The Jefferson Market — Restaurant in Ann Arbor

This was easily the worst restaurant experience I’ve ever had—anywhere. I was born in Ann Arbor and am a Michigan alum who loves local cafés, but my visit to Jefferson Market on October 4 before the UM game left me genuinely shocked.

My friend (a gay Asian-American professor visiting from out of state) briefly sat at an empty table to hold two seats while I waited in line. The owner, Ed Green, rushed over and ordered him to stand. Moments later, we saw a white woman doing the same thing right in front of the counter without issue. We can’t know motives, but the uneven treatment—especially toward a visible-minority customer—left a lasting question. When my friend politely asked why, Mr. Green grew angry, said he “hadn’t seen her,” and then threatened us with, “You do want to eat here, don’t you?”

At the counter his first words were, “Are you going to behave now?” I asked if he was always so rude to his customers. His wife/co-owner then stepped in, ordered him to go back to the kitchen, and told us to leave.

Outside, several regulars who had watched the entire exchange stopped us and said how sorry they were that we’d had that experience—adding, “We’ve seen him do that before.” Their kindness and empathy made the contrast even starker.

Busy day or not, no customer deserves that tone or uneven treatment. The café looks lovely from the street, but inside the sweetness fades fast. Until the owners find a little calm—and maybe swap a shot of espresso for a moment of meditation—the bitterness will linger longer than the...

This lovely little restaurant, tucked into the middle of the neighborhood in the Old Westside of Ann Arbor, has been a delight to be able to go to for breakfast and lunch and they now have take-home dinners. I usually come for their delicious breakfasts which have included the very simple egg and cheese biscuit (which can come with bacon or a really tasty ginger-sage sausage). The biscuit is light and fluffy and overall very tasty. I have also had the breakfast burrito and the simple breakfast which were equally delicious. But, last night I tried their Take Home Dinner for TWO and was really pleased. I ordered the Spinach & Mushroom Lasagna and chose the Lemon Pepper Broccoli for my side. The portions were very generous and flavorful. But, besides how delicious it was, the best part was the timing.The dinner came packaged in individual containers and the instructions that were included in how to prepare it was written in a way that insured that by the time the lasagna had rested and was ready to eat the broccoli and roll were cooked and warmed to perfection. And last but not least, their online ordering is very easy to navigate and well thought out.

UPDATE: I'm loving the takeout dinners. My latest choices were the taco dinners. There was a meat version and also a vegetarian option. The dinners came with all the extra sides you might need, salsa, sour cream, etc and again clear instructions. Tacos are tacos but these were delicious with a hint of cumin(?) in the black bean mixture of the...

Since re-opening, Jefferson Market (now brought to you by Mighty Good) has changed quite a bit. Unfortunately "mighty good" aren't the words I'd use to describe most of the changes.

The menu is much smaller and didn't offer brunch staples — like eggs, bacon, hash browns, etc. The brunch options were either Cinnamon Cream Cheese Omelette or Orange French Toast. There were also some sandwiches and salads for lunch. I couldn't see the new menu online so I didn't know how limited the choices were until I got there.

I prefer savory over sweet and ended up ordering the omelette. In hindsight I should have asked them to hold the cinnamon and cream cheese. I enjoy all of the ingredients but together they just tasted weird and was unsatisfying. The side of potatoes and toast were good but not filling enough to make up for not being able to finish my omelette. Given the slight increase in prices, I can't say it was worth it.

The good parts of my visit were seeing a few of the old friendly staff, more open seating, and earlier weekend hours (although brunch still starts at 10).

Despite being a Jefferson Market regular for several years, I'm not sure that I'll be back for awhile. Hopefully the new owners can expand the menu and offer options for everyone (I'm honestly not sure what a parent would order their kid). Perhaps the new Jefferson Market will give up on brunch together and focus on their lunch menu instead (in which case I'll have no reason to go). If you know and love the old Jefferson Market,...