In The Press

Billy Dec is an entrepreneur and restaurateur who opened Sunda New Asian Cuisine in his home city of Chicago in 2009. He opened a downtown Detroit location of Sunda in March, located between the Fox and Fillmore Theatres. He is also the subject of a new documentary on PBS called “Food Roots,” executive produced by Detroit native Doug Blush (“Coldwater Kitchen”) and directed by Michele Josue (“Matt Shepard is a Friend of Mine,” “Happy Jail”).

On this episode of Savoring Sonoma: The Hour, host Clark Wolf welcomes Billy Dec. He’s an Emmy Award winning restaurateur, media personality, entrepreneur, and so much more. They preview Dec's new documentary Food Roots, his personal exploration of connection to family, ancestral cooking traditions, and the cultures and foundational elements of his origins. It a lively, beautiful, and emotional story of someone’s very real life.

Fil-Am TV star Billy Dec's film premieres on YouTube

PBS Hawaiʻi celebrates Asian American, Native Hawaiian & Pacific Islander Heritage Month with a selection of new and encore programming.

This May will mark the national premiere of the documentary Food Roots from Sunda New Asian CEO/Founder and Emmy Award-winning restaurateur, Billy Dec, coinciding with Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) Heritage Month.

Host of the “Food Roots” documentary, Billy Dec, joins Bob Sirott to talk about what his documentary focuses on, the secret to Sunda’s success, and the food covered in the documentary that is making its way to Sunda.

This May, join WTTW in celebrating Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month with a lineup of compelling programs. Explore stories that illuminate both present-day issues and pivotal moments in history as well as influential individuals.

Billy Dec has worn many hats. Some may know him as one of three restaurateurs behind Rockit Bar and Grill or as the founder of the restaurant Sunda New Asian. Others may have seen him organizing events for the likes of former Mayor Richard M. Daley and former President Barack Obama. Only a select few have had the opportunity to see Dec wear the hats of brother, son, cousin and grandson.

Food Roots airs on WTTW Monday, May 11 at 9:00 pm and is available to stream via the PBS app. Get more recipes, food news, and stories at wttw.com/food or by signing up for our Deep Dish newsletter.

Detroit Tigers Opening Day is back in downtown Detroit on Friday, April 3 – and with it comes festivals, block parties and bar events near Comerica Park ahead of the home opener against the St. Louis Cardinals at 1:10 p.m. In metro Detroit, Opening Day is a springtime tradition, and for lots of people, it’s a holiday of sorts. It’s a big day, especially around downtown Detroit and near Comerica Park. Bars and restaurants all around downtown Detroit are ready to welcome the droves of fans heading downtown to celebrate the home opener's crack of the bat and the beginning of baseball season at Comerica Park. While the game doesn’t get underway until the afternoon, plenty of places are gearing up hours before. Here’s a small sampling of Opening Day events and festivities around downtown, plus happenings at various bars and restaurants, with special menus, entertainment and shuttles to Comerica Park. Unless noted, all events take place on Friday.

New and soon-to-open bars and eateries, restaurant industry news, and events — the top metro Detroit dining news in March 2026

A vibrant new hotspot blends bold Asian-inspired cuisine with upscale energy

Sunda New Asian is located at 33 W. Columbia Street in Detroit. For more visit, sundanewasian.com/detroit.

If you are looking for things to do in Detroit in March 2026, this is one of the most event packed months of the year. Throughout March, the city celebrates 313 Day, hosts one of the largest St. Patrick’s Day parades in the country, and welcomes thousands of people to Midtown for the legendary Marche du Nain Rouge. Beyond the festivals, Detroit’s calendar fills up with Broadway shows, concerts, sports, museum exhibits, and new restaurant openings. Because of that, March quickly becomes one of the best months to explore the city.

Billy Dec will launch Sunda New Asian on March 10 at 33 W. Columbia Street. The restaurant marks the fifth location for this pan-Asian chain, joining established sites in Chicago, Nashville, and Tampa.

Sunda New Asian restaurant is opening Tuesday, March 10, at 33 W. Columbia St. in “The District,” across from Comerica Park.

Sunda New Asian is at Columbia street at Woodward in downtown Detroit.

The new restaurant will feature pan-Asian cuisine with food from Japan, China and other Southeast Asian countries. DETROIT — Award-winning restaurateur Billy Dec is opening a new eatery in downtown Detroit this month.

The high-end restaurant by Chicago-based entrepreneur Billy Dec opened near the Fox Theatre and Comerica Park

Sunda New Asian, the latest District Detroit dining addition, opens today (March 10). The pan-Asian restaurant is the fifth location by restaurateur Billy Dec, with others in Chicago, Nashville, and Tampa.

Sunda New Asian opens Tuesday on Detroit’s Columbia Street, offering sushi, dim sum, Filipino-inspired dishes and a design rooted in Southeast Asian heritage.

Detroit — Travel-loving restaurateur Billy Dec is opening his first restaurant in Michigan next week. Sunda New Asian in the District Detroit opens Tuesday, March 10, with a little bit of the best elements from of all his Sunda locations, he says. The design-forward space has room for around 200 guests, with seating near a sushi bar adorned with hanging capiz shells, in a versatile dining room that can be cordoned off for private parties and around a huge pink quartzite bar with retractable glass walls along Columbia Street.

For Emmy Award-winning TV personality and restaurateur Billy Dec, opening a new Sunda New Asian restaurant in Detroit is about more than expansion. Dec calls the move a risk worth taking. “This one’s unique,” Dec told Crain’s during a recent walkthrough of the just-finished space. “It’s in development. It’s a little different from our model. It’s taking a bit of a jump into something new. That's an exciting risk — but it’s still a risk.”

DETROIT - Emmy award-winning TV personality and actor, Billy Dec, will soon open an Asian restaurant right by the home of the Detroit Tigers. This restaurant is located in just three other cities: Chicago with two restaurants, Tampa and Nashville each with one, with Detroit soon to be the fifth restaurant.

DETROIT (WXYZ) — Sunda New Asian, a restaurant from award-winning restaurateur Billy Dec, will open in Downtown Detroit on March 10. The restaurant will be located in the Columbia Street pedestrian plaza in The District Detroit, right across the street from Comerica Park.

Emmy award-winning TV personality, actor, and veteran restaurateur Billy Dec is opening Sunda New Asian’s newest location in The District Detroit at 33 W. Columbia St. on March 10 at 7 p.m.

Led by celebrity restaurateur Billy Dec, the chain features pan-Asian cuisine.

Sunda New Asian Where: Downtown Detroit When: March 10

Menu Talk: The advocate for Philippine culture and hospitality is also getting ready for the PBS debut of his documentary.

Some big names will be opening new places to dine — including actor Jeff Daniels and New York City big shot Danny Meyer — and we'll be seeing some of Detroit's favorite chefs spread their wings to brick-and-mortar locations and second ventures. Read on for details about 16 restaurants expected to open in southeastern Michigan in 2026.

New storefront signs go up, opening dates shift, and residents keep receipts on what actually arrives and who it serves. Current 2026 plans point to a mix of national brands, award-winning hospitality, and Detroit-rooted food entrepreneurs bringing new options downtown and deeper into the neighborhoods.

Award-winning restaurateur and TV personality Billy Dec is bringing his restaurant concept, Sunda New Asian, to downtown Detroit next month. The new location opens in late February at 33 W. Columbia Street in The District Detroit. It marks Sunda’s fifth nationwide and first in Michigan. Founded in Chicago in 2009, Sunda says they take inspiration from cuisines across Japan, China, and Southeast Asia, blending them with modern techniques and premium ingredients. The result has earned national acclaim — and a fan list that includes Michelle Obama, Lady Gaga, and Michael Jordan.

New Detroit restaurant openings give us more than just a taste of the talented local chefs and creative founders. These accommodating places provide us with greater insight into the faces of Detroit natives as well as other loyal residents.Watch neighborhoods and lands transform as the local love circulates back into creating more spots to feel at home. Cheers to the sweetness of familial hospitality and uniquely strategic restaurant businesses who have a map to their favorite areas of the world etched into carefully crafted menus. See how these new creations are “countering the unpredictable and awakening the senses.” Detroit’s food and beverage scene is always popping with global flavors along with pure passion that ignites unexpected creations. Sit down to explore various foods made by someone different than you. After all, it’s one of the easiest ways to embrace each other’s differences besides physically traveling to discover other cultures. Detroit has Afro-fusion and Liberian, East African, new Asian bites, and more fusions to dish out this year. Farm-to-table ingredients are common ethics here in the city of Detroit. Here’s a handful of new spots to look out for. Detroitisit rounded up an up-to-date list of new Detroit restaurants opening this year that you’ll want to indulge in. Some should be familiar names!

Keep an eye out for these metro Detroit restaurants, bars, and cafes anticipated to be opening in 2026.

The restaurant scene in Detroit and the metro area evolves every year and 2026 will be no different. We'll see some notable names entering the market for the first time and other independent, already-established restaurateurs extending their reach. Following is a look at some of the more anticipated restaurant openings in 2026:

Here’s some of what Detroit’s dining scene is cooking up next year. We’re dreaming of these dining developments coming to the Detroit area.