Best restaurants in Ann Arbor? v.2015
February 8th, 2015 at 12:27 PM ^
Caseys for a good burger, beer, and onion rings
Dimos for excellent deli at a much more reasonable price than the big names.
Savas for a little finer quisine.
Grizzly Peak is a decent bar/restaurant.
February 8th, 2015 at 12:28 PM ^
For a burger and a brew, Casey's is an acceptable pick, but Red Hawk is the obvious choice.
February 8th, 2015 at 12:34 PM ^
I love that Red Hawk always has Red's Rye on tap. But I have always found their food extremely underwhelming. Even as I lowered my expectations, they continued to underwhelm.
February 8th, 2015 at 8:59 PM ^
Really? I've always really liked their burger, even if it is a bit overpriced.
February 8th, 2015 at 12:34 PM ^
Caseys wins on atmosphere.
February 8th, 2015 at 4:01 PM ^
And is owned by former AD bill Martin.
February 9th, 2015 at 9:42 AM ^
From our apartment , burgers and pastrami are both good. They also do a shrimp po boy every so often that's good. For me...
Favorite place to sit around drinking beers and have a bite- Ashley's
Favorite place to drink beer, play darts, and likely see something strange happen- downstairs Heidelberg
Place where I'll spend more than I should but is so good I won't feel bad about it- Raven
Love Frita' s for every imaginable reason
Real Seafood Co. is perhaps the worst value anywhere
February 8th, 2015 at 12:31 PM ^
Zingerman's Roadhouse for sure
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February 8th, 2015 at 1:43 PM ^
My dad and I went to Roadhouse during the first week it opened, and all we could talk about was how dissapointed we were with it. However, they constantly kept improving and over 10 years later, it is easily in the conversation for the best restaurant in A2. It certainly gets my vote.
February 8th, 2015 at 1:50 PM ^
Zingerman's brunch is outstanding.
February 8th, 2015 at 4:03 PM ^
Make a reservation, if your are going at night, even on a Weekday. That goes for most places, particularly new eateries. Things are getting crazy busy. I usually just do the townie thing and go to nights.
February 8th, 2015 at 12:34 PM ^
Big fan of the Jolly pumpkin.
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February 8th, 2015 at 12:46 PM ^
I just had brunch there a little while ago on a friend's recommendation and it was incredible.
February 8th, 2015 at 12:50 PM ^
Definitely the best brunch! French Toast!
February 8th, 2015 at 2:10 PM ^
They do a damn good lunch/dinner too. Their truffle fries are amazing with any sandwich.
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February 8th, 2015 at 12:36 PM ^
West End Grill off Liberty. Logan's and Chop House are next in line.
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February 8th, 2015 at 2:27 PM ^
when I was working on my thesis at Michigan, my department used to take our prospective PhD's to West End Grill. I made sure to sign up as the graduate student rep for the application committee.
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February 8th, 2015 at 3:14 PM ^
Logan and West Side Grill. If you are looking for a nice dinner, both are great.
February 8th, 2015 at 7:43 PM ^
I'll add another vote for Logan. Had dinner for 6 there this Friday and everything was great. I think it is the best high end, white tablecloth place in town right now.
February 8th, 2015 at 12:38 PM ^
Then check out:
1. Aventura (if you like tapas)
2. Vinology (make sure to get two of the smaller plates so you can sample more)
3. West End Grill
4. Pacific Rim
February 8th, 2015 at 12:40 PM ^
is fantastic
February 8th, 2015 at 12:44 PM ^
Forgot about Vinelogy. Go during happy hour for great prices on great wines. And completely agree, their smaller plates of pizza and sliders are great. The best sliders in AA.
February 8th, 2015 at 12:38 PM ^
Is new, and its spectacular. Mani is also really good. Pacific Rim has been around for awhile, but never disappoints.
February 8th, 2015 at 12:45 PM ^
Thanks for the recommendation.
Agree that Mani is good as well as Lena and Sava. (I kind of lump them all together although they are really different from each other).
February 8th, 2015 at 12:47 PM ^
Agree on all counts except mani. I think that place is so overrated.
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February 8th, 2015 at 4:02 PM ^
Agree completely! Tony Saccos Pizza and even CPK is better and a better value.
February 8th, 2015 at 12:47 PM ^
Chophouse. They also have a great happy hour and the free meal on your birthday is always nice.
February 8th, 2015 at 2:45 PM ^
I knew nothing about this free meal on your Bday at Chop House?! Maybe I'll effort to get to the ohio game this year - my Bday is the next day! If we were somehow to pull of the '69-like upset can you imagine how great that meal would taste!?
February 8th, 2015 at 12:48 PM ^
Double post... but it's that good.
February 8th, 2015 at 12:50 PM ^
TMAZ on Packard for great, cheap Mexican food
February 8th, 2015 at 12:50 PM ^
They always have oysters on the half-shell.
Small servings similar to tapas.
Female workers........very nice..........Drake's sister and girlfriend both work there.
February 8th, 2015 at 12:51 PM ^
Was always one of of my favorites, but it was a little out of the way on Jackson Road. They opened a great new location on East Liberty though (near Scorekeepers). Good typical steakhouse fare and a lot of TVs for watching sports. It's not cheap, but that's typical for Ann Arbor and the prices are a little more than Outback or Longhorn for better quality. And they have good sandwiches and other options too.
February 8th, 2015 at 12:58 PM ^
(With my luck, it has probably been closed for a decade)
February 8th, 2015 at 1:11 PM ^
No, it is still there but it is called something else...still doing great Be Bim Bop and Kimchi-Jigae too!
February 8th, 2015 at 4:06 PM ^
If you're going to pull out Steve's Lunch, I'm going to pull out Drake's. Nothing like opening a can of Campbell's soup for lunch.
February 8th, 2015 at 6:57 PM ^
Used to be part of my regular routine for game day breakfast
February 8th, 2015 at 1:04 PM ^
to the more casual ann arbor spots.
Grizzly Peak: the brewery steak sandwich is probably one of the best individual meals in town at any restaurant.
ABC: onion rings, onion rings, onion rings. plus great brew.
Caseys: best all around bang for the buck
Red Hawk: always solid, also great onion rings.
Wolverine Brewery: amazing pulled pork nachos
Arena: amazing wings and cheap bar food.
February 8th, 2015 at 1:10 PM ^
Jerusalem garden.
February 8th, 2015 at 1:14 PM ^
absolutely solid food.
February 8th, 2015 at 1:16 PM ^
The Ravens Club is a new favorite of mine. The whiskey selection alone is a reason to go. I mean, their well whiskey is Eagle Rare.
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February 8th, 2015 at 1:20 PM ^
Frito Batidos, Jolly Pumpkin, yes and yes. If you're stuck on North Campus and looking to brunch somewhere, check out the Songbird Cafe. Cozy place.
February 8th, 2015 at 1:23 PM ^
Real Seafood Co.
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February 8th, 2015 at 2:46 PM ^
Upvote for you, the best seafood in town. Our go to B-Day place (nice discount they offer). I wish they would bring the Hot Rocks appetizer back though.
February 8th, 2015 at 3:25 PM ^
You must have no taste buds! ;-) This place is awful and overpriced! It's basically Joe's Crab Shack on Main St.
February 8th, 2015 at 6:53 PM ^
Always liked it, but I still preferred the Cracked Crab.
February 8th, 2015 at 1:24 PM ^
If you want to try Asian places...
Chinese: Emerald City (Ypbor Yan) on Washtenaw Ave, actually in west Ypsi. Do not order stuff like General Tso's chicken or Hunan beef; go for the authentic Chinese menu and ask your waiter for suggestions.
Korean: Seoul Garden. Barbeque or not, really nothing will disappoint you in their menu.
Japanese: Miki (downtown). After several rounds of management change, I feel they finally got their groove back. Go for the big boatload of sushi / rolls and you will be amazed.
February 8th, 2015 at 1:43 PM ^
Burrito: BTB
Craft Brewery: Tie between Jolly Pumpkin and Wolverine State Brewery
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February 8th, 2015 at 2:03 PM ^
BTB is a good college drunk food burrito, but once you've ventured outside A2 and/or eaten at any kind of real taco joint, you realize it's just an awful product. Great in context, but little more than that.
February 8th, 2015 at 2:23 PM ^
False. I have eaten at some Michelin rated places in NYC, Boston, London, Paris, and Chicago. BTB is still my favorite food. Sometimes it is all about the comfort food.
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February 8th, 2015 at 2:52 PM ^
I love this thread! Earlier Doc & Bando were agreeing on which places they liked and disliked and now they're ready to step outside to establish who has the greater restaurant critic cred!!
You two should totally go get a beer together - if you're in A2 or environs