Ann Arbor's Korean Food Scene Arrived, and It Came With a Point of View
Miss Kim, Little Kim, and Bori Korean Kitchen & Bar have turned Ann Arbor into a city with a real Korean food conversation. That is a different thing from having one good Korean restaurant.
The Smash Burger at Echelon
Wood-fired, double-stacked, and deeply savory, with the kind of sear that can reset your expectations for a restaurant burger.
Editorial Pulse
Fresh guides are now steering the front page.
10 pieces are overdue and 13 more are coming due soon. These are the guides and profiles we should be sending readers to right now.
Features
View all →Ji Hye Kim Built Two Restaurants and a Mini-Mart. She's Not Done.
From Miss Kim to a forthcoming Little Kim and an Asian grocery counter, the James Beard-nominated chef is quietly building a food empire.
What Spencer's National Recognition Means for Ann Arbor's Food Identity
The downtown wine shop and fine dining room earned national recognition for its seasonal, farm-driven cooking.
Zingerman's Deli Is the Most Important Restaurant in Ann Arbor. It Might Also Be the Most Misunderstood.
Zingerman's Delicatessen at 422 Detroit St is the founding business of the Zingerman's Community of Businesses, opened March 15, 1982. Forty-four years later, it remains the anchor, and the best argument for what happens when a deli refuses to cut corners.
Just Opened · Just Closed
Guides
The Essential Ann Arbor Food Guide
20 restaurants that define the city right now.
Where to Eat in Ypsilanti
Bellflower, Sidetrack, and more. Ypsi's never been this good.
Best Coffee in Ann Arbor and Ypsilanti
Eight roasters and cafés across two cities.
The 8 Best Cocktail Bars in Washtenaw County
From 312 Underground to Huna's new tiki program.
What's Happening in June
Markets, events, and seasonal food across the region
Ann Arbor Farmers Market (Wednesday)
315 Detroit St, Ann ArborAnn Arbor Farmers Market (Saturday)
315 Detroit St, Ann ArborEastern Market Saturday Market
2934 Russell St, DetroitKerrytown Indoor Market
407 N Fifth Ave, Ann ArborZingerman’s Roadhouse Sunday Brunch
2501 Jackson Ave, Ann ArborMark’s Carts Lunch Service
E Washington St, Ann ArborWhat We're Reading
This week's picks from elsewhereA Dexter Dining Landmark Takes a New Turn
The building at 7954 Ann Arbor St. has been a restaurant five times over. 42 North Social House is the latest attempt, and the Observer does what it does best: the actual history of the space, the scallop dish at $34.99, the social hour that runs $3-$9. Dexter coverage is rare. This is useful.
Upscale Asian Fusion in Downtown
The Observer's take on Tabe, the three-floor omakase restaurant on Main. Less about the opening announcement and more about what the room actually feels like. Good companion read to the Daily's coverage.
Inside Gandy Dancer's 2026 Ann Arbor Restaurant Week
A student review that is honest in a way most food writing isn't. The bisque was great, the service wasn't, and the train tracks outside the window saved the evening. The Daily's restaurant criticism keeps getting sharper.
Michelin Guide to rate Detroit restaurants as part of new Great Lakes edition
The inspectors are already in town. Detroit joins Cleveland, Indianapolis, Milwaukee, Minneapolis, and Pittsburgh in a new Great Lakes guide due in 2027. No Michigan restaurant has ever held a Michelin star. That could change.
Hour Detroit's 2026 Restaurant of the Year: Rudy's Prime Steakhouse
Rudy's in Clarkston is not where you'd expect the restaurant of the year pick. Opened in 2024, off the radar for most of metro Detroit, and running a steakhouse menu that apparently earned it anyway. Worth reading for the upset alone.
Detroit Free Press Names Roses Fine Food as Restaurant of the Year
Roses closed in 2023, came back in 2025, and just landed Restaurant of the Year from the Free Press. The whole arc in one award. 10551 E. Jefferson has been doing this quietly while the rest of the city chases openings.
Metro Detroit Restaurants on Our Radar for 2026
The preview list. Medusa in Midtown, Little Liberia on East Warren, Pine Hall at Hudson's. Hour Detroit's annual radar piece is always better as a snapshot of ambition than a prediction of success.
From Finance to Food Media to Hollywood Writers Room
Ella Quittner's path from Goldman Sachs to food writing to TV writing. A useful listen if you think about food media as a career, or if you're curious why so many food writers are pivoting to other things.
Play
All games →Ann Arbor has two James Beard-recognized restaurants, a USA Today Restaurants of the Year pick, and a tiki bar in somebody's basement. If you're not paying attention to this food city, now would be a good time to start.