Burke’s Waterfront Sunset

Bottoms Up

By Lynda Wheatley | June 27, 2020

For a taste of classic Up North — the kind Gen Xers have known and loved since childhood — Burke’s Waterfront Restaurant in Cadillac is everything totally excellent. Inside: low lights, a warm, all-wood interior, giant fish tanks and nautical decor, multi-page fold-out menus, and waitresses that call you “Hon.” Outside: an expansive, well-appointed deck that, though in sight of M-55 and a dressed-up Dollar General, sits right on the shore of a lily-pad-dotted section of Lake Cadillac aflutter with dragonflies and songbirds.

We found it to be a lovely place to sip on Burke’s equally lovely specialty cocktail, the Waterfront Sunset — a tall pour of orange juice made extra sweet, summery, and pretty with raspberry and peach Pucker. The afternoon sipper was super on its own, but we paired ours with two lunches: a worthwhile customer favorite, the Bison Burger, and our personal favorite, Burke’s Monte Cristo. Its combo of melty cheeses and sugared-ham and turkey, embraced by perfectly grilled egg-dipped Challah bread (thick, soft, and on-target sweet), put our 80’s childhood meal of choice — remember Bennigan’s Monte Cristo, kids? — to shame. Absolutely worth the stop or a long drive.

Burke’s Waterfront Restaurant is open 7am–9pm Monday–Thursday and Sundays; 7am–10pm Friday and Saturdays. Find it at 2403 Sunnyside Dr., in Cadillac. (231) 775-7555, www.burkeswaterfront.com