When you go out to your favorite local restaurant, are you aware of how high the tables are? Before making dining reservations, do you check whether the establishment has steps or a ramp?

Considerations like these are integral to a comfortable dining experience for people who use wheelchairs or have other mobility impairments. Travelers can consult the Grand Rapids Wheel the World page, which includes detailed accessibility information on 50 local restaurants, hotels and attractions, to help guide their dining decisions. This information was compiled by Wheel the World, the most comprehensive global guide for travelers with disabilities, in conjunction with Experience Grand Rapids and Disability Advocates of Kent County (DAKC), a West Michigan nonprofit that has long advised local businesses on accessibility issues.

DAKC is currently partnering with Experience Grand Rapids to survey the accessibility features at 300+ additional local businesses, including many restaurants. (This information will be published online later in 2025.) We asked DAKC to recommend five accessible restaurants across different cuisines, price points and service styles:

Margaux

Margaux is the signature restaurant of downtown GR’s JW Marriott Hotel. It serves breakfast, lunch and dinner with a French flair seven days a week. The Lounge at Margaux is a sophisticated spot for lively libations and Jdek at Margaux provides outdoor service overlooking the Grand River.

Margaux is conveniently located on the hotel’s first floor, close and convenient to the on-site parking ramp and its wheelchair-accessible parking and valet parking for wheelchair-outfitted vehicles. The outdoor Jdek was built with accessibility in mind: guests can enjoy an outstanding view of the river from all accessible seating options.

Group of people dining at MDRD on top of the Amway Grand Plaza at sunset.

MDRD offers wheelchair accessibility features, including a wheelchair accessible entrance, parking, restroom, and seating.

Photo by Brian Kelly for Experience GR

MDRD

USA Today ranked MDRD (pronounced “Madrid”) America’s second-best new restaurant of 2021, and it’s only gotten better since. Perched on the 27th floor of the Amway Grand Plaza Hotel, MDRD offers contemporary Spanish cuisine along with panoramic views of the downtown GR skyline.

Accessible parking is available in the Amway Grand parking ramp, which connects to the hotel via a second-floor skyway. Valet parking is offered at the street-level entrance to the hotel. Guests can take an elevator to MDRD from the hotel’s first or second floors.

DAKC performed an accessibility review of MDRD for Wheel the World and you can find the full results here.

Founders is accessible for wheelchair users.

Every area of Founders’ downtown GR taproom is wheelchair accessible.

Photo by Wheel The World for Experience GR

Founders Brewing Co.

Founders Brewing Co. is the largest and most acclaimed brewery in Beer City USA (aka Grand Rapids, Michigan). It serves up award-winning beers and other craft beverages as well as an extensive food menu of elevated pub grub.

Every area of Founders’ downtown GR taproom is wheelchair accessible, including the outdoor beer garden. The staff is experienced at assisting guests with special physical, visual and hearing needs.

Visit the Founders Brewing Co. page at Wheel the World for more accessibility features verified by DAKC.

Panera Bread

The downtown GR location of the nationwide Panera Bread chain is an accessible spot for quick-service sandwiches, salads and more.

Visitors can park in the wheelchair-accessible Louis Campau parking ramp and take an elevator to the first floor to cross a short, level promenade to the restaurant. Alternatively, take the second-floor skywalk from the parking ramp and another elevator down to the first floor of the building housing the restaurant.

One Twenty Three

Presenting a familiar yet elevated menu of shareables, sandwiches, entrees and desserts, along with a full bar, One Twenty Three is a popular spot along downtown GR’s Ionia Avenue entertainment district.

With accessible parking, automatic entry doors and tables that can easily accommodate wheelchairs, the restaurant is also a great place for pre- or post-movie bites. Celebration Cinema, a nine-screen movie theater, is in the same building – in fact, it’s just outside the restaurant’s side door. In addition to wheelchair and companion seating in each of its theaters, Celebration offers closed captioning and assisted listening devices for those who have trouble hearing, audio description services for visually impaired guests and sensory showtimes for anyone who needs to limit sensory input.

Downtown Market

The Downtown Market offers a variety of restaurants and food merchants.

Photo by Ashley Wierenga for Experience GR

Grand Rapids Downtown Market

The Grand Rapids Downtown Market is a local-foods emporium housing 19 indoor food merchants and restaurants, and year-round public events. Visitors can shop for spices, sweets, sodas and more, then grab a bite or a meal.

Outside, seven accessible parking spaces are adjacent to a wheelchair ramp leading up to the main entrance. Inside, shopping aisles are spacious – though it can get crowded at peak times – and dining areas offer a variety of seating options. There is also seating available on the second floor, which is accessible by elevators. Accessible bathrooms are on the second floor, too, along with a lush greenhouse.  A second-floor banquet room is equipped with a Hearing Loop system for private events.

The Grand Rapids Downtown Market is also profiled on Wheel the World, with a comprehensive listing of its accessible features.

Bonus: Bridge Street Market

Shopping for ingredients to prepare your own fabulous meal? Consider Bridge Street Market, an urban grocery store concept from local supermarket titan Meijer. Located along the Bridge Street Entertainment District adjacent to downtown GR, it’s stocked with thousands of local Michigan-made products, fresh produce, bakery and deli goods, to-go food and drink, and more. It’s about five times smaller than the typical Meijer store, though, making it easier to negotiate.  

Another difference: Bridge Street Market has an attached parking ramp, not a vast parking lot, with accessible parking spaces just a few yards from the store entrance (parking is free for shoppers). There are accessible restrooms inside the store. There is also an accessible café seating for shoppers (or anyone else) who orders from the in-store café, sushi joint or sub sandwich shop.

 

Visit our Restaurants page to find even more accessible restaurants. You can search for eateries that are wheelchair friendly, offer accessible parking, feature automatic doors and/or have accessible restrooms.

For more information on accessible Grand Rapids, check out DAKC’s recommendations for accessible local attractions and accessible parks & trails.

You may also be interested in our articles on accessible hotels, accessible transportation and accessible performing arts venues, as well as our guides to visiting Grand Rapids for wheelchair users, hard-of-hearing travelers and those with sensory needs.

 

 

Grand Rapids is proud to introduce our AI-powered accessibility agent, developed with Wheel the World. This virtual travel guide helps visitors quickly find accessibility details for local hotels, attractions, restaurants, and more. It's brand new, so your questions and feedback will help the agent continue learning and improving.