The Short Course:
Kid-friendly: Yes.
To avoid wait: Aim to arrive before 9am.Noise level: Medium.
Bathroom amenities: Changing table.
High chairs? Yes.
Got milk? Yes.
Kids’ menu? Yes.
Anything healthy for kids? Definitely.
Food allergy concerns? Anna’s House’s menu labeling system makes it easy to avoid allergens.
Our kids love breakfast. The carbs. The fruit. The syrup. It is all their favorite things in one meal! Needless to say, we were all in great spirits when we checked out the new Anna’s House location on Eisenhower Road. The Ann Arbor location is the newest addition to this popular Michigan-based chain, which began in 2003 in Grand Rapids and has expanded to eight locations in total. Like the other Anna’s Houses, this one boasts a bright, cheerful and spacious interior decorated in the restaurant’s trademark “retro diner” style. The kids loved pointing out all the funky décor items such as a huge blue lamp, a red tea kettle, and a giant mural with Ann Arbor landmarks. It all made for a very silly game of “I Spy” for the whole family.
The service was really friendly and fast! Our server took our order on a mobile device and really won us over when, after we had ordered the kids’ meals, she asked, “Do you want me to send those back to the kitchen before we finish out the rest of your order?” As a result, the kids’ meals came out about five minutes after we ordered! Amazing.
Kids delight
The kids menu at Anna’s House is incredible. They really seem to know what children enjoy eating. And with all eight of the kids menu options offered for $5 or less, parents will be happy too. Our kids shared a Banana Splitter ($5), a split banana made with yogurt, strawberries, blueberries and homemade crunchy granola. We also ordered the Silver Dollar Cakes ($2.50), which we were able to customize in Funfetti style, with vanilla flavor and rainbow sprinkles! Jaws dropped. The kids could not believe this was an even option! Other pancake choices— plain, chocolate chip or M&M— are sure to please any sugar-loving kid.
Creative classics and unique twists
The main menu is huge, with options separated conveniently by category, e.g. platters, classics and combos, savory, and sweet stuff. There’s also a robust vegan menu with a range of tasty options. We had heard great things about the Hippie Hash ($12.50), a mix of roasted veggies (cauliflower, broccoli, carrots, cabbage, radish, and beets), brown rice, and redskin potatoes, served with two eggs. It was hearty, healthy, and super tasty.
We wanted to see what Anna’s House had in the way of breakfast sandwiches, so we tried the Cook’s Sandwich ($10.50). With a sausage patty, egg, avocado, green onion, cream cheese and cheddar on English Muffin toast it was satisfying, even if a bit difficult to keep together. We had to try to the Breakfast Lasagna ($12) which, hailed as an Anna’s House favorite, is made fresh daily. A play on egg casserole, this dish is layered with tomatoes, spinach, basil, mushroom, and turkey sausage with ricotta cheese all smothered in a homemade béchamel sauce. Honestly, this may have been too rich for one person, but we enjoyed sharing this unique dish. In fact, the crumbliness of the Breakfast Lasagna was perfect for our 9-month old who crushed almost half the serving on his own!
Anna’s House doesn’t have a traditional dessert menu per se, but there are plenty of sweet breakfast options that will satisfy anyone’s sweet tooth. Our family chose to share one Red Velvet Pancake ($4.50) as a mouthwatering end to our meal. Served with house-made cream cheese frosting and whipped cream, we were definitely fighting for the last few bites.
A family-friendly addition
Health conscious parents, and those with allergy concerns, will love Anna’s meal coding system which easily lets you know which items are gluten-free, dairy-free, vegetarian, etc. Anna’s House also offers all-natural, chemical free meats in all their dishes and sources many items from local partners. We arrived before 9am on a Sunday morning and recommend doing the same. By the time we wandered out just after 10am the waiting area was packed as people waited for their turn to try out this great family-friendly addition to the Ann Arbor brunch scene.
Anna’s House
445 E Eisenhower Pkwy #1 | Ann Arbor 48108
Open daily 6am-3pm
734-726-9490 | annashouseus.com