GR Family Road Trips To Eat At Restaurant No Longer Available Here

How far would YOU travel to eat at a restaurant we used to have here in Grand Rapids, but don't any more? I'll bet you wouldn't drive THIS far.

Food Road Trips Are Fairly Common

With the rise of the Food Network and shows that feature unique restaurants like "Diner, Drive Ins and Dives", people have been more willing to jump in their cars and drive long distances for a new food taste treat.

But how far would you be willing to drive for a restaurant that used to be your favorite, but no longer exists in GR?

The Willman family of Grand Rapids may have set a high bar for food road trips when they drove over six hours to Iowa City, IA to reunite with the menu they enjoyed when the chain Carlos O'Kellys used to be here. (FYI -- Carlos is down to just 13 locations, most of them in Iowa)

The Grand Rapids Carlos O'Kellys was located near where Costco and Target are now, just off the I-96 interchange at 4977 28th Street. It closed in 2011.

But that doesn't mean it didn't have any fans, although I doubt that there were any nearly as dedicated as the Willmans.

That's some dedication! I've loved some restaurants in my time, but I don't know if I would take a twelve hour round trip to partake.

I did once drive 90 minutes with some friends to dine at a White Castle in Howell. I was greatly disappointed. My memory of the food there was actually way batter than the actual food.

Carlos Had Mixed Reviews On Yelp!

While it was here, Carlos O'Kellys garnered three reviews on Yelp!. Two were five stars, and one was two stars. That two star review was pretty harsh:

Ugh. I think 2 stars is generous. For some unfathomable reason, my brother likes this place so he makes us go.  Chips were stale. Lettuce on my fajitos was bitter/slightly turned.  Beef was tough and flavorless.

I usually know it's trouble when the menus are sticky.  They are plasticized--can't you have someone wipe them off? Ugh!  I will accept sticky menus at a dive with delicious cheap food, but this is not that.

The extra star is for the $2 margarita special.

How far would you drive to reunite with a favorite dining establishment? With the gas prices out of control, I'm afraid my driving radius has been reeled in quite a bit.