Forget the standard Ann Arbor sidewalk, crossing the threshold here is a total sensory hijack back to 1886. Inside Gandy Dancer, the air is thick with the dignified scent of beeswax, old brick, and the briny, chilled promise of a raw bar. The atmosphere is undeniably “sturdy soul,” where massive timber beams and vintage station clocks create a grand, high-ceilinged theater.
You’ll hear the sophisticated clinking of crystal, but the real star is the sudden, floor-shaking roar of a passing train, a visceral reminder that you’re dining in the guts of the former Michigan Central Railroad depot.
Dine inside a living piece of Michigan history at this restaurant, where the majestic architecture of a restored 19th-century train station meets world-class seafood…