Every year, West Michigan’s food scene gets even more delicious, which is impressive, because it’s not easy to be in the restaurant industry right now.
Inflation spiked costs beyond belief, yet raising prices just to cover those costs means vocally upset customers, meanwhile employees themselves need more money than ever to live, not to mention the fact there was an exodus of talent in the restaurant world during the pandemic.
And yet, whether it’s for the love of cooking, community or both, plenty of people in town are still making it happen—even if it requires some retooling, such as Grove, who regrouped and returned in 2022 with a slightly different approach. If Best of the West results are any indication, it’s certainly worked out for them!
There are also the people opening entirely new concepts, which we always love to see. This year in the New Restaurant category, our winner is MIZIZI by Street Chef Shaw. What began with some free dishes served outside on a neighborhood corner turned into a much sought after food truck, finally resulting in a brick-and-mortar eatery in the heart of Creston. Unsurprisingly, the community has fallen in love with the East African/Latin American fusion food, from Birria Burritos to Kachumbari.
For the New Restaurant finalists, we have Myrth in Ada, which opened in summer of 2023, just too late make last year’s nominations. This pizza and pasta restaurant is run by James Beard Award-winning chef Paul Berglund, and has become known for high-quality, hand-made, crowd-pleasing dishes—served in a lively and comfortable space.
Then we have Scholar, the new restaurant downtown Grand Rapids that offers “early American Cuisine, timeless design, and warm hospitality.” Which is to say, it’s a snazzy yet cozy spot with a bookstore-esque feel that suits the name, serving up everything from high-end seafood to an elevated Salisbury Steak. As far as we know, you won’t find that anywhere else in town!
Finally, we have the new “Best Restaurant In…” categories that are meant to highlight the places that provide the best all-encompassing experience, from food to drinks to atmosphere to service to whatever intangibles make for a special meal. Congrats to everyone involved!
*Each category lists the winner with two finalists listed alphabetically below.
BEST RESTAURANT IN… Grand Haven
The Unicorn Tavern
theunicorntavern.com
Kirby House
Snug Harbor
BEST RESTAURANT IN… Grand Rapids
Butcher’s Union
butchersuniongr.com
Grove
Littlebird
BEST RESTAURANT IN… Holland
Boatwerks Waterfront Restaurant
boatwerksrestaurant.com
Hops At 84 East
New Holland Brewing Co.
BEST RESTAURANT IN… Kalamazoo/Portage
Bell’s Eccentric Café
bellsbeer.com
Latitude 42 Brewing Co.
Principle
BEST RESTAURANT IN… Muskegon
The Deck
thedeckmkg.com
Hearthstone Bistro
The Station Grill
BEST RESTAURANT IN… Saugatuck/Fennville
The Southerner
thesouthernermi.com
Phil’s Bar and Grille
Wicks Park Bar & Grille
Appetizers
San Chez Bistro
sanchezbistro.com
City Built Brewing Company
SpeakEZ Lounge
Bakery
Nantucket Baking Co.
nantucketbaking.com
Field & Fire
Wealthy Street Bakery
BBQ
Two Scotts Barbecue
twoscottsbbq.com
The Grilling Company
The Pit Stop
Breakfast
Wolfgang’s Restaurant
mattwolfgang.com
Anna’s House
Real Food Café
Brunch
Lucy’s
lucysgr.com
Basalt
SpeakEZ Lounge
Burgers
Stella’s Lounge
stellaslounge.com
Black Napkin
One Stop Coney Shop
Chinese
First Wok
firstwokgr.com
Gaslight Kitchen Asian Cuisine
Red Bowl
Coffee
Madcap Coffee
madcapcoffee.com
Lantern Coffee Bar & Lounge
Sparrows Coffee
Desserts
Nantucket Baking Co.
nantucketbaking.com
Chartreuse Sisters
Mokaya
Diner
76th Street Diner
76truckstopdiner.com
Good Truckin’ Diner
Grand Coney
Donuts
Marge’s Donut Den
margesdonutden.com
Sandy’s Donuts
Sprinkles
Food Truck
Patty Matters
pattymatters.com
PizzaMI
Street Chef Shaw
Fried Chicken
Cousins Tasty Chicken
cousinstastychicken.com
Hancock
The Southerner
Fries
HopCat
hopcat.com
Black Napkin
One Stop Coney Shop
Gay Bar
The Apartment Lounge
apartmentloungegr.com
General Woodshop
Rumors
Hot Dogs
Yesterdog
yesterdoggrandrapids.com
Blue Dog Tavern
One Stop Coney Shop
Ice Cream/Frozen Treats
Frosty Boy Grand Rapids
frostyboygr.com
Furniture City Creamery
Love’s Ice Cream
Indian
Palace of India
palaceofindiarestaurant.com
Pal’s Indian Cuisine
PIND Indian Cuisine
Mediterranean
The Pita House - Sami’s Gyro
pitahousegr.com
Sheshco Mediterranean Grill
Zivio
Mexican
Tacos El Cunado Bridge St.
facebook.com/Tacoselcunadobridgestreet/
Lindo Mexico Restaurante Mexicano
Luna
Most Innovative Cuisine
Littlebird
thelittlebirdgr.com
Grove
MDRD
New Restaurant
MIZIZI by Street Chef Shaw
streetchefshaw.online
Myrth
Scholar
Pizza
The Mitten Brewing Co.
mittenbrewing.com
PizzaMI
Quarantino’s
Sandwich/Deli
Two Beards Deli
twobeardsdeligr.com
Boardwalk Subs
Schnitz Deli
Seafood
Leo’s
leosrestaurant.com
Beacon Corner Bar
Fish Lads of Grand Rapids
Soup
Uncle Cheetah’s Soup Shop
unclecheetahs.com
Horrocks Market
The Unicorn Tavern
Steak
Butcher’s Union
butchersuniongr.com
Bowdie’s Chophouse
The Chop House
Sushi
Maru
marusushi.com
Ginza Sushi and Ramen Bar
Jaku Sushi & Grill
Thai
Bangkok Taste Cuisine
grbangkoktastecuisine.com
Lai Thai Kitchen
Little Bangkok
Vegetarian/Vegan
Gaia House Café
gaiahousecafe.com
Basalt
Good Judy’s Market & Juice Bar
Wings
Wing Doozy
wingdoozy.com
Mike’s Wings
Two Scotts BBQ
STAFF PICKS
Best Restaurant in... Grand Rapids: KCM
Bury my heart at KCM. The restaurant, located at 209 Diamond in Grand Rapids, offers Korean and Japanese comfort food. Most popular, and for good reason, is its katsu curry (chicken or pork, your choice). It’s absolutely delicious, and, considering one order comfortably feeds two, it’s one of the best values around. — John Kissane
Desserts: The Salted Cupcake
There is such a distinct difference between the packaged-by-the-dozen cupcakes you get at the supermarket and the inspired creations by The Salted Cupcake that it almost seems like they shouldn’t be allowed to be called the same thing. Tuesday through Sunday, this southeast GR shop serves up little bites of empyreal ecstasy. If you think I’m exaggerating, well, yes, I am. But they are seriously good. And seriously imaginative, like cupcakes with brownies or s’mores or lemon bars on top, plus they have theme weeks and holiday specials. Just go and see for yourself! — Allison Kay Bannister
Mediterranean: Gita Pita
If you’ve been searching for the perfect falafel, your journey will end at the corner of Jefferson and Fulton, where Gita Pita humbly resides. Best. In. Town. I promise. And I have lots of people to back me up on this! Other favorites are the Veggie Sampler (with falafel!) the Greek Fries, and the Fattoush Salad—which you should definitely ask to have topped with pickled red cabbage. The tabbouleh is mixed fresh, too, and pretty much everything is made to order before your eyes. They also have a selection of beer, wine, and other adult bevvies—bonus! — Allison Kay Bannister
Bakery: Village Baker
On your way home from Grand Haven, where pretty much every Grand Rapidian ends up at some point in the summer, stop by Village Baker for some incredible baked goods. This is a place where it’s hard not to just order one of everything. At the very least, you’ll end up with one or two more treats than you went in for. The German-style soft pretzels are worth the trip alone, but they also have a variety of breads, pastries, cookies, cakes, and bars. And, an in-house pizzeria! When fall rolls around, head there for their huge Oktoberfest celebration. — Allison Kay Bannister
