Eminem Has a New Restaurant and It’s Based on an Iconic Line from ‘Lose Yourself’

Mom’s Spaghetti opens on Wednesday evening in downtown Detroit

By Dave Quinn Published on September 28, 2021 10:51AM EDT
Eminem fans might not automatically associate the 48-year-old rapper with food, but that’s about to change.

On Wednesday, Slim Shady will open up Mom’s Spaghetti — a new restaurant located in his native downtown Detroit serving up no-nonsense Italian fare.

If the name sounds familiar, it’s probably because it comes from one of Eminem’s biggest hits, the 2002 Oscar and Grammy-winning tune, “Lose Yourself.”

“His palms are sweaty, knees weak, arms are heavy,” Em raps early on in the song, which he penned for the soundtrack to his film, 8 Mile. “There’s vomit on his sweater already, mom’s spaghetti.”

Em (né Marshall Mathers) first transformed the lyric into a food concept back in 2017, opening up Mom’s Spaghetti as a pop-up shop at popular Detroit music venue the Shelter while promoting the release of his album, Revival.

Then just last April, he sent containers of prepared spaghetti to frontline workers at Henry Ford and DMC hospitals, as they helped those in need amid the then-emerging coronavirus crisis.

Now, Mom’s Spaghetti will have a more permanent spot, taking up a bodega-sized portion of the ally next to Union Assembly — the two-story 14,800-square-foot restaurant in District Detroit across from Comerica Park.

Union Joints, owner of Union Assembly, are partners with Eminem in the concept. They also worked with the musician on Mom’s Spaghetti’s previous pop-ups.

“We’ve had a lot of fun putting this project together with the folks at Union Joints, and the response from fans has been overwhelmingly positive,” Eminem’s manager, Paul Rosenberg,, said in a statement. “The previous pop-ups were really a test for us to determine whether there was enthusiasm for a regularly-occurring Mom’s Spaghetti spot that would be open all year long.”

Mom’s Spaghetti will offer limited seating, but customers can place their orders at the restaurant’s walk-up window.

On the menu? Mom’s Spaghetti ($9), Mom’s Spaghetti with Meatballs ($12), and a variety of “pop” or water ($4)

There’s also The S’getti Sandwich” ($11) which layers Em’s pasta between two slices of thick bread.

And directly upstairs from the spot is The Trailer, a store for “stans” of Eminem featuring merch and memorabilia (Call the restaurant’s phone line, 313-888-8388, to hear more).

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“Mom’s spaghetti, it’s all ready,” the restaurant’s tagline boasts.

Eminem even appears in the spot’s television commercial, posted on the official YouTube channel supporting Eminem’s record label, Shady Records.

Mom’s Spaghetti (2131 Woodward Ave) opens on Wednesday at 5 p.m.