Your 2026 Northern Michigan Winter Restaurant Guide

Seven spots to dine while the snow is falling

By Northern Express Staff & Contributors | Feb. 14, 2026

Brrr…is anyone else craving a warm meal? Maybe you want the nostalgia of cheese curds or meatloaf. Maybe you’re looking for the perfect combo of coffee and a breakfast sandwich. Maybe you just have a craving for winter comfort food like pizza or pierogi.

Find all of that (and much more) below, as our writers highlight seven of their favorite dining experiences—breakfast, lunch, and dinner—over the last few months.

Pictured: A sneak peek at Right Bower Kitchen & Coffee's Traverse City Restaurant Week menu!

Wander In

Manistee

Opened in late August 2025, Wander In is the creation of siblings Bridgett and Rob VanDerhoff and Rob’s wife, Carey, who dreamed of building not just a restaurant, but a destination. Their vision is a place where you can share breakfast by the water, linger by firepits with live music, and even set out on a donut boat cruise with snacks and cocktails in tow.

To make their vision a reality, the VanDerhoffs turned to Chef Brian D. Kissel, a Michigan native and graduate of the Great Lakes Culinary Institute. Kissel built his reputation leading kitchens at Manistee National Golf & Resort and the Blue Slipper in Onekama, where he became known for transforming simple, fresh ingredients into unforgettable meals.

At Wander In, he blends scratch-made comfort food with modern, creative twists—all anchored in the philosophy “good food, not fast food.”

On the Menu
It’s the kind of place where a hearty Midwest breakfast meets upscale dinner plates, where classics are familiar but always come with a twist.

Breakfast might mean malted pancakes, French toast, or biscuits and gravy, but regulars already swear by the Million Dollar Bacon—honey-sweetened, perfectly crisp, and Bridgett’s undisputed favorite. Pair it with a mimosa from the build-your-own mimosa bar or a custom Bloody Mary, and you’re set for the day.

Lunch leans casual: soups, sandwiches, and burgers that are approachable but never boring. The star of the show? Cheese curds, hand-battered in a secret coating and fried golden, then served with a tart-sweet berry sauce. “I’ve never had anything taste so delicious in my life,” Bridgett admits, and guests tend to agree.

By dinnertime, the kitchen stretches into more upscale territory. Chef Kissel’s lamb chops with a sweet chili glaze have quickly developed a reputation for being “unbelievable.” The grilled salmon with bourbon glaze and rice balances smoky richness with a subtle sweetness, while the pastas offer cozy options for every palate.

Seasonal specials rotate in—on the food menu and the drinks menu—and there are always homemade desserts to sate your sweet tooth.

Find Wander In at 91 Arthur Street in Manistee. (231) 299-1227‬; wanderinmanistee.com

Frank’s 231

Traverse City

The Frank’s 231 location makes the restaurant feel like it is under the radar, but the cuisine makes it stand out. Three bites in and a guest might imagine they are sitting at a restaurant overlooking a vineyard or taking in the view from a trendy downtown street.

Chef Dan Compton has mastered the art of texture and taste in his dishes that are made primarily, if not all, from local ingredients. Both vegetables and proteins are sourced from area farms that are only a short drive away.

The menu caters to all foodies with many options to choose from, including gluten-free, dairy-free, vegetarian, and vegan. Some of the menu items are inspired by southern cuisine, including cheddar grits or braised collard greens.

On the Menu
Compton’s elegant and flavorful dishes leave the customer feeling guilt-free from gorging on healthy food, including what we sampled on our visit: the barbecued cauliflower sandwich with roasted cabbage and dill pickle remoulade on a soft homemade bun.

“I always have sausages on,” Compton says, which is another inspiration for the restaurant’s name “Frank” (named for Compton's grandfather), along with northern Michigan’s area code: 231. “The name kind of just worked. He loved food and he loved cooking.”

The menu is updated frequently with the changing seasons and availability of ingredients. Relying on locally sourced foods year-round can have its challenges, especially in the cold months of winter when produce can be sparse. However, Compton says he likes it that way and has learned some tricks over the years to spice things up.

“I appreciate the challenge of it,” Compton said. “I feel like it would be overwhelming to me as a chef to come up with ideas if I had the entire world’s pantry available to me at any one moment. The strictures can breed creativity.”

Find Frank’s 231 at 1779 S Garfield Ave, Ste A, in Traverse City. (231) 252-2335; franks231.com

Little Bay Gourmet

Petoskey

Chef Sarah McDonnell moved her Petoskey deli slash meal service slash catering enterprise to new digs last year, and they’ve been flourishing in the space ever since.

Everything at Little Bay Gourmet is made from scratch and sourced locally whenever possible; McDonnell used Petoskey’s historic Coveyou Farm Market this year for organic produce. Plus, she supports a very long list of Michigan products including Great Lakes Chips, Grand Papa’s Cheese Puffs, Faygo beverages, Top Daddy Pretzels, 313 Urban Chips, Traverse Bay Farms salsas, Fustini’s Oils and Vinegars, Blake’s pickles, Mab’s Mustard, Plath’s meats, and Petoskey’s Spoonful of Granola—small-batch, 18 flavors, and a personal favorite of Chef Sarah. Plus, the Fraser-based Carmella Foods, direct source for producers, farms, and suppliers in the Midwest and internationally, provides top tier products.

On the Menu
Little Bay Gourmet offers grab-and-go sandwiches, sides, soups, hot entrees, and boxed meals, plus a salad bar, all with dine-in or take-out options. This menu from our last visit is just an example of what is served up:

The Take ‘n Heat Entrees include Chipotle Braised Beef Short Ribs and mascarpone grits; Lemon Dill Shrimp, with spinach and brown rice; and Chicken Parmesan Meatloaf, with buttermilk smashed red skins and green beans. Or try a soup including the Cactus Chili with brightly flavored nopales, aka prickly pear cactus; the Potato, Cauliflower & Gruyere; and the Tomato Sausage & Tortellini.

Gourmet boxed lunches with a whole or half sandwich might include the Turkey and Avocado with fresh lettuce, tomatoes, white cheddar, and basil aioli; or Chicken Salad with dried cherries, pecans, and apple slices. Choose a side such as mustard potato salad, creamy coleslaw, fresh mixed fruit, and pasta salads, plus chips.

The catering menu is huge—and we mean huge—and Little Bay Gourmet can accommodate business functions, private parties, formal events, weddings, and just about anything in between.

Menus change regularly, so keep up with Little Bay Gourmet for a complete list of offerings. Look for upcoming events and classes (plus do visit often to experience those incredible dishes).

Find Little Bay Gourmet at 314 W. Mitchell St., Petoskey. (231) 622-5281; littlebaygourmet.com

The Blue Bird

Leland

*Editor’s Note: The Blue Bird recently announced that they will temporarily close until April for updates and renovations.

Skip Telgard and his wife, Lynn, are the third-generation owners of “The Bird,” as it is often known. The Leland restaurant was founded by Skip’s grandparents, Martin and Leone Telgard, in 1927. They closed after the 2022 season with plans to demolish the old structure and rebuild it on the same site.

These plans were driven in large part by a desire to modernize (and right-size) operations, but also to better embrace the Leland River, which previously ran largely unnoticed behind the restaurant. The new version faces the river, with big windows and a very large patio just feet from the water.

The restaurant reopened in October, and the response has been enormous.

“I hear stories from everybody when they come in. I stop and talk to virtually all the tables, and there’s been so many familiar faces,” Telgard says. “It’s just been really exciting [because] it means so much to them. Of course it means a tremendous amount to me. The community support has been 1,000 percent.”

On the Menu
The new, slightly slimmed down menu has a “core of Blue Bird staples” like whitefish (when available fresh), walleye, and pizza. Telgard used the restaurant’s down time as an opportunity to seek out some new suppliers, and he’s got a few home runs so far.

“We found some tremendous perch that we are so thrilled about. It's not farm raised perch—this is wild-caught Michigan perch,” he says. It’s a welcome addition to a menu that has long featured a bounty from the lakes.

The pizzas are and always have been in high demand, both for dine in and take out. Options include classics like Supreme, Veggie, and Caprese, with more creative editions available such as the Bird Pie (pepperoni, spinach, bacon, garlic, and tomato). There’s nothing overly radical about them, Telgard says, other than good ingredients and a consistent process.

“We make our crust every day, and we have a system for making our pizzas that is very, very consistent. And we use really good ingredients,” he says. “So it’s just a great pizza.”

Other local favorites include a brisket sandwich (“We smoke our own meats, so we have a brisket sandwich that is absolutely amazing,” Telgard says), hearty burgers, and a crispy chicken sandwich. A large wine selection, full bar, and “outstanding” desserts round out the menu.

Find the Blue Bird at 102 East River St. in Leland. (231) 256-9081; bluebirdleland.com

Babcia’s Corner

Traverse City

There’s no danger of the pierogi becoming a lost art, at least in these parts, thanks to Zack and Amy Henley, grandson and daughter, respectively, of Mary Karbowneczk, in whose memory Babcia’s Corner was created. (Babcia, pronounced “bob-cha,” is Polish for grandmother.)

Mary Karbowneczk immigrated first to Toronto and then to the U.S. from Poland in the late 1920s, leaving behind the chaotic, tenuous politics and uncertainty of life resulting from the fall of empires post WWI. A shipboard romance, en route, resulted in marriage, and Mary and her husband settled among the thriving Polish neighborhoods in Detroit, where they raised four children steeped in the Old-World traditions, including her pierogis.

Zack Henley nurtured the idea of sharing Babcia Mary’s pierogi with the rest of us, but it wasn’t until 2020, when COVID provided the opportunity, that Zack, together with his mother Amy, and a handful of grandkids, made Babcia’s Amazing Pierogi a reality in summer 2021.

On the Menu
Pierogi is often referred to as a simple dough, made from flour, hot water, and salt, with a variety of fillings, but the reality is far more complicated. “Every family in every region had its own [dough] tradition,” Amy Henley says. “It’s not just a noodle.”

Indeed, Babcia’s Amazing Pierogi dough is a finely-tuned, multi-generational mix of sour cream, butter, eggs, and flour.

And the fillings—traditionally derived from whatever was available, like other rustic European dishes—are just as good. The Henleys narrowed their product to three signature flavors: Farmer’s Cheese (similar to a dry cottage cheese) with chives and fresh garlic; Sauerkraut and Mushroom, made with portobello mushrooms; and Potato and Cheddar, with oven-roasted redskin potatoes, cheddar cheese, and caramelized onion with garlic. (Zack spent three months working on the Potato and Cheddar recipe to get it just right.)

There are lots of other good things cooking, depending on the time of year, like seasonal fresh fruit dessert pierogis and homemade breads, including poppy seed, caraway, and pumpernickel, plus Chalka braided bread.

Find Babcia’s Corner at 1110 E. Hammond Rd., Ste. 4, Traverse City. (231) 600-8082; bapgoodness.com

Hive, Birdie’s Sandwiches, and Little Boat

Suttons Bay and Leland

Business is business. But for Landon McDaid, business needs to mean more. That’s why Landon and his wife, Nicole McDaid, want the impact of their three Leelanau County operations to go beyond their own pocketbooks.

The McDaids’ Hive Coffee Co. in Suttons Bay—which has been in the old Mundos space since 2023—supports mental health and honeybee conservation. Little Boat Coffee in Leland supports the Great Lakes. Birdie’s Sandwiches in Suttons Bay supports Michigan wildlife. The latter two businesses opened just a few months ago.

Birdie’s is in a separate space toward the back of Hive that was formerly occupied by Bay Burrito. “I thought it would be really nice to offer a grab-and-go sandwich option in Suttons Bay,” Landon says.”

Little Boat occupies the former Mapcap Coffee spot in Leland. Landon had approached the Madcap folks and said he’d like to be the first person they called if they were to move out. In the end, Birdie’s and Little Boat opened on Nov. 20 and 21, respectively.

On the Menu
Mundos and Madcap continue to roast the coffee for both locations, though Landon hopes to roast his own soon.

“Everything we do, we have a standard for. Every shot of espresso we pull is exact weight, exact timing, and dialed in to exactly how we want it to taste. Our syrups are all made in-house…Our staff takes 15, 20 minutes out of their opening procedures just to make sure our coffee is tasting right,” Landon says.

Over at Birdie’s, the sandwiches are second to none, Landon says.

“We’re most proud of the flavors that are coming out of there. We’ve got really good sauces that we’re putting on sandwiches and really good creations that are super fun. We’ve got an amazing muffalata there. We’ve got a great turkey club that features our bird sauce, which is a Calabrian chili mayonnaise,” he says. We’ve got so many good, different, unique sandwiches.”

Find Hive Coffee Co. at 206 N St Joseph St, Suttons Bay, in Suite B and Birdie’s Sandwiches in Suite D, and Little Boat Coffee at 106 N Main St in Leland. hive-coffee.com

Right Bower Kitchen & Coffee

Traverse City

For a little more than two months, Right Bower Kitchen & Coffee of Traverse City has been serving up freshly-made baked goods, locally-sourced dishes and, of course, gourmet coffees. Guests can order breakfast or lunch all day.

The coffee shop and bakery is tucked away inside the Seven Hills hotspot on Old Mission Peninsula. Mission Proper formerly occupied the space, but closed in October.

“I was an employee at Mission Proper and decided to carry the torch forward with a refreshed vision,” Right Bower owner Victoria Levinsohn says. “While my business is completely new, I had some inspiration from working at Mission Proper before.”

Right Bower’s name is a play on its location near Bowers Harbor and a popular Michigan pastime—euchre. The eatery hosts euchre nights on Sundays and monthly dinner clubs you won’t want to miss!

“It is a set menu themed differently each month meant to highlight local farmers and healthy, delicious and more intricate spreads of food,” Levinsohn says of the dinners.

On the Menu
Right Bower uses “high quality” Panther Coffee Roasters. “I’m very passionate about coffee quality,” Levinsohn says. Be sure to check out their seasonal specials in addition to a list of classic options.

Levinsohn describes her food as “classic, comfortable plates with an elevated twist.” On the breakfast side, you’ll see a dressed-up avocado toast, breakfast sandwiches and burritos, and the Cinnamon Oat Pancakes, topped with Greek yogurt, spiced apple compote, and crunchy pepitas.

For lunch, there’s the Spinach Artichoke Wrap, a roast beef melt, and the Queen’s Proper Handheld (honey-roasted turkey layered with swiss cheese, thinly sliced apples, pickled red onion, cranberry dijonnaise, and arugula on warm house-made focaccia). Soup, soft pretzels, and bites for littles (like PB&J and grilled cheese), round out the offerings.

Levinsohn uses local ingredients as much as possible, and as the seasons change, so does the menu.

“I think a lot of people up here are looking for comfort, and we want to give that to them,” Levinsohn says. “I love the creativity that comes with cooking. I want to highlight Michigan produce. It tastes better that way too.”

The owner adds that Right Bower has a pastry chef and bakes most things in-house. Levinsohn makes all the bread and helps out her team of eight employees where she can.

Find Right Bower at 13795 Seven Hills Rd in Traverse City. (231) 492-0026; rightbowertc.com