Mark’s Carts

Two years later, and I’m still disgusted with their customer service. Goodbye Felicia. The owners should be embarrassed!

Ann Arbor’s one-​stop shop for a variety of different foods. I started going to Mark’s Carts about four years ago when The Lunchroom had a cart here. They’ve since opened two restaurants, so they don’t have a car there anymore, but I still sometimes go to Marks Carts to see what restaurants are there.
I’m not a huge fan of what’s there now. They have a variety of carts from seafood shack, to Mexican and Spanish foods, sandwiches and vegetarian/​vegan Indian food.
They have expanded though from years past, which is nice to see and have more seating than they used to. I just have to be in the mood to want anything from there.

This place is pretty lame. A bunch of generic food carts, overpriced and mediocre food. It’s a good idea and I love food in cart form but the lineup is just too tame to be worth it.
Only thing it really has going for it is the proximity to the beer garden. There is a lot of damn fine food in A2, no real reason to come here.

Seafood Driven is the best new addition to Mark’s Carts. Best price for the selection. Best Lobster Roll outside of Maine! Can’t wait to try the other items on their menu. Amazing!

Indian food without the hassle of the restaurants. The owners have incredibly good energy & it comes through in the food. Authentic hand made deliciousness.
Smile & be fed my friends! This cart is a hidden gem for Ann Arbor foodies, yum yum.

Pita Cruiser gyro was pretty freaking tasty. I will def be going back there. My only problem and why I didn’t give them 5 stars was I asked for no tomatoes on my gyro and they put them on there anyway. Was a little bit of hassle picking them off but once I did the sandwich was fantastic.

Like most food truck foods in the U.S.: Too expensive for what you get. It tastes okay, and it’d get 4 stars if it were cheaper.

Mark’s Carts makes it easy to explore the food in Ann Arbor without having to wander far. Apparently what I do when I’m in a new city is eat enough to feed 3 people by myself, and this little cluster of food carts made it really easy to do that!
Tried Hut-​K Nutrilicious and The Stop. Okay, not that much food to start but this was just lunch #1. Had just a samosa from Hut-​K and it’s a little pricey at $ 3 a pop. It was pretty small and nothing special but came with a really good green sauce. Ordered a sausage jiang bing and a pear honey drink from The Stop. The sausage was a hot dog, which was a little disappointing. Chinese sausage would have been amazing with it. Otherwise, the jiang bing was pretty good – definitely less crispy than you get in China, it was more of a savory crêpe but with a really soft texture. The pear honey tea was incredibly refreshing and cut through the sauciness of the jiang bing. The pear that soaks in the drink is p. tasty too.
Nice little area to sit and eat between the carts. Went in after the lunch rush so it was less busy so no waits and plenty of room to sit.

I don’t get why people like it. I get that it convenient and maybe I’m just visiting the wrong cart but my sandwich was not great, cost 10 dollars and I waited like 20 minutes for it. I think I’ll pass in the future.

Being from California, I get powerful cravings for Mexican food. El Manantial is a great cart to quench those cravings.
I loved my beef torta! It was a special for the day and it was delicious. If you’re from Cali and used to heat, the «spicy» is mildly, pleasantly hot, but not Mexican spicy. Just fyi. Very generous serving of chips and salsa on the side. Salsa was very fresh. Recommended if you’re in the area of Mark’s Carts.

So I have only had the pleasure of eating at El Manantial, which is the cart specializing in Mexican cuisine. They were delicious! The customer service was very friendly and the food is cooked fresh and served quickly. I tried the teen burrito and the nachos; which is definitely enough for two people to share. Also, make sure to order a horchata drink. I believe it is made with almond milk and then they add spices to the drink. It is the most delectable thing one can drink! I love that they are located directly next to a parking structure so you don’t have to walk far. They also have a couple Asian carts, salad/​sandwich cart, and an Indian cart. I’m looking forward to trying their other options but, will find it hard to pass up El Manantial. They are easily the best Mexican food I’ve ever had in Michigan!

What a fun concept :) this is the perfect way to enjoy a simple, but tasty and healthy meal in the summer! The outdoor environment is cute and casual, and the concept allows you to choose from several different food styles. In my experience, the staff I’ve encountered have always been friendly and helpful! :) I highly recommend trying it out!!!

This is a fun way to have a progressive meal. Go with a group of friends and get stuff from a lot of different carts and share. I’ve had food from a dumpling cart here that was very tasty.

I like Mark’s Carts. They are a not-​bad option for lunch or dinner. But I’ve yet to try anything stellar and/​or something of a great value here. The wait is usually very long, even with a short line, so it’s really not convenient for a quick lunch. Many times I’ve been, they’ve been out of key ingredients at several carts leading to a shortage on some of their dishes (I can understand this happens, but it happens too frequently to not be annoyed by).
The food is priced somewhat reasonably? For the portion and quality you get, I think its a smidgen overpriced. Somethings gotta make up for the other, but I never quite feel satiated in the right ways after my meals.
The layout is a little awkward and I find myself getting annoyed with the lack of personal space to fight for sometimes. If they were sans one cart, I think it would help quite a bit.
I do agree that this is a wonderful addition to the community and I do support Mark’s Carts being in town– I just think there is bit of room for improvement that could make the end product of Mark’s Carts much more of a bang hit. Although I do think more of it falls on the separate vendors themselves. Overall, I think they can do better and I hope they do!

Had a burrito from the Mexican cart and it was delicious! They even used fresh cilantro which I love! It was a large burrito and I would probably give it 5 stars if it wasn’t $ 10. Otherwise it was great!

I think it’s definitely something everyone should do once, and I can imagine that if you worked/​lived in the downtown area, that it might become more of a ritual :)
There were many options to choose from, but I was craving some BBQ so I went with Old Carolina BBQ Company. I got a pulled pork sandwich, with baked beans. It took a long while just to order, because there was only one person making and taking the orders.
Note of Caution: The BBQ bottles are sometimes hard to push, but don’t push too hard! I got sauce all of my face, shirt, hair, and pants. yay tide to go pens
It was a tasty sandwich, a good bbq. The baked beans were not typical, and were more of a kidney bean variety than the normal kind of baked beans, but still good.
My boyfriend ordered from El Manantial, the mexican cart. He got a carnitas burrito, which he said was pretty good. The horchata was too sweet for him, but still tasty.
You should get a pretty decent meal for under $ 10!
Seating is something you should scout out right away, fyi

Great atmosphere, and I am willing to shell out a couple more bucks for GOOD food that is locally sourced. Unfortunately, I think some of the carts miss the mark.
Darcy’s Cart has left a good impression so far – reasonably priced breakfast burritos that have yet to disappoint.
El Manantial offers fresh, hot Mexican food. I can’t vouch for «authenticity,» but the quesadillas and tostadas are quite good. Haven’t had a chance to try the tacos or tortas.
I have yet to try anything from San Street that hasn’t been too greasy (dripping with fat that takes forever to wash off my hands and face) and overpriced. I’ve tried several of their buns and one sandwich, which was SUCH a terrible experience that I *refuse* to call it «banh mi» (BECAUSE IT ISN’T) or try any other filling out of sheer terror.
Is the Lunch Room not around anymore? I was really unimpressed by their vegan rendition on «banh mi» (again… the quotes…), but eh…
Edit: Cheese Dream also gets a thumbs up! Not sure I can justify spending $ 6 on grilled cheese, but brie+(rotating fruit) jam = awesomely delicious!

I almost had lunch at Mark’s Cars the other day. I had my dog with me, and on the walk over (I must remember to get back to Downtown Home & Garden real soon) I was wondering if they’d let me in with a dog. The fence answered my question. «NO DOGS.» OK, next time…
I guess I could have tied Miss Woof to a bike rack for a little while, but by this time my mom was freezing, so we parked the dog back at Mom’s store and went to a place where we could dine indoors.

Let me set the record straight on one front. Mark’s carts is EXPENSIVE. $ 10 for 3 pork buns is extravagant. $ 9 for a personal size pizza. $ 4 for one fish taco… That being said, it’s a nice treat and the food is solid.
I come for the atmosphere and the kick ass jams on Fridays. Nothing beats a summer evening sitting outside, kicking back, and enjoying the cool breeze.
I’m slightly turned off by the hype and how crowded it can be sometimes.
The place is kid friendly but from a student’s perspective, you can totally get more food for your money elsewhere.

Finally! Ann Arbor, for all of its good places to eat, has needed something like this for a while. Tucked into a small courtyard on Washington (right off Ashley) are some of the best eats in town. One of the reasons I’m willing to use that label is because Mark’s Carts combines outdoor eating with something you rarely find: a ridiculous amount of choice for BOTH meat-​eaters and their veg friends.
Clean, communal and kitschy, Mark’s Carts provides a few vendors open at a variety of times (check the website) with good prices and great food. Kris and I decided to sample two different carts yesterday, splitting one option from each. We started with tomato bread from the Spanish-​style tapas cart and then moved on to a baguette and spread sampler from The Lunch Room. The tomato bread was essentially the Spanish take on bruschetta but with some fantastic Spanish cheese instead of parmesan or mozzarella. The serving size was small — perfect for an appetizer or snack split between two. The cart’s only area for possible improvement? Crossing off items once they’ve been depleted. We wanted the veg paella but they had none. The item stayed on the menu board whereas other carts crossed off what they didn’t have: a smarter plan. This was there’s no disappointment.
The baguette and spread plate was equally delicious. Whole grain, seeded bread (four small slices, again the perfect size to split) with a smooth, tasty hummus, olive tapenade and creamy herb spread. Simple but perfect. The spread servings are more generous than the bread — bring your own if you want more or perhaps ask for less. That way there’s no waste.
There was a guitar player and singer performing while we were there. The girl, a high school senior from Chelsea, surprised us with her singing voice — pretty fantastic although I don’t know if standards was what I’d choose to lunch by. Her voice made it worth it.
Looking forward to getting back and trying some other options including the «Nutrilicious Indian» and a BBQ Tofu sandwich from two of the carts.
What a great find!