I led a three day Roadfood Crawl of Detroit a few years ago. Nearly every one of the attendees, from all over the country, and Canada, stayed at hotels in Livonia. Oddly enough, not a single restaurant that made the final cut was in the immediate area. The closest place was Miller's Bar, known for their outstanding pub burgers, located in Dearborn.
If you're prepared to go that far (not
that far, really), there's a wealth of Middle Eastern places in Dearborn. Al Ameer is top of the heap, as far as I'm concerned, but only if all your boys have an adventurous palate.
Another option is AB's Amazing Ribs, a Halal BBQ joint. Above average 'Que and very good sides; just no pork. The Amazing Ribs referred to in the name are their huge, meaty beef ribs. Several people in our group ordered them and were very happy. Personally, I'm a big fan of their
excellent brisket.
An outstanding breakfast option is French Toast Bistro in nearby Plymouth. Regrettably, they did not make the final cut, but only because they are extremely busy, and take no reservations. I needed a place that could accommodate up to 25 people for Sunday brunch, and it was obvious that wasn't going to happen, given their limitations. The food is excellent, and you might have better luck getting in on a different day of the week. Splitting up into smaller groups will also increase your chances.
Detroit is also known for their smashburger diners, scattered across the city and suburbs. They all started out as part of a local chain called The Telway System, which started, I think, back in the 1930's. The chain eventually broke up into independently owned stands, with only one original "Telway" spot still in existence.
The places that split off have kept the recipes and griddling methods intact, and any one of them will provide a quality greasy smashburger experience for your group. Prolific LTH poster Da Beef has written quite a lot about these stands, both here and on his blog, "Smokin' Chokin' and Chowing with the King". One of the best of these independent outlets is Greene's Hamburgers in neighboring Farmington, just north of Livonia.
Upon closer examination of my list, Bates Hamburgers, another former Telway store, is actually in Livonia. As I said, any of these alluring little dives will serve you a quality greasy smashburger, but there is some minor variance from store to store. I prefer Greene's to Bates, but you can't go wrong at either one.
Another pick from Da Beef is Lefty's Grill in Livonia, known for their Cheesesteak Hoagies. We never made it there, so cannot comment, but if it makes a list compiled by Da Beef, it's gotta be pretty good. Plus, it sound like a natural for a group of hungry teenage boys.
Beyond that, all my picks are in Detroit proper, or in the eastern suburbs. I can send you the final itinerary, if you'd like. PM me with your email address, and I'll send it attached as a Word document.
I know your primary focus is on the sports tournament, but I have to say, Detroit is a remarkable city; highly underappreciated and wrongfully maligned as a place down on its luck. There's no question the Motor City has seen better days, but what we saw was local communities, working together to make their neighborhoods better places to live, even when the city government wasn't doing enough help them.
Have a great trip!
Buddy
Miller’s Bar23700 Michigan Ave, Dearborn, MI
(313) 565-2577
https://millersbar.comAl-Ameer Restaurant12710 W. Warren Ave., Dearborn, MI
(313) 582-8185
https://alameerrestaurant.comAB's Amazing Ribs27310 Ford Road Dearborn Heights, MI
(313) 914-2159
https://abamazingribs.comFrench Toast Bistro40370 Five Mile Rd, Plymouth
(734) 335-6533
https://frenchtoastbistro.com/Greene's Hamburgers24155 Orchard Lake Rd., Farmington, MI
(248) 474-7980
https://yelp.com/biz/greenes-hamburgers-farmingtonDa Beef's write up on Detroit Burgers:
https://chibbqking.blogspot.com/search?q=detroit+burgersBates Burgers33406 5 Mile Rd., Livonia
(734) 427-3464
https://batesburgers.comLefty's Grill29407 Six Mile Rd., Livonia
(734) 522-0555
https://eatleftys.com/locations/livonia/Da Beef's write up on Lefty's, and other Detroit specialties
https://chibbqking.blogspot.com/search?q=lefty%27s