OT - places to eat in Ann Arbor

on Williams. Be prepared for a wait, depending on when you get there, but it definitely fits your criteria as unique to Ann Arbor (Cottage Inn is now franchised, but Williams is the original location) and not Asian food.

Enjoy the trip.

Brick road, old train station, not a chain, good choice.

http://www.johnwcooper.com/annarbor-michigan.htm

Scroll down for the restaurants...

Cottage Inn Pizza on Williams St. is a great place for some post game pizza and adult beverages. I used to always go there after games with my Aunt & Uncle until they moved to Florida. It has alot more than just pizza.

Sorry about double post - typed and posted at same time

Grizzly Peak Brewing Company on Washington is pretty good, but Ashley's on State Street is one of the better places to go to especially if you rarely get out there. It's Ann Arbor's "premier multi tap." There are over 100 selections of beer on draft, and even more by the bottle...good burgers, plus it's right on central campus across from Angel Hall.

I always try to eat and get some beers at Grizzly Peak or Arbor Brewing Company when I'm in town.

I had my rehearsal dinner at Cottage Inn on William St. But I heard it had gone downhill in the past few years? (the restaurant itself, not the chain of pizza delivery stores).

Pizza House on Church, just SE of campus, is huge and decent.

Downtown features the most restaurants. Each one has some level of pretension. Grizzly Peak has good food + good beer. Arbor Brewing is the other downtown brewpub. A bit more downscale but some claim their beer > Grizzly Peak's. Blue Tractor is a new brewpub, a bit higher on the pretension scale.

Just down the street from the Gandy Dancer (north of downtown, a fair hike from the stadium) is Casey's Tavern, which is smaller but has great food for a tavern.

If you want a sports bar, there's the Arena on Washington, Scorekeeper's on Maynard (if you're under 30, this may be your first choice), and wait, Touchdown Cafe is closed, maybe the Brown Jug on South U.?

All are unique to Ann Arbor. In fact, if you stay downtown or around campus and don't go to the few chain restaurants there (Melting Pot, BD's Mongolian, BW3) you'll be someplace 'Ann Arbor' ish.

I agree about Cottage Inn Pizza, which would be great if you want to go low brow and be social. Another restaurant that I enjoyed in the same vein is the Mongolian Barbeque. The Chop House is probably the best restaurant in town (I think it is on Main street). Enjoy the game and beat PSU.

Good Time Charleys - great drink variety, good burgers, and don't miss the Pizza Sticks. Get the Jamaican Iced Tea in a Pitcher (for one).

Connor O'Neill's is my favorite. If you are at all interested in breweries you could try Grizzly Peak, Arbor Brewing Co, Jolly Pumpkin, or the Blue Tractor. The Heidelberg has some local beers on tap as well.

there are a variety of great places in Ann Arbor, depending on what you're looking for. My favorite place is either Grizzly Peak (as others have mentioned) or Casey's, a little bar/grill across the street from the Gandy Dancer.

Be warned, however: There will be a hundred thousand people in Ann Arbor looking for a place to eat after the game. Expect a very long wait to get into any place that's even halfway decent.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hVTcAkfuRFw

http://mgoblog.com/mgoboard/ot-best-a2-restaurants-out-towners

a bunch of solid ideas.

This thread could go to 200, for sure. Simply, you'd need a week, eating 3 meals a day, to hit up all of the awesome food spots in Ann Arbor. Actually, you might need 2 weeks. Whoever posted the link to the list of food in Ann Arbor was probably spot on. There are so many good places to eat it's mind-boggling. I need to go back to Ann Arbor right now and have a food orgy.

EDIT: Wherever you try to go, you're probably going to have problems, as it's the Thursday before a home game now, so getting a reservation anywhere (if you're trying to go to a place that takes reservations) is impossible, I'd imagine.

I am writing this from BTB Cantina on the corner of South U and Church, while i am munching on a grilled chicken burrito, and there are very few places i would rather be. (one being yost, only 4 hours to go!)

A unique place, eh? I think that is actually pretty hard to find anywhere these days. Cottage Inn is very nice, but hardly unique. Same with most of the micro-brews (go to the Darkhorse in Marshall for something amazing).

I would go for Jerusalem Garden (just google it) for food and Ashley's for drink. J-Garden is top-notch American Mid-East food and is loads better compared to the competition. It is unique for that genre of food. Ashley's has a killer selection.

If you want really unique, Earthen Jar should be open and you can pay for edible vegetarian fare by the pound.

For burgers, the Fleetwood Diner off Liberty one block past main is a solid place for a crusty atmosphere and is a choice du jour amongst townies (open 24 hours too).

No mentions for this yet: http://www.evetherestaurant.com/

Pricey, but much closer to "fine dining" than you'll get at any MSV (Main Street Ventures) restaurants, which thankfully haven't been cited here yet.

Indian OK? Try Madras Masala on Maynard Street. It's probably the best of that type in town.

For beers, Dominic's (which can be horribly crowded) or Heidelberg (north of Huron Street and usually not too crowded).

My favorite "nice" restaurant in Ann Arbor was/is West End Grill. Check it out.

http://www.yelp.com/biz/the-west-end-grill-ann-arbor#hrid:JcqhWOJY_7LMoA... arbor restaurant

Alright, once the geezers and old timers are through talking, let some students inform you...

Mr Spots is probably one of the best burger and fries places around. Quickie Burger is NOT. I don't know what the hell the Daily was thinking ranking Quickie so highly - their patties explode with grease the second you bite in.

BTB is okay, but Panchero's, and Chipotle are stellar. I recommend those two more.

Jimmy John's is only average. Don't bother going there. Try Pita Kabob Grill if you like your garlicky Middle Eastern stuff.

edit: double post

Zingerman's Roadhouse is Ann Arbor-y.

Personally, I like the Blue Tractor, but its a bit further away from the city.

The Blue Tractor Brewpub right off East Washington is a great new place to eat. Southern style BBQ with great burgers and lots of beer to choose from.

Try Great Plains Burger Company on Plymouth Road. They just opened up a couple weeks ago and have amazing burgers and shakes! Also, the food is all organic and high quality.

The Brown Jug. If Mich wins, you will run into a few players as well. Pizza House is also pretty good.

I miss college :(

It's going to be crowded, there are going to be long lines.
You might just want to wander downtown and find one without the worlds longest line.

Second, third, hell even fifth best within sight/walking distance is just fine for someone like me who tends to get a bit impatient and sometimes claustrophobic. It's downtown Ann Arbor, everything is going to be pretty decent, non asian, non-chain, and relatively representational.

Visit one of the outposts in the vast Zingerman's empire, principally the Deli (Kingsley & Detroit) or the Roadhouse (Stadium & Jackson). Or pick up something before the game at the Bakery (Airport Blvd).

Yes, it's overpriced. Yes, it's overdone. But it is still very, very good in all of its incarnations. And there is no place like the Deli for mixing the qualities of both a kosher deli and a snobby gourmet food store. The Roadhouse is also quite different, although, I think, not quite so unique as the Deli. You can get liquor at the Roadhouse, though, not at the Deli.

Blimpy's is also unique to Ann Arbor. But go to youtube and watch the episode of Diners, Drive-ins and Dives about it. You'll learn the right way to order, which is important. Otherwise the staff will yell at you.

The other places that people have mentioned are fine. But you can find versions of them in other cities.

I can't believe the only mention of Zingerman's is the Road House. I only get to one game a year, so I'm definitely planning on going there this weekend.

I understand that $12 sandwiches aren't everyone's idea of a great time, but it's uniquely Ann Arbor and the food is outstanding. Corner of 5th and Kingsley. (Edit: didn't read the last line closely enough, if you mean meet friends for beers, than Zingerman's is a no go. Maybe Sunday for lunch?)

Unique to A2 would be four places:

In the Main Street Area:
1. Arbor Brew Pub
2. Grizley Peak (better food, not as good beer, less atmosphere but quieter)

In the Campus Area:
3. Ashleys (lots of atomsphere and good beer selection)
4. Doms (Lots of atmosphere, women really like it but it is cool for all)

If you are looking for breakfast go to The Broken Egg and get one of their signature omelettes. Or if your looking straight dive breakfast go to Cloverleaf, their greek omelette is amazing. I doubt you will want to go there, but Dibellas has the best subs I've ever had. If you want a sit down place for lunch/dinner food, Sava's is pretty good.

Fleetwood Diner. It's best at 2am after a big win and a night of celebration.

Cafe Havana or something like that. Interesting food.

You're probably interested in something closer to campus, but The Quarter out on Stadium Blvd. is a really nice place, although the atmosphere is pretty quiet generally. Great food, and close to I-94 if that matters. It's about 50 yards from Zingerman's Roadhouse.

I ate at Blue Tractor back in February, and tried their beer sampler. I think they were still working the kinks out, because it was the worst collection of beer I'd ever tasted. Jolly Pumpkin on Main has been getting rave reviews for their beer and food.

Surprised no one has mentioned Ray's Red Hots (formerly known as Red Hot Lovers) by East Quad. This place has to have the best fries (waffle) in Ann Arbor, and the hot dogs are also good. The prices have gone up a little bit since they reopened, but the food is still worth the price. I would recommend the rueben dog, and the deal dog with grilled onions and hot peppers was a favorite of mine when they were still $1.25 (now $2.00).

The place got an upgrade since it reopened. I understand that some people in the past complained that the inside looked like a dump, but I thought that's what made the place unique and was one of the best parts of the place. Another plus is that I met Chad Henne there before the Florida game in 2007 and got a picture with him. It was pretty awesome to talk to him about the game, especially since my roommate at the time was a huge Florida fan.

Only downside about this place aside seems to be the slow service. They might have improved though since they've been reopened for several weeks now. I'd definitely recommend this place - it's one of our favorites.

... why not crash the dining hall at the Couzens dorm on the hill in central campus?

Hopefully they will offer veal parmigiana, which back in the day we lovingly referred to as "Elephant Scabs."

Bon Appetit!