From the Archives: Downtown lunch spots we miss

Whatever ups and downs downtown Lansing has gone through, it's always been a hot spot for lunch.

State and city workers, state reps, legislators and anyone else in the vicinity can don their walking shoes for a quick bite to eat.

Downtown had some unique lunch spots over the years.

The Dancing Goat on South Washington Square not only offered delicious coffee drinks, but also salads, soups and pastries. They were on the corner in the space now occupied by Backyard Bar BQ.

The Sports Page was a sports bar, but an atypical one. A lot smaller, always packed at lunchtime and serving great sandwiches and salads. They were right at the corner of Kalamazoo Street and South Washington Square.

Hobie's Downtown (there's another in East Lansing) offered a wide selection of homemade soups and sandwiches. The restaurant had entrances on both East Allegan and South Washington Square.

Capital City Delicatessen was just that — a deli — with sandwiches and soups — on East Kalamazoo Street. Wraps, pasta, and delicious daily specials were also on the menu. At Sidestreets Deli on South Washington Square you could order a corned-beef-on-rye sandwich, soup-and-sandwich specials, even a side of chopped liver.

The Spotted Dog Cafe served homemade soups, sandwiches, leafy salads, and everyone's favorite — the chicken salad. The broccoli cherry pasta, strawberry salad and turkey chili were also favorites. They closed in June of 2015.

Restaurant Mediteran was located in the Sports Page's former space and served some of the best spinach pie, schnitzel, and homemade German noodles in the city. The restaurant closed in January 2015 and owner Igor Jurkovic opened Mediteran Café and Catering in late March inside the Capitol National Bank building at 200 N. Washington Square.

There are many others, but here's a small sample of the downtown lunch spots we miss.

Contact Vickki Dozier at (517) 267-1342 or vdozier@lsj.com. Follow her on Twitter@vickkiD.