With a long standing tradition of local, family-owned restaurants continued. Moonwinks cafe in Dixboro (a few miles northeast of Ann Arbor) kicked off their reopening on August 24 with new owners. Started with a mother and son duo in 2006, the cafe has served the local-caring communal place. Hoping to achieve their long time dream to own a local restaurant together, brothers Kevin and Patrick Cox—both Huron Alumnus—excitedly launched the next chapter of Moonwinks cafe.

After passing an array of outdoor tables, full of smiling faces, as I entered I immediately noticed the cozy and comforting interior of the cafe. Under the twinkling “MoonWinks” sign, bright yellow lamps illuminate the employees welcoming smiles and the menu board. Menus are organized categorically, which helps visitors conveniently recognize the food and prices. Each category of ice cream, coffee, bagel, sandwich, bowl, and drink offers a variety of food options with affordable prices. Many menus feature Michigan-made companies, such as EK’s cheesecakes, Hyperion coffee, Barry Bagel, etc, promoting a local-friendly environment.

Although there were lots of comfortable couches and tables inside the cafe, I decided to sit outside, wanting to enjoy the beautiful sunlight on Saturday morning. There were 7 tables outside, and the tables were filled with people spending time with friends, family, and dogs.

The foods I ordered—a vanilla milkshake, a chicken caesar wrap, and a turkey club sandwich—all tasted great, but my favorite one was the vanilla milkshake. Though, my first impression was that it was too sweet, I soon found myself constantly drinking the last drop of milkshake with straw. I would definitely go back to Moonwinks to try a different flavor of milkshake: maybe strawberry or chocolate, along with a Bagel.

Something I really enjoyed was the atmosphere at the cafe. Although I sat outside right next to the road, the flowers and plants in the garden as well as big trees across the street gave me great comfort and an overall relaxed feeling. Moonwinks cafe is definitely a great communal place for people to gather and share both fond memories and good food with their loved ones. I definitely recommend people to go visit the cafe with some family or friends to share community values, experience the relaxing ambiance, and beautiful wind and food at Moonwinks cafe.