Bowkers
179 E. Battle Creek StreetI don’t know how many times it’s happened to me. I’m just driving through town and I’ll spot a little restaurant well off the highway. I may not always stop on my first trip through but if it’s someplace I drive through somewhat regularly, I’ll make a mental note to get back.
I’ve been taking M-96 to and from Battle Creek quite a bit lately. There’s a few places to eat along the way but I’m usually in a hurry so I keep going. I’ve noticed a place pop up on the edge of Galesburg recently. It doesn’t look like much but they’ve done an advertising blitz that really caught my attention.
Bowkers is on the East side of Galesburg on Battle Creek Street (also M-96) not too far from that weird intersection at the railroad tracks with Burgess Drive. The building is a pretty plain looking long white wood building that I believe was a couple of apartments at one time. Bowkers is on the west end of the building with the entrance marked with a bright red door. Read more…
BC Subs
638 Capital Avenue SWThere are a lot of restaurants on this blog that I just drive by and go, “Oh. I should eat there.” Sometimes I find hidden gems. Sometimes I find places that are only open for a couple months. Sometimes, I find places that have been around forever and am shocked I have never heard of them.
I was driving down Capital Avenue in Battle Creek a few weeks ago and came across one of those place. I just happened to look to my right as I was passing Territorial Road and saw a sign for BC Subs. I had never heard of it but I didn’t have time to stop. About a week later, I had the time and went out of my way to get out of town to stop in to this long time sub shop.
BC Subs is a little difficult to get to if you’re not familiar with it. It’s right on Capital Avenue and it’s easy to see but you have to turn either on Territorial or Fairfield Avenue before you get to the shop to get in to the parking area that runs parallel to Capital but has no access to the major thoroughfare.
Pine Lake Grocery
942 Doster RoadAnother Friday night working away from Kalamazoo means another Friday night of ordering pizzas from two different places for us. J was actually going to stop at Little Caesars and pick up dinner but the kids decided on pizza Lunchables instead.
I was running a little late getting back to town and we told the kids we’d take them to the dance at L’s school. I was hungry though having not eaten lunch (again) and wanted something for the car ride home.
We were out in eastern Allegan County right on the Barry County line near Pine Lake. On our way to the job site, I noticed a grocery store that advertised pizza. Luckily, they had a Facebook page with a menu so I could call in an order when I started heading back to Kalamazoo.
Pine Lake Grocery is one of those places near a lake that kind of comes out of nowhere. It’s on Doster Road on the west side of Pine Lake just north of 109th Avenue right inside the Allegan County limits. Read more…
Burger Bros
806 Riverview Drive, Suite BI will never get over burger places. I love places that only do burgers because….well, I love burgers. And if they’re confident enough in their burgers to only serve burgers, that’s a burger I want.
This one kind of popped out of nowhere. I saw something on Twitter about a new burger place on the Eastside and had to go check it out.
Burger Bros is a new concept from the people that brought you Kelvin & Co. The restaurant is a quick service shop on Riverview Drive at the intersection with Bridge Street. The last time I was in this strip mall, this space was a BBQ joint. I think it was a chicken place in between but when I stopped to check that place out, it was already closed. Read more…
Jac’s (Oshtemo)
3112 S. 9th StreetWe have been getting a lot of new restaurant openings on the west side of town recently but most of those have been national chain restaurants. I’m not complaining. We’re getting stuff out here that is unique to the Kalamazoo Metro and despite being chains, have actually been quite tasty.
It is refreshing to see a new restaurant opening that involves a local name. We’ve always liked Jac’s (Cekola’s Pizza) in Portage but it’s so far away from home, we never made a lot of time to go there. They took care of that problem for us.
Jac’s (branded without the Cekola’s Pizza) did a big remodel of a longtime restaurant space near the corner of 9th and Stadium in Oshtemo. The building was a Mexican place known as Mi Ranchito when we moved here ten years ago. Most recently, it was an Italian and Pizza extension of the popular downtown Italian place Mangia Mangia known as Mangia Pizza and Pasta Company. Read more…
Pizza Perfect
5118 West D AvenueMan, this weather has been brutal. I don’t get snow days in my line of work and when the weather’s bad, it usually means I’m on the road more.
Last Friday was one of those days. I met my co-worker at the Gun Lake Casino exit on US-131. We had planned to stay in Allegan County all day but plans change and we ended up back in Kalamazoo with his car still at the park and ride near Wayland. That means, after work, I had to drive him back to his car before going home.
Friday night is typically pizza night in our house. J had ordered Dominos for herself and the kids. I don’t usually mind Dominos but I really don’t love their thin crust. The kids like it though so that’s what J gets. I figured since I was going to have cold pizza and it was one I didn’t really like, I might as well just bring one home for myself.
I noticed a new business on those blue highway signs near the exits as we were heading north on US-131 near D Avenue. I caught just enough of it to see that it said pizza. I did some Googling once we got to the park and ride and found what I was looking for.
Pizza Perfect is inside the BP gas station on D Avenue just east of the US-131 exit ramp. The small space used to be a BBQ place called Smoke ‘n Buns. They went out of that location quite a while ago and it appears this pizza place has been around since last summer.
Green Top Tavern
250 E. Michigan AvenueI really wanted to take advantage of being on my own for dinner and go to a couple of places I wouldn’t necessarily take my family. It was only four nights on my own but I made sure to go some place new or revisit someplace I hadn’t been in quite a while.
Wednesday night of my week alone was going to be a short one. I had to pick the family up at the airport on Thursday so I needed to adjust my work schedule. Instead of going in at 9:30 AM, I went in at 3:30 AM. That meant I needed to get dinner and get to bed Wednesday if I was going to get any sleep at all.
I left work right around 6:30 on Wednesday and headed down Michigan Avenue for dinner. There’s a bar that’s been in Kalamazoo for almost 100 years yet I still haven’t stopped in for a beer let alone something to eat.
Green Top Tavern is on Michigan Avenue just to the west of Edwards and it’s been there since the late 1920’s. The tavern is an old brick building connected to the the buildings on either side. There is street parking out front but I chose to park in the paid lot behind the building near Bates Alley.
Waldo’s Campus Tavern
1408 W. Michigan AvenueMan, did I want wings this past weekend. It was a horrible time to get a craving because grocery stores can’t keep fresh wings in stock on Super Bowl weekend. I ended up making some “boneless wings” at home with some chicken breast. The flavor was fine but boneless wings are not wings….they’re delicious chicken strips.
We don’t really have a good wings restaurant in Kalamazoo. We have some bars that do really great wings but it’s not their main focus. The best I’ve found so far is CJ’s Pub. Those wings are just fantastic and worth the trip to the other side of town.
J is still in Florida with the kids for a quick vacation which means I’m on my own for dinner. I can go where ever I want, eat whatever I want, and not have to listen to kids whining about not wanting dinner.
The wing craving was still lingering but I needed to get home after work and get a few things done so I didn’t want to go out of my way. I decided it was time for a revisit to place I haven’t been to in almost ten years.
Waldo’s Campus Tavern has been a staple on West Michigan Avenue near the Western Michigan University Campus since 1982. I’m curious what this building was before Waldo’s moved in. It’s in a somewhat residential neighborhood and almost looks like it may have been a house or apartments at one time. Read more…
Steve’s Pizza
447 Bedford Road NorthIt’s OK to eat pizza every night while my family’s away…..right?
I actually wasn’t planning on eating pizza Monday night but we ended up in Battle Creek at dinner time which almost never happens. There’s a pizza place there with dinner only hours that I have heard so many good things about but had never been able to actually get to.
Steve’s Pizza has been on my radar for a long time. The small, carry-out only restaurant on Bedford Road right on the northern border of the City of Battle Creek has always gotten rave reviews but it was a viral news story that put it at the top of my list of places I really needed to get to.
Frosty Boy Ice Cream, Pizza, Subs, and More
5030 Gull RoadIt was Super Bowl Sunday. I had just dropped the family off at the airport for a quick getaway to Florida to see Nana and Grandpa. The first thing I did was head to a brewery.
I enjoyed a couple of quick beers at Wax Wings Brewing Company on Gull Road but still needed to grab dinner on my way home to watch the game. I pass several pizza places so I made a phone call while sitting at the bar to place an order.
I picked Frosty Boy Ice Cream, Pizza, Subs, and More because I was curious. For as long as I can remember, Frosty Boy had always been co-branded with Cottage Inn. We’ve been there a few times for ice cream but had never gotten a pizza. We have Cottage Inn on our side of town and didn’t need to go out of our way to get one.
Frosty Boy is in the Burke Acres Neighborhood on the northeast side of Kalamazoo. The building on Gull Road is quite substantial for either an ice cream place or what is mainly known as a carry-out/delivery pizza place. Read more…
SW Michigan Dining 