My family is coming into town and when they come in they want to eat at restaurants that are unique to this area. Any ideas on good places to take them? We've done blue tractor, ABC, and Grizzly Peak already in past visits. Also, places like chophouse would be too expensive for our taste, as my family doesn't like to spend a lot and the dont like what they consider "fancy" so places like pacific rim would be out
you could try Palio on the
Blimpy Burger!
Blimpy Burger!
Zingerman's is always a lunch
Zingerman's is always a lunch favorite.
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Middle Kingdom on Main St and Williams
Middle Kingdom is the best Chinese food I've ever eaten, and I live in Asia now. Dinners are ~$15 a piece, order whatever your favorite Chinese dish happens to be, because everything there is fantastic (I get the Gen chicken, hunan beef, or special crispy fried noodles [>$20] usually). Split the duck spring rolls ($7-8) for an appetizer, they are amazing
Now MGoBlogging from Seoul
I was at Middle Kingdom last
I was at Middle Kingdom last year (love the food, btw) and the stodgy owner guy was sitting in a booth, conversing in Chinese with a caucasian student in the booth across from him. The kid looked like a skateboard dude, not someone who could speak fluent Chinese of some unknown dialect, at least to me. It was kind of awe-inspiring.
WK
Middle Kingdom
I cannot stress this enough. Middle Kingdom is by far the greatest Chinese food I've ever eaten. Order a chicken meal? Expect 8 pieces of chicken which are each the size of a half chicken breast. Order a beef meal? Enjoy the same amount of meat, but cooked at a perfect "medium." Plus, if you go for lunch it is very reasonably priced.
On a side note, I once saw the owner SCREAM in chinese at our waitress because she brought us the wrong food. It was the only time in my life that I have been both terrified and satisfied.
Grizzly Peak
Great food, but it's all about the beer. :)
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Aaaaaaaaaammmmmmeeeeeennnnnn
Aaaaaaaaaammmmmmeeeeeennnnnn
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Visiting tomorrow.
Ok, so I love beer. Really love it. But I'm visiting just for the day tomorrow and I want to take home some collectables to remember my trip. Is this the right place to go? (To be clear, I mean Growlers, beer holders, etc.)
I didn't want to start a thread, but I'm glad this one was started at the same time that I will be in town. (Visiting from Cali.)
Thanks for any advice you guys and girls can give me. Great to be back in God's country, btw.
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Blue Tractor's a good choice,
Blue Tractor's a good choice, especially if they liked ABC and Peak. The Arena's good too for casual, cheap sit down.
c'mon
We've done blue tractor, ABC, and Grizzly Peak already in past visits.
Now MGoBlogging from Seoul
Ah, my bad, just read ABC and
Ah, my bad, just read ABC and Grizzly Peak. Well if you want to complete the brepub experience, there's always Jolly Pumpkin.
Shalimar
Shalimar. Inexplicably great Indian food.
"Come on, you Wolverines!"
True
This comment is so true. My wife and I have been in Cali since leaving A2 a decade ago and have yet to find an Indian restaurant we like as much as Shalimar. Also, if you are willing to drive ten miles up the highway to Chelsea, the Common Grill is a fantastic restaurant without reaching fancy status.
We moved to
We moved to Seattle just over a year ago and are running into the same issue. Shalimar is just amazing and makes everything else just "meh". Chicken Hyderabadi is our weakness though.
Their Chicken (Murgh) Lababdar
is simply one of the best thigns I've ever eaten.
Jolly Pumpkin
Right downtown off Main Street with great Beers and delicious food. Highy recommend it.
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Two Good Ones.......
...... are Cafe Habana (right next to Blue Tractor) and Cafe Zola (also on Washington, but West of Main)
if you liked grizzly peak,
if you liked grizzly peak, try going to sidetracks in depot town in ypsi, good prices, lots of food, lots of diff beers, and the rest is pretty cool looking also
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You live in Ann Arbor and
You live in Ann Arbor and you're querying MGoBoard for places to eat?
Which probably means the OP is new to the area
Or doesn't eat out a lot. They may be a student, for instance.
Where's Charlie Bauman when you need him?
Right. But you don't have to
Right. But you don't have to eat in a restaurant to know if it's what you're looking for. Just walking by most places can tell you a lot (e.g., dress code, price, type of food), and moreover, I've got to imagine the OP has friends he or she can talk to or has talked to about where to eat.
Beyond that, I never understood the decision to turn to this board for information on good restaurants. There are whole sites devoted to rating and discussing restaurants (e.g., Yelp) that could tell a person everything they want to know.
True, I'd ask at Yelp or Chowhound
I disagree that walking by a restaurant is all that useful. Sure, you can read the menu, but it won't tell you if the restaurant is actually any good.
Where's Charlie Bauman when you need him?
knight's steak house is the
knight's steak house is the best place in all of ann arbor
Best steaks fo sho. Not
Best steaks fo sho. Not ridiculous prices, either...
Trust me, I know what I'm doing
Bd's Mongo
You can never go wrong by going to BD's and getting mongolian BBQ. If the food's bad, then you only have yourself to blame. It's also fairly affordable.
BD's is good, but not really
BD's is good, but not really unique to the area, there are a bunch of them around the country.
Knight's Steak House
Where all the locals go for an excellent dinner.
Big Ten Burrito, for the
Big Ten Burrito, for the college experience.
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In the good and unique to the
In the good and unique to the area but not fancy category, I would suggest Red Hawk.
Also, I realize people have different takes on what is considered "expensive," but Zingerman's is hardly what I would call a reasonably priced place to eat.
Cafe Zola is always my #1
Cafe Zola is always my #1 recommmendation. It's not too expensive, but it might be more expensive than what you are looking for.
If you like Thai...
Lotus Thai, down near the Target off Ann Arbor-Saline road, is the best Thai in AA, IMO. Though, some prefer Siam Palace (in the hotel across from Arborland mall). Just don't go to Marnee Thai ... place is junk in fancy dressing. Also some good places in Ypsi ... Tup Tim and Thai Thai, both near each other on Washtenaw Ave
Trust me, I know what I'm doing
i love frasers pub
Tia
Conor Oneill's is by far my
Conor Oneill's is by far my favorite restaurant in AA. it's damn delicous food in the $10-15 range for most meals. Also the atmosphere is second to none imo plus mike martin works there (and hopefully me if they hire me this week). after that i would say palio/real seafood but thats another price bracket up but still not too bad. Red Hawk is a unique bar and grill experience. i haven't been there in ages but the menu is pretty eclectic from what i remember. if you want easily the best burger in washtenaw county along with great beer selection go to sidetrack in ypsilanti in depot town. great pub and if you're lucky you'll get a freight train roaring by. final recommendation would be cafe habana on washington. good latin food with a unique atmosphere in the same price range as conor's. they also have good mojitos but a bit overpriced.
Prickly Pear
My favorite in ann arbor for its value, my gf and i go there all the time. You can get a fajita combo for 2 for $20, and we usually still have some left over for lunch the next day! We ususally just order that, some guac to go with the free chips and salsa, and a few beverages.
How about a nostalgic list of AA eateries that are gone
Unique to Ann Arbor
Unique to Ann Arbor and not fancy...
Zingerman's, has been suggested. Dominick's, Fleetwood, Jerusalem Garden, Brown Jug. And, as has been suggested, Knight's, Blimpy's. Maybe Heidleberg?
Earthen Jar
Best Veg Indian Food in AA
"Relax you panic monger" -Megatron
blue nile
blue nile is amazing ethiopian food
and, you get to eat with your hands!
are there any sports
are there any sports bars/restaurants to hang out with and have some drinks with other michigan fans on a friday night?
you could try Palio on the corner of Main Street and E. William. Its pretty good and reasonably priced.