“Eatin’ Good in the Neighborhood” is the sort of slogan employed by certain types of mega-corporate chain restaurants. They like to define a satisfying eating experience through a tantalizing recipe of faux “wacky” decorations (A stoplight inside a restaurant? What!); and flavor enhanced by something called Autolyzed Yeast Extract Gluten. To quote another famous slogan, “Yum, I’m Lovin’ it!”
If you want to “eat good in a real neighborhood” then get in your car and head east on Michigan Avenue. You will find a slew of local entrepreneurs who have been serving Ypsilanti residents lovingly crafted comfort food for nearly a century.
The Full House- 57 Ecorse Road
Owner Mike Fox, who bought the place in 1973, takes great pride in serving quality food to the community for more than 37 years.
He described The Full House as a business that appeals across generations when he said, “I am now serving my original customers alongside their great-grandkids.”
Fox estimates he has sold more than eight million burgers in his tenure. One reason for the burger’s success over the years is the use of an iron grill. Iron has an advantage because its unique properties affect the texture of food cooked in it. The fats in the burger assume the quality of the grill; and after eight million cooked, this equates to one tasty burger.
Bill’s Drive In -1292 East Michigan Ave.
Your next stop on this local food adventure will be Bill’s Drive-In, which has been part of the community since 1939. You will arrive at what looks like a small brightly painted yellow house with the words “Root Beer” written in large brown letters out front.
You will promptly be greeted by a friendly carhop who will take your order and provide you with some of the finest homemade root beer and chili-dogs in North America. Bill’s carhop extraordinaire Chris Johnson said, “I pretty much guarantee you’re never gonna wait more than five minutes for your food.”
The carhops work all from memory as they never write anything down, and they definitely don’t use computers.
Judy Green, who has been working at Bill’s for more than 16 years, said, “The chili is made from scratch every single day with the freshest ingredients.”
The chili is delicious, but the real star here is the root beer. Bill’s homebrew is so delectable it will make you want to declare war on all that mass-produced, corn syrup infused swill sold at convenience stores.
Roy’s Squeeze Inn -1315 East Michigan Ave
Across the street is Roy’s, a welcome monument to the art deco architecture of burger joints of the ‘50s and ‘60s with its circular building and floor to ceiling glass windows.
Once inside the small structure, you will sit on black or red leather stools at a semi-circle countertop elbow to elbow with other patrons clamoring to get their hands around one of Roy’s Big Squeeze with Cheese- a half-pound burger with cheese, lettuce, tomato, chopped onions, mayo and a secret spice. Roy’s has a sign hung on the wall that claims “ Not only the best burger in town, but the best burger period.”
Gabriel’s Cheese Steak Hoagies located at 2585 East Michigan Ave.
Gabriel’s is easy to miss because it’s housed in a fairly nondescript building. But as any true comfort food connoisseur knows: A plain exterior usually is the sign of a restaurant that relies on its food and has no need of gimmicks or frills to attract customers.
Gabriel’s is positive proof of that theory; with a menu that consists of just three items, it confirms its business is focused on providing the people of Ypsilanti with its gift to the world — the cheese steak hoagie.
It features shaved thin rib eye steak chopped up on a grill combined with onions and Cheese Wiz on a soft hoagie bun. The key to Gabriel’s innovation is its use of cherry peppers soaked in vinegar, which gives the sandwich a delightful tanginess.
Ypsilanti resident and long-time Gabriel’s customer Edward Lewis said, “I’ve got family in Philly, and I’ve had their cheese steaks quite a few times, but I’ll take Gabriel’s over theirs any day of the week.”
