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Beloved Michigan Restaurant Reopens After Long Closure

It’s always sad when a local restaurant closes. There are so many chain restaurants out there, so having local restaurants that thrive is just a special thing in any city….

food

(Photo by Tim Boyle/Getty Images)

It's always sad when a local restaurant closes. There are so many chain restaurants out there, so having local restaurants that thrive is just a special thing in any city. Most of my favorite spots to eat are locally-owned- the food is just so fresh and always made with love.

This is a feel-good story, as I'm happy to report that a popular Michigan restaurant is back in action after closing for more than a year during the pandemic. The pandemic, obviously, forced many local eating spots to close down, and some are reopening now, which is great news.

In February 2021, Big E's Sports Grill closed its West Michigan locations due to the pandemic and issues that ensued from that. The West Michigan locations included Big E's in Holland, downtown Grand Rapids, and East Beltline in Grand Rapids.

Now, the good news is that Big E's in Holland just reopened its doors this week. The restaurant shared the news in a Facebook post, stating, "Today is the day, Big E's Sports Grill is BACK!!!! Come see us today for the Michigan vs Villanova at 7:29. Our team has been working and training hard to prepare for this day. We can't wait to see you!" They added that their new hours of operation will be Thursday through Sunday, 4 p.m. to 11 p.m. Just in time for the NCAA Tournament and watching all that basketball action. No word yet on when the other locations will reopen, but this is certainly a good start. The restaurant also has a beautiful patio, so the reopening is just in time for the warm spring and summer months, too. Do you have a favorite local restaurant that is reopening following being closed due to the pandemic? If so, let me know on social media, and I might do a story on them!

"Diners, Drive-ins, and Dives," hosted by Guy Fieri on the Food Network, is one of the most popular shows for food lovers. There's just something super entertaining about Fieri, and the show is so fun to watch. What's extra cool is that Fieri has come to Michigan multiple times and picked local restaurants to highlight on the show.

TVFoodmaps.com has compiled a full directory of all the restaurants that have appeared on "Diners, Drive-ins, and Dives." Think of this as a list of spots every Michigan food lover should visit. Some of these restaurants are familiar to me, like Krazy Jim's Blimpy Burger, while others I are not. My parents actually live just a few miles from Zaytoon Mediterranean in Lansing, Michigan, and I had no idea they were featured on the show until now. They do have some great Miditerranean food. Which are your favorite Michigan spots that you think should be featured on the show? Reach out to me on social media and give me some recommendations!

In total, Fieri has highlights 16 different Michigan restaurants on "Diners, Drive-ins, and Dives." What can I say- we have some great eating spots here! View the full list of Michigan restaurants featured on the show below, and make sure to visit them at some point. View the full list here.

Traffic Jam & Snug - trafficjamdetroit.com

Address: 511 W Canfield St, Detroit, MI 48201

Why it's cool:

Union Woodshop - unionwoodshop.com

Address: 18 S Main St, Village of Clarkston, MI 48346

Why it's cool:

Supino Pizza - toasttab.com

Address: 2457 Russell St, Detroit, MI 48207

Why it's cool:

The Fly Trap - theflytrapferndale.com

Address: 22950 Woodward Ave, Ferndale, MI 48220

Why it's cool:

Clarkston Union Bar & Kitchen - clarkstonunion.com

Address: 54 S Main St, Village of Clarkston, MI 48346

Why it's cool:

Polish Village Cafe - polishvillagecafe.us

Address: 2990 Yemans St, Hamtramck, MI 48212

Why it's cool:

Joe's Gizzard City - gizzardcity.com

Address: 120 W Main St, Potterville, MI 48876

Why it's cool:

Meat BBQ - meatbbq.com

Address: 1224 Turner Rd, Lansing, MI 48906

Why it's cool:

Zaytoon Mediterranean - zaytoongrill.com

Address: 940 Elmwood Rd, Lansing, MI 48917

Why it's cool:

Eastside Fish Fry & Grill - eastsidefishfry.com

Address: 2417 E Kalamazoo St, Lansing, MI 48912

Why it's cool:

Capital City BBQ - facebook.com/capitalcitybbq/

Address: 1026 W Saginaw St, Lansing, MI 48915

Why it's cool:

Check out their website too!

The Cosmos - thecosmoslansing.com

Address: 1200 N Larch St, Lansing, MI 48906

Why it's cool:

Red Haven Farm to Table Restaurant - eatredhaven.com

Address: 4480 Hagadorn Rd #103, Okemos, MI 48864

Why it's cool:

Krazy Jim's Blimpy Burger - blimpyburger.com

Address: 304 S Ashley St, Ann Arbor, MI 48104

Why it's cool:

Anne Erickson started her radio career shortly after graduating from Michigan State University and has worked on-air in Detroit, Flint, Toledo, Lansing and beyond. As someone who absolutely loves rock, metal and alt music, she instantly fell in love with radio and hasn’t looked back. When she’s not working, Anne makes her own music with her band, Upon Wings, and she also loves cheering on her favorite Detroit and Michigan sports teams, especially Lions and MSU football. Anne is also an award-winning journalist, and her byline has run in a variety of national publications. You can also hear her weekends on WRIF.