OT? Updated AA Restaurant Recs
Alright, going for some crowd sourcing on a very quiet Thursday on the board. Brian's excellent "Where to eat in Ann Arbor" guide is now 12 years old. https://mgoblog.com/content/guide-ann-arbor-eating-drinking
There was a gameday suggestions thread in 2021 (https://mgoblog.com/mgoboard/gameday-restaurant-recommendations), Seth had a post in 2017 (https://mgoblog.com/content/week%27s-obsession-dining-ann-arbor)
Whatcha got for updates?
*bonus points (an upvote from me) for toddler friendly recommendations. Heading back to AA this year with my 2 year old and while he isn't picky he does have a mild food allergy. Most the kid's menus I've looked at are "cheese pizza/cheeseburger/chicken tenders".
Wolverine Brewing on W Stadium should be your first stop. Awesome beer and the best pulled pork nachos in the state.
Honestly they have the best pulled pork nachos I’ve had anywhere. With the smokey salsa on the side and extra jalapeños, they’re perfect.
Excellent recommendation.
Being half Mexican, I can’t get behind pulled pork on nachos. But I agree, Wolverine Brewing is money.
he does have a mild food allergy
Intriguingly mysterious, but it might be helpful to name it.
Dairy (OK if baked), egg (ok if baked), sesame seeds
Good luck. I'm unfortunately no help because I live 2300 miles away and haven't been back in two years, but the old Frita or Tomukun stand-by recs probably wouldn't work for those.
I’ll start you with a few good local choices:
Wendys - Boardwalk Drive.
- Ann Arbor’s most famous burger joint. Complete with a great sunroom to provide you with that 90s ambiance everyone craves.
California Pizza Kitchen - Briarwood Mall
- The greater Detroit area is well known for great pizza, so why not go to the place that put it in the map in the first place? Here, the pizza is so fresh and delicious that you’d think you’re in Hollywood.
PF Chang’s - Briarwood Mall
- Best authentic Chinese this side of China. Their New York Style cheesecake really sells the authenticity.
Jimmy John’s - Downtown
- If you’re near the downtown and a truly great sub sandwich is what you want, look no further than Jimmy John’s.
I wish I could +2 this. Well done.
Thanks, now you made me hungry. I'm nowhere near AA so no chance of me getting any of these AA staples.
beware, PF Chang's soak their beef in buttermilk for some dishes. My kid also has a dairy allergy and this came as a nasty surprise.
When my parents would visit me at UofM and they could tell I was having a rough day, they would take me to Wendy’s for a Frosty. That cheered me up every time.
I don’t care much for the rest of their menu, but a Frosty is hard to beat.
Two words: RUTH'S CRIS.
Might even run into the big guy who just might buy you and your son a nice dry aged cheese burger.
To add...you can use your MGoPoints there for a discount.
That looks like Wilton Speight sitting next to him. I hope Jim didn’t pick up the tab!
A lot of Brian's old recommendations are still spot on - Frita Batidos for a burger, Fleetwood for 24 hour diner food, Grizzly Peak for solid restaurant bar. As for changes to what's on there, I will say Jolly Pumpkin's food has gotten better, while Red Hawk and Cafe Zola have dropped in quality somewhat - I still go to both but especially Red Hawk is not a top favorite like it used to be (Zola is mostly just very slow).
It's a shame how many of these places are closed - three of the four breakfast places listed and also Middle Kingdom and Prickly Pear are gone. I honestly don't have a go to for brunch aside from Zola - anyone else? Newer places (at least to me) I like are Tomukun for ramen or Korean BBQ (it's two separate storefronts), and Aventura for some more upscale tapas. Not new but great and not on the old list are Jerusalem Garden for middle eastern, Kosmo's for some fast really good bibimbap, and Ginger for a great banh mi sandwitch. Also Regents Field and Haymaker are my go to sports bars - the TV situation has improved since the guide was written at Haymaker, which used to be The Arena.
That's just off the top of my head, and yes of course I'm ready to be disagreed with here.
I think his places-to-avoid list has aged pretty well, too.
The food at Grizzly Peak has gone downhill in my recent experiences.
You might say it's Grizzly Past Its Peak?
Perhaps, but their beer is better than ever.
Good lord those are the same places that were popular when I was in school 25 years ago!!
Well, you'd generally hope good restaurants stay open and prosper!
Was fortunate enough to visit both Frita Batidos and Grizzly Peak last year while in town for a game. Both very good, but Frita Batidos takes the cake! Everything on their menu is delicious, although not sure how allergy friendly it is. Would have to double check on that.
I have not yet been, but Miss Kim is on the top of my list next time I head to AA for dinner. Supposedly elevated Korean food and the chef was nominated for a James Beard award.
Also Bigalora on Washtenaw, across from Whole Foods. Great Neopolitan pizza and small plates, plus a certain individual known for maliciously buying hamburgers for hungry 18 year old kids and his family are known to frequent there.
If you can get out of downtown Mothfire Brewing has a dope new spot. Always some good food trucks, and their beer is super delicious!!!
First rule of taking recommendations, don’t listen to anyone that uses “dope” in a sentence.
“Down in front!” - probably you
Slurping Turtle was fantastic when I was there in January. I'm not a ramen expert, but it was delicious.
Agree on Slurping Turtle. FYI there's also a location in Columbus and I just now learned from this post that there's an Ann Arbor one. From personal experience I can recommend the DFFC (duck fat fried chicken) bowl. When I went it was by myself so I sadly couldn't order enough to come up with a $45.23 tab. The one thing I will say is that I personally found the atmosphere a little bit "douchebag nightclub" which the OP may not want with a small child in tow but I am prepared to admit that could be a 'me' problem.
They have excellent broths. I might give the edge to Arirang out on Ann Arbor Saline rd which has absolutely amazing soups. But slurping turtle is excellent and if you’re downtown, much easier to get to
A recent favorite of mine (and my young kids): Miss Kim, 415 N 5th Ave.
What? Isn't that a brothel?
Depends. Are you a recruit? Wouldn't want to get anyone in trouble here.
How is “cheeseburgers at the brown jug” not the first answer to this question?
Seriously. If the Jug doesn't come up with a new cheeseburger, name it the "Harbaugh" and charge $4 for it, they don't deserve to be in business.
Too soon
1. Homes
2. Venue
3. ?
HOMES campus out on Jackson is more toddler friendly. Good beer, coffee, and small plates. Depending on time, good food truck / nomad kitchen style options. But lots of space to run around that the pub doesn’t have as much of
Detroit Street Filling station is fairly new ( old Argeiro’s - and really old gas station) vegetarian and vegan but really good fare. Don’t know if Zingerman’s Roadhouse was on the old list but I don’t know a single person that’s had a bad meal there. BBQ - good, fried chicken- good, every side dish fantastic, appetizers - great, drinks, service , etc great. Pricey of course… Ricewood BBQ out in Maple Village is newish / sandwiches and bowls.
Roadhouse is an excellent recommendation. Go there often.
Ricewood is the best bbq in town. roadhouse is also good. Filling station has this strange aversion to flavor and the vegan angle doesn’t fully explain it when places like earthen jar and sevas exist
I've never taken a toddler to A2, but we did take our 80-year old neighbors to the Art Fair last week. That sorta qualifies as the same thing. Took them to lunch at Knights, which was decent. Would have gone to Mani if the wait hadn't been so long. Either would work for a picky toddler. And both have great adult beverages.
Avalon is a really good brunch spot and Aventura is probably the best overall restaurant in Ann Arbor imo
Also, it’s time that everyone admits that Pizza House sucks. It’s overpriced, mediocre food and Im not sure how it got its good reputation
Went to aventura after they had just opened and it was merely fine. Glad to hear they’ve figured it out—I’ll have to go back.
Only been to Biercamp once but they blew me away. It's really more a gourmet food store than a brewpub, but it's amazing. They don't just brew their own beer, they make every damn thing on the menu in house (including the banana pudding, oh sweet mother Mary) so they should be able to tell you definitively if your kid should avoid something.
Zingerman's
Miss Kim’s in Kerrytown for Korean. I think it's the best Korean in Ann Arbor. Perhaps surprisingly, it has a kids menu which is reasonably priced and has genuinely kid-friendly items that are still identifiably Korean -- unlike many other ethnic restaurants whose kids menu is just spaghetti, chicken fingers, and burgers, regardless of what the rest of the cuisine is like. Not a bad way to introduce kids to Korean food.
If you feel like going to Ypsi, there’s Thompson & Co. for Southern oriented pub food and the Wurst Bar for house made sausages. If you’re looking for a place just for drinks, try Wax Bar, also in Ypsi, for used records and surprisingly subtle Polynesian style cocktails. Thompson & Co. is more kid-friendly, Wurst Bar is probably borderline for kids, and obviously, it's probably asking too much of a kid to sit through a visit to a cocktail bar/used record store.