Niles kicks off fifth annual restaurant week

NILES, Mich. --Today marks the first day of the fifth annual Niles Restuarant Week. 

Starting today and lasting through March 10th, locally owned restaurants will offer special menu items at discounted prices. 

“It’s a special week. Since COVID happened, the industry has been a lot different. It's really just supporting those mom-and-pop places, the local restaurants and showing them that they matter and that there is support for them. Going out, showing up, trying the great food they have to offer and enjoying,” Jay’s Lounge chef and manager James Brazo said. 

According to Brazo, some of the specials his restaurant will serve during the week include chili lime grilled chicken wings, New Orleans jambalaya and smoked brisket wontons.    

Another participating restaurant is Prime Table. Some of their offers include a breaded pork dinner, a crispy cod dinner, broiled pork chop dinner and BBQ dinner.  

He believes the week is more than just a culinary event. He says it’s an opportunity to celebrate the community through its uniqueness and flavors that makes Niles so special. 

“Hopefully it brings a lot of new people to this side of the border, maybe from South Bend and other areas. We try to bring some of those people out here. It affects us pretty good. It opens some doors for other restaurants including ourselves. Some people may not normally come out to some of these places in Michigan. If they come out this time and enjoy it, maybe they will be back in the summertime when they have family in town and things like that,” Brazo said.