With an eclectic menu ranging from a Mediterranean-inspired fish dish to some Georgian soup dumplings, plus a sophisticated cocktail program to match, Supergeil has all the ingredients for a fun night out.
The name comes from a German word that means super cool, or trendy. In the early aughts, if Paris Hilton would say ”that’s hot” then the Germans would say it’s “supergeil.”
The idea for this chic restaurant came from the owner of Two James Distillery, David Landrum, and Chef Brendan McCall while they were on a trip to Berlin. They were staying in the Kreuzberg area, a neighborhood that is known for its large Turkish population.
“And everyone is like you have to go out and have doner kebab, and we were like okay, we’ll go have doner,” explains Chef McCall. “And we were just hooked and addicted, just going all the time.”
A doner is a Turkish sandwich made with marinated meat on a verticle rotisserie. The bread is fairly light and it is packed with vegetables and herbs.
McCall also said the Kreuzberg area reminded them of Corktown, with a lot of new entrepreneurs building businesses on the outskirts of Downtown. So they decided to build the menu for their restaurant around the doner.
“If that’s sort of our main item. Then let’s build flavors around [that],” says McCall. “And sort of flavors around that community.”
Dishes on the menu are inspired by favorites from Bulgaria, Morrocco, Spain, Georgia, and more. Some popular choices are their Vershiken chicken, which is marinated in 2 James whiskey and white wine and topped with Portuguese piri piri sauce. They also have a collection of dishes that are meant to share, like their Bronzini, a Meditteranean sea bass they stuff with lots of herbs, orange rinds, and walnuts.
As for the look and feel, they tried to replicate the vibe of the beirgartens in Berlin. They wanted it to feel open and airy with lots of natural light and plants. There’s also lots of art and murals on the walls, a nod to Berlin’s art scene.
This year they have big plans for their large outdoor space. There will be a shipping container bar that will serve raw oysters. They also plan to host events like BBQs and movie nights with a big projector.
For drinks, they carry all 2 James products and make a lot of their mixers in-house. They import sherry from Spain, and do have a few other imported drinks as well. The Beverage Director mentioned they tried to pair the drink to the flavors in the restaurant.
Supergeil is located at 2442 Michigan Avenue in Corktown Detroit.