It’s Top of the Town time

Glad to have you along for another year of Greater Lansing’s best contest: Top of the Town.

City Pulse has been bringing you our annual contest now for 19 years and we’re glad that WKAR is again our partner in finding some of the best places, food and other things in Greater Lansing.

Nominate your favorites at:

https://lansingcitypulse.revfluent.com/tott

Voting went live today at 5:30 a.m. (Oct. 7) and will continue through 11:59 p.m. on Oct. 20.

We’ve trimmed down some of the categories this year to make it easier for you to finish voting. But there’s no need to vote on everything. Dip in and out as you’d like.

We plan to do a separate feature for our people-related categories, including some of the artists and others we love. Look for that early in 2027.

Meanwhile, we wanted to highlight some of our favorites like Best Place to Cry, Best Non-Bar or Restaurant Date Night and Worst Pothole. And, of course, all the restaurants and foods and shops and hangs you love.

We added a little measure of accountability, and fun, this year. Call us out about how our contest messed up last year with the Biggest Whiff in Last Year’s Contest.

 We’ve got a lot of categories and we can handle it if you don’t agree with what our voters said last year. That’s just more drive to push your favorite to number one this year.

Because this is a vote-driven process. 

It’s about what you think is the best. But we’ve got to have some proof and that’s why we need YOU to vote in the contest. 

We’re free, no paywalls, and there’s no obligation or sales pitch at the end.

To get started

1. Use the QR code here or visit lansingcitypulse.com, then click on the Top of the Town banners at the top of the page to get to the contest site. There, you will find links to register. 
2. To begin voting, select any category and follow the prompts in the pop-up window. All votes are submitted automatically. Don’t worry about a second submission screen.
3. If you need to stop and come back to your ballot, or your internet browser closed, you can return to the site and continue voting where you left off. Remember that you can always log out of your voting session and, when you are ready to resume voting, log back in.

You can vote in as many (or as few) categories as you wish, but please remember to finish your ballot before 11:59 p.m. on Oct. 20. 

That gives you plenty of time for your toughest decisions!

The Top 5 in each category will advance to the second round, which will be announced Nov. 4. You will then have two more weeks to vote for the Top 3, which will be announced in our Dec. 2 issue.

If you are the first to nominate a business, please be patient. We can use humans to verify it is in the right category, spelled correctly, etc. If you do not see it after 24 hours, please contact our human, Steve Underwood, at (517) 999-6704 or steve@lansingcitypulse.com between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. on weekdays.

When you vote or nominate, you have an opportunity to comment. Please do so! We may want to use those comments in the next round, when the Top 5 nominees are winnowed down to the Top 3.

If you can’t vote online, you can also send your list of votes via snail mail to Steve Underwood at City Pulse, 1905 E. Michigan Ave., Lansing, MI 48912.

And make sure you sign up for the City Pulse newsletters!

We are excited to again partner with RevFluent and Friends2Follow, which help to keep the data independent.

The integrity of the contest is vital, so all nominations will come from the community.

Winners past and present often place ads, which could lead to more exposure and more votes.

But ads do not influence the results or nominations and businesses do not need to pay to play, participate or win.

Top of the Town is a people’s choice contest.

Top of the Town is THE best platform in Greater Lansing to vote for the best of the best, and when our Winners’ Issue is published Dec. 2, you’ll have a great community resource all year long! 

Thanks so much to Dennis Preston for his outstanding artwork on the cover and within this story!

Nomination round

Oct. 7-Oct. 20 at 11:59 p.m.

Finalist round (Top 5)

Nov. 4-Nov. 17 at 11:59 p.m.

Winner announced (Top 3)

Dec. 2 edition

Bar

Best Bar Food

Best Cocktails

Best Dance Bar

Best Dive Bar

Best Happy Hour

Best Jam Night

Best Karaoke

Best Lansing-Area Brewery

Best Lansing-Area Distillery

Best Margarita

Best Mocktails

Best Neighborhood Bar

Best Pub/Tavern

Best Spartan Sports Hangout

Best Sports Bar

Cannabis

Best Cannabis Flower – Hybrid

Best Cannabis Flower – Indica

Best Cannabis Flower – Sativa

Best Cannabis Growing Brand

Best CBD Store/Boutique

Best Distillate Cartridge

Best Gummy Edible (Cannabis)

Best Indoor Grow Shop

Best Marijuana Provisioning Center

Best Non-Gummy Edible (Cannabis)

Best Non-Solvent Concentrate (Cannabis)

Best Solvent Concentrate (Cannabis)

Best Topical

Dining

Best Bagels

Best Bakery

Best Baklava

Best BBQ

Best BBQ Sauce

Best Breakfast

Best Brunch

Best Bubble Tea

Best Buffet

Best Burger

Best Chicken Strips/Tenders

Best Chinese Food Restaurant

Best Cider

Best Coney Dog

Best Cupcake

Best Deli

Best Dessert

Best Diner

Best Donuts

Best Drive-up location

Best Family Friendly Restaurant

Best Fast Food

Best Fish Fry

Best Food Truck

Best French Fries

Best Greek

Best Hibachi

Best Ice Cream

Best Indian Restaurant

Best Irish

Best Italian

Best Lasagna

Best Late-Night Food

Best Mediterranean

Best Mexican Restaurant – Chain

Best Mexican Restaurant – Non-Chain

Best Nachos

Best New Restaurant

Best Olive Burger

Best Pancakes

Best Pho

Best Pizza

Best Prime Rib

Best Ramen

Best Ranch Dressing

Best Restaurant Beer List

Best Restaurant for Seniors

Best Restaurant Wine List

Best Reuben

Best Salad

Best Sandwich/Wrap

Best Seafood Restaurant

Best Signature Dish

Best Soup

Best Steak

Best Sub Sandwich

Best Sushi

Best Tacos

Best Thai Restaurant

Best Upscale Dining

Best Vegan/Gluten Free Dessert

Best Vegetarian/Vegan Dish

Best Vegetarian/Vegan/Gluten Free Restaurant

Best Wings

Hangouts

Best Biggby

Best Bowling Alley

Best Cafe

Best Coffee Shop (non-Biggby)

Best Comedy Night

Best Corn Maze

Best Escape Room Venue

Best Golf Course

Best Hangout for Seniors

Best Hangout for Students

Best Hangout Solo

Best LGBTQIA+ Friendly Hangout

Best Library

Best Local Attraction for Kids

Best Movie Theatre

Best Music Venue

Best Nature Center

Best Non-Bar or Restaurant Date Night

Best Patio

Best Place to Play Pinball or Video Games

Best Place to Shoot Pool

Best Public Park

Best Sober Hangout

Best Trivia Night

Local Arts

Best Blues Artist/Band

Best Choral Group

Best Country Artist/Band

Best Cover Band

Best Folk Artist/Band

Best Hip-Hop Artist/Group

Best Jazz Musician/Group

Best Local Concert Series

Best Local Theatre Organization

Best Mural

Best Pottery Studio

Best Public Art/Sculpture

Best Rock Artist/Band

Services

Best Appliance Repair

Best Auto Detailing Service

Best Auto Repair/Body Shop

Best Bank

Best Barber Shop

Best Bicycle Shop

Best Business IT Support Service

Best Car Wash

Best Caterer/Catering service

Best Cemetery

Best Chiropractic Office

Best Cleaning Service

Best Computer Repair Service

Best Credit Union

Best Dance Studio

Best Day Spa

Best Dentist Office

Best Dog Training Business

Best Estate Sale Company

Best Facial

Best Funeral Home

Best Gym/Fitness Studio

Best Hair Salon

Best Heating/Cooling

Best Holistic Healing

Best Insurance Agency

Best Landscape Company

Best Law Firm

Best Local YouTube Channel

Best Massage Studio

Best Med Spa

Best Moving Service

Best Nail Salon

Best News Source

Best Non-Profit Organization (local)

Best Pet Grooming Business

Best Pet Rescue

Best Pharmacy (locally owned)

Best Photography

Best Plumbing Service

Best Radio Station

Best Senior Care/Living Facility

Best Tattoo Parlor

Best Therapy/Therapist Service

Best Towing Company

Best Veterinarian Service

Best Wedding Services

Best Wifi/Internet Service Provider

Best Yoga Studio

Shopping

Best Antique Shop

Best Art Gallery

Best Art Supply Store

Best Auto Dealership

Best Beer Selection in Retail Store

Best Bookstore (locally owned)

Best Butcher Shop

Best Candy Store

Best Cheese Department

Best Clothing Store (locally owned)

Best Farmers Market

Best Florist

Best Furniture Store

Best Game Shop

Best Gardening Center

Best Gas Station

Best Gift Shop

Best Grocery Store (locally owned)

Best Hardware Store

Best Jewelry Store

Best Lingerie Store

Best Liquor Store

Best Metaphysical Store

Best Musical Instrument Store

Best Organic/Natural Market

Best Pet Store

Best Quality Dairy

Best Record/CD Store

Best Sex Shop

Best Thrift or Consignment Shop

Best Used Car Dealership

Best Vape Shop

Best Wine Shop

Whatever

Best Axe Throwing Venue

Best Category We Didn’t Think of

Best Eye Candy Building

Best Facebook Group or Page (local)

Best High School

Best Historical Place

Best Instagram Account (local)

Best Local Art Festival

Best Local Event/Festival

Best New Business

Best Outdoor Adventure

Best Place to Cry in Public

Best Place to Find Quiet

Best Place to Work

Best Shop Pet

Best Staycation Hotel in Lansing

Biggest Whiff in Last Year’s Contest

Cleanest Public Restroom

In Memoriam: Businesses Lost

Most Trustworthy Business

Worst Eyesore

Worst Pothole (specific location)