South University Avenue is an east-west street on the southern edge of the original University of Michigan campus. It runs east from State Street; after exiting campus, it runs through a commercial area dominated by coffee shops, bars, restaurants and retail establishments that cater to high school and college students. This business area is therefore mostly vacant during the summer and during breaks from school; Ann Arbor townies claim it was a more balanced shopping district twenty years ago, and many of the business owners on South U say the present situation is not sustainable. East of Washtenaw Avenue, South University passes through a residential area housing mostly students, ending at Oxford Road and the University's Oxford Housing complex.
North side:
- Museum of Art (UM), faces State Street
- route 36 southbound bus stop
- President's House (UM)
- Clements Library (UM)
- UGLI (entrance at the Diag)
- West Hall
South side:
- Law Quad (UM)
- Martha Cook (UM)
North side:
- McDivitt-White Plaza
-
Espresso Royale Caffe
- formerly Amer's
- formerly Cava Java
- formerly Baskin Robins (back in the 1980s)
- Ulrich's
- YCI
- Stucchi's (South University)
- TCF Bank (South University)
South Side:
- National City Bank (South University)
- Oasis
-
South U Pizza
- formerly Sweet U
- Rendezvous
- 1112 Village Apothecary
- 1140 Good Time Charley's
- BTB Cantina
North side:
- 1201 China Gate Chinese restaurant
- Cool Waves
- Beyond the Wall
- 1205 Ayaka Korean and Japanese restaurant
- Jimmy John's (South University)
- Safe Sex Store
- Middle Earth
- Momo Tea
-
burned out hulk of an empty building
- where Campus Pinball, Pinball Pete's used to be
- University Towers
- Miki Japanese and Thai restaurant. Formerly:
South side:
- Footprints (South University)
-
1204 Brown Jug
- formerly the real Brown Jug
- 1208 Pancheros
- Nogginz
- Starbucks (South University)
- Post Office (South University)
- Pinball Pete's
- Kolossos (South University)
- STA Travel
- The Blue Leprechaun. Formerly:
- Kaplan
- Bubble Island
- Princeton Review
North side:
-
- formerly Java House
- Mitch's (closed)
- Campus Cleaners
-
1313 Rich JC, Korean restaurant
- where Steve's Lunch used to be
- Subway (South University)
- 1317 No Thai, Thai restaurant
- Sadako
- Coffee Break
- Maize and Blue Deli
South Side:
- Site of proposed University Village development project
- Village Corner (601 S. Forest Street)
- Bagel Factory (closed)
- Mitch's