Tucked among an intersection of amazing restaurants, we finally got to check out Char!…read more While looking at some of the Artprize pieces, since Char was a venue this year, my fiancé ordered the steak fried rice and I ordered a fried noodle bowl with rice noodles and chicken. There are plenty of toppings to choose from and everything tastes super fresh. It's like Qdoba/Chipotle style where you pick what sauces and toppings you want then they whip it all together for you. First bite was a flavor explosion and continued throughout both the dishes. Yum yum sauce was on point. Service was quick and friendly. It is a bit pricey but the fiancé treated dinner on this night ;) A friend suggested their nachos which we will have to try next time. The space is shared with Gita Pita so there is a dining area that is in between both restaurants. If you felt like trying two places at once you knock that out by grabbing something from Gita Pita while you wait for your food from Char. Definitely will be back again and I'm glad to finally cross Char off my list!

Got their food for a work meal. Everyone enjoyed the food. Service was fabulous. Talked to them…read moretwice before the order and both times extremely helpful. The restaurant it self was clean and what you would expect for the style of restaurant. I would say that the order process online is a tad confusing but people I talked to were helpful and mad everything as desired with the help. The appetizers like the egg rolls and crab Rangoon seemed a tad expensive for what we got but did taste good.

Transplanted southerns who love to eat good cooking but cannot cook will know they're in heaven…read morewhen dining here. Even 'Yankees' who think they can cook but love to eat will find dining gems all over this menu. More importantly picky eaters, who seek the most for their money should run not walk to here. It's just that good. And iykyk!

We live just a few blocks away from the Candied Yam, and it's our favorite place to get soul food…read morein Grand Rapids! The staff are always very welcoming and friendly, and the interior feels warm and inviting. We highly recommend the meatloaf and getting some cranberry sauce to put on your cornbread and anything else you want on your plate!

These tiny little tasty waffles brought us all the good luck they promised on St Pats!…read more While we were at the brewery, sipping some of the best sour beer I've had & munching on Neko Taiyaki pop up waffles, we checked our evening flight to discover it was significantly delayed, as in, we weren't getting out today... we headed straight to the airport after we finished up, clutching our 4 leaf clover necklaces all the way. A lovely agent moved us to an earlier flight that promptly canceled... then back to our original flight, which was still delayed, but they had a new plane inbound to get everyone out that day. They ordered pizzas to feed the masses & got us home. I can only assume that all the bad things happening that resulted in a good ending was thanks to these small fish shaped treasures blessing us with luck. What you should know- you'll each need your own, they are rather small. We purchased 2 to split and immediately realized we needed more. The staff were kind enough to explain as we went, despite ignoring their suggestion to get 1-2ea, they didn't give us the I told you so on our 2nd order. They were tasty lil treats - hot & fresh. We all preferred the sweet over the savory, despite savory being our go-to... if you happen to be where they are, give em a shot... you may thwart a broken ankle or the like!

The taiyaki flavors were Nutella, strawberry matcha, everything bagel, and bacon and cheese. Just…read morelike I remember, the savory flavors are INCREDIBLE. Binge worthy. I'm not even a huge fan of everything bagel flavor but I turned feral after having a bite. I hadn't tried the Nutella flavor during my last visit and it's exactly what I expected. It's Nutella. In a taiyaki. Solid. The strawberry matcha flavor was a new batter that they were trying out and honestly I think they still have a little fine tuning to do with it but I enjoyed the flavor. It wasn't overpowering or overly grassy like lots of matcha flavored items. If you haven't tried this Japanese street food, I highly recommend you stop by on their next pop up! The owners are incredibly kind people that clearly have passion and take great pride in what they do.

SongBird is a local pop up that I try to catch when I can. Most recently they popped up at Sparrows…read morefor breakfast sandwiches, so Nate and I got a coffee at the shop and ordered one of each of the menu - a sausage breakfast sandwich, a bacon breakfast sandwich, and a dark chocolate chip cookie. Chef Daren set up on the patio at Sparrows with a flat top and brought our food to us when it was ready. The sandwiches were super hot and fresh, and so delicious. I love a good breakfast sandwich and this is one of the best. The cheese was melty and gooey, and the bacon was great quality and thick cut. The sausage sandwich had a bit of sweetness and the housemade sausage was garlicky and delicious. Keep an eye on SongBird's social media for their schedule - sometimes he does popup dinner events which I would love to check out.

I always look for Gallafe at the Fulton Street Farmers' Market on Saturday mornings because they…read moreusually have a vegetarian steamed bun option I can enjoy as I walk through the market. This last week was a shiitake mushroom and leek bun that was so flavorful and the best of all I've tried over the last two years. The flavors change each week and you need to get there before noon. Sometimes they sell frozen buns you can take home to store and reheat later.

Ube tart Ox tail bao bun…read more The steamed bao bun was filled with ox tail, a savory peanut sauce, green beans, and a few other things I can't remember. The sauce was very mild in peanut flavor and had a nice creamy finish to it. The meat and veggie mix added some nice variety with textures but didn't have too much flavor. The bun itself was absolutely perfect; fluffy, bouncy, and delicious. The tart was beautiful but didn't have very much Ube flavor, it just tasted like a standard sugar tart. The items were a bit pricey ($5 for the tart, $9 for the bao) and just because of that I don't think I'd get them again. I'm glad I did try them as I haven't experienced any Filipino cuisine before.

Another social media win! I'd seen Da Boils on Facebook and was trying to catch them at a pop-up…read moresince they don't have a physical restaurant location. They were at the BIPOC Night Market at Fulton Street Farmers Market so I decided to try the Low Tide boil, with 1/2 pound snow crab and 1/2 pound shrimp. Also included were some potatoes and two chunks of corn on the cob - you can also add sausage, egg, and more potatoes or corn. I haven't been to any of the seafood boil restaurants in town yet but I think Da Boils' prices are pretty similar. The Low Tide was $34.99 and they dropped it in fresh after I ordered. It took about 10-15 minutes but it was worth the wait. The shrimp were perfectly cooked and easy to peel, and the seasoning was definitely on point and I loved the flavor. I didn't think it was too super salty and the medium level spice wasn't really spicy, I might go up a level next time. The crab was easy to get out of the shell. It's definitely messy and you don't get the bibs or gloves you might get at a sit down spot, but I didn't really care. You just have to go with it and know you'll be messy! I loved this boil and would definitely order from Da Boils again. I've seen them post other items like lobster mac and cheese, which I'd love to try. They also do catering which would make for a great party!

I had such a great experience here. The staff really knew their stuff, especially when it came to…read moregluten allergies, which honestly made me feel so much more comfortable right away. Our waitress was awesome too--super friendly and helpful without being over the top. The whole place has a clean, modern vibe but still feels really family-friendly, which I liked. It's one of those spots that just feels easy to be in. I ordered the hanger steak, and not even kidding, it was one of the best meals I've had. I never clear my plate, and this time I did. Every bite was that good. You'd never know it was gluten-free--the flavor was incredible and nothing felt like it was missing. Then I somehow made room for cheesecake and finished that too, which says a lot. Same thing there--no way you'd guess it was gluten-free. Overall, they just really know how to do gluten-free right. Nothing felt like a compromise at all. I'd 100% go back.

This place is a must try in Grand Rapids! The hype is real and it was a perfect spot for…read morevalentines! Our server was really kind and attentive, we got a great seat by the window and had a lovely view of east town. I had the pie in the sky cocktail which tasted like liquid apple pie and was delicious. Smooth but strong. My husband got the mushroom risotto which came with lovely chunks of locally grown mushrooms on top. I had the scallops which were perfectly cooked and the couscous, mushrooms, and nuts paired really well with it. Great atmosphere and will definitely be back!

Healthy "fast food" option. I came here to meet a friend and though there is a sit down area, we…read morewere the only customers to utilize it because most were grabbing their poke bowls to go. Luckily, I was able to learn how to order thanks to the nice gentleman in front of me ordering whilst holding a conversation with me. Basically, the set up is a lot like Q-doba. You stand in line, choose your bowl size, choose your proteins and then toppings and sauce. I chose the regular bowl because it had 2 proteins and I just couldn't decide between spicy salmon and spicy tuna. My bowl was delicious! I was impressed with the amount of rice options, the quality of the poke, and the copious amounts of toppings and sauces to choose from. This place was fine for a lunch date where I met up with a friend I hadn't seen in 20+ years. Everything was delicious, though the milk tea with boba was a little too sweet for my taste. Overall, excellent lunch option, albeit a tad expensive for "fast food." My milk tea and regular poke bowl came up to over $22. Certainly worth it, but not a daily go to option on my budget. Def check out poke toki if you're in the area. The food is better than the pun this restaurant is named after. Now turn yourself about, and do the Poke Toki!

I can't believe it took me so long to try Poke Toki. It's like the subway of poke bowls and I'm in…read morelove. Everything was so fresh and delicious with SO many amazing options to add to your bowl. The mini bowl was PLENTY for a lunch, I'm glad I didn't get the next size up. Very clean and peaceful ambience. Overall 10/10.