Step Back In Time
Step through the front door of HAAB’S
RESTAURANT and imagine what it might
have been like in 1934 when Oscar and Otto
Haab chose this building as the site of their
new restaurant. Located in Downtown
Ypsilanti on the main Detroit-Chicago Road,
the building had housed a bar and restaurant
in continuous operation since the 1850s.
You’ll see a picture displayed in the bar area
which depicts a scene from the 1870s. You
can even see a still-existing portion of the wall
that once divided the women’s and men’s
sections of the saloon.
You’ll notice two dominant features in the
first dining room: the pressed tin ceiling and
walls and the massive, 30-foot African
Mahogany bar (manufactured by Brunswick
Balke, Collendar Company). These were
added during a major renovation in 1906.
The other two dining rooms were added by
expanding into two adjacent storefronts.
They are decorated in an Ante Bellum motif,
with heirlooms from the original Haab Family
homestead in Lodi Township scattered
throughout. The hand-hewn oak beams,
although they provide no support, do
enhance the early American atmosphere./p>
HAAB’S reputation was not built on its decor,
but rather, on quality food served in a
friendly, warm atmosphere at affordable
prices. Over the past 67 years, over nine
million people have been served in this single
location. Seldom does a day go by that one or
two guests don’t remark that it has been 20
years since they last visited, and fortunately
for them, the service and food quality are just
as they had remembered. Well-known restaurants
are generally known by signature menu
items. HAAB’S RESTAURANT is no
exception.
A thick-cut New York Strip Sirloin Steak
broiled to perfection is unquestionably
HAAB’S most famous item. HAAB’S was
acclaimed locally in the Ann Arbor News
reader poll as “Washtenaw County’s No. I
steak house” every year until the category
was retired. HAAB’S reputation has spread
beyond the county, however, as evidenced by
the article from Detroit Monthly, prominently
displayed at the front entrance, “For the Best
Steak in Detroit, Go to Ypsilanti!”
Ironically, the New York Strip Steak is not
HAAB’S most popular item. The Prime
London Broil, as featured in Ford Times
Magazine, consistently outsells everything else
on the extensive menu. Seafood has also
become increasingly popular in recent years,
and HAAB’S has adjusted its menu to include
over 15 fresh and frozen seafood items. In
fact, it is not uncommon for customers to
proclaim that, although they summer on
Michigan’s Leelanau Peninsula, they await
their return to HAAB’S to experience really
great whitefish.
HOURS
Sunday-Thursday: 11:00 am - 9:00 pm -- Friday-Saturday: 11:00 am - 10:00 pm
Closed Christmas
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