Travel Muse Magazine

Charcuterie connoisseur heaven. That’s how Ann Arbor’s YORK Food and Drink could be succinctly described. Opened in the 1950s by Tommy York, a Michigander looking to buy from independent merchants while creating a space for locals to call their own, this welcoming space has stood the test of time. York was looking to open a business where people could come and enjoy a taste of local food, crafted by local artisans and suppliers. He has clearly succeeded.

As someone who doesn’t live in A2 but attends the University of Michigan here, I’ve only visited YORK twice. (It’s cool but pricey!) It’s only a 10 minute drive down Packard from Central Campus, right by Woodbury Park.

My first time here was on a quiet weekday afternoon where the clientele was limited strictly to college students trying to crank out assignments. The atmosphere was relaxed, and the amount of seating meant nobody had to climb over each other for a table. Most recently, I headed here on a Friday evening, where the place had transformed from a study spot to happy hour. It was packed with groups of friends enjoying a drink and grabbing a bite to eat from the brisket stand. It was loud, crowded, and voices floated over and around me, from talk of traffic to what to order. I felt a bit out of place there on a solo mission this time, my nerves spiked and increasing with every beat of the pop music playing over the speakers. 

In an interview with the Ann Arbor District Library last year, York described how he wanted to create a third space where locals can come and feel at home. “I don’t care if people spend money. I don’t care if they come there and never spend any money. It doesn’t matter… We have neighborhood characters that just hang out, and I love it.” And that’s how it feels in here: inviting.

You can feel the care that was put into YORK. From the collection of handmade cheeses and meats behind the counter, to the art on the walls, and the tables full of local Ann Arbor residents, the entire restaurant was clearly made for the people. The tables were small but cozy, most of them a sturdy wood you could hunker down at. In the evening, the lighting was strong enough to illuminate the place but muted, with no glaring overhead that would cause a headache. The food menu includes deli favorites, sandwiches and bar snacks. The drinks menu includes coffees, wines and a full bar.

Knowing they are famous for their charcuterie boards with handcrafted cheeses, I settled on the pork board on my most recent visit so I could get a taste of both their artisan cheeses and meats. As a self-proclaimed lemonade connoisseur, I obviously had to order their fresh squeezed lemonade as well. I was pleasantly surprised with the quality: it was tart and sour while still having a sweet side, the intensity making me squint slightly with each sip.

When the board came, I was confident it would be worth the $18 I had spent on it. The small pieces of salami were tucked into each other forming a line, and the different cheeses and meats formed three rows down the board: the prosciutto piled nicely on top of each other in another neat row, the gouda and brie creating a nice visual balance on the tray. A large chunk of warm Italian bread with a crispy, crackly exterior was included as well, bringing that nice bakery aroma to my table. In a small round dish there were a handful of greek olives, making the board full of different possible combinations and textures.

My board felt very decadent, much too rich for one person to finish it all. (Try as I might, I wasn’t quite able to.) But, I made a point to try each element of the board, the gouda cheese being the sharpest, most fragrant item. It was a lovely contrast to the lightness of the brie cheese, which I found was best used as a sudo-butter for the bread. The salami was a bright red and had a smoky taste, like the smells from the Ricewood BBQ counter had infiltrated it. It was the greasiest item on the board, but paired well with all parts of the dish. The prosciutto was smooth and thin, without any annoying stringy pieces that can sometimes make eating prosciutto feel like a chore. The Greek olives themselves were a bit out of my comfort zone, as they’re never my cup of tea. They were smaller than a penny and a muted green, and while they did add a nice tartness and switch up from the richness of the other parts of the board, they were more pit than olive. The lemonade took the place of the olives in terms of tartness for me, the perfect complimenting drink. 

Depending on the day and time you go, you’ll experience very different sides of YORK. While I won’t be able to journey there every day, I’ll certainly keep YORK in my mind when looking for a place not only to hang out, but also to enjoy handcrafted food and drinks.