50 Best American Restaurants near East Grand Rapids

“Our waitress Sophie was awesome!“

“Mark was Awesome! Food Was Awesome and drinks were Fantasic! We are sooooo happy we stopped in here!“

“Rose Waitress was great very friendly“

“Have been twice, about 2 years apart. It really is an experience. Beautiful food and service. On the way home my wife and I decided to make Grove our anniversary tradition. Thank you for the lovely evening.“

“Yesterday was my first time eating here and the food was amazing! As someone who has had celiac disease for over a decade and had never eaten at a 100% gluten free restaurant, the experience was surreal. 🥹 To be able to look at a menu and order anything I wanted was an incredible feeling. The food was delicious and staff were very friendly! I am so thankful to have had this experience and I will be back soon! (Also, I highly recommend the mozzarella sticks❤️)“

“Great food, great atmosphere.“

“Love the diner feel. The food is amazing, fast. the staff super friendly. We will definitely be back.“

“This place has socialize on the way but if you're having too much fun they'll tell you they have to serve another table amd tneed you to cash out. If you want to have fun and socialize...I Do NOT recommend you go to West Sife Socal because that is not the vibe of this place. More like ANTI social!!! Don't go...parking and socializing is terrible.“

“thanks 🙏🏽 the family is doing good“

“Had dinner here last night with some girlfriends before a show at DeVos. The fries and sauces are amazing! But the highlight? The elephant ear with vanilla ice cream!!! Our server did an excellent job and we loved the outdoor seating!“

“I came in on a busy Friday afternoon and a nice young lady "Hannah" waited on me and I got excellent service. I never give reviews normally but had to this time cause of such great service!“

“Massive value and super positive service!

- Double Hamburger (with cheese) - $5.89 + 0.50: VERY delicious and huge (quarter for scale)! Worth every penny and then some.

The patty is about a quarter pound each and is medium quality. It is juicy and seasoned with salt just right. The cheese was forgotten originally, but was corrected. The burger was so hot that the cheese had no problem melting after being covered with the foil and was my favorite part (despite the mistake).

The toppings are good, but the lettuce was just a tad wilted. The sauces were in just the right proportions, too. The only two things I’d change are more preferences and very minor. I’m not a big fan of sesame seed buns. Also, the lettuce would be better shredded.

- Fries: Purchased separately by my daughter and I did not get the price. They were smaller to medium cut and cooked to perfection (and hot!). The texture was spot with a cripy outside and fluffy inside. They were seasoned with salt.

- Service: Some of the best service I’ve had in a long time. They were SUPER positive and greet everyone cheerfully. This is probably their best asset, but definitely not the only one. They love what they do and are really engaged.

- Atmosphere: Old diner kind of feel but without the frills. Just your average place. It was clean on the inside. Even then, the staff was going around checking to make sure it was kept clean. The outside looks a bit run down, but the inside is plenty welcoming and ready for anything.

Also note that it looks like they have old style service at your car, but that is actually just parking. They do have a picnic table under the roof, though. It could be nice in the summer (I visited in winter, HA HA).

- Conclusion: It was probably the best money I spent on a burger in a long time. I’d go back in a heartbeat.

Visited on a Saturday at 3pm.

Parking: Decent amount of parking. The loop around the back for the drive-thru was tight, uneven, and needs repair.“

“Unique and creative craft food and drink menu, all reasonable priced. Staff is friendly and professional. Best river front restaurat in Grand Rapids. Plenty of FREE parking after 5pm. Highly recommend if you're looking for a new dining experience. They will not disappoint!“

“First timer. Huge portions. Top notch customer service. Very accommodating to our family with smaller kids.“

“My girlfriends and I met at Blue Water for dinner tonight. Our waiter named Will made our dinner so enjoyable and fun. Our dinner came out so fast and the food was delicious. We split a dessert that we all didn’t care for. The General Manager Sheena came over immediately and offered us to try something different. She brought us a new dessert. She was so sweet and personable.“

“I’m being 199% honest; this place, this experience is the most amazing experience I have ever had in my entire existence. It’s like this place was literally created for me by the universe/my subconsci“

“Food and service was excellent Bartender Christopher was excellent Drinks were amazing as well Vanilla sky, espresso Yoself, tin something c at remember , all good We had the deviled eggs, bbq sliders, fish and chips and the duck 🦆 eggrolls“

“I couldn’t even take pictures this time. Fam took me for Father’s Day and I got the Cherie Inn special with their homemade sausage and shared a crab cake w my wife. Dear god! It was all life changing. Wonderfully cooked, and delicious. Served swiftly by veteran servers doing an amazing job making you feel welcomed.

Go. Soon.“

“Applebees is always a classic for "fine dining." Food is good, however some consider it slightly overpriced.
I enjoy the Shark Bowl drink. Though a lot of the times they don't seem to have the gummy sharks to put in them. Last week I got a gummy strawberry in my Shark Bowl instead of a Shark!
It was still good though!“

“The Old Goat restaurant was so good. Service was top notch. Our server Bailey was new and did a great job!“

“Wow! My wife and I celebrated our 16 year wedding anniversary here tonight. The food, absolutely amazing! Drinks, amazing! But what I really want to rave about is how wonderful their service and hospitality was. We had a lovely hand written note at our table wishing us a happy anniversary. Multiple people told us happy anniversary. Our server, Ericka, she was real genuine and nice and at the end of our dinner she brought us a vase of flowers. This was hands down the best dining experience we have had. Thanks for making this an enjoyable and rememberable night for us.“

“Great food and service 👌“

“Dinner just this week. Food was, as always, delicious and very well presented! Service was attentive, efficient, and energetic. A really good wine list! Varied regions and countries with representatives of some of the best and best bargains from “old world” and “new world.” We can verify the wine mark-up is absolutely minimal! We had the walleye and shortribs. Both were really delicious! The kind of food one expects to find in NYC, Chicago, SF, etc. Hats off to this husband and wife team that know how to do it up so well, providing outstanding food, wine, and service!! We will keep coming back!“

“It was very busy. Staff was working hard to thoroughly clean the tables, chairs and floor when people left. I appreciate how hard they were working to keep it clean. It makes a big difference to me and my family. Food service was timely and good quality. *** Happy hour pricing is $2 each for a small shake and a regular fry. Still a good deal to get rid of the teen hangries.“

“I had the meatloaf and it was delicious, now I have to go back and try the shrimp pesto😀“

“Highly recommend dining here. Everything we had from appetizers to main course was outstanding. The staff went above and beyond and were very friendly. It was by far the best quality dining out meal we have had in a long time. 5 stars!“

“Friendly people, great service, the food is delicious. Like it ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️“

“We are a Greek family and love the Greek dishes that Leo's Coney Island offers. We have dined there frequently, often bring friends. The food is always good and the service fantastic. That being said; however, we have decided not to dine there any longer during the cold months, as the owner chooses to keep the dining room quite frigid. We heat our home at 68 degrees and are comfortable at that temp. We have tried mutliptle visits to Leo's Coney Island this winter...and each time the dining room has always been uncomfortablly chilly. When we pay to go out to eat, dining with our winter coats on and still being cold is not a relaxing or enjoyable dining experience. We gave it another try last night visiting around 5:30pm (hoping the furnace was turned up). The dining area was extremely C-O-L-D! This could be why there were not many customers there? We asked the waitress if the heat could be turned up, and she replied, "No, the only person allowed to adjust the temperature is the owner, and he is not here". NOTE to Owner: Saving money by turning down the heat in the cold of winter does not provide a pleasant dining experience for your customers and certainly cannot be good for your business! So...we'll see you in the summer?.... ~ Chuck and Denise Antonopulos“

“Always good food!“

“We went to the Mudpenny in Ada for dinner. It was probably the worst food ever presented. The trout was overcooked almost to a dried consistency, the grain had wimpy mushrooms and no taste, completely left off the tomatoes, the drink was very small and over priced. We feel robbed!!!! The bill was split and it came to just under $50.oo for each person!! What a joke!! I want my money back!!“

“I had a great experience at Olives tonight. Everyone from the hostess (Elise) to our waitress (Emily) exemplified great customer service. A couple of my favorites were the brussel sprouts and the lychee drink. We will be back!“

“I love Russ' - it is a nice, local chain with very good food, friendly staff, and a quiet atmosphere. I come here about 2-3 times a month to eat breakfast and work on my Bible Study. They are consistent in food prep, my coffee is always being refilled, and I have gotten to know the servers pretty well. Overall one of my favorite places to eat!“

“Everybody enjoyed their meal choices...cooked perfectly. No doubt we'll be back when in town.

Vegetarian options: Best baked spinach artichoke dish ever! Better than homemade. The walley fish selection was awesome. Dittoes for the buttered pasta dish. Fish and chips...kind of small portion ...fish was excellent not so the fries. Bravo to whoever handles the kitchen!“

“Convenient.

- Cheeseburger Basket - $11.75: The cheeseburger was taken from a warmer. The cheese was melted, but solid and stuck to the bun and tore the bun while trying to add toppings that were given separate from the cheeseburger. The toppings were very fresh and crisp, however. The burger patty was still juicy and cooked good. The bun was still soft and fresh.

- Fries (included in basket): Crinkle cut and on the thinner side. They cooled really fast and were tough. Eat them immediately. They needed a bit of salt, too.

- Super Pretzel - $6: Soft inside and lots of salt. It was on the darker side and tough, but okay.

- Service: Fairly immediate and helpful.

- Conclusion: You are mainly paying for convenience here. It is not bad, but it is nothing much to write home about. The burger was okay.

Visited on a Friday (Fourth of July) at 3:30pm.“

“I ordered with door dash. Have honestly never heard of them! AMAZING food. Such a big menu with so many different things. I ordered the A1 burger with crab rangoons. I will definitely be back.“

“Fantastic new menu! The folks at Stella's have knocked it out of the park for their 15th anniversary menu. Went with friends and we couldn't stop talking through the meal about how good the food was. Can't wait to come back and try more! Reasonably priced with good portions, too. THE spot to casually hang out downtown in a bar/restaurant hybrid atmosphere.“

“Great service here and great food for the whole family

Parking: Fast service

Kid-friendliness: Yes, kid friendly

Wheelchair accessibility: Bring your wheelchair as this place is wheelchair accessible!“

“Great food, great service, and a wonderful view of the golf course!“

“We had a server last evening named Christine, maybe Christina She made our evening absolutely wonderful Funny, energetic, and provided fabulous service Food was great, but she was the real star of the night Management, please give her an atta boy!! That young lady is going far in life.“

“Our favorite restaurant no longer serves Manhattan style clam chowder and we are nothing less than heartbroken. We didn't realize that our favorite thing there wasn't popular enough to retain as a menu item when Leo's changed hands. We can live with the smaller lobster tails, but this is really hard for us to take. Cry.“

“My daughter and I went to Cork Wine & Grille for an afternoon birthday lunch! The food was delicious. We had shrimp tacos, recommended by our server, Haley and for dessert a peanut butter pie. Great service and excellent food, we will definitely be back!“

“We were immediately seated when we arrived. The service was good. The guys thought the stout and flights were tasty. I ordered the Traverse City Reisling which is always good. For dinner we ordered the special bacon Mac and cheese (a favorite), the mushroom pizza (amazing wood-fired pizza with several types of mushrooms and cheeses), the Pad Thai (a large serving of deliciousness), and the acorn squash special.“

“Delicious quick snacks and great customer service! I highly recommend them.“

“We came to try out the city sen restaurant. My husband had the mushroom goat cheeseburger. He said it was juicy and flavorful --no condiments necessary. I had the beef quesadillas. although this was on the shareable menu, it was quite large enough for me as a meal. The food was good, but it was the little amenities that made it very special --the unique silverware, carafe of ice water and pleasant ambient music in a modern setting made it a very special place for our date. It was fun to people watch through the open air windows. ( they fold close to keep in the AC if needed )Alex the manager shared with us some things we want to come back for, live music, etc. definitely planning to go back!

Wheelchair accessibility: The restrooms are quite large with low sinks and wide stalls. Although they are on the lower level, the elevator is also large and quite quick.“

“I have breakfast or brunch here every time I'm in the area, and I am never disappointed. The staff here is so warm and welcoming. The restaurant itself has a nice, clean, modern vibe. The avocado toast is the best I've ever had! 💕“

“Just visited last night and the staff and the atmosphere was amazing! Highly recommend!!!“

“Who can go wrong with BBQ, and Smokey Bones knows their BBQ. Food and drinks are amazing. Shout out to the friendly and professional bartender Kelsey for making the visit extra enjoyable.“

“This was my first time at this restaurant and I can say that the food was very good . Braylin C was my server and she was nice and gave great recommendations from the drink menu. Things was busy so there was a bit of wait but Braylin made sure I was good“

“Excellent service! Delicious food! My only issue (which doesn’t change my rating) would be the strong fish smell that smacks you when you walk in. But apparently if you’re a dude there are urinal games! I won’t post a picture though… not very appetizing to see a urinal when trying to find good food!“