Restaurants’ New Normal
There’s a low-profile country store display in a dusty corner of Ann Arbor’s otherwise noisy and...
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Dine
Ypbor Yan Heads East
Frank Zhong’s Ypbor Yan, featuring a rather exotic menu centered around Sichuan cuisine, has moved a bit farther east on Washtenaw Ave. into a building long home to a Big Boy and, most recently, Crazy Crab. He also tweaked the...
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A “Marriage of Families” on Washtenaw
Thirty-nine years ago, Michael and Bridget Roddy held a contest to name their new Italian...
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Treat Truck
The soft-serve frozen treat was developed by the Dole corporation in 1984, but until a couple of...
Read MoreMore Boba at Briarwood
Briarwood mall shoppers in search of boba now have two options with the May opening of Totally Tea in Center Court. With tapioca pearls of strawberry, kiwi, and mango available among the dozens of drink choices, the chain is an...
Read MoreDrive-thrus Prompt Panera Moves
Customers of Panera Bread are increasingly on the move, so the fast-casual bakery/café chain is upshifting with moves of its own. Its two new local restaurants offer drive-thru ordering and preorder pickup, each replacing nearby...
Read MoreThe One and Only Crepe Nation
It’s called Crepe Nation, though it’s actually a locally owned breakfast and brunch concept of young restaurateur Complete Chijioki. He moved in late May to Jackson Rd. west of Zeeb, upgrading from a smaller spot on Golfside Rd....
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Craft and Art and Culture on Ellsworth
Cofounder Noah Kaplan has high hopes for Mothfire Brewing Co.’s relocated and upgraded Ann Arbor...
Read MoreBustaurant Rolls to New Station
The double-decker taco “bustaurant” 1923 has rolled on after seven months in the parking lot at the corner of Miller and First. Its new station, less than a mile away at the southern edge of downtown, features a renovated house...
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Sunny Chapel Is Tired but Happy
Sunny Chapel has already started two very different companies in 2023— her second consultancy as a...
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Hungry for More
When Ajumma sent me a text message asking me to call her, I was worried that there was an...
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Coffee and Cocktails
Ann Arbor restaurants are awash in workers with wide-ranging resumes, but few can match Terry...
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Imagining Southtown
At a white library desk in Venue, Margaret Poscher is building an empire. Peering into her laptop...
Read MoreTastee’s Burgers Arrives
A halal burger joint is finding traction next to the Shell gas station at the busy corner of W. Eisenhower and Ann Arbor–Saline Rd. Taystee’s Burgers opened in January, joining locations in Dearborn and Dearborn Heights. Since...
Read MoreAli Hijazi’s New Fusion
“The concept is working faster than what I anticipated,” enthuses longtime restaurateur Ali Hijazi of the reopening of the Colonnade location of Zamaan Cafe under the full-time care of Iranian-born partner and chef Arash Sharifi...
Read MoreFast-casual Greek at Pittsfield’s Uptown
The Great Greek Mediterranean Grill, a growing fast-casual chain, is making its local entrance in a corner retail space fronting Pittsfield’s upscale Uptown Ann Arbor apartment community. May 1 is its “pretty firm” opening date,...
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From Grabbagreen to the Misfit Society Coffee Club
Misfit Society Coffee Club opened in March at the base of the Six11 student high-rise on E....
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Brews and Cookies
Carlson, Greg Lobdell, and Chet Czaplicka founded Grizzly Peak, Blue Tractor, Jolly Pumpkin, and...
Read MoreA Second Sweetgreen
Less than two months after opening on S. State St. downtown, the salad chain Sweetgreen celebrated the launch of its second location on March 21 in the Arbor Hills shopping center. The fast-casual concept prioritizes fresh and...
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