Depot Town is the historic couple of blocks where East Cross Street meets North River Street in Ypsilanti, a short drive east of Ann Arbor. Brick storefronts, the old railroad depot the neighborhood is named for, and a run of good coffee, better beer, and some of the most-loved restaurants in Washtenaw County, all packed into a walk you can do in ten minutes.
Most people from Ann Arbor drive past the exit and never turn off. That is the mistake. You can park once on Cross Street and spend a full day here on foot – a roaster in the morning, a museum in the afternoon, and a cocktail bar that runs to 2 a.m. Here is the local’s version, with hours checked the first week of August 2026.
A note before you go: hours drift, especially between the taprooms and the seasonal spots. Everything below was current as of early August, but a quick call ahead never hurts.
Start with coffee
Hyperion Coffee Co
The roaster that put River Street on the map for coffee people. Hyperion Coffee Co at 306D N River St is open every day 7 a.m. to 6 p.m., which makes it the reliable first stop no matter which day you drive over. They roast on site, the espresso is dialed, and the room is built for lingering with a laptop or a second cup.
Come early on a weekday if you want a quiet table. By mid-morning on a Saturday it fills with the Depot Town crowd.
306D N River St. Hyperion Coffee Co
Vertex Coffee Roasters
A few doors up at 307 N River St, Vertex Coffee Roasters is the other serious roaster on the block, open Monday through Friday 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Saturday and Sunday 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Two roasters this good on one short street is the kind of thing you only find in a real coffee town, and it is worth trying both to pick your side.
The single-origin pour-overs are the reason to come. Ask what is fresh off the roaster that week.
307 N River St. Vertex Coffee Roasters
Ypsilanti Food Co-op
The Ypsilanti Food Co-op at 312 N River St has anchored the neighborhood for decades and is open every day 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. It is a full grocery with a bakery, local produce, and bulk goods, and you do not need a membership to shop. If you want a loaf of River Street Bakery bread or a snack for the park, this is the stop.
312 N River St. Ypsilanti Food Co-op
Where to eat
Sidetrack Bar and Grill
The one everyone in the county names first, and it earns it – thousands of reviews and one of the best burgers in Michigan by more than one national list. Sidetrack Bar and Grill at 56 E Cross St is open Tuesday through Thursday 11 a.m. to 11 p.m., Friday and Saturday 11 a.m. to midnight, and Sunday 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Closed Mondays.
Order the burger. That is the whole assignment. The patio faces the depot and is the best seat in Depot Town on a warm evening.
56 E Cross St. Sidetrack Bar and Grill
MAÍZ Mexican Cantina
Right across the street at 36 E Cross St, MAÍZ Mexican Cantina is the other heavyweight, with thousands of reviews and a room that stays busy. It is open Monday noon to 9 p.m., Tuesday through Thursday 11 a.m. to 11 p.m., Friday and Saturday 11 a.m. to midnight, and Sunday noon to 9 p.m.
The margaritas and the tacos are the draw, and the late kitchen on weekends makes this a good after-a-show stop.
36 E Cross St. MAÍZ Mexican Cantina
Thompson & Co.
In the restored Thompson Block at 400 N River St, Thompson & Co. brings Southern-leaning New American cooking to Depot Town. It is open Monday through Thursday 11:30 a.m. to 10 p.m., Friday and Saturday 11:30 a.m. to 11 p.m., and Sunday 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. This is the one to book when you want a sit-down dinner with a cocktail list rather than a counter and a basket.
Sunday brunch is a local favorite. The building itself, a Civil War-era block that sat as a shell for years, is worth the look.
400 N River St. Thompson & Co.
Aubree’s Pizzeria & Grill
A Depot Town institution since the 1970s, Aubree’s Pizzeria & Grill at 39 E Cross St is open Sunday through Thursday 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. and Friday and Saturday 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. It is the easy, everybody-is-happy pick – pizza, a deep beer list, and a patio in the middle of it all.
39 E Cross St. Aubree’s Pizzeria & Grill
Beer and cocktails after dark
734 Brewing Company
The neighborhood’s own brewery, 734 Brewing Company at 15 E Cross St, pours what it makes on site. Core taproom hours run Friday 4 p.m. to midnight and Saturday and Sunday noon to midnight, and they have been adding weekday hours through 2026, so check ahead if you are coming midweek. Small, friendly, and the beer is the point.
15 E Cross St. 734 Brewing Company
WaxBar
For cocktails, WaxBar at 44 E Cross St is the late one, open Monday through Saturday 4 p.m. to 2 a.m. and Sunday 6 p.m. to 2 a.m. It is a proper cocktail bar with records on the wall and a bartender who knows what they are doing. When everything else in Depot Town has closed the kitchen, this is still going.
44 E Cross St. WaxBar
Mash Bar
Tucked into the Thompson Block at 400 N River St, Mash Bar is the whiskey and bourbon room, with a prohibition-era feel and live music on the weekend. It is open Wednesday and Thursday 6 p.m. to midnight and Friday and Saturday 6 p.m. to 1 a.m. Come for the pour list and the small plates.
400 N River St. Mash Bar
Sticks
Up the stairs above Aubree’s at 39 E Cross St, Sticks is the pool hall with a full bar, darts, and a rooftop patio over Cross Street. It is open Monday and Tuesday 6 p.m. to 10 p.m., Wednesday and Thursday 6 p.m. to midnight, and Friday and Saturday 6 p.m. to 2 a.m. The rooftop is the best-kept late-night seat in Depot Town.
39 E Cross St. Sticks
See and do
Ypsilanti Automotive Heritage Museum
Depot Town’s own museum, the Ypsilanti Automotive Heritage Museum at 100 E Cross St, is home to the last Hudson dealership building and a collection that includes the Tucker and Corvair history tied to the area. It is open Thursday through Sunday 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. Small, specific, and a genuine surprise if you did not know Ypsilanti’s car-making past.
100 E Cross St. Ypsilanti Automotive Heritage Museum
Riverside Park
Right at the foot of Cross Street at 2 E Cross St, Riverside Park runs along the Huron River and is open daily 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. It is the green space that ties Depot Town to the water, with a walking path, the amphitheater, and the footbridges over to Frog Island. In summer it hosts festivals; the rest of the year it is a quiet riverside stroll to walk off lunch.
2 E Cross St. Riverside Park
The Thrift Depot
For a rummage, The Thrift Depot at 19 E Cross St keeps shorter hours: Tuesday noon to 7 p.m., Wednesday 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., Friday 10 a.m. to 7 p.m., and Saturday 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Closed Monday, Thursday, and Sunday. Time your visit to those windows and it is a fun dig between meals.
19 E Cross St. The Thrift Depot
How to do Depot Town in a day
Start with a pour-over at Hyperion or Vertex, grab bread at the Food Co-op, and walk down to Riverside Park while the river is quiet. Hit the auto museum when it opens at 1 p.m. on a Thursday through Sunday, then a late lunch at Sidetrack or MAÍZ. Spend the afternoon poking through the Thrift Depot and the shops, and close the night with beer at 734, a cocktail at WaxBar, or a game upstairs at Sticks. Park once on Cross Street and you will not need the car again until you leave.
It is a fifteen-minute drive from downtown Ann Arbor, and it is the easiest day trip in the county to do entirely on foot.
