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[title]Ann Arbor is home to the University of Michigan, which means you'll find all the trappings of a college town, like bars serving cheap beer and plenty of coffee shops. But Ann Arbor also has a big farmers' market, a couple of breweries and a cult-favorite deli, which make the town a food-lover's destination. As a bonus, if you stay downtown, you can walk to most of these places, so it's easy to bar- and restaurant-hop.
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Teahaus
A cozy little teashop, Teahaus serves all kinds of looseleaf tea, plus breakfast and lunch. Get a cup to go, or have a quick bite for breakfast, like scones served with lemon curd and clotted cream. And if you aren't up on tea, just ask for help—the barista can help you pick out a tea to pair with your food.
Ann Arbor Farmers' Market
Held Saturdays from 7am–3pm and Wednesdays from 7am–3pm and 4–8pm, the Ann Arbor Farmers' Market has plenty of stands to pick up breakfast, like pastries from Kapnick Orchards. Visit Mindo Chocolates and other vendors to find snacks for later in the day.
Zingerman's Deli and Zingerman's Roadhouse
You can't talk about Ann Arbor food without talking about Zingerman's. The iconic deli, founded in 1982 by Paul Saginaw and Ari Weinzweig, is a huge part of the community and features sandwiches and specialty foods both local and international. They've since expanded and added a bakery, creamery, coffee roaster and a sit-down restaurant, Zingerman's Roadhouse, which are scattered all over town.
For lunch, head to the deli or Roadhouse, which serves comfort foods like barbecue, mac and cheese, burgers, and—hands down the best dessert ever—a doughnut sundae. It's a doughnut topped with vanilla gelato, caramel sauce and peanuts.
Frita Batidos
After participating on Top Chef, Eve Aronoff opened the casual Cuban street food restaurant Frita Batidos, which serves sandwiches, fries and churros. The sandwiches include a terrific Cuban, but the batidos are the star. The milkshakes, available in flavors like passionfruit and coconut cream, are creamy and refreshing and can be spiked with rum.
Grange Kitchen & Bar
For a slightly fancier dinner, try Grange. The menu at the seasonal American restaurant changes daily, but you can expect to find dishes like fried green tomatoes with bacon jam and lake perch with corn griddle cakes. There's also a five-course tasting menu, but the whole table needs to participate. Cocktails incorporate Michigan ingredients like New Holland vodka, maple syrup and local raspberry wine.
Grizzly Peak Brewing Company
The brewpub has happy hour from 4–6pm Monday–Friday, so start your evening with a pale ale or IPA, or my favorite, Steelhead Red, which is smooth and caramelly.
Jolly Pumpkin Brewing
Jolly Pumpkin ages all of their beers in oak casks and makes sour brews, and at this outpost of the brewery (there's also one in Traverse City and one in Dexter), you can get flights, pitchers and pints of all kinds of beer on draft.
The Raven’s Club
Ann Arbor's best spot for cocktails, the Raven's Club serves well-made classics like a Dark and Stormy, but it also turns out more inventive drinks. The chef, Frank Fejeran, worked at the Hopleaf for awhile, and here, he's making excellent bar snacks like deviled eggs, chicken-liver mousse and charcuterie.