<p>I'm going to be visiting my D in November and may take a large number of kids out to dinner (or maybe lunch). I need suggestions for a place that has good food, seating for a large group, and isn't too expensive. Any ideas?</p>
<p>Want on campus or is a little off okay?</p>
<p>Off campus is o.k.!</p>
<p>For lunch Izzy’s is really good. It’s on Stadium near Little Caesars. I think the cross roads are Stadium and Pauline but I could be wrong about Pauline. Their main thing is philly steaks. A full sized one is only 10 inches but it’s bigger than that sounds. It’s plenty for a good sized meal. And if you’re ordering a bunch I think it’s only like $14 for 2 of them. Chili Cheese fries are pretty good too. They have tons of seating, as long as it’s under 20 people you’re good. They’re not open during dinner hours though.</p>
<p>Another place is Tmaz which is on Packard near Platt. It’s a Mexican place. Every individual item is pretty small but they’re only like $1.50-$3 each. Usually $6 or $7 is plenty for a meal. They also have these pretty interesting drinks. The food there is really good. The tables probably only seat like 4 people each but there’s a bunch all next to each other so you could make it work out. If you have more than 15 you might end up getting separated though if you go at a really busy time.</p>
<p>H’mm, the Mexican place sounds good for dinner. I will keep Izzy’s in mind for lunch.</p>
<p>More questions – are there any good Chinese places in Ann Arbor? What’s the best Italian place? Not necessarily for a big group but just as suggestions for places to go when we visit.</p>
<p>Thank you!</p>
<p>I don’t really like Italian food so I can’t help you much there. A lot of people like Mia Za’s but I’m not a big fan. Their portions are tiny, I’ve only been there twice but each time I’ve had to order two bowls of pasta and I’ve still been hungry. The food is good but it simply takes 3 entrees to fill you up, and it’s not good enough that I’d be willing to pay that.</p>
<p>I’ve been to a place called Chia Shang on Packard a few times which is really good (they have some spicy fish soup thing that’s amazing - I don’t know the name of the dish though), but it’s kind of expensive. Expect like $15-20 a person. Most of the dishes aren’t huge so you may want to get approximately 1.25 dishes per person. The food is great though.</p>
<p>A cheaper option (but less authentic) is King Shing, which is on Carpenter near Packard. It’s sort of standard American style Chinese but they do a better job of it than anywhere else I’ve ever been. Prices are pretty standard for American-Chinese. Like $8-10.</p>
<p>You might wanna check out Asian Legend on E William St and Sava’s on S State St. They are both excellent places with fair pricing. I’m sure Sava’s has some Italian dishes you’re looking for.</p>
<p>Sava’s, no question.</p>
<p>I went to Sava’s once. Not a fan. Portions are too small.</p>
<p>We have eaten at Sava’s twice and liked it a lot - the other restaurants are new to me. Vladenschlutte, you sound hungry! 
Thank you for all the suggestions. I appreciate it!</p>
<p>If you have a large party, I would recommend taking them to Cottage Inn or Pizza House. Nothing special from a cullinary standpoint but a good atmosphere for large crowds and easy to get to. For Italian I would suggest either Gratzi or Palio on Main Street. I like Sava’s but do not think of it as an Italian place. If you want Chinese I would go to New York or San Francisco or anywhere else but Ann Arbor. For decades people have been looking for the place for Chinese in Ann Arbor and there just isn’t anything that great.</p>
<p>That’s what I had heard – no Chinese food in Ann Arbor. We’ll probably still check out one of the Chinese restaurants listed above at some point, just in case. My D is a freshman and we have lots of years of eating at Ann Arbor restaurants ahead of us! The list of Italian places is nice to have, and we’ll probably hit one of those in November.</p>
<p>Any other suggestions? Thai?</p>
<p>Zingerman’s Deli is the best, but often very crowded. For a classier place, the Gandy Dance is good tho pricey - in the old train station. I also like Seva.</p>
<p>Zingerman’s expanded last year so it’s not nearly as crowded anymore.</p>
<p>There’s a fantastic Thai place in Ann Arbor across from an equally great Italian place, I just can’t for the life of me figure out their names D: I remember the Italian place is very classic Italian… Red table cloths, wine in cup-like wine glasses, and REAL olive oil. The Thai place is quite small but SO good!!! </p>
<p>Can anyone help out with the names?</p>
<p>Pacific Rim, downtown on W. Liberty, is good for Asian fusion, a bit pricey for Ann Arbor.</p>
<p>Chia Shiang is the best Chinese in the area. It’s actually pretty decent. I’ve certainly had better in New York, San Francisco, and even Chicago, but Chia Shiang is the kind of Chinese restaurant you’d feel fortunate to find in DC, Philadelphia, or Boston.</p>
<p>Two of my current favorites are little hole-in-the-wall places. TMAZ Taqueria on Packard has outstanding, authentic Mexican-style tacos, some of the best I’ve had anywhere including Mexico. Pilar’s Tamales on W. Liberty has excellent Salvadoran-style tamales and pupusas.</p>
<p>A place I might take students for a sit-down meal is Zingerman’s Roadhouse on Jackson Road. Unlike the deli downtown it has full table service. And the deli is too crowded, through it certainly is an Ann Arbor institution.</p>
<p>Lots of Korean and Middle Eastern places but I can’t specifically recommend any of them. For Middle Eastern, though, I’d be tempted to buzz over to Dearborn which has a very large Arabic community and some really good Arabic restaurants.</p>
<p>No Thai by Forest/South U intersection is a solid option for Thai food. About $10 a person, but probably not enough room for a large group.</p>
<p>Go to Palio. I puked a little in my mouth suggesting this place. I personally really hate this place, but that’s because I am a foodie. The lay person generally likes this place. It’s not too expensive and you can get a room for your large group. Probably come out to $15-20 a head, and it’s a nice place to your typical college student relative to places they normally would go (Mia, No Thai etc).</p>
<p>Paesano if you are willing to go 5-10 minutes off campus. It’s an ok place in my mind, which means it’s probably a good to great place to your non-foodie person. It’s one of the better bangs for the buck, and it’s somewhat upscale relative to your typical ann arbor restaurant. You will probably end up paying 20-25 per head.</p>
<p>Take your kids to either of these places for lunch and you are talking about $15 per head, and they will be happy because it’s drastically better than what you get for $10 per head you would pay at no thai anyway.</p>
<p>Look if you want to keep the tab low, just go for lunch, order a few apps for the table (so people dont order individual apps), and you are good to go.</p>
<p>Zingerman’s expanded? Wow - we went there in August and it was very crowded. I would have hate to have been there BEFORE it expanded! It was very good…but very expensive. Lastbird, thanks for starting this thread - it’s really helpful to me too! We will be visiting our D in the near future too.</p>
<p>Do try Zingerman’s Deli (do not mixed it up with the Roadhouse). They have expanded to the building next to it last fall or early winter. If you went there in August 2 months ago, you probably did not go to the next building. I went there for a party right after they got that new place. It is now even great for small wedding fest. Zingerman is definitely something special from Ann Arbor, you may get some magic brownie or other things from their bakehouse as gifts for your friends when you return home.</p>