Ann Arbor Restaurant Week returns with discounted options at numerous eateries

Ann Arbor’s Restaurant Week will run Jan. 21-26, with participating restaurants offering discounted multi-course meals, special lunch options, and tasting menus.
 
Vicki Joling, executive director of Main Street Ann Arbor, says the annual event is "a great opportunity for people in the community to … experience the culinary scene in Ann Arbor in a really approachable and affordable way."
 
"Ann Arbor has a really diverse selection of restaurants and food options," Joling says. When Restaurant Week rolls around, she says, chefs "really do put their best foot forward."

"They put a lot of care and attention into [their] menus … so you really are getting the best of the best," she says.
 
Nearly 40 restaurants will participate in this year’s event, including several of what Joling calls the "institutions" that have long defined Ann Arbor dining, such as Zingerman’s Roadhouse, Palio, and Real Seafood. But Joling says she’s also looking forward to the newcomers who’ll be participating in Restaurant Week for the first time, such as Peridot and The Dixboro Project.
 
"I love the fact that they're taking the time and the effort to participate in Restaurant Week because they know how beloved the event is," Joling says.
 
Many venues will offer both dine-in and to-go options, a change that Joling says began during the pandemic, when dining in became difficult, if not impossible. Vegetarian and vegan options have also become more ubiquitous.
 
Joling says Restaurant Week is the perfect opportunity for diners to try something new, especially when it comes to restaurants that might normally fall "out of their price point." The discounted menus make the event as a whole more "inclusive" and "approachable," she adds.
 
Joling also recommends that diners look out for special menu items designed to celebrate Ann Arbor’s bicentennial, which falls this year. Some chefs may offer a bicentennial-themed cocktail or appetizer that will only appear on their menus for a limited time.
 
More information on Restaurant Week can be found here.

Natalia Holtzman is a freelance writer based in Ann Arbor. Her work has appeared in publications such as the Minneapolis Star Tribune, the Los Angeles Review of Books, Literary Hub, The Millions, and others.

Photo courtesy of Ann Arbor Restaurant Week.