The Dixboro Project | The taste of a unique experience near Ann Arbor

Maybe you went to check out The Dixboro Project expecting something different. By its name, maybe you thought it was the local high school robotics team’s latest creation. Or a new housing development. Possibly a bluegrass band.

But you didn’t expect this, mostly because places like The Dixboro Project are a rare breed. It’s nestled into a woodsy slice of acreage a few miles northeast of U-M’s Ann Arbor campus, and as you pull into the parking lot you quickly dismiss your expectations. “Oh, this is what it is,” you tell yourself, still not sure what “this” is.

The Dixboro Project is part restaurant, part bar, part wine-tasting room, part upscale dining room and part nature preserve. Self-billed as “a luxury retreat,” the facility features three unique dining concepts - the Boro (we recommend the woodfired pizza), the Boro dining room & bar, and Dixboro House. Collectively, they make up The Dixboro Project, all wrapped in 6.5 wooded acres and a thick history of favorite local eateries, spaces that have worn names like The Lord Fox, The Farm Cupboard and Roger Monks.

Now here comes The Dixboro Project, with its massive glass-walled dining room, country-chic U-shaped bar, and sprawling multi-tiered patio. It’s true, visiting might not be a weekly excursion for many households – how many $12 bowls of oatmeal can most afford? But for a memorable morning, afternoon, or night out, The Dixboro Project serves up a can’t-miss backdrop.