Best Vegan/Vegetarian Food - Detroit Street Filling Station
Best Ice Cream - Blank Slate
Best Burger - Frita Batidos
Best Pizza - Joe’s Pizza
Best Sandwich - Zingerman’s
Best “fast” food - No Thai
Best Late Night Bite - New York Pizza Depot
Best Sweet Treat - Washtenaw Dairy
Best Brewery - Jolly Pumpkin
Best Casual Dinner and Drinks - Frita Batidos
Best Romantic Dinner - Mani Osteria
Best Mexican Food - Isalita
Best Indian Food - Madras Masala
Best Mediterranean Food - Jerusalem Garden
Best Pan-Asian Food - Slurping Turtle
Best Booze Shop - Campus Corner
Best Happy Hour - Bill’s Beer Garden
Best Nightlife - Rick’s American Cafe
Best Bookstore - Literati
Best Workout Class - SoulCycle
Best Spot to take your parents - Mani Osteria
Greetings from Ann Arbor!
The Michigan Daily is back with another Best of Ann Arbor edition, highlighting the city’s premier eats, drinks, treats and all the rest. So the next time you need somewhere to take your parents or a place to crash for a latenight bite, look to The Daily for guidance on Ann Arbor’s finest establishments.
Bon voyage! Cecilia Ledezma and Zach Loveall Managing Arts Editors
Illustration by Evelyn Mousigian Design by Fiona Lacroix
Co-Editors in Chief: Dana Elobaid and Samantha Rich Digital Managing Editor: Abby Schreck
Managing Arts Editors: Cecilia Ledezma & Zach Loveall
Managing Photo Editors: Grace Lahti & Lila Turner
Managing Online Editors: Anushka Raheja & Jacob Kim
Managing Copy Editors: Parina Patel & Jackson Kobylarcz
Managing Audience Engagement Editors: Tina Yu & Cole Martin
Business Manager: Ella Thompson | Sales Manager: Annika Chinnaiyan Business Creative Director: Gabriel Paredes
Situated on South University Avenue, the Ann Arbor franchise of Quickly Boba Cafe is a bustling hub for hangouts, dates or even just a quick snack
Despite having opened in 2021, during the COVID19 pandemic, the location is thriving. The store is almost always full with options ranging from a midday meal to a simple study break pick-me-up. Their booming business is welldeserved: In an oversaturated boba tea market, Quickly’s deals
are unmatched with a Classic Black Milk Tea for as low as $4.99 and their service is as friendly as it is fast (hence the name).
When you walk into the stylishly decorated shop, you’re met with a sprawling chalkboard displaying their robust menu of food and drink options. It’s easy to feel overwhelmed, but there’s truly no bad choice. All of their teas are non-dairy, which is greatly appreciated by the lactose-intolerant milk tea
BEST BOBA Quickly
enthusiasts of Ann Arbor, myself included. My go-to is their passionfruit milk tea with a side of takoyaki or popcorn chicken I’m hoping to try their mochi waffles and new papaya tea next.
As you wait for your order, you can choose to sit at one of their long tables, the windowfacing hightops or on the couches. The walls are covered in bright colors and interesting posters to peruse, but you can
also enjoy the little hand-drawn notes and boba-themed stuffed toys by the counter.
In the few years it’s been in business, Ann Arbor Quickly has firmly situated itself in the social life of Ann Arbor. If you’re ever in the mood for a quick snack, I encourage you to drop by and see why it’s earned a well-deserved spot as a Best of Ann Arbor.
- LIN YANG Daily Arts Writer
Blank Slate Creamery
PHOTOS: Ruby Klawans/DAILY
Frita Batidos
BEST PIZZA
- ARIBA HASSAN Daily Staff Reporter
Joe’s Pizza
Alyssa Mulligan/DAILY
Writer
Zingerman’s Delicatessen
Zingerman’s Delicatessen has won the best sandwich in Ann Arbor once again. The shop has won the category so many times that in 2002 a Michigan Daily author suggested an additional category: best “non-Zingerman’s Corp.” deli.
Zingerman’s sits at the corner of Detroit and Kingsley streets in Kerrytown. Through the front door, narrow walkways past the bread and cheese counters lead to the in-door ordering station, an
open area with friendly employees and a sweet, bready smell.
The deli has been named the best in Michigan, and its Reuben is considered one of the best sandwiches in Washtenaw County.
Mike Varney, Zingerman’s head chef and kitchen manager, said the deli’s ingredients are what make their sandwiches special.
The Reuben is made with local sauerkraut from The Brinery and corned beef from Sy Ginsberg’s in Detroit.
“You could go get turkey or Muenster cheese at the grocery store, but I guarantee you it’s not going to be the cheese that we have or the corned beef that we have,” Varney said.
Varney said the shop did years of research to find a turkey farm that fit their criteria.
“It’s really the best turkey that you can find,” Varney said.
The restaurant has enough indoor and outdoor seating for more than 150 people, but if you’re arriving on a Saturday afternoon, be prepared for a long line. While waiting in line, customers can visit The Zingerman’s franchise’s coffee shop next door, the Next Door Cafe, for coffee and other food items.
Varney said his amazing team of 34 workers has a lot of hustle during those hours long wait times for customers.
“My team is truly amazing,” Varney said. “Every single person knows their role, and everyone’s
willing to help each other out.”
Today, Zingerman’s is somewhat of an empire. The business has several autonomous parts managed by about 20 partners, according to co-founder Ari Weinzweig. Along with the deli, cafe and sit-down restaurant, the Zingerman’s brand produces and sells their own bread, cream cheese, coffee and candy bars.
Even after 42 years of sandwich greatness, Weinzweig said he appreciates knowing customers value their business.
“(The award is) a nice compliment because we depend on the community and the ecosystem that we’re in,” Weinzweig said. “We never take any customer for granted. We didn’t in 1982, and we don’t today. So whenever our customers appreciate it, it’s incredibly meaningful.”
- AVA CHATLOSH Daily Staff Reporter
PHOTOS: Sarah Boeke/DAILY
BEST CASUAL DINNER AND DRINKS Frita Batidos
- MATTHEW SHANBOM Daily Staff Reporter
PHOTOS: Alyssa Mulligan/DAILY
Mani Osteria
PHOTOS: Ananya Kedia /DAILY
- CHRISTINA ZHANG Daily Staff Reporter
Ellie Vice/DAILY
Madras Masala
BEST MEXICAN
Slurping Turtle
BEST SUSHI Totoro
Meleck Eldahshoury/DAILY
PHOTOS: Sydney Hastings-Wilkins/DAILY
Washtenaw Dairy
- REBECCA LEWIS Daily News Editor
BEST BREWERY
Jolly Pumpkin
Jolly Pumpkin has been crowned Ann Arbor’s Best Brewery by readers of The Michigan Daily for the second consecutive year. Behind its turquoise door, guests are transported into a charming haven, where wooden tables and cozy stools invite lingering conversations over craft beers. Behind the long counter, a lineup of brew taps stands proudly, each promising a unique flavor adventure waiting to be
discovered.
But over the past year, it’s not just beer that has been brewing. The restaurant has undergone significant renovations, including freshly painted blue and orange walls, new murals and a bright yellow light-up sign that reads “Jolly Pumpkin.”
Dave Horchen, brand manager of Mission Restaurant Group, which manages Jolly Pumpkin, said in an interview with The
Daily that the updates have drastically changed the vibe of the restaurant.
“If somebody hasn’t been here in six months, they would be shocked,” Horchen said.
“It’s dramatically different.”
Along with its recent renovations, Jolly Pumpkin has expanded its beer menu, branching out from its signature sour beers to include IPAs.
“Jolly Pumpkin recently started brewing beers that are not sour,” Horchen said.
“We’ve got a couple of new IPAs that are out. That’s exciting for us because Jolly
Pumpkin generally doesn’t do that kind of thing.”
Horchen said the restaurant’s staff were happy to win the Best Brewery award, and expressed hopes that the award will attract new customers.
“Everybody is so happy,” Horchen said. “Hopefully for us, it means more people through the door, more people come to check us out for the first time, and we can turn into repeat customers.”
- JENNA HAUSMANN Daily Staff Reporter
Josh Sinha /DAILY
Rick’s American Cafe
After waiting in line for anywhere between an hour to five, walking down the steep, sobering stairs of Rick’s American Cafe is like entering a strange yet familiar social reality.
Voted 2024’s Best Nightlife of Ann Arbor, Rick’s features three fully stocked bars, side rooms with cozy booths to watch a game, friendly bartenders and more, making it the mainstay
upperclassmen bar since 1979.
Rick’s attracts the biggest crowd on Thursday nights, with deals like $2.50 well drinks before 10 p.m., signature cocktails, like the fruity “Mindprobe,” and a host of other drinks. The basement boasts purple strobe lights, a few sunken-in dance floors, an elevated stage, party banger sets
and occasional themed costume nights.
Rick’s iconic status comes from the stories it holds; the bar means something different to everyone who has walked its hallowed stairs in the past four decades. Friends sip drinks from two straws, whisper juicy secrets and obscene jokes, shriek-singing Charli xcx, Drake and ABBA.
In The Michigan Daily’s
2013 “‘Til Rick’s do us part,” many cynics indulge their lifelong love stories that began in that basement. Even if you don’t find your “forever” at Rick’s, you will certainly fall into night-long affairs with best friends, situationships, former acquaintances and even strangers.
- KAYA GINSKY
Arushi Sanghi /DAILY
Daily Arts Writer
BEST BOOKSTORE
Literati
- EILENE KOO Daily Staff Reporter
Georgia McKay/DAILY
Soulcycle
TOP PHOTO: Grace Lahti/DAILY BOTTOM PHOTO: Emily Alberts/DAILY
