Blue LLama Jazz Club and Restaurant

Ann Arbor’s Best Restaurants | Eater Detroit

"Blue Llama is a stunning experience, with crushed suede seating, midnight blue lighting, and a ceiling studded with tiny lights that a meal here feels like eating under the stars. Chef JJ Johnson, winner of the James Beard Foundation 2019 Book Award for American cuisine, brought his national shine and knowledge of Afro-Caribbean cuisine to the menu in 2024. Small plates include Harlem-style cornbread with sweet potato and peppa butter and Creole stewed tomatoes and green beans, and from the large plates you might choose the jerk pork chop with pear relish or the grilled branzino with collard greens salsa verde. Best of all, while you’re digging into all this great food, you get to enjoy entertainment from some of the best jazz musicians and vocalists in the U.S. The restaurant does accept walk-ins, but it’s wise to reserve a ticket online." - Mary Hayes Weier