Road-trip restaurants! From Munising to Glen Arbor and beyond, here are 10 Northern Michigan eateries to stop at during your next cruise Up North.
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1911 Restaurant at The Terrace Inn
1549 Glendale Ave, Petoskey | 1911 Restaurant Website
Sleep in a vintage inn themed after the likes of Ernest Hemingway who wrote and imbibed inside this Petoskey hotel located in the beautiful Bay View neighborhood. Then sample the locally-focused cuisine of Chef Jordan Glover. Look for ramps and fiddleheads in spring fare and handmade fettuccine topped with his (local) Gypsy Vodka sauce.
Rock’s Landing
1577 Crystal Dr., Frankfort | Rock’s Landing Website
Generations of Chimney Corners guests know this nearby Frankfort restaurant for its views that make you feel as if you’re atop Crystal Lake. Bonus, it’s an easy stroll across the street. Book a room, or not; meals like seared sea scallops and lemon ricotta gnocchi are now available to the public—as is that fabulous view.
The Argonne House
11929 Boyne City Rd., Charlevoix | Argonne House Website
The Argonne has been serving their shrimp dinners since 1948 and they are still as good as ever. Eat your fill, then stay at Charlevoix’s Hotel Earl. Recent renovations play on architect Earl Young’s love of natural materials, like rock and live-edge wood, and vintage touches are sprinkled throughout.
Gates Au Sable Lodge
471 S. Stephan Bridge Rd., Grayling | Gates Lodge Website
Trout-fishing enthusiasts have long made their way to this Grayling Eden on the Au Sable’s holy waters. Book a simple room with extraordinary views and take up fishing—or just eat. Think fresh-caught, bacon-wrapped trout (Trout Hemingway), smoky trout chowder, scratch-made hash and eggs.
Little Traverse Inn
149 E Harbor Hwy, Maple City | Little Traverse Inn Website
Lawn lights twinkle, jazz singers croon from inside and menus feature British Isles pub classics and Indian specialties at this country inn north of Glen Arbor. Beds are just upstairs, where rooms offer Little Traverse Lake views and elegance befitting suite names such as Windsor and Camelot.
Photo by Angela Brown
Dam Site Inn
6705 Woodland Rd., Pellston | Damn Site Inn Website
Diners in Brutus enjoy the fried chicken dinners served family-style at this local icon (open seasonally April through October). The 1950s-era restaurant sports groovy seating designed by Charles Eames and walls of soft Naugahyde once used in Buicks. Stafford’s Crooked River Lodge nearby offers a river view and indoor pool.
Keweenaw Mountain Lodge
14252 US-41, Copper Harbor | Keweenaw Mountain Lodge Webiste
You’ll get starry-eyed over the ever-changing dining room menu inspired by the slow-food movement. A stay at this historic log beauty resembling a national park lodge also allows for actual star-gazing; its International Dark Sky status is pending.
The Glenwood
4604 Main St., Onekama | Glenwood Website
Plan a date night for the May seasonal opening of this waterfront spot built circa 1900 for Chicago-area tourists who flocked to Onekama by steamship. Savor blue cheese filet mignon or salmon topped with cucumber dill sauce, then gaze at Portage Lake from the wraparound porch at Canfield House, a lumber baron house turned B&B.
Tracey’s at The Roam Inn
815 W. Munising Ave. Unit 1, Munising | Tracey’s Website
Munising is a destination for more than the famed Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore, roaring waterfalls and agate hunts. Diners pilgrimage for fresh whitefish, unexpected Asian noodle dishes, rice bowls and house cocktails inside the 18-room boutique hotel/mansion with bay views.
Woods Restaurant
8655 Cudahy Circle, Mackinac Island | Woods Website
Take a horse and carriage down woodsy Mackinac Island paths to this 1905 Bavarian-style lodge restaurant run by Grand Hotel, then savor hearty fare (elk chops, lobster claw mac ‘n’ cheese and more). There’s duckpin bowling on-site and Straits-view rooms at the nearby Sunset Condominiums.
Kim Schneider is a long-time travel writer specializing in Michigan adventures, food and wine. The Midwest Travel Journalist Association has named her Mark Twain Travel Writer of the Year, and she’s the author of “100 Things to Do in Traverse City Before You Die.”