Tag

Bbq

4 articles

Guide

The Best BBQ in Ann Arbor and Washtenaw County

Ann Arbor is not a BBQ town. But between Chelsea, South State Street, and Packard, there's more smoked meat worth knowing about than most people realize.

Best BBQ in Ann Arbor: from Smokehouse 52 in Chelsea to Zingerman's Roadhouse pit ribs to Biercamp's smoked meats and Ricewood's brisket bowls, Washtenaw County has a BBQ scene worth navigating.

April 22, 2026 · 7 min read
Restaurant Profile

Smokehouse 52 Does the Slow Work on Main Street

Chelsea's BBQ joint has been smoking brisket since 2013. It deserves a profile that isn't about Jeff Daniels.

Smokehouse 52 BBQ at 125 S Main St in Chelsea has been smoking brisket, pulling pork, and running five sauces since 2013. Phil and Jenn Tolliver built it from a hog farm education and a Mike Mills apprenticeship.

March 26, 2026 · 5 min read
Restaurant Profile

The Roadhouse Is the Loud One, and That's the Point

Twenty-three years in, Zingerman's full-service restaurant on Jackson Avenue is still the most democratic table in Ann Arbor. Fried chicken, pit barbecue, mac and cheese made with Martelli pasta, and a room that seats hundreds.

Zingerman's Roadhouse has been serving fried chicken, pit barbecue, and Martelli mac and cheese at 2501 Jackson Ave for 23 years. It's the big, loud, full-service arm of the Zingerman's community, and it earns every decibel.

October 16, 2025 · 9 min read
Restaurant Profile

Slows Bar BQ Opened Before Corktown Had Anything, and It Is Still Here

At 2138 Michigan Ave, the restaurant that sparked a neighborhood's revival keeps smoking brisket. Eighteen years later, the line still forms.

Slows Bar BQ opened in Corktown in 2005 and helped turn a quiet stretch of Michigan Avenue into Detroit's best dining corridor. The brisket, the mac and cheese, and the case for the restaurant that started it all.

July 14, 2025 · 5 min read