College Student Dinners in Ann Arbor
I am currently a sophomore here at UM and loving every minute of it. Amid the pandemic evening activities are notably limited with parties at a minimum and many bars closed. In response, my two roommates and I have taken to weekly dinners out on the town on Friday or Saturday nights. I was curious as to the board's opinions on what restaurants should be added to our list of places to hit.
I have the luxury of being able to spend a little bit of money on these dinners, but at the same time I am a college student so a Friday dinner at Knight's likely isn't going to happen. We are big fans of all types of cultural foods and are open to pretty much any recommendations.
Hit me with everything you've got!
October 12th, 2020 at 8:48 AM ^
One of the great finds my roommates and I ever had while living on Greenwood was Sushi Town. Very hole-in-the-wall vibe but amazing sushi and Japanese cuisine. Though they've probably shut down their seating options and only do curb-side, still worth it
October 12th, 2020 at 8:57 AM ^
Since I’m late to the party I’ll suggest something a little different. If you aren’t in the dorms take the time to learn to make some of your favorites from scratch. It can be a fun group activity, and having some extra hands makes prep work less tedious.
Also, longer cooks like braises are easy on the budget and have a lot of downtime to study, as I’m sure you’ll be doing all Friday and Saturday night.
it’s also a good way to attract a mate.
October 12th, 2020 at 9:03 AM ^
Evergreen - chinese restaurant on Plymouth Road near Nixon.
Yes, it's in a shopping center but the food is tremendous.
https://evergreen-restaurant.com/
October 12th, 2020 at 9:35 AM ^
Not too many places I can mention that haven't already been mentioned, although Aventura is fantastic if you've got a few extra bucks to spend and like tapas. Zingermann's Roadhouse is great too and is a short car ride from campus. Right off of I-94 if memory serves. That being said, if you're ever looking for breakfast, get on over to Angelo's. There's always a wait over the weekend when people are in town, but its always worth it. Crab Cake Benedict is where its at. And then you can never go wrong with hippie hash over at Fleetwood.
I also do agree with what someone a few posts above me said. If you're not in a dorm and you've got an actual kitchen to work with, take some time to learn how to cook, if you don't already know how. There's a lot of great options you can make on a budget, its cheaper than going out every weekend, and women LOVE a man who can cook. That's part of how I reeled my wife in, anyway. You don't need to be a gourmet expert. There's a lot of really easy, simple recipes that anyone who's never even cooked before can make with little to no hassle.
If you really don't want to cook or don't have a kitchen to work with, then I'll tell you right now, one of God's greatest inventions is the crockpot/slow cooker. Just throw all your ingredients in, set the timer, go about your day, come back 8-10 hours later and dinner is pretty much ready.
October 12th, 2020 at 1:56 PM ^
I couldn't afford to go out to eat in college, and whatever scratch I had was for beer, so I HAD to learn how to cook. I would make big pots of soup, stew, chili, pasta sauce etc. and could stretch that for five or six meals, especially if you added rice or pasta. With youtube now you can learn to cook anything and if you're shopping right you can literally eat for a week on twenty or thirty bucks.
Agree on the slow cooker, and will add that the reverse of that is the Instant Pot! Also a million recipes out there for one-pot Instant Pot meals. It is basically a pressure cooker and you can cook stews that normally take hours in fifteen minutes.
And yes, women love a man who can cook.
October 12th, 2020 at 9:47 AM ^
I've eaten at this place twice, and the food was wonderful both times, plus the photos of the Himalayas all over the place are a great distraction while you're waiting for your food.
Of course there's no dine-in at the moment, but they do carry-out and delivery.
October 12th, 2020 at 9:51 AM ^
I love Blue Nile, but Ethiopian food is very communal so I don't know what they're doing in a pandemic.
October 12th, 2020 at 9:55 AM ^
Monaghan’s seafood market, Jamaican Jerk pit, Zingerman’s Roadhouse, Pacific Rim, Ma Lou’s Fried Chicken, Le Dog for gourmet offerings like Lobster Bisque, Frita Baditos.
Can you drive to Frankenmuth for a Chicken dinner?
October 12th, 2020 at 10:04 AM ^
I don't know actual spots, but google, yelp... can help, but Middle Eastern in Dearborn, Detroit Pizza in Detroit, the famous Coney Island place in Detroit, and Greek food in Greektown.
October 12th, 2020 at 10:52 AM ^
Eating dinner on a College Student Budget (in no particular order):
- No Thai (under Landmark, other ones are good but this is the best. Drunken Fried Rice with chicken and your choice of spice. Add 2-4 of the small plastic cups of sweet & sour sauce. Just trust me on this)
- Charley's (their lunch menu is pretty good, especially the grilled chicken sandwich. Not sure if it carries over to dinner or not)
- Totoro's sushi (Near CVS on State & Liberty, get the Yummy roll. All of their food is good but this roll is all you will ever need)
- BTB/Mr. Spots (State/Packard)
- Pizza House (Church)
- Blue Lep (S. University, really good fish sandwich)
- Brown Jug (S. University)
- Slurping Turtle (Liberty, Japanese food)
- Isalita's (Liberty, Mexican food)
- Jerusalem Garden (Liberty, Lebanese food)
- Asian Legend (E. Wiliam, highly recommend for both food and service)
- Tios
Downtown area (generally more expensive but not too bad if you choose your meals carefully):
- Grizzly Peak (W. Washington, brewery)
- Pretzel Bell (S. Main, burgers and whatnot)
- Palio (Italian)
- Frita Batidos (Cuban street food)
- Real Seafood (S. Main)
- Black Pearl (S. Main, seafood, get the fish tacos)
- Miki Sushi (S. 1st St.)
- Fleetwood Diner (S. Ashley, get any of the hash you like, less expensive than the others)
October 12th, 2020 at 4:11 PM ^
Pretty much agree with all this (though I'd add JP to the Main St list) with one big exception:
IMO Pizza House is terrible, or at least terrible for the prices. It's one of the more expensive restaurants in Ann Arbor, and I have NO IDEA why.
I know they're open late and very tied in with the AD, and a lot of people are loyal to them for those reasons, but I just can't justify $30-40 for a mediocre pizza and salad, especially when you consider that they're in the student part of town, where stuff tends to be a little cheaper.
It's not a sit-down place, but if you want good Chicago-style pizza in A2, get Anthony's.
8.5.1
8.5.1October 12th, 2020 at 7:32 PM ^
Went there once and shocked at the prices for very ordinary food.
October 12th, 2020 at 8:35 PM ^
I can admit that it has been a while since I have been there so my memory of their prices may be off. Thanks for pointing it out to make sure OP is aware.
October 12th, 2020 at 5:44 PM ^
I had forgotten about Tios. I love that place.
Reading about all of these restaurants are making me feel hungry and nostalgic.
I recommend Casey's tavern for my favorite burger anywhere.
October 12th, 2020 at 3:39 PM ^
Happy hour at Chi Chi's was my go to. For $1 you got a coke with unlimited refills, popcorn, and nachos. Then again I was very poor.
October 12th, 2020 at 4:07 PM ^
Jolly Pumpkin has great food (and great beer too). In particular, their red chicken nachos are fantastic, and one of the most reasonably priced meals anywhere on Main Street.
8.5.1October 13th, 2020 at 7:55 PM ^
As an impoverished college student back before electricity, I was always a fan of breakfast for dinner on weekends when the cafeterias were closed. The places I frequented are long gone, but the principle still applies. Type "all day breakfast" in your search engine.