With more than 1,000 restaurants in the metro area, Grand Rapids, Michigan offers almost every imaginable choice of cuisine, price point and ambience. You can use our Restaurant listings to find eateries that match whatever you have a taste and budget for.
But if you’re feeling a little adventurous, you could try picking a restaurant based on the first letter of its name. That’s what we did for our Alphabet Eats video series.
The Restaurant List in Alphabetical Order
Here’s a quick recap of the restaurants we visited:
Alebird Taphouse & Brewery
Located in a historic former hotel in Byron Center, Alebird serves a variety of burgers, sandwiches, salads, entrees and sharing plates to accompany its own handcrafted brews as well as beers, ciders and more from across the country.
Butcher’s Union
A modern gastropub in the Bridge Street Entertainment District, Butcher’s Union features a meat-heavy menu of globally inspired fare along with 100+ whiskeys and many other adult beverages.
Chez Olga
This Caribbean/Creole restaurant in the city’s Uptown neighborhood has been a local favorite since its founding in 2010. Chez Olga owner Olga Benoit honed her culinary craft in the streets of Haiti, where she worked side by side with her parents as a food owner.
Donkey Taqueria
Donkey Taqueria is a vibrant Mexican joint in a renovated former service station in Uptown. It’s known for its tacos and other south-of-the-border dishes, as well as an extensive selection of tequilas.
El Cerrito Cocina Mexicana
Another Uptown eatery, El Cerrito prides itself on its authentic Mexican cuisine, made fresh from traditional family recipes that have been handed down for generations. Lots of Mexican tequilas, beers and cocktails, too.
Flat River Grill
The Flat River Grill in Lowell offers hearty American cuisine with flavors unique to a wood-fired oven, served in a scenic riverside setting complete with a four-season patio. A full selection of wine, beer and cocktails is also on the menu.
Greyline Brewing
An Alpine neighborhood brewery handcrafting its own beer and cider, Greyline Brewing also serves up great-tasting food and local music. The outside beer garden is large enough to spread out but still feels like you’re gathering with friends in somebody’s backyard.
Hancock
Nashville-style hot chicken and other made-from-scratch Southern dishes dominate the menu at Hancock, an Uptown restaurant in a light-filled former gas station with plenty of outdoor seating.
IRIE Kitchen
A Jamaican restaurant at the time of filming, IRIE is now a private supper club hosting intimate multi-course tasting dinners. Guests of the southeast-side club can expect multiple rounds of vibrant dishes, each crafted to tell a story and spark conversation.
Jaku Sushi
With two area locations – Caledonia and East Beltline Ave. – Jaku Sushi features an array of Japanese and Korean dishes, including sushi (of course!), hibachi dishes, ramen, teriyaki and more.
Knoop Rooftop Beer Garden
This upscale rooftop bar serves up seasonally made-from-scratch sharables and small bites along with scenic views of downtown Grand Rapids. Situated atop the Canopy by Hilton Hotel, Knoop was awarded a 2025 OpenTable Diner’s Choice Award.
Lucy’s
Voted the 12th best brunch restaurant in America in a Yelp survey, Lucy’s is a Creston neighborhood eatery offering breakfast, lunch, a bakery and full bar. All dishes are made from scratch using farm-fresh ingredients from local vendors.
Mertens Prime
Located in the dining room of the original New Hotel Mertens, built in 1914, downtown GR’s Mertens Prime incorporates elements of a classic French steakhouse, French Quarter-style cuisine and other international influences.
Noodlepig
Noodlepig in downtown GR is a casual counter-service restaurant specializing in authentic ramen dishes, bubble boba milk teas and boozy boba cocktails.
Olives
The Gaslight Village district of East Grand Rapids is the setting for Olives, which presents seasonal American fare with a global twist, plus beer, wine, spirits and cocktails. The three-season deck is always a popular spot.
Pochis Colombian Restaurant & Cafe
Journey to South America in downtown GR courtesy of Pochis, a laid-back eatery featuring Columbian fare such as arepas, empanadas and patacones. Authentic desserts and coffee beverages, too.
Quarantino’s
Started in Uptown during the Covid pandemic – hence the name – Quarantino’s offers Detroit-style square pizzas, including vegan and gluten-free options. Guests can also enjoy desserts, beer, wine and N/A beverages.
Rio Peruvian & Mexican Restaurant
The vibrant flavors of Peru and Mexico are showcased at this Wyoming restaurant, whose offerings include an all-you-can-eat Sunday buffet. Rio also serves authentic drinks and hosts frequent live music events.
The Søvengård
The Søvengård is where “new Nordic spirit meets Midwest farm-to-table,” with seasonal brunch and dinner menus featuring locally sourced and sustainable ingredients. It includes a spacious outdoor biergarten at its Bridge Street location.
Third Nature Brewing Co.
The outdoor biergarten at Third Nature Brewing in Rockford is a popular year-round destination – yes, even in winter, thanks to special dining domes. Inside or out, guests enjoy a menu of delicious pub food and handcrafted beers and other beverages.
Uccello’s Ristorante
We visited the downtown GR Uccello’s for our video series, but the East Beltline, Caledonia, Grandville, Rockford and Standale locations offer the same 100+ something-for-everyone menu items, 20+ beers on tap and dozens of TVs for watching sports.
Vander Mill
One of the region’s premier hard cider makers, Vander Mill also serves a variety of comfort-food fare – charcuterie, salads, rice bowls, burgers, sandwiches and more – in its northeast-side taproom, less than 10 minutes from downtown GR.
Wealthy Street Bakery
A family owned bakery and café on Wealthy Street (where else?), Wealthy Street Bakery offers house-made artisan pastries, breads, sandwiches and pizzas, plus coffee, beer and wine.
MeXo
Downtown GR’s MeXo delivers modern takes on traditional Mexican cooking, plus tequila and mezcal drinks, in an arty, industrial setting. (Okay, we fudged it a bit with this one – but at least the X is prominent in the name!)
Yesterdog
A true local classic, Yesterdog has been serving a handful of no-nonsense hot dogs in Uptown since 1976. Named Michigan’s Most Legendary Restaurant by LoveFood.com, the interior evokes the 1930s and ‘40s.
Zivio
Zivio’s focus is Bosnian cuisine, but it also incorporates Turkish, Greek and Central European influences. This Uptown eatery also offers an essential selection of European and craft beers.
Restaurants
Explore the many dining options of Grand Rapids restaurants, including steakhouses, fine dining, regional favorites, and…
The Inspiration
Experience Grand Rapids CEO Doug Small is a passionate foodie and supporter of local restaurants. He and a group of his friends gather at a different Kent County eatery twice a month to enjoy each other’s company over a good meal. At one point, they decided that dining their way through the alphabet would be a fun challenge. Their rules: the eatery must be locally owned, not part of a national chain, and someplace they haven’t tried before.
Doug’s dining adventures inspired us to embark on our own A-Z tour of local restaurants, as a way to showcase the diversity of the local dining scene. We selected an A at random – Alebird Taphouse & Brewery – and then asked our social media followers to recommend restaurants for letters B through Z.
You can watch all 27 Alphabet Eats videos – 26 restaurant profiles plus a mid-campaign recap video – on our TikTok and Instagram channels. Videos range from 9 seconds to 50 seconds in length, so you can watch them all in a matter of minutes.
The Challenge
We’re inviting West Michigan residents to embark on their own Alphabet Eats adventure, tracing our path or blazing your own. You can search our Restaurant listings alphabetically to help you in your quest – just click on the alphabet range you want next to Alpha Filter at the top of the listings.
Visitors might not be able to make it through all 26 letters of the alphabet during their stay – though you could do it in nine days eating three meals a day! If that’s too ambitious, just plan a few repeat visits. There are certainly plenty of things to do in Grand Rapids beyond food to merit return trips. You can also create your own variations of the challenge, like choosing restaurants based on your initials (and those of your travel companions).
The Alphabet Eats challenge is a fun way to step out of your comfort zone and expand your culinary horizons. Be sure to post photos and videos of your adventures and tag us at #ExperienceGR!