Heartside Neighborhood

Where art, spiritual centers, entertainment, retail, and good eats all converge, the Heartside neighborhood is just moments from the heart of downtown. As experiencegr.com so eloquently put it, “This is where artists come to live and work, where bodies and souls come to heal, and where visitors come to experience a vibrant, diverse community that is rich in history and progressive in spirit.”

The neighborhood is one of the most up-and-coming neighborhoods here in GR as the downtown continues to boom with growth and excitement. It includes a number of GR’s most popular destinations such as the Van Andel arena and Iona Avenue. It also includes Avenue for the Arts, which runs along Division and showcases local artists and talent.

This neighborhood is unique in many ways, but visually it is striking. With breathtaking murals telling stories left and right, the architecture is also a story in itself. Hundreds of repurposed industrial and early 19th century commercial spaces have been converted into some of the finest residential projects of the midwest. It’s celebrated for its passion and community minded awareness. It joined the National Register of Historic Places in 1982.

Places to Eat:
Bangkok Taste Cuisine
The Cottage Bar & Restaurant
Gita Pita
Good Pizza Company
Hong Kong Express
One Stop Coney Shop
One Trick Pony Grill & Taproom
Palace of India
Palatte Coffee & Art
Rockwell Republic
Desdemona’s Dining Room at the Women’s City Club

Heartside Shopping:
Archive Antiques and Repurposed Goods
Brothers Leather Supply Co.
Dime & Regal
Avenue for the Arts

What to Do in Heartside:
First Friday Markets (summer) 
Free Radical (November) 
Urban Lights Holiday Market (December) 

Local Heartside Favorites:
The Local Epicurean
Sanctuary Folk Art
Heartside Gallery and Studio