Holiday Dining in Washtenaw County
Thanksgiving reservations, holiday parties, and New Year's Eve. Where to celebrate and what to book now.
The seasonal guides have covered spring, summer, and fall. This is the last one: the stretch from Thanksgiving through New Year's Eve, when restaurants shift from daily dining to celebration mode and the difference between a good holiday meal and a bad one comes down to whether you planned ahead.
Book now. Seriously. The restaurants on this list fill their holiday slots weeks in advance, and the ones that don't take reservations will have lines. This guide is published in late October because late October is when you should be making calls.
Thanksgiving
Not every restaurant is open on Thanksgiving, and the ones that are tend to run special menus at higher prices. That's the deal. You're paying for the kitchen to cook while their staff could be eating at home.
Zingerman's Roadhouse (2501 Jackson Ave, Ann Arbor). The Roadhouse runs a Thanksgiving feast annually, family-style, with turkey, stuffing, sides, and dessert. The sourcing is the same as the rest of the year: Michigan farms, named producers, everything from scratch. Reservations fill early. If the Roadhouse is booked, their catering operation can deliver a full Thanksgiving spread to your home.
The Common Grill (112 S Main St, Chelsea). Chelsea's anchor restaurant has been serving Thanksgiving dinner for over thirty years. The menu is traditional with Craig Common's touch: roasted turkey, seasonal sides, and desserts. Call early. Chelsea is a small town, and this is where the town eats Thanksgiving.
Echelon Kitchen & Bar (200 S Main St, Ann Arbor). If Echelon runs a Thanksgiving menu, it will be the most refined option on this list. The wood-fired kitchen applies the same precision to holiday cooking that it brings to a Tuesday dinner. Check their site for availability as the date approaches.
Cook at home, source locally. If you're hosting: Zingerman's Mail Order ships full Thanksgiving kits. Zingerman's Bakehouse bakes pies and bread for pre-order. The farmers market in November has squash, potatoes, onions, and root vegetables. Argus Farm Stop stocks local turkeys and sides. You can build a better Thanksgiving from local sources than from any grocery store.
Holiday Parties
The private dining options in the county have expanded. Several of the restaurants we've profiled this year have event spaces.
Zingerman's Cornman Farms (8540 Island Lake Rd, Dexter). The barn and farmhouse host private holiday events for groups up to 75. Custom menus, full coordination, and a setting that looks like a holiday card. This is the premium option and books far ahead.
Zingerman's Catering and Events. The ZCoB catering arm handles everything from small office parties to events for over 2,000 people. The menu draws from the full Zingerman's catalog: Deli sandwiches, Bakehouse bread, Creamery cheese, Roadhouse comfort food. If you want Zingerman's quality at a venue of your choice, this is the route.
Sunda New Asian (33 W Columbia St, Detroit). The 200-seat room near Comerica Park can accommodate large parties. The pan-Asian menu works for holiday events that want something different from the traditional spread. The kamayan feast for groups is built for celebration.
New Year's Eve
NYE dining in Ann Arbor splits into two categories: restaurants running special prix-fixe menus, and restaurants running their regular menus with a midnight toast.
Spencer (113 E Liberty St, Ann Arbor). If Spencer runs a NYE tasting menu, it will be the most composed meal you can eat in the county that night. The kitchen and the wine program are built for this kind of occasion. Reserve early.
Echelon + Hunã (200 S Main St, Ann Arbor). Dinner upstairs at Echelon, then descend to Hunã for midnight. The tiki bar is open until 2 a.m. on weekends, and a rum cocktail at midnight in a basement full of bamboo is a more interesting way to ring in 2027 than most alternatives.
Bellflower (209 Pearl St, Ypsilanti). The river view, the seafood, the string lights. NYE at Bellflower is the Ypsilanti answer to downtown Ann Arbor's prix-fixe scene, and it's usually less crowded and less expensive.
The Planning Checklist
November 1: Book Thanksgiving dinner if eating out. Pre-order pies from Zingerman's Bakehouse.
November 15: Book holiday party space. Confirm catering orders.
December 1: Book New Year's Eve dinner. The best tables will be gone by mid-December.
December 15: Order Zingerman's Mail Order gifts for out-of-town family and friends. Shipping deadlines are real.
The holiday season in Washtenaw County runs on the same supply chain that feeds the rest of the year: local farms, independent restaurants, and a community of cooks who take the food seriously. The difference in November and December is that everyone wants a seat at the same time. Plan ahead. The food will be there. The reservations won't.