Let me recommend: Bill’s Hot Dog Stand in Ypsilanti.
It’s a drive-in. Open your window and eat in the parking lot. Get their dogs with everything on it + a mug of root beer. If you don’t eat dogs, at least get the root beer!!! I don’t even like root beer that much, but I now dream about the root beer from Bill’s.
Absolute reasonable prices, too: got 4 dogs & 2 mugs of root beer for around 10$ total!
What’s your recommendation for unexpectedly good food in Michigan?
On the wrong side of Muskegon, at W. Sherman and Sanford Street there is a really good “Chicken Coop”. I’m told that other Chicken Coops may not be as good, but the Muskegon one never let me down. It is take-out only. Very cramped. Get the gizzards. You might also want any of the fish meals, and look for seasonal specials like deep fried asparagus in the spring (pretty much everything is deep fried). It is not haute cuisine, but surprisingly good comfort food for a fair price – not super cheap, but still a good value for what you get.
I’m intrigued by the “gizzards” option, ngl.
Yeah, it is hard to find gizzards on most menus. If french fries are going to be too starchy, gizzards have the same sort of bite-size quality for snacking enjoyment. If you like hot sauce, it works well on gizzards, but imho they are perfect as-is straight out of the fryer and don’t need any sauce at all.