The Best Restaurants In Ann Arbor
We don’t have Wolverine goggles on. The restaurant scene in Ann Arbor means serious business.
Yes, this University of Michigan college town has classic pizza joints with fan bases that rival those of our football team, and late-night spots serving heavy pours and burgers that are more grease than meat. But it’s our world-famous deli and even our inexplicable soup-and-hot-dog stand that turn Big House first-timers into Roos Roast-buying, Subaru-driving, tote bag-slinging locals. From game day go-tos to romantic restaurants to impress your crush from Chem 400, these are the best places to eat in Ann Arbor.
Mani
Bachelorettes celebrating their last night of freedom, parents treating their students to a free meal, and little kids housing a mountain of pasta are what make Mani a universally loved destination. One of the few pizza spots in Michigan to use a traditional 400-degree wood-fire oven, Mani’s neapolitan combinations are, dare we say, more indulgent than a slice at Joe’s. The cippolini’s bacon and balsamic is a rich, woodsy pizza that’s perfect for cozying up in the colder months, whereas the arugula and prosciutto’s garlic cream base serves as a lighter dish for warmer weather. The best part about each pie is the crust: pillowy and perfect for scooping up sauce from the tomato vodka pasta. It takes a good pizza to get college students to pay $20 for them on a regular basis, so take that as a sign of merit.
Fleetwood Diner
A visit to Fleetwood isn’t complete without an order of the hippie hash: a mix of hashbrowns, eggs, and assorted vegetables that real regulars know as the only cure for the munchies. For restaurant workers that get off at midnight, bar-crawlers who tap out at 3 a.m, and construction crew who clock in at 6, having a restaurant that’s open 24/7 is both an anomaly and a lifesafer. The diner is housed in a stainless steel hut covered in layers of eclectic stickers and has been serving a motley crew of drunks, students, and tourists since 1949. The menu is a greasy amalgamation of late-night cravings and breakfast classics. Simple, but effective.
Totoro Sushi
Totoro is a staple among college students due to the three P’s: price, portions, and proximity to campus. The sheer size of the menu and the amount of specialty rolls have created a new challenge for those who dare: try every roll before the end of the school year. They do right by the classic tuna and salmon rolls, but let’s be honest, you’re going for the over-the-top combinations: the Heart Attack’s deep-fried jalapeno and eel and the Snow’s seared white tuna, shrimp tempura, and scallion. Though the restaurant is inconspicuously tucked between a vintage clothing store and a Mediterranean spot, you’re bound to run into at least two familiar faces. But hey, that’s part of the fun.
Aventura
From the same owners of The Dixboro Project, Aventura is a tapas restaurant that brings new flavors from Spanish Basque country to a town used to deep-dish pizza and deli sandwiches. The dining room is almost entirely filled with first dates and anniversaries—the candle lit tables and suggestive booth seating makes it a little awkward for corporate dinners. Skip the apprevitos—unless you’re only staying for a snack and a drink at the bar—and stick to a regimen of three tapas and one of their Valencian paellas. Our favorites are the patatas bravas, brussel sprouts, bacon wrapped dates, and the Marisco paella.
Zingerman’s Roadhouse
Zingerman’s expanded their monopoly over Ann Arbor with this southern-inspired, family-style meat-and-three restaurant. It’s a safe bet that the daily specials like lamb and lobster are going to be good, but the menu is anchored in classic pit-smoked meats like pulled pork, ribs, and some of the best fried chicken north of the Mason-Dixon line. Our perfect meal contains the basics: biscuits, a basket of fried chicken for the table, a brownie sundae for dessert, and mac and cheese for a second dinner at home.
The Dixboro Project
The Dixboro Project is a refurbished barn that houses an American-Italian fine dining restaurant, a cafe, and a guest house on 15 acres of land just East of Ann Arbor city limits. Unless you’re particularly interested in exploring their gardens, spend your day in downtown A2 then come to The Boro for lavish drinks, dinner, and spying on Michigan's football players on their night off. Most make the trek out for drinks at the romantic marble topped bar or to brag about ordering the $340 wagyu ribeye, but the fried chicken meal with buttermilk biscuits and pickled seasonal vegetables is the underrated highlight. If you’re not lucky enough to snag the chicken before it’s 86’d for the evening, the duck leg with bacon and baked beans is a solid next pick.
Zingerman's Deli
Zingerman’s Deli has been around since 1982 after two friends became frustrated with the lack of Jewish delis in Ann Arbor. What started as a safe haven for Jewish comfort food became a novel, all encompassing experience where diners browse cases of charcuterie, taste test olive oils, and make friends with the baker behind the counter. Though it’s impossible to recommend just one out of the 39 sandwiches, we always gravitate towards Sherman's Sure Choice for a classic reuben or Pat & Dick's Honeymooner—turkey grilled cheese—for something lighter. For the ultimate experience, get a side of potato salad, grab a coffee from the bakehouse next store, and stroll Kerrytown’s shops and vendors.
Bell’s Diner
A staple to locals but unbeknownst to students and travelers, Bell’s is a Korean diner with both the best pancakes and bibimbap in Ann Arbor. The founding couple intended for Bell’s to be a cultivation of American diner classics, but slowly began to introduce traditional Korean recipes into the menu. It has since become a Sunday ritual for everyone from Elders to infants and Ann Arborites to East-Asian immigrants to double fist strawberry pancakes and bulgogi beef. Forget about trying to get a table for breakfast—eat an omelet to tide you over then visit for a late lunch.
Detroit Filling Station
Detroit Filling Station has done it all: a pop up dinner series, a cafe, a food truck, and finally a full-service restaurant in Kerrytown. The menu proves there’s power in produce—and a little bit of paprika—with the Chk'n Fried Wild Mushroom Sandwich that’ll make you forget you’re actually eating vegetables. After filling up on Ann Arbor’s best vegan, go around back to DFS’s intimate music venue North Star Lounge where there’s a rotating schedule of live bands, trivia nights, and drag shows.
Frita Batidos
Frida Batidos does two things and two things well: fritas and batidos. The Cuban street food shop makes chorizo burgers jam packed with shoestring fries that add an extra crunchy texture to your classic patty. Pair it with a hibiscus or coconut-cream batido to balance out the burger’s heaviness, then add a rum spike to turn dinner into a pre-game. Playing a hand of cards at one of the picnic tables sprawled across Washington Street is a great way to spend summer nights, but a meal here is comfortingly fit for any time of the year, especially after a late night of billiards and espresso martinis at Bab’s.
Miss Kim
From the Zingerman’s team, Miss Kim’s is a sit-down, Korean street food restaurant in the alcoves of Kerrytown that attracts diners from all over the Midwest. Kerrytown might be known as the city’s artist compound, but Miss Kim’s is a universally loved, neutral territory where you can go to weed out first dates or teach your kid how to use chopsticks. To start, it’s necessary to order one, if not more, of the tteokbokki. The street style with scallions and pork belly resembles more traditional tteokbokki, but our allegiance lies with the cacio e pepe style. The mound of parmesan atop the fried rice dish encapsulates all the comfort and familiarity of eating buttered noodles in bed. End with the fried chicken—either in its sandwich or entree form—as you recount your haul from Kerrytown’s market.
Pizza House
Students know it as “gar-bar,” short for the Garage Bar underneath, but locals and veteran alumni know it as the spot for chapati and Detroit-style deep dish pizza. Game days bring a rowdy crowd of tailgaters yelling profanities at the TVs and families whose kids couldn’t make it past half-time. But even week nights bring a sense of exciting unpredictability—Michigan athlete sightings, little league soccer celebrations, and drunk college students after Wednesday night karaoke at Blep. But no matter how hectic it gets, it’s almost impossible to ever wait for a table, something that’s both rare and sacred in downtown Ann Arbor.
York
York has undergone a transformation after previously only being an upscale party store for wine and charcuterie. Now, it’s a neighborhood hangout with sandwiches and snacks, drinks, live music, and a killer art scene. For lunch, settle in with a book, a bocata, and some tomato soup, and by night, take a spritz and a cheese board to the back patio. York also hosts both rotating food trucks and a permanent BBQ stand—Ricewood BBQ.
Gandy Dancer
Originally a train station back when the streets were cobblestone, the Gandy Dancer’s preserved stone walls and stained glass windows have become a time capsule to a bygone era. The restaurant’s traditional grandeur has accumulated an older crowd of Sunday brunchers and early bird specialists. However, their white table clothes and lobster and brie omelet make it perfect for celebrating special occasions. Diners still dress in their Sunday best and clap when the train comes by—an old tradition from when a train once jumped the tracks and hit the building. The menu contains a variety of both surf and turf, but Gandy Dancer is primarily a seafood restaurant. Extravagant but necessary, the king crab legs are a must, accompanied by any dish containing scallops or salmon.
New York Pizza Depot
Run by a local family—kids included—the shop has remained a go-to for famished students after a night of moshpitting and vodka cranberry pitchers at Skeeps. A line out the door lasts from 11 p.m. until close at 3 a.m, but the hustlers behind the counter take no prisoners: constantly moving between taking orders, pulling pies out of the oven, and cleaning the single stall bathroom. If pizza alone doesn’t seal the deal, NYPD also has garlic knots and red velvet cake to wash down the night's drinks.
Spencer
Spencer is a natural wine bar with a monthly prix fixe menu that has donned more fuss than a small-town restaurant should. With strict seating times and a no-walk policy, it can seem a little inaccessible on the surface. However, once inside, you get why people scramble for a reservation to celebrate every birthday, anniversary, and graduation. Everything at Spencer is intentional: wine pairings curated by incredibly knowledgeable servers, communal tables that create a sense of familiarity and intimacy, and seasonal recipes that make it versatile for any time of the year. On a recent visit we sampled August’s pole bean and stone fruit salad and the king salmon with fig leaf and sweet corn that perfectly rounded out the summer’s produce.
Monohan’s Seafood Counter
Monohan’s Seafood Market, located in the back of Kerrytown, works overtime as the town’s primary seafood purveyor. They slice and sell the best seafood in Ann Arbor, but what most shoppers don’t know is they serve it as well. The fish and chips are an easy grab and go meal, but if you have a little more time, pick a fresh fillet from the case and watch them cook it right in front of you—the san remo butter and halibut is our preferred pairing. They also have an off-the-menu, Connecticut style lobster roll that rivals those of Westport and Greenwich.
Krazy Jim’s Blimpy Burger
If you have to prioritize one spot, make it Blimpy’s, aka Ann Arbor’s longest running hamburger stand—reprised to a new location on Ashley St. The name of the game at Blimpy’s is decisiveness: before you order, know how many patties, what kind of cheese, what kind of bun, and if you want fries or onion rings. We’ll make it easy for you: stick to their specialty of a double cheeseburger with onion rings. No condiments, no extra meat, and no frills. Whenever you’re in need of a cheap, indulgent burger, skip McDonald’s and head to Blimpy’s where you can get a better burger for the same price and the same snappy service.
Le Dog
One thing Ann Arbor has that no other midwest town does: a seasonal soup stand that also serves none other than….hot dogs. Still serving lemonade out of a tattered igloo container and hand writing their menus, Le Dog’s commitment to tradition has become novelized and idolized in Ann Arbor. They’re only open for lunch during the week from 11:30-2:30, their soups rotate weekly, and the only seating is the curb outside, but die-hard followers still line up on Thursdays and Fridays promptly at 11:59 to get the first serving of their velvety lobster bisque. A culinary abomination to some, but an ingenious combination to most, dipping a torn off piece of your hot dog bun into a scolding cauldron of soup in the dead of winter captures the simplistic quirks of Ann Arbor delicacies.
Mister Spot’s
The fix-ins for a good Michigan game day are a tailgate at the stadium, a winning touchdown from J.J. McCarthy, and a post-game cheesesteak. The restaurant has been cooking up subs and curing hangovers since 1986, but Tom Brady put it on the map by declaring Mister Spot’s as his favorite post-practice carb-load—before he went all vegan on us. There are a few small tables for immediate sustenance and debriefing tailgate antics, but the sandwiches also travel well for watch parties at home.
