Your Fall 2026 NoMi Restaurant Guide

10 eateries you won’t want to miss this season

By Northern Express Staff & Contributors | Oct. 10, 2026

This is one of our biggest restaurant roundups ever, and it’s just in time for fall dining! We have sushi, shawarma, sandwiches, and Southern comfort food. We have food trucks, fine dining, and cozy hole-in-the-wall spots that locals know and love. And best of all, we have the scoop on the owners and menus (at least as they were when we last visited) below.

Pictured: The wood-fired salmon from Cellar & Flame Steakhouse.

Acorn Kitchen

Traverse City

Acorn Kitchen already feels like the kind of neighborhood spot that’s been part of Traverse City for years. Tucked inside the Atomic Marketplace off Cass Street, the restaurant is equal parts gastropub and culinary playground, serving everything from shawarma to inventive weekly specials that are the brainchild of owner and chef Zachary Anderson.

“I’ve always wanted this,” Anderson says of Acorn Kitchen. “Ever since I was a teenager, when I first started cooking, I had this vision that one day I would have a little kitchen where I could kind of cook whatever I want.”

While exploring a few options—including a food truck—Anderson discovered the space at Atomic Marketplace, already home to Seismoto Coffee Bar and Nocturnal Bloom Brewing. Immediately, the fully equipped kitchen, that had never been used, felt like home.

On the Menu
The menu begins with one simple question: What can’t Anderson find anywhere else?

“When I develop a menu, first I look for what no one else is doing,” he says.

For him, that meant bringing authentic shawarma, a longtime favorite he struggled to find after moving north to Traverse City. It quickly became one of Acorn Kitchen’s signature offerings.

The permanent menu is intentionally small enough to allow room for constant experimentation. Weekly chalkboard specials appear whenever inspiration strikes, whether that’s a globally inspired sandwich, an unexpected burger, or a completely new creation dreamed up by Anderson and his staff.

The menu evolves naturally with the seasons, staff inspiration, and whatever ingredients (often local) spark an idea. Rather than following trends, Anderson cooks the food he genuinely wants to eat and trusts that others will enjoy the journey alongside him.

Find Acorn Kitchen at 3344 Cass Rd. in Traverse City.

Upriver

Glen Arbor

At first glance, Upriver is a casual sandwich shop, with a take-out window, booths and tables for 20, and eight picnic tables in a tranquil, al fresco setting on the Crystal River. But this place has a provenance that elevates it to a different culinary level altogether: Upriver comes from the same folks who gave us The Mill at Glen Arbor, the repurposed grist mill which has been transformed into something sublime.

Opened earlier this year, Upriver is already one of the hottest spots in town, especially on a busy summer afternoon. And yet they focus on the local touch, with fresh produce from a collection of local growers, including Langley Farms, Second Spring, Lakeview Hill, Fifth Wind, and Meadowlark, among others. The oven holds slow-roasted Michigan Craft Beef, raised in Zeeland, and fresh baked goods arrive from The Mill Bakery.

On the Menu
Let’s start with three Fried Chicken options: 1) fresh, tender chicken breast on a freshly baked bun with mayo and pickle; 2) ratchet it up with hot sauce (our personal favorite); 3) Or choose the Upriver, with chicken, kale slaw, Swiss cheese, and tomato.

Oven roasted chicken is found in the Club, with thick bacon, greens, cheddar, tomato, and mayo; the Chicken Melt with peppers, onion, garlic mayo, and American cheese; and the Chicken Avocado, with greens, Swiss, and chili-lime mayo. Chef Thoits says the Chicken Avocado is “our most popular sandwich by far.”

There’s a Steak & Pepper Melt, the ALT-B (BLT + avocado), and the Caprese Sandwich with tomato, fresh mozzarella, and basil balsamic dressing, plus other options. Sides include some really terrific seasoned waffle fries (they also come with every sandwich), plus kale slaw, pickled cucumbers, street corn, and more. Dessert is a must, with fresh baked cookies and eight flavors of Moo-ville ice cream.

Find Upriver at 6281 W. Western Ave., Glen Arbor. upriverfromthemill.com

Wise Guys & Front Bar

Petoskey

Change is always scary. Today, what was once known as TAP30 has two different but complementary identities. There’s the Front Bar, where pours of affordable, palate-friendly beers find a home alongside affordable cocktails. And there’s Wise Guys Hoagies, where generously-stuffed sandwiches come with a side of mafioso swagger. (If you recognize the movie quote “go home and get your shinebox,” you’ll do well with this menu.)

For manager Todd Chinnock and Chef Ray Kumm, their recent pivot to a new concept comes on the heels of their rebrand of the neighboring space from POUR Kitchen to Leto’s Osteria, so they had a good idea of what was in front of them.

On the Menu
With an Italian restaurant operating next door (and even sharing a prep kitchen), it makes sense that the new menu would skew hard towards the East Coast hoagie side of things, largely populated by hefty 12-inch sandwiches named for fictional gangsters like the Carmine Lupertazzi, loaded with soppressata, mortadella, provolone, and that Sopranos favorite, “gabagool.”

One of the surprise favorites is the Janice Rossi, topped with some not-very-Italian sliced turkey, Plath’s bacon, and sharp cheddar, along with interesting sides like fried raviolis, a St. Louis specialty that’s hard to find this side of the Mississippi and north of the 45th parallel.

“The bread comes from South Jersey, the hoagie capital of the world. We make the chicken cutlets in house, the deli turkey in house, the roast beef in house, the mozzarella and raviolis are all prepared in house ... the value in what you’re getting greatly exceeds what you can get elsewhere, in our humble opinion,” Chef Ray says.

At the bar, every draft, bottle, and canned beer on the Front Bar menu clocks in at $8 or under, as are seltzers and NA options. Multiple selections (mostly macro beers) are even available for $4-$5, but you can also crack a can of Keweenaw Red Jacket or Modelo for that price. A good mixed drink for $12 is right in that sweet spot as well.

Find Wise Guys and the Front Bar at 422 East Mitchell Street in Petoskey. wiseguyspetoskey.com

Ketch 22

Arcadia

In a little gem of a place like Arcadia, with a year-round population in the high hundreds, food truck Ketch 22 requires steady support, not only from loyal four-season residents, but also the seasonal homeowners, the boaters at Veteran’s Memorial Marina on Arcadia Lake, and the daily travelers on M-22. It’s a congenial mix and it doesn’t take long to feel like a local, no matter your origin story. There are enthusiastic groups of patrons, for example, who put Ketch 22 on regular rotation, including the Arcadia Valley Girls and the M-22 Cuisine Crawl.

And while the food is the main draw, it’s not the only one: the site is a bit of a family affair, with their son running Bowen’s Creek, offering “Coffee, Crepes, and Conversation,” and the Arcadia Ice House Ice Cream Shoppe, owned by a sister-in-law, serving up shakes, sorbets, hand dipped ice cream in fresh waffle cones, plus more.

On the Menu
This is the kind of menu one would find in a well-established brick and mortar destination, and it just might raise the bar of what’s considered standard truck fare.

First up are the appetizers, which are fresh and healthy, inventive, and satisfying. Many are hearty enough on their own to build a meal. Choose from Vegan Potstickers, Wisconsin Cheese Curds, Deep Fried Green Beans, Smoked Salmon Dip, Deep Fried Fresh Cauliflower, and Smoked Gouda Bites. There are also offerings of fries (regular and sweet potato), hummus and chips, and a featured summer salad.

As far as mains go, the number one choice is The Ketch, pan-seared mahi-mahi with arugula and a housemade remoulade sauce—with 17 ingredients—served on a brioche bun. Another big seller is the walleye sandwich, wild caught in Canadian waters, coated with a special cornmeal-based dry batter.

There are even more hearty sandwiches, wraps, and burgers on the blackboard. Veggie eaters will like the Landlubber, complete with hummus, black beans, cucumber, tomato, onion, rainbow carrots, spring greens, and feta, all on flatbread with lemon olive oil. The Dinghy is another good choice, as it’s the truck’s take on a black bean burger. Meanwhile, kiddos will love PB&J, mac and cheese, and chicken strips.

Find Ketch 22 at 17015 Northwood Highway in Arcadia. ketch22mi.com

Chez Amie

Traverse City

New Jersey native and Seattle Culinary Academy alum Eric Fritch has come a long way from being an upstart chef in Seattle dreaming of moving to Michigan with his wife, Amy, to open a patisserie. The couple did just that 20 years ago, launching the tiny Patisserie Amie on East Front Street in Traverse City in 2005, growing into a space on Lake Avenue, and then pivoting to a food truck after COVID.

A devastating truck fire last fall required Fritch to pivot once again. “Through the grace and timing of manifestation, we found this space at the Warehouse MRKT,” he says. Enter Chez Amie, a return to Fritch’s brick-and-mortar roots that is once again reviving beloved French staples with some creative new twists.

On the Menu
Chez Amie is a brunch-focused, Parisian-inspired café with touches of chic European décor in an airy, light dining room. Fans of Patisserie Amie will find plenty of returning favorites on the menu. Those include a “perfectly executed” Croque Monsieur, Fritch says with pride, a grilled ham-and-cheese sandwich with bechamel.

Small breakfast pizzas highlight fromage blanc with toppings like bacon and a fried egg, mushrooms and truffle, or smoked salmon with capers. An entire “Les Oeufs” menu offers numerous plays on eggs, from silky omelets to eggs “Benedictine” to steak haché, a classic bistro dish featuring minced beef patty, fried egg, truffled holly, waffle fries, and toast.

“It’s classic French with something for everybody,” Fritch says of the menu. “We don’t try to reinvent the wheel, but we’ll put our own twist on it.”

Those with a sweet tooth won’t want to miss the “Sucrées” section of the menu. In addition to Belgian waffles, French toast, and a variety of crepes, Fritch has become legendary for his beignets.

The pastries pair well with Chez Amie’s extensive coffee and espresso menu. The classics are present—café au laits, cappuccinos, and lattes—as are some craveable special features.

Fritch plans to bring back “bistro nights,” weekend dinners that were in high demand at his former restaurant. At Chez Amie, those slots will likely be available Friday and Saturday from 5pm to 8pm.

Find Chez Amie at 144 Hall St., Ste 107, in Traverse City. facebook.com/chezamietc

Crooked Biscuit

Wolverine

After a road trip and a home bakery turned into a cozy storefront, Diawn Dupuy—better known by locals and friends as “Sunshine”—and her husband, Jeffery, have brought a southern flair to The Crooked Biscuit in Wolverine.

“Welcome to the south, Up North” says Sunshine, welcoming people into the small shop, run by herself, her husband, and a third helper in the kitchen.

Located between Boyne City and Indian River, The Crooked Biscuit is a passion project and ode to childhood recipes turned into a full-time job. Sunshine’s journey into culinary ventures began with selling homemade seasonings and buttermilk biscuits at the end of June 2025—first out of the back of their van, then a table in a soda shop, then a cooler in a boutique before it turned into the restaurant they have today.

On the Menu
“Our menu is a chalk menu, and it changes daily, sometimes hourly,” Sunshine says. “We have the basics: biscuits and Cajun gravy, you can get that every day. It’s flavorful, not spicy. And then we have gumbos, jambalayas, étouffées ... our 1910 fudge, which is a recipe from 1910, and it is the smoothest you’ll ever have in your life.”

One popular pick is the boudin balls, which have Sunshine’s own heart.

“[My favorite] are the boudin balls. I eat them for breakfast, lunch, dinner, and snacks; they’re so good. It’s pork shoulder that’s been cooked for 12 to 14 hours, rice, onions, bell pepper, seasonings, all balled up and crisped in the oven, and it comes with either a spicy or a sweet sauce.”

Jeffery’s go-to, on the other hand, is the crawfish cornbread with the gravy. Their gumbo is a top choice as well, with a variety ranging from chicken, sausage, and shrimp, all with a homemade roux. Many of the restaurant’s recipes are inspired by family traditions.

Find The Crooked Biscuit at 12909 S Straits Hwy, Wolverine. (985) 221-0189

Streamline Sushi

Traverse City

Eric Kolden has a long history of slinging this classic Japanese staple around Traverse City. He started Red Ginger’s sushi program (and was executive sushi chef there for several years) before running the popular White On Rice food truck and restaurant for almost a decade.

Now, he’s back in the saddle with Streamline Sushi, his latest endeavor into a food category that he is incredibly passionate about.

“I love its simplicity and cleanliness, and it gives you an overall flavor experience that is unmatched—I don’t care what cuisine you’re eating,” he says. “It’s just so different.”

On the Menu
Streamline Sushi has a relatively streamlined menu. This is by design, so Kolden can make a few things, but make them really well. He does have his favorites, of course, including the shrimp tempura roll.

“It has fresh black tiger shrimp that’s tempura fried, avocado, spicy mayonnaise, green onions,” he says. “Eight pieces with crispy topping and more of the spicy mayonnaise and green onions. It’s an umami bomb—just awesome.”

He’s also quite fond of the katsu curry.

“It’s fried pork over rice with brown sweet curry sauce, Japanese style,” he says. “The katsu curry is an entrée and the shrimp tempura is an eight piece roll, so they’re different in size and cost, but you really can’t go wrong with either.”

He’d like to at some point expand the menu, but he’s in no rush.

“I’d like to add ramen, bao buns, and pot stickers as well as other things, but for now, I think we’ve got a really great mix and I think we can appeal to everybody,” he says. “And the coolest part about being in the district down here is if I don’t have what you want, you got so many other options that are really good, from barbecue to burgers and beyond.”

Find Streamline Sushi at 1125 E Eighth St. in Traverse City. instagram.com/streamlinesushi

Dojo + Bonobo

Traverse City

Traverse City’s newest haunt literally has two bars—wine and sushi. Bonobo Winery and Dojo Sushi have combined forces in a historic TC home and recently opened its doors to the neighborhood and beyond.

Although there are two separate businesses operating in the same building, the ultimate goal is to create an experience where the two businesses work together, says Dojo Sushi owner Brent Shafer. “Bonobo brings the wine, Dojo brings the sushi, and each of us focus on doing what we do best.”

The restaurant seats about 27, with eight spots at the sushi bar.

“Most of it indoors, a few tables outside,” Shafer says of the seating. “We still have a sushi bar where we encourage guests to watch us make their food and talk to us—it’s the best part of the job.”

On the Menu
Upon entering the restaurant, guests are first greeted by the Bonobo Winery bar. Wine is offered by the glass ($9-$13) or bottle ($24-$28). Additionally, wine by the bottle can be purchased to go. Currently, Bonobo offers eight different wines at Franklin Street, which is pared down from the flagship location.

“Wines from northern Michigan are very food friendly, and we capture that in the winery,” says Bonobo co-owner Todd Oosterhouse. “But this just takes it one step further. The wines that we’ve selected to be down here pair really well with the type of food that [Dojo] is putting out. So, it really helps both businesses. This is more casual, but upscale, in terms of what you’re getting—a great product, but you don’t have to do all the pomp and circumstance to get there.”

Dojo has also adapted their menu slightly while they warm up to the new venue.

“We’ve kept the favorites,” Shafer says. “We wanted to keep the menu approachable, while still offering a few unique rolls for people who want to explore.”

Nigiri and sashimi run about $5 to $10, and rolls start at $12 for classics like the California and top out at $22 for the Seven Spice Tuna.

Find both Bonobo and Dojo Sushi at 115 Franklin St. in Traverse City. bonobowinery.com; eatdojo.com

Margaritas

Charlevoix

Margaritas Mexican Restaurant in Charlevoix chose a soft opening just before Christmas of 2025, a bold move in a town that slows down significantly in the winter months. But clearly, they were on to something.

“Sales were really good,” says manager Oziel Carreon about the winter patrons who visited the restaurant on its perfect downtown corner, just a stone’s throw from the bascule bridge. “The locals were waiting [for us to open]—snowmobilers, skiers, and many families came in.”

Margaritas will stay open year-round, and Carreon says they are “talking about possible special events” during the winter, though space is limited. And in the meantime, there’s plenty to look forward to this fall.

On the Menu
Margaritas has perhaps the most user-friendly menu we’ve ever seen: Main dishes are accompanied by full-color photos, showing the patron exactly what’s on order. It’s also a visual guide to foods that might be unfamiliar, inviting diners to try something new.

The entire menu must be seen to be appreciated, but here is a rundown: Look for over a dozen mains featuring shrimp, nine featuring chicken, a half-dozen quesadilla dinners, and 11 more available a la carte. There’s a salad for every taste plus 10 vegetarian versions of Mexican favorites, plus all the nacho, taco, and enchilada variations you can imagine. And we’re sure you’ll want desert, from Tres Leche cake and Sopapillas, to a Banana Chimichanga.

The kiddos will enjoy a big selection of Mexican dishes, appropriately sized for small fry. (But, because kids are kids, pizza and mac & cheese are also available.)

We asked Carreon for some of the most popular items, and he gave us the top four: the House Enchiladas, the Quesadilla Vallarta, the Fajitas Tropicales (served in half a pineapple), and the Wet Burrito.

The drinks menu is impressive as well, with about 30 flavors of margarita variations—top shelf, house, frozen, on-the-rocks, by the pitcher—a solid selection of Tequilas and Mexican beers, and a selection of red and white wines.

Find Margaritas at 115 Bridge St. in Charlevoix. (231) 437-3141

Cellar & Flame Steakhouse

Traverse City

Listen to your customers. That’s the lesson Carolyn Weeks took to heart, and it’s the reason The Tasting Room became Cellar & Flame.

When the eatery debuted as The Tasting Room in 2021, the goal was to showcase their spirits and small plates. It was intended to serve as a gathering place, somewhere family and friends could congregate after work, slow down, have a drink, and enjoy themselves. But customers wanted more entrees, more reason to linger, and the team obliged.

“The flame is the wood fire,” Weeks explains, where much of the cooking is done. Cellar? Well, that’s where you keep wine, and theirs is extensive. A quick peek at the menu shows roughly 200 options, ranging from affordable by-the-glass picks to $250+ bottles.

On the Menu
Starters on the raw and cold bar include oysters, burrata, and ahi tuna, while the hot starters include calamari, Wellington bites, and Cellar & Flame’s signature meatballs. Featured soups and salads include Goats and Greens and a morel bisque.

Moving on to the main event, there are five steak selections. Filets, New York strip, and ribeyes, each USDA Prime, which are then hand-selected and personally inspected. Other entrees? Absolutely. Twin lobster tails and lobster mac and cheese, chicken, chops, and halibut, even elk medallions.

Weeks says certain items do stand out to customers. “The signature filet is one of our biggest sellers,” she says of the eight-ounce filet mignon, which is finished with black truffle butter and served with a twice baked potato. “Everybody loves truffle butter.”

The best thing on the menu? Weeks points to the restaurant’s signature meatballs. “We grind all our [steaks] in house,” Weeks says, and the meatballs are made from the trimmings from the steaks, plus veal and Italian sausage. They are then braised in San Marzano tomato sauce with fresh herbs and served with garlic bread.

Find Cellar & Flame at 155 Garland St. in Traverse City. (231) 525-0555; cellarandflame.com