While away a few beautiful hours in the coolest yard in town. The beer-and-cocktail garden at Yard & Lake in Northport is a must-visit.
This article first appeared in Traverse Northern Michigan. Find this story and more when you explore our magazine library. Want Traverse delivered to your door or inbox monthly? View our print subscription and digital subscription options.
When it’s a laid-back afternoon you’re craving, wind your way up Michigan’s pinkie finger to bask in the unmatched mellow of Northport. Among the drink-sipping and treat-seeking to be done in this beach village, some of the most leisurely is at Yard & Lake, where co-owner Shawn Santo and her team are stoking a breezy vibe at the new beer-and-cocktail garden.
A colorful sea of vintage-inspired lawn chairs marks the spot, as does the strip of lovingly tended 30-year-old lavender plants and late-blooming native species. There’s fun people-watching under the pergola on weekends (as well as Mystic Mondays, Taco Tuesdays and Thursday Wine Socials).
Photo by Dave Weidner
Photo by Dave Weidner
Photo by Dave Weidner
The retail side of Yard & Lake beckons through the open garage door—an homage to the original 1920s gas station on the site. Inside find all the nautical luxuries and beachy accessories your heart desires. Pop over to the bar side, and it’s like arriving on the patio of your most fun friend. Want to try blueberry-lavender compote spooned over ice cream for an appetizer? Let’s do it. Another small splash of local sparkling wine? Walk right up to the Airstream turned service bar. Newcomer food truck Taqueria Mosqueda has become a noon-to-night staple on Tuesday, Friday and Saturday (and Wednesday evenings). Yes, that’s a line for tacos, but the perfect al pastor on a hand-pressed tortilla … totally worth it. Yard & Lake’s own kitchen crafts cheese plates with Northport’s Idyll Farms cheese, sizzles up local bratwurst and offers grandma-recipe pies from Suttons Bay’s Chimoski Bakery.
It’s best not to be in a hurry here, but why would you want to be when perched on a butter-soft white Naugahyde barstool awaiting a dreamy cocktail—luscious nonalcoholic versions included—from bar maven Roman Albaugh?
Photo by Dave Weidner
Decades-long friends stay for a spell, family members mingle at the vintage picnic tables (be sure to peep at the undersides for stamps from their hometown German biergartens) and even the well-heeled flocks landing for just one Instagram pose end up shimmying toward the taco counter. At Yard & Lake, it’s all about having a moment to really be in the moment.
Yard & Lake
215 Mill St., Northport