7 Delicious Reasons To Go See A Lions Game In Detroit (Slideshow)

A little pick-me-up can make even the most grudging sports event attendee a little more cheerful at the prospect of stadium seating and bathroom lines. Bloody Marys are hugely popular at Ford Field, and with good reason. Besides the healthy pour of vodka, the huge jar available at several locations contains the zippy Bloody Mary mixer cooked up by local pickle maker McClure's. They concocted the spicy pickle brine, tomato paste, and fresh pressed cucumber juice mix as a way to make use of their leftover brine. Clever and tasty.

Sugar House serves a vast menu of craft cocktails in a slick bar in Corktown, Detroit's newest corridor of coolness. And if you've sprung for Club-level seats at the game, they're serving a nicely curated selection at Ford Field, too. I'd go for the bourbon Old-Fashioned, but a Dark and Stormy is a popular option, too. Tip for tipplers: The line tends to be shorter here than at the Club's Bloody Mary bar.

Slows Bar-B-Q is so tremendously popular in Detroit you almost don't want to go, because it's just a little painful to go to the place everybody expects you to go. But that would be a mistake. Lines form outside their Corktown location before opening with good reason, and now fans throng three Slows' locations inside Ford Field, too. You can get your Slows on whether you're at Club level or with gen pop on the concourse. Try the Yardbird, a heap of smoked Amish chicken breast slathered with mustard sauce and crowned with bacon.

The colorful Eastern Market staple Russell Street Deli is another line-out-the-door Detroit eatery, beloved for its locally sourced, casual fare. Their neon light glows from the Club level, which is where you'll have to be to land one of their hefty Sloppy Joes. In a nod to nearby Dearborn, known as the most densely populated Arab community in the United States, the sandwich is made with ground lamb.

Pegasus Taverna is synonymous with Detroit's Greektown, a must-stop for any visitor, where they've been winning fans for more than two decades with a voluminous menu of Greek specialties. Grab their Original Gyro topped with tzatziki for a quintessential taste of Greektown.

Hitting the game with two teenage nephews meant we needed a no-frills treat to go around, and Hungry Howie's, a well-loved Michigan institution, fit the bill perfectly. A nice, thick crust with plenty of heft, lots of oozy cheese, and a more-than-pleasant tomato sauce made the pie a crowd-pleaser in our family. And if your pockets are empty after tickets and parking, the $20 whole pizza may be a family's best budget bet.

The cherry on top of this food-meets-football extravaganza? A scoop each of maple bacon and burnt sugar gelato from Ann Arbor cult favorite Zingerman's. If you find yourself on Club level jonesing for a sweet and creamy delight, head for the gelato kiosk and choose your own adventure. (But with Nueske's bacon and Michigan maple syrup, go ahead and make it the Maple Bacon.)