Your Summer 2026 Restaurant Guide

Seven eateries to explore in northern Michigan

By Northern Express Staff & Contributors | July 18, 2026

For summer dining, you may want the lively bustle of a food truck, the cool quiet of a steakhouse, or the light and bright ambiance of a riverside bar. Perhaps you’re hungry for a creative small plate, a healthy snack, or a slice of pie. Maybe you just want something you can’t find anywhere else in town, like a raw bar or Korean BBQ.

Good news for any of the cravings above: You can find them at these seven establishments in our Summer 2026 Restaurant Guide. Enjoy!

Pretty Penny Steakhouse

Traverse City

Dean Sparks had an idea for a restaurant. A couple of them actually, starting with the eponymous Sparks BBQ. It debuted first as a food truck, then moved into the cozy space at 439 E. Front Street (now home to Chubby Unicorn). He then found a larger space at 201 E. Front, where he debuted the nightclub Encore 201, while Sparks BBQ morphed into Enclave 201 in 2025, which emphasized pub fare and classic American dishes alongside some Sparks BBQ favorites.

Now he’s banking on another traditional concept, one which he feels is currently underserved. Welcome to the Pretty Penny Steakhouse, which opened in February 2026 for Traverse City Restaurant Week.

On the Menu
While the prices might indeed be a pretty penny in the traditional concept of the phrase—the prime ribeye comes in at $68, prime New York strip at $59, and the porterhouse for two is $145—they’re in line with market prices at such inspirations as Ruth’s Chris Steakhouse or Morton’s The Steakhouse.

As for the rest of the menu, starters keep things classic, with two options for oysters (chilled or Rockefeller), calamari, and shrimp ceviche, among others. More seafood awaits for the mains, with salmon, scallops, and whitefish. To accompany the entrees and aforementioned steaks, family-style sides range from Brussels sprouts and Parmesan fries to mashed potatoes and risotto.

Though it is a steakhouse, vegetarians will find some tasty options, like the burrata and Whipped Feta Dip in the appetizer section to Caesar salad and an Asian Chopped Salad with napa and red cabbage, carrot, scallion, water chestnuts, peas, cashews, broccolini, and crispy wontons. There’s even an alfredo on the entrees section that could be made without shrimp.

To round out the menu, choose from craft cocktails, a list of wines at various price points, and other go-to beverages.

Find The Pretty Penny Steakhouse at 201 E. Front St. in Traverse City. (231) 642-5032; theprettypennysteakhouse.com

The Three Pigs

Traverse City

During a decade spent in South Korea, Chad Perrault took classes, learned about Korean street food, and found a calling. He returned to his home state, and decided Traverse City was fertile ground. He started cooking and serving Korean BBQ from his food truck, Heart N Seoul at Earthen Ales.

While it was a success, he wanted to go bigger and better. He opened The Three Pigs in the Warehouse District in Traverse City this spring.

On the Menu
As is to be expected, Korean BBQ pork is the star of the show. Moksal Pork Shoulder and Hangjeongsal Pork Jowl kick things off, along with a local favorite: Polish Heritage Farm’s pork belly from the farm’s Hungarian Mangalitsa pigs, known for their wooly coats, rich marbling, and high-quality fat.

While the menu is heavy on pork, it is surprisingly diverse. It includes stews, such as kimchi jjigae, a spicy stew made with aged kimchi, pork belly, tofu, and yellow onions. Corn Cheese is sweet corn mixed with butter, mozzarella, and a touch of mayo, served sizzling in a hot skillet. Seafood Pajeon is a scallion pancake packed with squid and shrimp.

For veggie eaters, Perrault offers a selection of “Plant-Based Grill” items. They include Tempeh & Sweet Potato, Assorted Mushroom, featuring a trio of lion’s mane, portobello caps, and oyster mushrooms, and Squash & Eggplant, sweet kabocha squash and smoky eggplant slices brushed with soy and sesame and caramelized on the grill.

There’s dessert too. Red Bean Porridge is gently sweetened red azuki beans, garnished with nuts and fruit. Hotteok is a hot, crispy pancake with a soft, chewy center, filled with warm brown sugar, walnuts, sesame seeds and cinnamon, with a scoop of vanilla ice cream. Patbingsu consists of finely shaved ice topped with sweet red beans, soybean powder, and chewy rice cake.

Perrault’s own favorite is the restaurant’s namesake dish. “My favorite is the pork belly,” he says, referring to the Samgyeopsal Pork Belly. He says it represents the essence of his restaurant. “The name of ‘Three Pigs’ is meant for this cut of meat. It’s perfectly layered … fat and meat. It’s thick and juicy, and pairs well with any lettuce wrap you make.”

Find The Three Pigs at 221 Garland St D. in Traverse City.

Sweet and Savory Pie Company

Alanson and Petoskey

Sweet and Savory opened in Alanson in 2022 in the former House of Pies, with an offshoot in Petoskey in 2025. (The Alanson site also serves as the production kitchen.) The eatery was founded by a couple of skilled hobby bakers who baked for family and friends long before they chose it as a full-time profession.

The finished products are “artisanal with a rustic spirit.” “There’s something inviting about a pie that looks clearly made by hand—beautiful, but approachable. That balance reflects our broader style as bakers: thoughtful and detail-oriented, while still warm, generous, and rooted in comfort,” co-owner Deon Benito Cardillo says.

On the Menu
On the sweet side, we dare you to choose just one option: Fruit pies, made with at least three pounds of fresh organic filling, include Apple, Classic Cherry, Peach Raspberry, Four-berry, and Strawberry Rhubarb. There are also Key Lime, Chocolate Silk, and Black Bottom Lemon Pie, anchored with house-made chocolate ganache made with only “the best dark chocolate.” (Some flavors are available by the slice.)

Believe it or not, that is not a complete list. Oh, and don’t forget cookies: Classic Chocolate Chip, Snickerdoodle, Macadamia White Chocolate, and Macadamia Chocolate and Coconut; or choose Peanut Butter, Red Velvet, and Kitchen Sink (which speaks for itself). And, if this doesn’t move you, there is also a gorgeous Carrot Cake.

A savory favorite is the South African Curried Beef Pie, based on the Bobotie. Patrons also love the Steak and Guinness pie, an Irish tradition with quality cuts of beef slow-cooked in a dark gravy made with Guinness stout, onions, and root vegetables, topped with a golden crust. Classic Chicken, BBQ Pork Mac & Cheese, Bacon Mac & Cheese, Vegetable Curry, and Butter Chicken Curry are other choices. Customers also rave about the three-cheese Lobster Mac & Cheese, with a very generous portion of premium Northeast lobster.

Find The Sweet and Savory Pie Company at 4577 Oden Road in Alanson (231-347-6525) or in D&W Plaza at 1147 US-31 N in Petoskey (231-622-8822). sspiecompany.com

Colibri Wine Bar

Traverse City

Guillaume Hazaël-Massieux and Bastien Le Guen both have a soft spot for hummingbirds, thus the name of their recently opened wine bar in the Commongrounds building in NoBo, complete with small plates and decadent desserts. (“Colibri” is the Spanish, French, and Italian word for hummingbird.)

Hazaël-Massieux is known for his French eatery La Bécasse near Glen Lake and the former Bistro Fou Fou in Traverse City. But it was due to meeting Le Guen and discovering they shared a mutual dream that Hazaël-Massieux really embraced the idea of opening another location again. “I have a working partner. That makes a big difference,” he says.

On the Menu
Though the emphasis is on wine, the food menu isn’t lacking. Cold plates (froid) include such options as a charcuterie and/or cheese plate, deviled eggs, oysters on the shell, shrimp cocktail, crab salad New Orleans style, and tomato and olive tapenade with goat cheese. Warm (chaud) plates feature frites (fries served with aioli), flat breads, masala with spicy lamb meatballs, and both Asian and Moroccan bites.

Got a sweet tooth? Colibri offers lemon bars, almond pear and other tarts, crème brûlée, panna cotta with fruit coulis, and other choices. Hazaël-Massieux does note that while the menu is well-rounded, there won’t be more than 15-20 items available at any one time.

While it is first and foremost a wine bar, Colibri offers some beers and cocktails, as well as flavorful non-alcoholic mocktails. “We call it a wine bar, but we want it to be a nice place for adults to hang out,” Le Guen says.

Colibri features both local wines, from such wineries as Left Foot Charley, Shady Lane Cellars, and Black Star Farms, and wines from across the country and the world. “Wine from France, the Old World—Spain, Germany, Austria, Slovenia. South America, Australia, South Africa—we want to bring things people are not used to having. There’s an amazing wine from Greece,” Hazaël-Massieux says.

All told, there are some 60 wines available by the glass.

Find Colibri Wine Bar at 414 E. Eighth St. in Traverse City. instagram.com/colibriwinebartc

The Golden Beet

Frankfort

If you know Benzonia’s Cold Creek Farm, its organic produce, and its line of hot sauces, you’ll be pleased to find that the new storefront, The Golden Beet, has opened in Frankfort with an impressive and expanded product line, fresh vegetarian take-out, and a collection of vinyl for groovin’ during business hours.

“[This will] be a fun, family-friendly, year-round space for locals and tourists to stop in and grab a snack, a meal, or a kombucha,” explains co-owner Julie Cramer.

The new digs replace the little red store at 529 Main St. and will be bigger and brighter, with vibrant colors, live-edge wood counters, and a lighted, glass brick focal wall. An open commercial kitchen does active service in small-batch production, keeping everything fresh, anticipating customer preferences, and experimenting with new favors.

On the Menu
The Golden Beet’s offerings include a rotation of green salads with fruit or vegetables and fresh dressings, plus grain bowls, seasonal soups, sandwiches, wraps, baked goods, and kombucha on tap.

In keeping with the music theme, Saturday Jazz Vinyl Brunch lets you listen to curated jazz while choosing from breakfast wraps, breakfast salads, baked goods, yogurt cups, quiche, and fresh brewed coffee from Manistee’s Five Five Coffee.

We love these fresh juices in the cooler: Green Juice (kale, celery, cucumber, parsley, apple, pear), and the Golden Beet Juice (golden beet, carrot, apple, ginger, lemon juice). Don’t skip the India-inspired Ayurvedic beverage mixes, which include the famous anti-inflammatory Golden Milk with turmeric, cinnamon, ginger, and black pepper.

Patrons will also find Cold Creek's hot sauces, Tropic Like It’s Hot Mustard, Asian Style Hot BBQ Sauce, and Steak Sauce. Look for 20 varieties of spice blends, including the popular Superspice, healthy Ramen Blend, Taco, and Betsie Bay (for seafood and veggies), plus blends for beef and chicken.

Find The Golden Beet at 1048 Main St., Frankfort, behind Family Fare, in front of the food trucks. Learn more about Cold Creek Farm at ccfbenzonia.com.

Umbo

Traverse City

Sarah Welch and Cameron Rolka wanted to create their niche restaurant in a fashion so they weren’t over-extended, but could still be profitable. “What’s the smallest we can be and make enough money?” Welch says the duo asked themselves.

Armed with accolades and experience downstate and a desire to become part of the food scene in one of their favorite places to visit, the twosome scouted around for a location. “A year and a half ago we started to look at buildings. It helped that our downstate seafood person was expanding up here,” says Welch.

Umbo debuted in May, featuring a menu like nothing else locally, heavy on oysters and tinned fish.

On the Menu
Of course, oysters are the star of the show at Umbo. “At any point we have between eight and 14 varieties,” Welch says. “They’re high in protein, great for you.”

She compares them to wine, noting that the specific environment in which they grow impacts their taste. For wine, it is the terroir; for oysters, it’s the merroir that affects their quality. “We think of it a lot like wine and encourage people to think about it like wine,” Welch says.

She adds that seafood isn’t the only thing on the menu at Umbo. “It’s not just an oyster bar. We have steak on the menu, roasted veggies.”

Surf & Turf Tartare features big eye tuna and Moraine Park Farm beef. Roasted Shishito peppers are served in preserved lemon aioli, and there’s the Bok Choy a la Plancha (aka cooked at high temps on a metal plate).

And there’s tinned fish. Welch explains that many specialty seafoods are only in season for a short while and/or don’t ship well. So the best way to preserve them for those in distant locales to enjoy is to harvest them at the peak of flavor and can them.

But these are not like the sardines or smoked oysters available on grocers’ shelves. There’s Tinned Mackerel from France, Regalis Cockles in Brine from Spain, and Island Creek Littleneck Clams from Cape Charles, Virginia, all served with toasted house-made bread, seasoned saltines, pickles, oyster cream cheese, and hard-boiled egg.

Various ice creams, strawberry shortcake, and beverages round out the menu.

Find Umbo at 430 E. Front St. in Traverse City. (231) 944-2797; eatumbo.com

Flannigan’s Goat

Elk Rapids

Garth and Joy Parish have been working in the BBQ biz for years, but the foundation of the business was in place long before the duo took their show on the road. The Parishes were known by friends and family in the Sault Ste. Marie area as great cooks, and in 2016 they were invited by their friends at Bird’s Eye Outfitters to set up a food tent at a street festival. They were so well received that they started selling their BBQ out of the Outfitters’ coffee shop and lounge.

The idea of a food truck began to take shape, resulting in the design and purchase of the sleek 34-foot, fully-equipped kitchen on wheels with a smoker in the back. This summer, Flannigan’s Goat, the go-to source for Michigan BBQ, has set up at Short’s Pull Barn and Production Brewery in Elk Rapids.

On the Menu
Flannigan’s Goat BBQ is called Michigan style for a couple of reasons: one is that Parish sources just about everything from Michigan, so the name is a good fit. The other is to gently counter the patrons from other BBQ regions who want to tell him how to do his job. But Parish knows his way around a smoker. “Michigan style is what we do,” he explains.

Every rub and sauce is house made, as are the slaws and pickled accompaniments. The beef rub is based on his father’s all-purpose seasoning, and the pork rub is original to a friend’s Tennessee grandmother, both modified by Parish. The sauces are “all pretty close to every style” of BBQ, from Texas, to Tennessee, to Kansas City and beyond.

Start with one of the beef-based classics, like the Brisket Sandwich topped with Kansas City BBQ sauce and pickled onions or the Burnt Ends on Garlic Toast, with tender charred brisket, cheddar, pickled onions, and Kansas BBQ sauce on a grilled French roll.

On the pork side of the menu, we like the Lexington Pulled Pork Sandwich topped with Eastern Carolina BBQ sauce and pickles and the Tennessee Pulled Pork Sandwich topped with Maple Bourbon BBQ sauce and apple vinegar-style slaw.

Special sandwiches must be reserved for weekdays on a rotational basis when there is time to do them properly. And don’t forget the sides, as many are a meal in themselves.

Find Flannigan’s Goat at Short’s Pull Barn at 211 Industrial Park Dr., Elk Rapids. facebook.com/flannigansgoat