Eat & Drink
A Frankfort institution. Go early — the best things sell out. Famous crescent-shaped donuts, fresh pastries, and breakfast sandwiches.
Cozy downtown coffee shop. Good for a latte, a pastry, and a slower Main Street morning. They serve Higher Grounds coffee so it is my personal favorite in Frankfort.
Beautiful and cozy coffee shop. Good for a latte, a pastry, the perfect place to catch up on emails or meet up with friends. It’s a gorgeous coffee shop. We highly recommend this place if you’re looking for somewhere to hangout.
Another downtown café option, easy and central.
A great all-around restaurant in Frankfort. Works for brunch, a nicer dinner, or cocktails. Still relaxed and vacation-friendly. Reservations recommended.
Easy to miss if you’re not staying there, but a solid option in the heart of downtown.
Classic greasy-spoon breakfast just across the bay. No-fuss, consistent, and exactly what you want before a day on the water.
Get the fried cinnamon roll. Our winter remodeling was fueled by breakfast here.
A year-round bagel factory and deli. Great for building a beach lunch, grabbing breakfast, or stocking up on deli essentials. Two locations.
Downtown Beulah’s most complete daytime spot. Breakfast all day, great coffee, bakery items, and Moomers ice cream.
A boutique roastery and micro-café in downtown Honor. Worth a stop for a proper coffee on the way to or from the dunes.
Order online, pick up fast. Two miles from the cottage. The easiest way to get a proper lunch before the beach, the boat launch, or the dunes.
My go-to for fast online ordering and easy pick-up. Legendary sandwiches.
Fresh, and fast — quick healthy food that isn’t pizza or burgers.
New England-style seafood walk-up window — lobster rolls, chowder, fish and chips, crab cakes — plus a gourmet market with meats, fish, beer, wine, and provisions. Fun, different, and very vacation.
My Dad’s favorite place to eat.
The place for fresh or smoked Great Lakes fish. They have packaged fish dips, and a full menu of fish sandwiches and dinners to eat there or take out.
Get the whitefish dip to bring back to the porch. This is my parents’ favorite place for fish.
One of our favorite stops in Beulah, for a beach day, boat outing, or hike. Great sandwiches, pizza by the slice, snacks, wine, and everything you need for a day outside.
The BBQ spot in our area. Proper smoked meat, honest portions, no fuss. Mon–Sat 11am–3pm.
Frankfort’s local brewery. They are so popular they have two locations. One is downtown by the beach. The other is very close to the cottage — it has a much larger outdoor space with food trucks and games (Parkview Taproom).
They also have beer to go.
Classic Frankfort spot. Ribs, pulled pork, wings, sandwiches, and the Friday fish fry. Casual and easy.
Taproom, cocktails, full menu.
Asian-inspired downtown — ramen, pho, bao, potstickers, noodle bowls. Good change of pace, especially on a cooler evening.
Italian with handmade pastas, pizza, and wine. A great downtown dinner option.
Tacos, mezcal, and a rooftop deck over Betsie Bay. Vacation-night energy.
A reliable local pizza option and one of the easiest takeout dinners after a long beach day.
My go-to for takeout pizza.
Not fancy, but it’s still here if you’re feeling nostalgic for a root beer float or those curly fries.
Dough, sauce, and toppings made in-house.
Simple, fun, and a good option for burgers.
Operating for over a century now. Go for the history and the cherry pie.
Downtown Beulah bar and grill with good burgers, wings, smoked chicken, and a rotating craft beer list. Check for live music.
Classic downtown Beulah for lunch and dinner. Steaks, whitefish, burgers, flatbreads.
Likely the most popular dinner spot in the county. Great margaritas, chips and salsa, and outdoor cantina energy. Open daily at 4pm — the line starts at 3:30. A great place to eat, the line says it all.
Friendly Beulah brewery with solid craft beer and casual food.
The most complete restaurant option in Honor. Breakfast through dinner with a full bar.
A neighborhood sports bar with a loyal local crowd in downtown Honor.
The prettiest dinner option — it’s on the lake, directly across the lake. Seasonal, popular, and best for a date night or special occasion. Reservations strongly recommended — easy to book online.
Our favorite for a special night. I’ve had great luck with the waitlist when I’m willing to dine early or late — call and ask.
On M-22 toward Empire, but a long-standing institution of the Frankfort-area food scene. Food, drinks, and a genuinely wonderful local feel. Reservations recommended.
One of our favorite places anywhere in Northern Michigan. Mead, wine, craft beer, live music, disc golf, bocce, and a beautiful outdoor setting.
If you’re looking for a place to spend an afternoon with friends, start here. Their homemade soap and candles are worth the trip alone.
A true destination. Incredible Betsie Bay views, small-batch spirits, and rotating food trucks.
One of the best cocktail experiences in Northern Michigan. We’ve heard the food is spectacular.
Long-running Frankfort bar over Betsie Bay with a waterfront deck, full bar, pool, sports, and weekend music energy. Good for guests who want something open later.
A funky, beloved Elberta waterfront bar and restaurant on Betsie Bay. Irish whiskey, live music, and a very local summer-night feel. One of the best for waterfront drinks.
1048 Main St, Frankfort (behind Coastline Cycles · near the Betsie Valley Trail) · Seasonal
A seasonal outdoor food-truck court. The vendor lineup rotates — check before going.
Classic Mackinac-style fudge and ice cream, locally owned and operated by the owner himself. Perfect after dinner or before a sunset walk. A great place to get locally handmade fudge to take home.
Handmade local ice cream, great espresso, and fresh baked goods in Benzonia.
My best friend plans her visits to Frankfort around their schedule.
Away from the downtown crowd. Soft serve, ice cream, and coney dogs. The kind of place people remember from childhood vacations. This is my favorite soft serve ice cream in the region.
Frankfort’s Market on Main featuring specialty foods, oils, vinegars, spices, wine, beer, liquor, and more! They carry a variety of gourmet grocery products.
A local grocery with a great meat counter — smoked meats, brats, carefully selected beer, wine, and spirits, and solid deli to-go options.
I always stock up when passing through town.
A locally loved small market with fresh produce, in-store bakery, and bulk foods. Good for cottage provisions and fresh flowers.
| Best breakfast: | Birch & Maple · Lighthouse Café |
| Best coffee: | Perks · Keep on Grinding |
| Quick lunch to go: | East Shore 2GO · The Patch |
| Smoked fish / fresh fish: | Port City Smokehouse |
| Easy first-night dinner: | Stormcloud · Dinghy’s · A. Papano’s |
| Nicer dinner: | Rock’s Landing |
| Best waterfront drinks: | Furnace Street |
| Best afternoon destination: | St. Ambrose Cellars |
| Best ice cream: | Hill Top · Frankfort Dairy Maid |
| Best Mexican: | Roadhouse (get there early) |
| Late-night food: | Villa Marine (10pm full menu, late night to 12am) |