Michigan’s Best Local Eats: ‘It’s home’ says regular of Kalamazoo’s Nina’s Café

KALAMAZOO, MI — Lois Ellis began bringing her daughter Terri Sage to Carousel Ice Cream within the Nineteen Sixties.

Almost 60 years have handed, and Carousel is lengthy gone, however Ellis nonetheless brings her daughter to the positioning the place the ice cream parlor as soon as stood. One in every of many regulars who frequent Nina’s Café, at 1710 W. Predominant St. in Tiffany’s Village purchasing heart, Ellis makes it a behavior to eat on the cafe a number of occasions per week.

When requested why she retains coming again, she mentioned: “The environment. It’s residence.”

There’s additionally one thing to be mentioned for the cafe’s choice of breakfast sandwiches, French Toast with cinnamon butter and the American Fries, she mentioned.

Certain sufficient, Ellis, like so many others who frequent the comfy diner — which seats simply shy of fifty friends — is greeted by identify upon arrival.

“About 70% of our clients are regulars. Now we have those who come for breakfast after which again for lunch‚” mentioned Todd Meyer, who opened Nina’s in 1998 together with his spouse Pam, naming it after the couple’s solely youngster after which 1-year-old daughter.

Nina is now 25 and has no real interest in sometime taking up the restaurant, Meyer mentioned, however she does prefer to make strategies as to how he ought to run it once in a while, reminding him her identify is on it.

Except for loyal clients, Meyer mentioned, the restaurant is constructed on loyal employees, though they did undergo a little bit of a changeover because of the pandemic. Nonetheless, there’s staff like 32-year-old front-of-the-house supervisor Cheyenne Hill, who has been greeting and caring for Nina’s friends since she was 15 years outdated.

“She is aware of all of the regulars and what they need and the way they need it. Most of them don’t even know what they need,” Meyer mentioned of Hill, with amusing.

Choices are each plentiful and inexpensive at Nina’s with favorites together with the breakfast moist burrito, Buffalo rooster hash, the specialty waffles — of which a complete web page of the menu is devoted to — and the French Toast, which is made with one’s alternative of house-made banana nut or white bread.

Along with a web page filled with waffle choices — that options all the things from waffles benedict to bacon waffles to southwest corn waffles, to the “Elvis,” consisting of banana, peanut butter and chocolate syrup.

Nina’s additionally presents greater than two dozen six-egg omelet on the menu. Selections vary from shrimp and cream cheese to meat lovers to spinach and feta, ham and cheese and extra.

Breakfast and lunch are each served throughout all open hours at Nina’s. For these on the lookout for lunch, the cafe has an intensive burger menu, 16 totally different wraps to select from and loads of different sandwich choices, together with grilled chili canine, BLT canine, New York canine and Chicago canine. Half sandwiches, served with a cup of home made soup or chili are favorites for these on the lookout for lighter fare, Meyer mentioned.

And whereas Carousel Ice Cream has not been a part of the restaurant’s identify since 2003 — it opened as Nina’s Café and Carousel Ice Cream. Visitors can nonetheless see a wall-sized portray from the outdated ice cream store once they stroll in and so they can nonetheless deal with themselves to a wide range of ice cream deserts, from totally different sundae picks to strawberry shortcake to floats and extra.

“There had been two companies, Carousel and an ethnic restaurant, (Eurasia), each of which had gone out of enterprise earlier than we moved in,” Meyer mentioned. “We advised the proprietor of the purchasing heart we wished to take each and put in a breakfast restaurant. On the time, that they had the rights to Carousel Ice Cream and, as a part of the settlement, they mentioned that we needed to preserve have ice cream and preserve Carousel within the identify for 5 years.”

So, for the primary 5 years, Nina’s operated as a breakfast and lunch spot by day and stayed open till 10 p.m. serving ice cream. As soon as the settlement ran its course, they dropped Carousel and centered on the cafe.

“With out the ice cream who is aware of if this factor would have gotten off the bottom,” Meyer mentioned. “In some methods, we predict that settlement was a blessing in disguise. Individuals knew Carousel Ice Cream, so that they got here in for ice cream after which they have been like ‘oh you serve meals?’”

As for the individuals they serve, they’re the principle motive individuals like Hill have labored at Nina’s so lengthy, the front-of-house supervisor mentioned.

“Since I’ve been right here since I used to be youthful, I’ve plenty of regulars,” she mentioned. “Plus, my proprietor, my boss is sort of a second dad to me. I’ve been right here by means of all three of my children being born. So yeah, it’s like a household.”

Nina’s is open from 6:30 a.m. – 2 p.m. Tuesday-Saturday and eight a.m. – 2 p.m. Sunday. The café is closed on Mondays. For extra info, go to ninas-cafe.com or name 269-373-NINA (6462).

The restaurant, because it does every year, will likely be closed the week of July 11. The household is taking its annual week-long trip to the Higher Peninsula and provides its staff some relaxation.

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