Walk down South Ashley and you will spot a tiny silver diner plastered with stickers, humming at all hours. Fleetwood Diner has been a late-night hero and an early-morning anchor for generations of Ann Arbor residents, serving honest, no-frills plates that land hot and fast.
The chicken fried steak here is a local safeguard of comfort, remarkably crispy and peppery under a snowfall of thick country gravy, and yes, people tend to guard their forks with territorial zeal.
As the city shifts around it, this 24-hour stalwart remains a sanctuary for the hungry and the hurried. To eat here is to participate in a storied tradition of countertop dining where the atmosphere is as thick as the gravy and the conversation is as bold as the coffee…