Kalamazoo Restaurant Reviews

Reviews of restaurants of Kalamazoo and West Michigan

Erbelli’s in Portage

Nov 22

Posted by Jeff in Pizza Restaurants, Portage Restaurants | No Comments

Erbelli's Portage LocationThis past Friday night we had Aimee’s brother, his wife, their triplet 6 year old daughters and their three year old over. The last time they spent the night we got them carry out from Erbelli’s Stadium drive location. The kids loved it and Ryan and Jen said that it is better than any pizza in their area over in Milford on the other side of the state.

This time I got them carry out from the Erbelli’s Portage location. I ordered a 14 inch Erbie bread and two pan pizzas which were the New Yorker and the Captain Shish Kabob Pizza. The Erbie bread is always a hit. The cheesey goodness and garlic and Italian seasonings makes it the best cheezie bread in town. The New Yorker is for anyone who loves pepperoni. This pizza has two different kinds of pepperoni. It has a large cut pepperoni under the cheese and then their regular on top. It is loaded with flavor and the kids loved it. Read the rest of this entry »

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Barrett’s Smoke House

Aug 19

Posted by Jeff in Portage Restaurants | No Comments

I have a new favorite place to by my meat in Kalamazoo, well Portage actually but close enough. That place is Barrett’s Smokehouse. Everything that I have bought from there has been amazing. Earlier this summer I bought 4 different varieties of brats for a camping trip. All of our friends were amazed at how good it was. I buy their cheddar bacon burgers that store in the freezer, excellent for the grill. Their bacon and breakfast sausage are excellent.I also buy marinated chicken breasts and even our fresh Thanksgiving turkey from Barrett’s as well. One of my favorite items is their cheese. We love their jalapeno cheddar spread. Barrett’s also is a great place for lunch too. I go there fairly often for take out. I think my favorite items are their brisket or their smoked chicken salad sandwich.

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Coney Island, Westwood Plaza

Aug 16

Posted by Jeff in Burger Joints, Kalamazoo Restaurants | No Comments

Coney IslandMy wife is out of town tonight for a girls getaway with her mom, grandmother and family friends. Like most men, when my wife is gone for the night, I eat foods that she does not always approve of. For me, that food is Coney Island. Read the rest of this entry »

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Erbelli’s Wins Top Local Awards

Nov 19

Posted by Jeff in Kalamazoo Restaurants, Pizza Restaurants | No Comments

ErbellisOnce again, Erbelli’s is one of the top award-winners in the annual Readers’ Choice Awards, which are presented by the Kalamazoo Gazette. Each year, local Kalamazoo area residents cast their vote to show which businesses are the best of the best in the area. After more than 7,000 votes were submitted, the awards were announced at the beginning of November. For the 2010 Readers’ Choice Awards, Erbelli’s swept the Dining category with an astonishing 6 awards, 4 of which were first place positions.

Erbelli’s award in the Best Pizza category comes as no surprise. The restaurant has earned awards in this category for years, including a spot in the 2000 Readers’ Choice Awards and five years running as the Best Gourmet Specialty Pizza at the Portage Pizza Fest. This year, however, they moved up to the number one spot to claim the top award for the entire area. Read the rest of this entry »

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Lou Niskers State Burger

Oct 31

Posted by Jeff in Burger Joints, Portage Restaurants | 1 Comment

Nisker's State BurgerIt’s official. I think I have a new favorite place for lunch.

A new burger joint has opened up in Kalamazoo. Well, reborn or resurrected may be a better way of putting it. Nisker’s been a local favorite for their char broiled taste with their delicious burgers, dogs, curly fries and all around great menu. Lou Niskers started the business back in 1986 after a career as a professional hockey player. Read the rest of this entry »

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The London Grill in Kalamazoo

Apr 26

Posted by Jeff in Indian Restaurants, Kalamazoo Restaurants | 2 Comments

The London Grill

This past weekend Aimee and I went to one of my favorite Kalamazoo restaurants with our good friends P and J. We decided to go downtown and have dinner and drinks at The London Grill.

If you have never been there, we highly recommend it. Their unique menu brings you the flavors brought home from patriots returning from years of service in the British Empire. Their quality food is noticeably fresh and cooked right on a grill in sight of most of the diners. Their food is also complemented with British ales, ports and scotches. There are two locations, one in downtown Kalamazoo and one in Plainwell. Read the rest of this entry »

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Old Burdicks For Easter Dinner

Apr 5

Posted by Jeff in Kalamazoo Restaurants | 3 Comments

Old Burdicks

On Easter Sunday, Aimee and I wanted to go out to eat for dinner. The problem was which restaurants would be open. Many Kalamazoo restaurants were open for brunch, but had already closed in time for dinner. We decided to try our luck at Burdick’s figuring they would be open since there are inside the Radisson.

Aimee is a fan of Burdick’s for two reasons, first for their bloody marys, and second, their mahi mahi sandwich. I have never been a big fan of Burdick’s but decided I would give it a try again.

The restaurant was fairly crowded for a Sunday night. We looked around and noticed it was mostly college age people dining and drinking. We soon found out why.

We were sat by our hostess right in the middle of the entrance in a high traffic area. There were several empty tables nearby so we choose one that was along a wall so we would not be in the middle of everyone moving around. Read the rest of this entry »

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Long Branch Saloon & Eatery

Mar 22

Posted by Jeff in Vicksburg Restaurants | 3 Comments

Long Branch Saloon & Eatery

Today for lunch a colleague and I decided to make the drive to Vicksburg to go to one of our favorite places for lunch. If it wasn’t so far south of my home it would probably be one of my favorite places to go for a burger and beer in the evening.

The restaurant is called the Long Branch Saloon & Eatery. When you first walk in, there are plenty of tables to choose from. To the left is a nice sized dining area with tables and booths. To the right is the bar with more tables. Further down past the bar is more seating and if you keep walking it looks like it is an area for bands and DJ’s. If you keep walking, you can go outside through a door wall to their patio which has a few tables, a heater, a fire pit, and a nice view with a small pond. I bet this place is a lot of fun at night. Read the rest of this entry »

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Fricano’s of Alamo

Mar 7

Posted by Jeff in Italian Restaurants, Kalamazoo Restaurants | 1 Comment

Fricano's of Alamo

Last night Aimee and I were debating about where to go for dinner. She was craving pizza, but I had pizza for lunch on Friday and was looking for something different. We made a compromise and chose an Italian restaurant that is pretty close to our home.

We decided to go to Fricano’s of Alamo. Even though Fricano’s has a Kalamazoo address, they are actually located in Alamo Township. Read the rest of this entry »

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Nina’s Taqueria in Augusta

Feb 28

Posted by Jeff in Augusta Restaurants, Mexican Restaurants | 6 Comments

Nina's Taqueria of Augusta

On Saturday, Aimee and I had to make another visit to our accountant in Augusta. By the time we left I was starving, so we asked the locals if they had a favorite restaurant they could recommend. They asked if we like Mexican food. It turns out that we love Mexican food. In college, I worked at the Mi Ranchito that used to be on Westnedge.

Just a couple of hundred yards down the road from our accountant’s is Nina’s Taqueria. I heard from some friends in the past that Nina’s was a very good Mexican restaurant. When you drive up from the outside the building is small with orange stucco. The same simple design carries into the inside. The seating is very casual; it is definitely no Don Pablo’s. The food makes this little place a big gem. Read the rest of this entry »

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