Ann Arbor, home of the University of Michigan, eats around Kerrytown, where the Zingerman's deli, its Korean sister Miss Kim and a year-round farmers market sit within a few blocks. Downtown adds a Cuban burger counter, a 1987 falafel house, a cheese and wine bar that keeps showing up on James Beard lists, and a dairy that has made donuts and ice cream on the Old West Side for decades. Come in fall, when the cider mills open and the town fills for football.
4 award-winning10 local favorites1 hot right now2 markets6 walking tour stops10 chef's picks3 sandwich shops5 romantic dinners5 breakfast spots3 new openings8 dish spots
Food walking tour: Kerrytown to Liberty Street: an Ann Arbor eating Saturday hours on foot, 6 stops, in eating order. Add the whole tour to your trip, then give it a day.
Going with a group?Give Chef your dates and hotel and he drafts every meal. Then send the group one link: they heart what they'd go to, add their own, and see the morning each table opens.
Four James Beard names and an old depot for sit-down meals, then a dairy, a cider mill, a falafel house, a Cuban burger counter and a vegan sandwich for the rest of the day.
The well-known five
Zingerman's Delicatessen
Kerrytown
Jewish deli$$
Order: The Reuben: Black Angus corned beef, Swiss, sauerkraut and Russian dressing on Zingerman's rye
The most famous restaurant in town; Love Food named its Reuben Michigan's best sandwich in 2025.
Best for: lunch · Reserve: walk-in · Hours: Listed as 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. daily in one source; older listings differ, so check.
New places change fast. “Provisional” means a guide or directory lists it as new but we have not confirmed the opening date. Check hours and book ahead before you go.
Memorable breakfasts in Ann Arbor
Five places chosen for the food, the room, the history or the local character. In no ranked order.
Picks come from romantic-dinner lists on booking and review sites. Confirm dinner service, menus and availability before you book.
Food walking tour
Kerrytown to Liberty Street: an Ann Arbor eating Saturday
The farmers market, a Reuben, falafel, a Cuban milkshake, a dairy donut and a cheese bar.
Start 9:00 at Ann Arbor Farmers Market, 315 Detroit St, KerrytownBest days Saturday (or Wednesday) for the farmers market. Book Spencer ahead: it has set seatings and no walk-ins.
Kerrytown and downtown sit next to each other, so a whole eating day here is on foot. Start at the market, split a Reuben at Zingerman's, walk to Liberty Street for falafel, cut over to Washington for a batido, out to the Old West Side for a dairy donut, and end with cheese and wine.
Pacing: Share everything until dinner: one Reuben, one falafel plate, one batido.
Plan B: If Spencer is full, Miss Kim (415 N 5th Ave) in Kerrytown is a James Beard-listed dinner. On a weekday without the market, start at Washtenaw Dairy instead.
Avoid: Home football Saturdays, move-in week in late August and commencement weekend, when downtown and hotels fill.
Bring: A bag for market produce and comfortable shoes. Times between stops were not measured; check a map.
Skip it if: Skip it on a home football Saturday unless you are there for the game.
Ends at: Spencer, 113 E Liberty St, downtown.
Walking times and distances are approximate, and opening hours change: confirm before you go.
Hot right now in Ann Arbor
What people are lining up for and posting about this month. Entries expire after about four months unless they are reported again.
Always a lineLast confirmed May 2025
Zingerman's Delicatessen
Kerrytown · $$
The thing: The Reuben
Still the sandwich people travel for; named Michigan's best by Love Food in 2025.
James Beard semifinalist, Best New Restaurant (2026)
Opened in February 2025 at 200 S. Main St. after a wood-fired food truck; cooks on a wood-fired stove and charcoal grill and has a strong drinks program.
Spencer
Downtown · Cheese and wine bar
James Beard semifinalist, Outstanding Wine and Other Beverages Program (2025)James Beard finalist, wine and beverage program (2023)
A small cheese and wine bar on East Liberty run by a former Zingerman's cheesemonger, with a monthly prix fixe and set seating times.
Miss Kim
Kerrytown · Korean · Chef Ji Hye Kim
James Beard semifinalist, Best Chef: Great Lakes (2025)Earlier Best Chef: Great Lakes semifinalist nods
Ji Hye Kim's Zingerman's-family Korean restaurant in Kerrytown, cooking seasonal home-style dishes; 2025 was her fifth nomination.
Zingerman's Roadhouse
West side · American
James Beard finalist, Outstanding Hospitality (2020)Former chef Alex Young won Best Chef: Great Lakes (2011)
The Zingerman's sit-down restaurant for American classics, from breakfast to dinner.
Cider mills run from late August to mid-November (Dexter Cider Mill opened Aug. 22, 2025) and the farmers market is at its fullest May to October. Home football Saturdays, move-in week in late August and commencement weekend fill hotels, so book early or pick another weekend.
In season
Cider and cider donutsAug–NovDexter Cider Mill, late August to mid-November.
Washtenaw Dairy donutsJan–Mar, Oct–DecThe dairy's fall and winter staple; ice cream leads in summer.
Washtenaw Dairy ice creamJun–AugSummer at the dairy.
Farmers market produceMay–OctWednesday and Saturday markets May to December.
Food events
Ann Arbor Restaurant WeekJanJan. 18 to 23, 2026.
Taste of Ann ArborMayMay 31, 2026, Main Street, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Dexter Cider Mill season openingAugOpened Aug. 22, 2025 for its 139th season.
Closures to plan around
Dexter Cider Mill is seasonal and cash or check only.
The farmers market drops to Saturdays only from January to April.
From published guides and tourism boards. Months are our mapping of how guides describe the seasons; 2027 event dates are expected, not confirmed. Prices come from single sources of varying age, so treat them as a rough guide. Compare cities by month
Every place we have in Ann Arbor (21)
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Echelon Kitchen & BarAward-winningChef's picksNew openingsDowntown · James Beard semifinalist, Best New Restaurant (2026) · Wood-fired American
Miss KimAward-winningDish spotsChef's picksKerrytown · James Beard semifinalist, Best Chef: Great Lakes (2025) · Korean
SpencerAward-winningWalking tour stopsChef's picksRomantic dinnersDowntown · James Beard semifinalist, Outstanding Wine and Other Beverages Program (2025) · Cheese and wine bar
Zingerman's RoadhouseAward-winningBreakfast spotsWest side · James Beard finalist, Outstanding Hospitality (2020) · American
Ann Arbor Farmers MarketLocal favoritesMarketsWalking tour stopsKerrytown · market
AventuraLocal favoritesRomantic dinnersDowntown · bar
Detroit Street Filling StationLocal favoritesChef's picksSandwich shopsKerrytown · counter
Locally loved places that are not on the big prestige lists.
classic
Washtenaw Dairy
Old West Side · $
Order: Plain or glazed donuts in fall and winter, ice cream in summer
Independent since 1934 and the last of the town's old dairies. Donuts came in the early 1980s; reviewers in 2025 still called it the best donut stop around.
Awards come from the guides named on each listing (2026). Researched November 7, 2026. Restaurants change; confirm hours, reservations and current stars before you go. Some addresses, phone numbers and websites come from OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL), so call ahead to confirm. Local favorites are editorial picks, not rankings.
