not overseasoned, juicy and beefy in a lot of good ways. It doesn’t soak through the bun, but the juices definitely drip into your mouth. They are cooked all the way through, but not overcooked, and you would be crazy to ask the cook to leave it in a little less long. The american cheese blankets the burger nicely, coats every bite, and makes you appreciate the American Whey.
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Marcus is located at the end of the earth, and you’d likely only stumble upon it if you were transporting a truck full of aluminum you were looking to scrap to help feed your children. Stop in and get one of the weirdest burgers you’re likely to ever find. Why not put in a hot dog bun? That’s normal, right? Gooey, greasy, and can’t hold a candle to Motz’s, but that’s fine. You’ll still get a great burger in a cool, old school atmosphere. Zig-​zagging U-​shaped bar circles around the dining area with walls covered in 45’s and pictures of classic Chevys and Fords. Your dad and his buddies use to eat here after working all day in the factory. If it was good enough for them, then it sure as hell is good enough for you.

Four generations of my family have been coming here. Their hamburgers (served in a hot dog bun) are one-​of-​a-​kind, and other items on the menu are also good. As others have said, do not let the location of this fine 80+ year-​old fine eating establishment deter you. If you can get to Hamtramck, it’s just a short drive away.

How could I have not ever been here.
Wow, a rectangular burger served on a hot dog bun– Awesome.
With a side of chili cheese fries to go with it.
There is something about the burger that is just tasty probably has to do with the «special sauce» mentioned here that they float in while cooking.
Will go back.

I’ve only been to this place one time (thanks to my cousins for taking me). Yes, it’s in kind of a weird spot in Detroit (close to Hamtramck), but don’t let that deter you. I recommend it for anyone who wants a different kind of hamburger, at a true old neighborhood favorite.
They are famous for their «Marcus Burgers» which are actually flat hamburger patties served in a hot-​dog bun. Our waitress brought us heaping bowls of relish and onion as a garnish. It was delish. The burgers themselves are cooked in a grill/​fryer contraption in the middle of the dining area, so you can watch the magic happen.
Speaking of the dining area, it added to the uniqueness of the Marcus Burger. All seating is a «belly up to the lunch counter» arrangement, but instead of a straight counter, it was all «U» shaped. Awesome.
The waitresses behind the counter have been there for many years, and are very friendly. When I was there, a whole bunchof poeple came in, some to eat, some with carryout, but everyone was definatley enjoying the food. They also serve breakfast and other stuff, but they are famous for the Marcus Burger! If you want a true greasy spoon experience, check this place out.