Waitress Tammie Bunker delivers Dan Clements’ lunch on Tuesday afternoon at Kewpee Sandwich Shoppe, 118 S. Washington Square, in Lansing. “I come for their famous olive burgers,” Eaton Rapids resident Clements said.
The Grand River Avenue strip in East Lansing totes an abundance of fast-food options, making for the perfect quick-lunch-between-class destination. But time permitting, downtown Lansing boasts some notable locally owned restaurants that feed the bellies of Lansing residents every day.
Kewpee Sandwich Shoppe, 118 S. Washington Square, in Lansing
Kewpee Sandwich Shoppe — or just Kewpees — has been owned and managed by the same family since it opened in 1923. Fourth generation manager Autumn Weston took over a year ago and feels privileged to keep the family tradition going.
“It’s a blessing and it’s an honor that I can carry on a tradition that has served the Lansing area for 87 years,” Weston said. “I just hope that I can maintain it as well as my dad, my grandpa and my great-grandmother did.”
Kewpees serves breakfast and has a large sandwich menu, but it’s the burgers — especially one in particular — that they’re known for, Weston said.
“In Lansing, Kewpees is known for their olive burger. It’s a sauce that we make and we put on our burgers — it’s just wonderful,” she said.
“It’s green olives and mayonnaise and we put it together, I don’t even like green olives but I love it. It’s what keeps people coming back.”
Spotted Dog Cafe, 221 S. Washington Square, in Lansing
Just a short walk down from Kewpees is another locally owned sandwich shop called Spotted Dog Cafe. The 15-year-old restaurant has made a name for itself because of its diverse menu, co-owner Cher Kiesel said.
The cafe’s menu rotates daily between more than 20 salads and 15 sandwiches, which Kiesel said is possible because the restaurant is not constricted by a corporate menu.
“We don’t have a national agenda,” Kiesel said. “We make everything from scratch … using what’s in season. We use Michigan ingredients whenever we can and we (definitely have) the freshest food downtown.”
Kiesel often recommends ordering the petite combo, which offers two of either a sandwich, soup, salad and side dishes.
“That way you get more diversity, you can try more different things,” Kiesel said.
The cafe also has a full coffee bar for espresso, lattes and the like.
Soup Spoon Cafe, 1419 E. Michigan Ave., in Lansing
Heading eastbound from downtown Lansing on Michigan Avenue rests a lunch spot that offers six soups du jour called Soup Spoon Cafe — a name that’s meant to inspire comfort like soup itself, owner and chef Nick Gavrilides said.
“We thought it embodied what we are,” Gavrilides said. “We love soup. We think it’s the ultimate comfort food and we want people to feel comfortable when they come.”
Gavrilides, a Lansing native, doesn’t put a theme to his restaurant but instead takes many traditional favorites and makes them his own.
“We’re just kind of a unique take on classics, using fresh products and scratch cookery,” Gavrilides said.
Soup Spoon Cafe has a large breakfast menu in addition to its staple foods, including variations of egg benedicts, omelettes and sweet breakfast items.
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Gavrilides likes to guide new customers through the menu by asking them what they’re in the mood for, but will occasionally suggest his favorites.
“If I’m just going to make (an) off-the-top-of-my-head recommendation, I usually tell people to go for the voodoo shrimp pasta or the Northeastern omelette for breakfast,” he said.
