Ypsilanti Restaurants & Dining
39 articles
Restaurant reporting from downtown Ypsilanti, Depot Town, Cross Street, and the surrounding community.
Sidetrack's Long Run in Depot Town
The East Cross Street bar pairs a documented burger reputation with one of Ypsilanti's best-known building stories.
Sidetrack Bar & Grill occupies a historic East Cross Street building and keeps burgers at the center of its current menu.
Where to Eat in Ypsilanti (2026): The Complete Restaurant Guide
Bellflower, Sidetrack, and 13 more reasons Ypsi's restaurant scene deserves your full attention.
Where to eat in Ypsilanti: Bellflower, Sidetrack Bar & Grill, MAIZ Mexican Cantina, Ma Lou's Fried Chicken, and more. The complete restaurant guide for Ypsi, updated 2026.
Ypsilanti Has a Food Scene. You Just Have to Know Where to Look.
The restaurants on Michigan Avenue and beyond that make Ypsi worth crossing the river for.
Ypsilanti's dining scene punches well above its size. From Haab's centennial dining room to Bona Sera's wood-fired patio, here's where to eat in Ypsi.
Ypsilanti Is Having a Moment. This Time It Might Stick.
Lower rents, creative chefs, and a dining scene that's finally finding its footing.
Lower rents, creative chefs, and a scene that's finally hitting its stride.
Galy's Brings West African Diaspora Cooking to Downtown Ypsilanti
Chef Bangaly Kaba is now serving from the former Crawdaddy's space on North Washington Street.
Galy's is taking orders at 20 North Washington Street in Ypsilanti, with a menu spanning West African dishes, burgers, and seafood.
Depot Town, Ypsilanti: A Neighborhood Dining Guide
The waterfront strip where Bellflower, Sidetrack, and the Bomber have built something worth the drive from Ann Arbor.
Depot Town is Ypsilanti's most walkable food corridor: an 1850s building with a burger GQ noticed, a James Beard semifinalist on Pearl Street, Southern comfort food in a Civil War barracks, and a roaster worth the drive alone.
The Best Patios in Ypsilanti
Where to eat and drink outside when the weather finally cooperates. Ypsilanti has better outdoor dining than most people know.
From Sidetrack's riverfront beer garden to Bellflower's covered courtyard on Pearl Street, Ypsilanti has outdoor dining worth planning your summer around. A focused guide to the city's best patios.
The Best Bars in Ypsilanti
From a crooked building on Cross Street to a bourbon lounge inside a Civil War barracks. Where to drink in Ypsi.
Sidetrack has the GQ burger and a patio that earns the hype. 734 Brewing pours the area code. Mash has the bourbon and the live music. A focused guide to the best places to drink in Ypsilanti.
Best Brunch in Ypsilanti: Where to Eat on Weekend Mornings
From a Civil War barracks to a James Beard kitchen, Ypsilanti's brunch scene is better than Ann Arbor wants to admit.
The best brunch in Ypsilanti: Bellflower's Sunday brunch changes weekly, Thompson & Co. does bananas foster French toast in a restored Civil War barracks, and The Bomber has been frying Cap'N Crunch French toast since 1936. A practical guide.
Where to Take Mom: A Mother's Day Dining Guide for 2026
Nine restaurants across Ann Arbor, Ypsilanti, and Chelsea. Call this week.
Mother's Day is May 10. The best tables in Washtenaw County will fill within weeks. Nine restaurants, one guide, no time to wait.
Restaurant Openings in Washtenaw County: 2025-2026
A sourced, non-exhaustive running list of new and announced restaurants, cafes, and bars.
Verified openings and announced projects in Ann Arbor, Ypsilanti, Dexter, and Chelsea during 2025 and 2026.
The 8 Best Cocktail Bars in Washtenaw County
From a speakeasy on Huron to a tiki bar in somebody's basement.
Eight bars where the drink in your hand is the point of the visit, sorted by the kind of night you're trying to have.
Best Coffee in Ann Arbor and Ypsilanti
Seven roasters and cafes that take the cup seriously. No drive-through chains allowed.
Seven coffee shops across Ann Arbor and Ypsilanti where the beans are sourced with care, roasted with intention, and served by people who actually drink the stuff.
Three Closings and a Question: What Fills Ypsilanti's Gaps?
Wurst Bar, Beezy's, and Bobcat Bonnie's all closed within about a year of each other. Here's what the public record shows about what's replacing them.
Three Ypsilanti restaurants closed within about a year of each other. One address has already cycled through two more tenants. The others are a mix of unnamed plans and paperwork. Here's what's actually confirmed.
The Best Mexican Food in Ann Arbor and Ypsilanti
A current guide beyond the taco rankings, with menus and locations readers can verify.
A source-led guide to Mexican and Mexican-adjacent restaurants in Ann Arbor, Ypsilanti, and nearby Washtenaw County.
Where to Eat with Kids in Washtenaw County
Twelve restaurants across Ann Arbor, Ypsilanti, Dexter, and Chelsea where children are welcome and the food is still good.
Finding restaurants that work for kids without boring the adults is harder than it should be. Twelve spots across Washtenaw County that thread the needle.
Fine Dining in Washtenaw County: Where to Spend the Money
Seven restaurants where the check is high and the food justifies it.
From a James Beard semifinalist on South Main to a tasting menu inside a wine shop, here are the restaurants in Washtenaw County where spending more gets you something genuinely better.
Tower Inn Closed on Cross Street After Decades Near Eastern Michigan
The dive bar at 701 W Cross Street, across from EMU's campus, closed when its owners converted it into a Hamburger Mary's in January 2022.
Tower Inn, the longtime dive bar across from Eastern Michigan University on Cross Street in Ypsilanti, closed in January 2022 when its owners converted the space into a Hamburger Mary's franchise.
Crawdaddy's Creole Closed on Washington Street
The Ypsilanti Creole restaurant operated in the former Beezy's space before making way for Galy's.
Crawdaddy's Creole closed at 20 N Washington St in Ypsilanti. Chef Bangaly Kaba's Galy's now operates from the former restaurant's space.
Casablanca Is the Ypsilanti Stop You Keep Driving Past
In a strip mall on Washtenaw Avenue, a kitchen is making lamb tagine, handmade couscous, and merguez worth pulling over for.
Casablanca at 2333 Washtenaw Ave in Ypsilanti serves Moroccan and Mediterranean cooking in a strip mall that gives no indication of what's inside. The lamb tagine with preserved lemon is the dish to order.
Basil Babe Brought Real Thai Cooking to Ypsilanti's West Side
A mother-daughter kitchen at 701 West Cross Street, two doors down from where Wurst Bar used to be.
Basil Babe at 701 W Cross St in Ypsilanti serves Thai food from a mother-daughter team with deep roots in the cuisine. The massaman curry and pad see ew are the orders.
B2A2: The Rankings After Six Burgers
Seven entries from a cocktail bar to a Corktown slider joint. Here's how they stack up.
Six entries into the Best Burger in Ann Arbor series, it's time for an updated scorecard. From Raven's Club to Green Dot Stables, ranked and reasoned.
Encuentro Latino Feeds Its Block for Under Twelve Dollars
At 228 W Michigan Ave in Ypsilanti, Guatemalan and Latin American food priced for the neighborhood.
Encuentro Latino at 228 W Michigan Ave in Ypsilanti serves Guatemalan and Latin American food, including pupusas, tamales, and combination plates, with most items under $12.
Ma Lou's Has the Best Fried Chicken in Michigan. It's on Michigan Avenue in Ypsi.
K.C. Knipple grew up here. He opened a chicken spot. The rest of the state noticed.
Named best fried chicken in Michigan by multiple publications. Ma Lou's is a Ypsilanti original.
The Bomber Has Been Feeding Ypsilanti Since Before the Bombers Flew
At 306 East Michigan Avenue, a WWII-themed diner that earned the theme.
The Bomber at 306 E Michigan Ave has been feeding Ypsilanti since 1936. Cap'N Crunch French Toast, laminated menus, and the kind of breakfast that fortifies you for the rest of the day.
Beezy's Closes Quietly in Downtown Ypsilanti
The café at 20 N Washington Street served its last coffee and pastry in September.
Beezy's closed in September after years of scratch-made breakfasts and baked goods at 20 N Washington in downtown Ypsilanti.
Aubree's Has Been Holding Down Depot Town Since 1972
At 39 East Cross, a pizza-and-beer joint that outlasted everything around it.
Aubree's Pizzeria & Grill at 39 E Cross St in Ypsilanti has been serving pizza, feta bread, and cold beer in Depot Town since 1972. The feta bread is the sleeper hit.
Wurst Bar Closed on Cross Street
The Ypsilanti sausage-and-beer bar served its final customers on August 24, 2025.
Wurst Bar closed August 24, 2025, at 705 W Cross St in Ypsilanti.
Vegetarian and Vegan Guide to Ann Arbor
Eight restaurants where the plant-based food isn't an afterthought.
Eight restaurants in Ann Arbor and Ypsilanti where the vegetarian and vegan options are the reason to go, not a consolation prize.
Bill's Drive-In Has Not Changed. That Is the Entire Point.
Since 1939, the mustard-colored building on East Michigan Avenue has been serving root beer and hot dogs from the same window.
Bill's Drive-In at 1292 E Michigan Ave in Ypsilanti has been open since 1939. House-made root beer in a chilled mug, carhop service, and hot dogs that taste like they always have.
The Fold: The Rankings After Five Tacos
A mid-series comparison from Ann Arbor's west side to Southwest Detroit. Here's how the entries stack up.
Five entries into The Fold taco series, it's time for a mid-series scorecard. From Dos Hermanos to Taqueria El Rey, ranked and reasoned.
B2A2: Sidetrack's Signature Burger
Entry five heads to Ypsilanti, where a long-running Depot Town bar serves its signature burger.
The fifth entry in the Best Burger in Ann Arbor series crosses into Ypsilanti. Sidetrack Bar & Grill's signature burger brings the pub format to Depot Town.
The Fold: MAIZ Mexican Cantina
The taco series crosses the Huron River into Ypsilanti for the first time.
The Fold Entry #2 takes us to Depot Town, where MAIZ Mexican Cantina builds tacos from scratch daily and makes a strong case for expanding our search beyond Ann Arbor's borders.
Thompson & Co. Occupies 160 Years of Ypsilanti History. The Food Holds Up Its End.
Southern comfort food in a Civil War-era building that survived arson, abandonment, and an oak tree through the roof.
At 400 N River St in Depot Town, Thompson & Co. serves Southern comfort food inside the restored Thompson Block, a Civil War barracks that nearly burned to nothing in 2009.
Hyperion Coffee Connects Ypsilanti and Ann Arbor
The independent roaster now operates cafes on North River Street and West Liberty.
A source-linked profile of Hyperion Coffee's Ypsilanti roastery and its Ann Arbor cafe.
734 Brewing Is Ypsilanti, Poured Into a Glass
On Cross Street, a taproom built by Ypsi graduates brews beer that belongs to this city.
Founded by Ypsilanti High School graduates, 734 Brewing is a taproom that runs on local pride, rotating taps, and Cross Street foot traffic.
Bellflower Is the Best Restaurant in Ypsilanti. The Rest of the County Should Know.
In a former Michigan Bell telephone exchange, chef Dan Klenotic is cooking food that rivals anything across the river.
In a former telephone exchange on Pearl Street, a James Beard semifinalist is cooking food that rivals anything in Ann Arbor.
Bobcat Bonnie's Ypsilanti Closed Amid a Labor Dispute
The Michigan Avenue location stopped operating in October 2024 after workers raised pay and workplace complaints.
Bobcat Bonnie's closed its Ypsilanti location at 200 W Michigan Ave in October 2024. Employees alleged bounced paychecks and other workplace problems; the company later confirmed the closure was permanent.
Cultivate Coffee Closed in February 2022
The owners cited the pandemic, limited indoor capacity, and unresolved approval for a winter tent.
Cultivate Coffee & Tap House closed February 5, 2022 after its owners cited the pandemic, limited indoor capacity, and an unresolved winter-tent approval. Vertex now occupies the space.