Downtown Grand Rapids may have the art this September, but restaurants along the Michigan Street Corridor are working on a different kind of masterpiece: another prize worth keeping an eye on, and this one comes with gravy, cheese curds and whatever else the chefs at 15 participating Michigan Street restaurants can dream up.
You guessed it: We’re talking about Poutine Week, already in full swing, as restaurants along the Michigan Street Corridor compete to create the poutine that will earn the 2026 trophy and, perhaps more importantly, some serious neighborhood bragging rights. The sixth annual event wraps up Sept. 27, so there are only a few more days to put the art on pause and get your priorities straight: fries first.
Michigan Street Poutine Week, presented by the Michigan Street Corridor Improvement Authority, is a celebration of the art of poutine creation, giving participating restaurants a chance to show off their own inventive takes on the Canadian comfort-food classic. For the poutine-obsessed, it’s a pretty compelling reason to head down Michigan Street—and perhaps a chance to ride the gravy train while you’re at it.
For Sam Carbaugh, Michigan Street Corridor Manager, this year’s Poutine Week is his first in the new role. It’s also a chance to see an event he already knew as a neighbor from a different perspective.
“I could not be more excited for my first Poutine Week as Corridor Manager,” Carbaugh said. “As both a neighbor and now a member of the behind-the-scenes team, it has been incredible to experience the passion, connectivity, and community that comes together for this event. I am excited to play a role in bringing this neighborhood staple to life this year!”
Ride The Gravy Train
The Poutine Week Trolley, otherwise known as “The Gravy Train,” gives visitors a way to venture down Michigan Street and get in on the fry-and-gravy action at participating businesses, along with entertainment, drinks and more. Riders can hop aboard and make an evening of the competition, sampling their way through the neighborhood.
Or you can make a game of it with the Poutine Week Passport.
Visitors can pick up a passport at any participating restaurant, then visit at least four locations, collect a stamp at each and cast a vote for a standout poutine dish. Complete the challenge and there’s a free Poutine Week T-shirt waiting at 7 Monks.
And people have been playing along. In 2025, Poutine Week saw 873 unique votes, while sales increased by more than 60% from 2024 to 2025.
The stakes, at least in the neighborhood sense, are real. Last year’s winning dish came from The Friesian, which joins this year’s field alongside Grand Coney, 7 Monks, Birch Lodge, Elbow Room, Duke’s Social House, Glass House, Kaffeine, Bob’s Bar, Logan’s Alley, Toasted Pickle, American Legion Post 459, Vandermill, Taco Borracho and Pauly’s Wine Experience.
Previous winners include Kaffeine Place, which took the trophy in 2024 and 2022; Duke’s in 2023; and 7 Monks GR in 2021.
So while the art crowd is keeping its eyes on a prize of a different kind, the foodies of Grand Rapids have their eyes fixed on a prize of their own.
Keep your eyes on the frize.
There are only a few days left to visit the participating restaurants, fill your passport, cast your vote and find out which Michigan Street business takes home this year’s trophy—and the neighborhood bragging rights that come with it.
For more information, visit mistreet.org/poutine/.
