Restaurant Review: Zingerman’s Roadhouse

What and Where:

Zingerman’s Roadhouse | 2501 Jackson Ave, Ann Arbor, MI 48103 | (734) 663-FOOD

Ratings (1=terrible, 5=mind-blowingly great)

  • Tastiness: 4
  • Service: 5
  • Price (1=super cheap, 5=super expensive): 4
  • Value: 2.5 (too expensive for what you get)
  • General vibe: 3
  • Comments (as of 2/9/06)

    (This is the first in what I hope is a series of “guest reviews” from Annette– that is, I wasn’t there for this experience. Enjoy.)

    We went to Zingerman’s Roadhouse just after it first opened a few years back, and were so turned off we never went back. We were outraged by a pretentious menu with $16 hamburgers and $15 mac and cheese. We ordered a “fried green tomato� appetizer for $7 and they brought three slices of tomato with some sauce drizzled over the top. We vowed never to return and were surprised that the place was still open even six months later.

    So, when I had the opportunity to go back to Zingerman’s Roadhouse for a business dinner—on someone else’s tab—I thought, “What the heck. I’ll try me one of them $15 hamburgers.�

    Was it worth it? Well, yes and no.

    The theme of the place is still pretentious: diner food with high-falutin’ ingredients and pseudo Roadhouse décor.

    Four of us shared a $19 sampler appetizer with ribs, hushpuppies, crab cakes, onion rings, and some other greasy stuff. It was good. Probably better than what you might get at an Applebees.

    My companions had fried catfish, which looked pretty average. I tried the $15 gorgonzola/bacon burger with a side of sweet potato fries. It was very good, and so big I took half of it home. But, you know what, I can get a better, greasier burger with sweet potato fries at the Sidetrack in Ypsilanti for half the price.

    The best part of the meal was the service. We had a very professional and informed server, who made the experience quite enjoyable.

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