Jackie's Place on Holland's South Side

Looking for a small family restaurant with decent food at a good price, Jackie's Place located on West 17th Street in Holland. This restaurant features many of the dishes one would come to expect from a mom and pop establishment.

I was there for dinner on a Friday evening with my daughter, the place was busy, the service was friendly and the waitress earned her tip. I had a Wet Burrito, All Meat, it was good, but the sauce could have been a little bit more tasty. They could mix in some red ranch dressing, or some brown gravy into their pot of burrito sauce, which would make it a bit more tangy.  My daughter had a Chicken Fingers Dinner, she enjoyed it. Our food showed up at our table quick enough, and was hot, and done correctly.

One slight problem was the prices in the menu, and the prices on the bill were not the same. Obviously they have raised there prices, but not updated their menus as of yet. This local Holland Establishment burned down a couple years ago or more, and has been rebuilt, so the interior of the restaurant is fairly new, and clean.

Jackie's Place is worth a try if your wanting some home homemade goodness, instead of chain restaurant food.

http://jackiesplaceholland.com/

Tom & Chee is Worth the Visit

Grilled Cheese with hoisin (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Why this isn't a local mom & pop place, it's a new franchise with it's first location on West Michigan. Tom & Chee which is short for Tomato Soup and Grilled Cheese, is worth checking out. The eatery features some very interesting variations of Grilled Cheese Sandwiches. There are some crazy combinations that are sure to please your taste buds.

How does a grilled mac & cheese sandwich sound? This is what I had when I visited this new eating establishment. It is grilled mac & cheese inside of perfectly grilled hearty white bread, I of course had crumbled bacon added to mine, which gave it a some extra flavor.  My good friend that I hang out with now and then had to Pep & Chee, which is mozzarella cheese, pepperoni, and pizza sauce between grilled bread.

Tom & Chee also features grilled glazed doughnuts for desert. Each one features some type of cheese with some great items like the grilled cheese doughnut. The Bananarama which has caramelized banana, gouda cheese, & the doughnut.  Or you could try the  Choco-Bacon Bliss, or the Blueberry Blue, amongst other choices.

Tom & Chee is worth the visit, and yes they have three types of tomato soup everyday, plus another seasonal soup. They also have salads, as well as gluten free & vegan choices.

Menu

Related articles

• Tom+Chee opening May 1 in Grandville
• Tom+Chee: delicious twists on comfort food classics
• After exhaustive quest, Tom+Chee franchisees sign lease
• Grilled Macaroni and Cheese Sandwich

Visit the Windy City Grille

The taste of Chicago comes alive in West Michigan when you visit the Windy City Grille in Byron Center / Wyoming Michigan area.  Located in the Bayberry Farms development across from Metro Health Park, Windy City offers the best in Chicago Style food in the area.

Want a real Chicago Style Dog? How about an Italian Beef?  Or a Gyro?  Windy City is the place to go!

I had the Italian Beef Sandwich, dry with peppers on the side along with the Au Jus. My friend who I was dining with that evening enjoyed a French Dip Sandwich, piled up with plenty of roast beef, with a cup of au jus to add to the goodness. Both sandwiches where superb, hot, and huge!  You don't get food like this at chain restaurants, it takes a mom & pop place to whip up some real authentic grub.

What else is on the menu?  Pita's, Salads, Falafel's, Melts on Rye, Vienna Beef Hot Dog!

Give Windy City Grille a try today!

Click Here for Website

PaPa Romano's Pizza

Located on the south side of Holland right behind the Family Fare Gas Station is Papa Romano's. This Papa has been in business in the Holland area for at least 10 years or more, and is a favorite of many locals. If you like good pizza coupled with good service, Papa Romano's is for you.  Try the Bambino Bread with some dipping sauce as your waiting for that piping hot pizza to arrive at your table.

They offer a wide variety of foods including Salads, Pizza, and includes a Mr. Pita that features wraps, and such.  Food is served hot and fresh, so give this other Papa a try sometime soon!  Check for other Papa Romano's locations across Michigan, mainly on the east side of the state. 

Romano's offers Take-Out, Dine-In, and Delivery

Click here for Papa Romano's Website

CRUST 54 - DOWNTOWN HOLLANDS BEST KEPT SECRET

Now we don't have to travel to the other side of Grand Rapids to enjoy the decadence of Chicago Style Deep Dish Pizza, thanks to CRUST 54.  Located on 8th Street right next too the City Deli, near LemonJello's, this cute little cafe offers some of the best Italian cuisine in all of Holland.

They offer at least three different type of crusts, thin, traditional, and Chicago Style Deep Dish. Pasta dinners, as well as fresh salads. The friendly staff is courteous, and welcoming to everyone who enters their establishment, and the background music adds a positive touch to the surroundings.

If you have never enjoyed a Chicago Deep-Dish Pizza, you own it too yourself to try one at CRUST 54!

Just an FYI, you might call your order in ahead of time, because it takes 45 minutes to bake the deep-dish delight. Other styles of pizza won't take as long to bake, so order the one the suits your taste, and make CRUST 54 a regular stop every time you shop downtown Holland.

As for me and my daughter, one piece each and we were stuffed!  Of course we enjoyed the Tim Wheels as an appetizer to kill some time before the pizza arrived, but we knew that it was a lot of pizza to eat, and we were up for the challenge. The slices are huge, and thick, with the sauce on top, the way a good Chicago Style ought to be.

So thumbs up and kudos's to the folks at CRUST 54!

CRUST 54!

Bagger Dave's Burger Tavern

Bagger Dave's formerly The Bear's Den formerly the Grapevine (Photo credit: Patricia Drury)

Took my daughter to a new place that recently opened up. Bagger Dave's Burger Tavern, upscale burger joint with much more. The place is nicely appointed with interesting signs, and a Choo-Choo Train the circles the dining room, up above patrons heads, near the ceiling. The walls were covered with a very pleasant wood which gives the place a sense of warmth, and welcome.

BaggerDaves_BellsOberon (Photo credit: TheHungryDudes)

The help was courteous, and informed. They seemed to know the menu quite well, and shared with us the specials, and explained the drink selections to us. Be forewarned that they do not have Coke of Pepsi products, Bagger Dave's has it's own crafted soft-drinks, and they charge a little more for them than other places do for name brand soda's, but they give free refills, so drink up! If you rather have an beer, they have several choices to choose from, see their website.

Bagger Dave's features several signature burgers, as well as build your own burger, just the way you want it. If you prefer turkey over beef, you got it! Several side dishes are available to accompany that burger or sandwich, including the Turkey and Black Bean Chili, and Mac-n-Cheese, etc.

I had a cheese burger, and a small order of fries, my daughter built her own burger, and had fries also. My cheese burger was delicious although a little overpriced at $5.89. Honestly I could have gone down the to Culver's and had a burger that was just as tasty for a less money, but I had to give this place a try anyway. If you like eating in an upscale place, and you like beer with your burger and fries, Bagger Dave's is your kind of place. If you like county-fair style french fries, you'll love these fries. I had the hand crafted root-beer, my daughter had the crafted ginger-ale.

They have a bar area that is neat and clean, in fact the entire place was neat and clean, but of course it's brand new also. All I can say is try it for yourself and form your own opinion, you might decide to make Bagger Dave's, your burger place of choice.

Related articles

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The Grand Coney - for Great, Affordable Dining in Allendale, MI

Took my daughter to a play at the Yellow Box in Allendale, Michigan one Friday night, but before the show we grabbed some dinner at the Grand Coney. Never heard of it? Well I had not either but I was pleasantly surprised by how neat and clean the restaurant was, and how friendly and helpful the waitress was.

This diner is located behind the Huntington Bank in Allendale. It is a favorite of the local folks, but easy to miss as you can't really see it from Lake Michigan Drive. Just look for the bank building, and go back behind it, you'll find it OK.

The food was very good, served promptly, hot, fresh, and more than edible. Prices were decent for the amount of food we were served. Menu had lots of choices, including breakfast anytime! Try this place sometime I think you'll be happy you did.

The Grand Coney -  6101 Lake Michigan Dr.   Allendale, MI

 MENU (PDF)

The Rainbow Grill, Great Food, Very Affordable

I've never been to the Rainbow Grill before, but I can say now that it is a really nice place to sit and relax, and enjoy an affordable meal. Service is fast, friendly, and quick! Food was great! Place was clean and bright, making the time spent their more enjoyable.

There are two Rainbow Grills, the original one is in Grandville, located right on Chicago Drive, and easy to access to parking lot. The newer Restaurant is in Hudsonville, just south of the I-196 EB exit ramp for Hudsonville. Access it off of the service road locate just south of the ramp, I forget the name of the street, but it runs right between the restaurant, and the boating place.

I has the grilled cheese sandwich which comes on delicious homemade cheese bread, w/ a side of fries, and a coke. For desert I enjoyed a chocolate chip cookie sundae. The food is fresh, hot, and ready to eat. My friend had the meatloaf stacker which he clean up rather quickly and seemed to enjoy.

The prices are really decent here, my sandwich was priced under three dollars, came w/ fries, and the desert was also priced around three dollars, very cost effective, maybe even cheaper than some of the fast food places around.

If you've never tried the Rainbow Grill, you should try it tonight!

http://rainbowgrillmichigan.com/main/

The Farmhouse Restaurant - Zeeland

My memory from my childhood is faint, but I can remember Jay's restaurant on the west end of Zeeland, and how as a young child I thought Jay's Potato Chips must somehow be connected to Jay's restaurant, however that was not so.

There was an italian place that was in the building for a short while, but soon that closed up and went away, and the building sat vacant for a few more years. Then some people bought it, cleaned it up, and opened up J's Again. and the restaurant did well for a number of years, but then it changed hands, and reopened as The Farmhouse Restaurant.

Community Restaurant is on the other side of town, but they only take cash, so if you want to use your credit, or debit card, The Farmhouse is the place for you/

The Farmhouse is a clean, friendly place to eat, with a large enough menu to suit everyone in your family. When I eat there I enjoy their famous pizza with the 'dutch touch', a recipe carried over from their Holland restaurant, or a wet burrito w/ chips and salsa as an appetizer before hand.

There is lots more to choose from like homemade sandwiches, burgers, and even Hot beef w/ gravy and mashed potatoes. Want spaghetti, no problem! How about a nice hot homemade breakfast, maybe a pig n the blanket? They have a large menu of homemade goodness, just what you would expect to find in a small town.

The Waitresses are friendly, and take decent care of their customers. Food is served hot and ready to eat, so come on down to the Farmhouse, and sit a spell, please keep your shoes on however, and spend that money locally supporting local, and family owned businesses like the farmhouse.

Many of us remember Arnie who worked cleaning tables at J's Again (now the Farmhouse). Arnie is no longer clearing the tables, talking with the customers, and whistling "His eye is on the sparrow".  Arnie past away a while ago, and will be forever missed, but the restaurant will continue to serve it's customers hot, delicious food, under the new name and ownership.

GOING CHICAGO STYLE AT MR. KOZAKS GYRO's

You don't have to drive all the way to Chicago to get the taste of the windy city in our mouth, just stop by at Mr. Kozaks Gyros in either Holland or Grand Haven.

I promise you that you will have hot fresh food that you will enjoy. So maybe Gyro's are not your thing, don't worry Mr. Kozaks has plenty of other choices on their menu. I like the Italian beef w/sweet peppers! The thin sliced roast beef is seasoned to perfection, and served on a grilled Hoagie bun. Throw in some sweet or hot peppers to round out the experience, you just might want another one.

Eating at Mr. Kozak's in an experience unlike any other eating establishment I've come across in the area. if you've never tried it, stop in and order yourself a Gyro, or something else of their menu. I am positive you will enjoy whatever you eat there, and you'll come back again.

Mr. Kozaks Gyro's in Holland is located on eighth street, just around the curve next to Verhage Motors. If you don't slow down you just might miss your turn. The Holland location offers a drive-thru window for customer convenience, so drive on thru today!

   http://www.mrkozaksgyros.com/menu.php

http://holland.org/locations/494-mr-kozak-s-ii

https://plus.google.com/106479522729027833675/about?gl=US&hl=en-US