Mark's Carts is off West Washington and South Ashley streets in downtown Ann Arbor.
AnnArbor.com file photo
The courtyard, on West Washington and South Ashley streets behind Mark Hodesh’s Downtown Home & Garden store, is hosting a preview night from 5 to 9 p.m. on Friday, March 29. Customers can taste the carts’ new menu items, and there will be a DJ and trombone player for entertainment.
“The cart owners, after a five-month hibernation, are ecstatic to finally serve you again,” it says in a news release.
Bill's Beer Garden is adjacent to Mark's Carts in downtown Ann Arbor.
Courtesy of Bill's Beer Garden
Mark’s Carts then officially opens for its third season on April 1. Individual cart hours can be found on the Mark’s Carts website.
Dan Morse, CEO of The Beet Box, called his food cart's first year in the courtyard both a learning experience and a success.
"It was exciting," he said. "We formed a lot of really incredible relationships with customers."
The "health empowerment" cart added customizable California street food bowls to its menu this year, so people can pick and choose their ingredients.
There are eight vendors in the courtyard this year, including two newcomers: El Manantial, which serves authentic Mexican food, and Satchel’s BBQ, which has a brick-and-mortar restaurant on Washtenaw Avenue. (Read more about the new carts)
Returning vendors are: A2 Pizza Pi, San Street, Cheese Dream, Hut-K Chaats, Darcy’s Cart and The Beet Box.
The adjacent Bill’s Beer Garden will open for its second weekend of the season from 5 to 11 p.m. on April 5-7.
Lizzy Alfs is a business reporter for AnnArbor.com. Reach her at 734-623-2584 or email her at lizzyalfs@annarbor.com. Follow her on Twitter at http://twitter.com/lizzyalfs.