Ann Arbor Restaurants: Reviews & Recommendations

[jmsaul]

Hi, all!

(Got to take occasional sanity breaks, but I'll try not to get sucked in too deep. ;-)

[elfin]

Spending one night in Ann Arbor and will have a car. (driving from Chi-town). Looked up the prior Ann Arbor threads and plenty of good eats abound. But after driving 4.5 hours after working until midday-I want a no brainer yummy meal. I can get all kinds of asian, middleastern, indian, etc. locally so I do want something either unique or just a good steak or a bistro french meal. Is Zingerman's Road house the place? The menu is very electic. What should I get there? Thanks

[yellow truffle]

Spending one night in Ann Arbor and will have a car.  (driving from Chi-town).  Looked up the prior Ann Arbor threads and plenty of good eats abound.  But after driving 4.5 hours after working  until midday-I want a no brainer yummy meal.    I can get all kinds of asian, middleastern, indian, etc. locally so I do want something either unique or just a good steak or a bistro french meal.  Is Zingerman's  Road house the place?  The menu is very electic. What should I get there?  Thanks

I vote for Zingerman's. If you remember a few years ago, a restaurant in Chicago called Winkelstein"s (sp?), same kinda of place. I believe that it was the same owners.

[yellow truffle]

And if you go to Zingerman's, you must try the Blenheim Ginger Ale (get the hot or spicy version).

[ronnie_suburban]

Here are some links to a couple previous discussions we've had about AA...

Ann Arbor Dining, Why isn't there more quality?

Is Ann Arbor in the Heartland?

I hope they are of some use

=R=

[TJHarris]

Elfin,

As of my last visit to Zingerman's Roadhouse, I say avoid. Not up to Zingerman's standards. Zingerman's DELI is fab for the midwest.

I usually suggest The Earle, Chef Shelley's food is high quality and very consistent if not overly inventive. The wine by the glass offerings are darn good.

[yellow truffle]

Roadhouse, deli, what is this. Is this not the same place? Is it in the same 'compound'?

Ehh, go have a reuben.

[Alex]

Zingerman's Delicatessen PM]

Roadhouse, deli, what is this. Is this not the same place? Is it in the same 'compound'? 

Ehh, go have a reuben.

←

Not the same place, not in the same compound.

Zingerman's Delicatessen

Zingerman's Roadhouse

If you're in the mood for high-class, high-quality deli, with an addictive retail store, the Delicatessen is The Place.

I used to like The Earle a lot but I haven't been there in years and years.

People seem to like Cafe Zola.

A favorite of mine (and a lot of other people) is Common Grill in Chelsea, about 15 min. west of A². Also here.

Here's Eve.

[daniellewiley]

The Earle is my favorite. We sit at the Wine Bar, where you can eat from the same menu, but in a more relaxed, homey environment. The whole place though is pretty darned cavelike and relaxing. Food is country French and Italian. There is an Earle Uptown now too, but I haven't been. I love the original downtown Earle on Washington Street.

Zingerman's Deli is not the place for a relaxing dinner.

We only tried the Roadhouse for a special tasting dinner, and while we loved everything we had, I don't know it well enough to vouch for it.

La Fiesta Mexicana in Ypsilanti is the best Mexican food I have EVER had.

Our favorite bar for eating is Casey's on Depot Street. Great, great burgers.

And, I second Common Grill in Chelsea, though that is a good 20 minutes away from downtown A2.

[tammylc]

I'd go with Eve or Zingerman's Deli. Eve is bistro/wine bar, slow food/natural/seasonal/local ingredients. Good. Zingerman's is the best deli in the midwest - Alex describes it pretty well.

What I might do, if I were you, is go to Eve for dinner, then wander over to Zingerman's (it's just around the corner) and check out the retail store. Grab a loaf of bread for the next day, sample some cheese, maybe get desert at "Zingerman's Next Door" if you didn't like Eve's offerings. The thing to know about Zingerman's is that they will let you sample *anything*! Want to try some 150 year old balsalmic vinegar? Just ask.

[elfin]

Sorry to report go a late start which resulted in room service; overcooked sirloin, and a baked potato complete with freezed dried chives- I'll spare the inedible details. Ate White Castle on the way back on Fri. night... not a good food trip.

[ronnie_suburban]

Sorry to report go a late start which  resulted in room service; overcooked sirloin, and a baked potato complete with freezed dried chives- I'll spare the inedible details.  Ate White Castle on the way back on Fri. night... not a good food trip.

←

=R=

[balex]

Hi,

I am spending a few days in Ann Arbor, and I'd like some recommendations for good food.

I am not interested in high end food but more in good ethnic food -- I'd especially like info on good Korean or Vietnamese food which are lacking where I live (london).

Also, I am particularly fond of BBQ so any hints there would be great.

[daniellewiley]

Hi,

I am spending a few days in Ann Arbor, and I'd like some recommendations for good food.

I am not interested in high end food but more in good ethnic food -- I'd especially like info on good Korean or Vietnamese food which are lacking where I live (london).

Also, I am particularly fond of BBQ so any hints there would be great.

←

Our favorite Korean place is on South University, right off of Hill. It's called Kang's. It's a big red building - very down and dirty, but wonderful food.

Other fun cheap eats are Blimpy Burger, Red Hot Lovers - neither one is ethnic.

On Fourth Street, there are two inexpensive ethnic restaurants side-by-side. Earthen Jar is vegetarian Indian food buffet. Jerusalem Garden is middle eastern.

[Rinsewind]

I grew up there, and still go back several times a year to visit the parents. Food in Ann Arbor can be a bit pricey-- it's gone pretty upscale in the last decade or so. In the downtown area (centered around Main Street) there are some great places to eat, but they can be slightly costly. Your best bet is to go for lunch. Kana: Pacific Rim just off Main on Washington (I think, could be Liberty) was started as KANA, a mom-and-pop Korean place that used to be by the medical campus. The son took it over and renamed it to Pacific Rim. It is more upscale Korean/Asian Fusion. The Real Seafood Company on Main is great, as is Middle Kingdom, just across the street (get anything with silver needle noodles). Connor O'Brian's is a nice Irish brew pub, also on Main. There's also two decent Italian-- Palio's is northern Italian while Grazie's is more southern. All are on Main. The best Jewish deli west of NYC is in Ann Arbor, called Zingerman's, on Detroit Street near downtown. Expect it to be crowded, but the food is to die for. There's also some ethnic restaurants clustered around Kerrytown and the Farmer's Market. This is near Zingerman's on Fifth Street, just north of downtown. Near campus are some cheaper places. They tend to turn over more rapidly, so I'm a little less sure of what's still there, but on South University there were some decent eats, including Hur's Campus Cafe, which is/was Korean. Also the Bagel Factory near South Univ. and South Forrest. There was a great Chigago hot-dog place called Red Hot Lovers which is just off South U. Also, I believe on Division St. between campus and downtown is a nice place for Middle Eastern food called Jerusalem Garden. Pretty inexpensive.

There's probably a current resident out there that can give you more info, but there's a start!

[ronnie_suburban]

You may want to check out this fairly recent thread:

Ann Arbor Dining, Why isn't there more quality?

There are also a few other AA threads running, which you can access via the "search" feature.

HTH,

=R=

[tammylc]

Vietnamese - Dalat, in neighboring town of Ypsilanti.

Korean - I love, love, love the bi bim bop at Kosmo Deli, the lunch counter in Kerrytown. They have a few other Korean items, but aren't I suppose a real Korean restaurant. Still, very good.

Sabor Latino on Main St is good Mexican. Get the carne al pastor taco - it rocks.

BBQ - Smokehouse Blues, also in Ypsilanti, does a really nice smoked beef brisket. Zingerman's Deli now has a sit down restaurant that's a Roadhouse, and they do some not bad BBQ of various kinds.

Cafe Zola is one of my favorites. They do a good and popular brunch all week long that's moderately priced, and then more upscale dining for dinner.

I second the recommendations of Jerusalem Garden and Earthen Jar. Another great cheap eats place is Bev's Carribean Kitchen.

Oh, and if you're able to be downtown during the week during the day, make sure to go to Le Dog for lunch. Don't order a hot dog - get one of the absolutely amazing soups made by CIA chef and owner Jules.

[prasantrin]

I second the vote for Sabor Latino's carne al pastor taco. I had it based on tammylc's recommendation, and it was fabulous! One of my top three favourite foods from my trip to Ann Arbor.

I didn't get to make it to Jerusalem Garden, Earthen Jar, or Bev's Carribean Kitchen (which were all on my list for that trip). Maybe next time! But although you asked for ethnic places, could you hit Dimo's for a breakfast bagel (the one with sausage, egg, and cheese), take a picture, and post it for me? I have dreams about it....

[annarborfoodie]

I third the recommendation for Sabor Latino - it was the first place that I thought of when I read that you wanted cheap ethnic food. I also agree with Dalat for Vietnamese. For inexpensive Korean, we like U. Cafe on Church St., across from Pizza House - we were introduced to it when I had a Korean conversation partner. Speaking of Pizza House - they have the most consistently good American-style pizza in Ann Arbor. For BBQ - there aren't many choices. Smokehouse Blues is good but not great; Zingerman's Roadhouse is good but not enough smoke for my tastes; ribs are good at Carson's on Plymouth in the NE corner of town. But this is coming from someone who goes to Kansas City a couple of times a year and eats BBQ four meals out of six while there... Great cheap mexican food can be found in Ypsilanti - at La Fiesta Mexicana. For the true Ann Arbor experience, you really have to go to Zingerman's deli. Crowds shouldn't be too bad right now - I'm not aware of any big events in town. You could combine it with a visit to the Farmer's Market Saturday morning and have a very nice experience.

[balex]

That's great. Sorry for the new thread but the other one seemed more devoted to high end stuff.

Any Vietnamese in Ann Arbor itself? I am not sure that I will be very mobile.

[ronnie_suburban]

That's great.  Sorry for the new thread but the other one seemed more devoted to high end stuff.

Any Vietnamese in Ann Arbor itself? I am not sure that I will be very mobile.

←

No worries. This is absolutely fine. I just knew there were some decent mentions peppered throughout that other thread; even though low-end stuff wasn't its primary focus.

=R=

[annarborfoodie]

There is a Vietnamese hybrid place (I think they also do some Chinese and Thai) at the corner of South University and South Forest. It's called Saigon Garden. It's not stellar, but not bad either. One of our favorite quick dinner spots is Paradise Restaurant - it's further from downtown/campus but not as far as Ypsilanti. It's on Eisenhower in the Collonade shopping center. It's also hybrid Chinese and Thai.

[supercheesewiz]

T K WU's on Liberty has some of the best chinese food in the state (which may not be saying much). Some of my favs include salt and pepper pork, eggplant, the dragon and phoneix soup, and of course bubble tea. My chinese parents make us go there every time they visit.

[cbarre02]

so what if i am giving advice from an office at wynn in las vegas... from an old aborite, give pacific rim on liberty and main a chance. The owners are Vietnamese and Korean. So i suppose you will get the best of both worlds... i know they are open for both lunch and dinner. I know from working there the place never recieved the kudos it deserved. I believe that Duc and YB do as good of a job with this place as any where in ann arbor, and the warmth from them and the staff makes it all the better.

Edited June 27, 2005 by cbarre02 (log)

[balex]

Thanks for all the tips. As always happens I wasn't able to pick all of the restaurants I went to but I ate pretty well.

Cafe Zola: some tasty scallops with nori, and a roast chicken. I was really jet lagged and I needed some confort food. Very nice, though the lemon sauce on the chicken was a bit too sharp. I can see why people like this place.

Sabor Latino: I found this a bit ho-hum : and NO ALCOHOL. Guys, what were you thinking? Sending an Englishman to a Mexican restaurant that doesn't serve beer is just plain cruel. This happened another time actually. Luckily I am very resilient person otherwise I could have become quite demoralised.

Nice salsa, but it was all a bit soggy. But this might just reflect my low level of education about Mexican food.

I went to a restaurant called the Earle (not my choice) with a large group. Very impressive wine list, with some very good value at the high end. We had a nice Gigondas from the low end. Food was ok, good panzanella, rather greasy scallopine.

Sushi place called Totoro or something, cheap, food ok for the price point, NO ALCOHOL.

A few ok but rushed sandwiches at lunch.

A good breakfast at a place callled Frank's. Nice eggs, really good hash browns and excellent french toast. This guy is a real artist.

Lunch before catching the plane, at Pacific Rim -- originally Korean, now fusion. I had crabcakes with taro chips, and some steak with kimchi and then extra kimchi. I liked this. Very quiet and friendly. Drank a half bottle of pinot noir, shot pool for an hour at the Michigan Union and then back to England.

I kind of wanted to go to the Chop house but it was closed when I wanted to go there. Has anyone eaten there? It looked like a serious steak house.

Edited July 3, 2005 by balex (log)