Above: Grand Rapids' Downtown Market offers dining, grocery, and educational opportunities

Imagine a place where food isn’t just on the menu, it’s in the spotlight. Here, you can master Mediterranean cooking, enjoy access to locally-grown ingredients, throw a huge party, or simply sit down to lunch with friends.

Psst . . .  guys . . . this place is real.

Welcome to Grand Rapids’ Downtown Market, a multipurpose hub that combines local food production, education, entrepreneur opportunities, and of course, eateries. Located on a site that used to house a produce distribution center, the Downtown Market was conceptualized in 2010 to celebrate Michigan’s food and farming culture while breathing new life into the southern portion of the city. The Downtown Market is also the first LEED-certified urban market in the U.S., so its green design (reclaimed/repurposed materials, rooftop greenhouse, rain garden, and more) are a sight to behold, as well.

Admittedly, my initial visit to the Downtown Market was driven largely by the promise of brunch. Located just inside the Downtown Market entrance, Social Kitchen & Bar offered the perfect combination of liveliness (without a wait!) and fresh menu options to get our weekend started off right. Brad and I both opted for build-your-own Social Skillets (choose your own meats, egg style, vegetables, etc.), which were delicious and endlessly customizable. We also saw several people order the Fresh-Cut Fries, which came out in massive portions and looked AWESOME. So, yeah . . . gonna have to try those next time we're in town.


Next, we explored the market and found everything from sushi and seafood to breads, oils, succulents, and teas. I was also excited to see a few familiar businesses that were new to the market (Slow’s Bar-BQ and Madcap Coffee), and a couple I’ve heard great things about and still need to try (Sweetie-licious Bake Shoppe and Love’s Ice Cream). Seriously—if I lived within walking distance of all these places, I’d be in trouble!


Upstairs, we found a sit-down eating area and caught a glimpse of the greenhouses (these are available for special events like wedding receptions). I even picked up a cute tote bag in the market’s administrative office as a souvenir (perfect for running grocery errands!).

The Grand Rapids Downtown Market Also Offers:

- Hands-on cooking demonstrations and classes
- Rentable banquet room, meeting rooms, and terraces
- Incubator kitchen for entrepreneurs to learn more about restaurant processes and inspections
- Seasonal outdoor market

It was impossible for the two of us to sample everything in sight, but that just gives us more reason to go back the next time (or every time) we're in Grand Rapids! Now, if we could all somehow make every food market this much fun to visit, I probably wouldn't mind grocery shopping so much. ;)