Best restaurants, bars, cafes, sweetshops on Mackinac Island

Beyond the fudge on one of Michigan's most treasured islands

The approach to Mackinac Island is majestic. Almost immediately after leaving mainland Michigan, passengers can see the third-longest suspension bridge in the United States to the west and the Grand Hotel's longest porch in the world to the east. As the quick 15-minute ferry ride jets closer to the island, historic Fort Mackinac comes into view, followed soon thereafter by a peep of the governor's mansion and the commanding Mackinac Island Yacht Club. It's not until the ferry docks and passengers disembark, however, that visitors are reminded what really makes this destination so unique. For 125 years, the only way to get around has been by foot, bicycle, or horse and carriage.

The island's flagship Grand Hotel has no shortage of dining options associated with this time honored resort. Blistered shishito peppers from The Jockey Club near the golf course, hummers from the historic Cupola Bar, or even a slice of Detroit-style pizza from the hotel's newly opened Mackinac Island Pizza Company are just some of many on-property options. Read more on the other ways that the hotel contributes to local dining, however, there are many more food and drink options to choose from. Here are our favorite places to rest tired walking legs and find a momentary respite from the crowds on the midwest's most celebrated island.

Make a reservation, tell your carriage driver to take you deep into the island's interior forest, and saunter into this Bavarian lodge for a meal of goulash with spätzle crème fraiche or an herb-crusted elk chop. Don't miss the extensive remodel to the outdoor patio space, now covered, or the porch-ceiling-blue duckpin bowling alley.

Serious oenophiles know that the most comprehensive wine list on Mackinac Island is that of Elizabeth Schweitzer, the eighth woman in the world to achieve Master Sommelier status and wine whiz for the Grand Hotel's main dining room for more than 20 years. Settle into one of those iconic green and white leather chairs, flip through her 350 bottle collection, and ask the resort's superstar staff which pours they recommend with your four-course tasting menu. Psst. When loading your luggage onto the ferry, don't forget that Grand Hotel's main dining room still upholds a generations-old dress code.

Chef Shawn Fearon, originally from Kingston, Jamaica, first came to Mackinac as one of the island's many summertime work visa employees. Some 20 years later, he owns Kingston Kitchen—which not only serves Caribbean flavors that remind Shawn of home, but is one of two restaurants on-island to stay open year round. This gem, located just off the main drag on the east side of Hoban Street, is a locals’ favorite for good reason. Look for dishes such as ackee and saltfish, curried goat, and jerk-dusted salmon. Don't forget to stay cool with a pint of sorrel beer, a Jamaican favorite.

If what happens off Main Street, stays off Main street then don't tell your friends: Lucky Bean Coffee House is the coffee shop of Mackinac Island. Pouring a cortado, an Origami pour over, or a flat white using coffee beans from Marquette's Velodrome and offering Wisconsin's Rishi teas, this hip little locally-rooted coffee shop on Market is not to be missed.

It's no secret that Carriage House is one of the most scenic waterside restaurants in all of Northern Michigan, but the hospitality is just as awe-inspiring as the view. Order chef Greg Murphy's smoked whitefish cakes with mustard vinaigrette, beet salad with watermelon, or filet mignon with morel mushrooms and be totally wowed by how this hyper-seasonal destination manages to nab world class servers summer after summer.

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Visitors to Mackinac Island could spend an entire week eating at only the historic taverns up and down Main street and still never get to them all. From "The Mustang," which claims to be "Michigan's most historical tavern" to Patrick Doud's Irish Pub, a brand new entrant in a freshly polished old space, there is no shortage of dining rooms where wood-paneled walls, tin ceilings, and vintage light fixtures harken back to an era where cars weren't outlawed — they simply didn't exist. One of the best of the bunch? Millie's on Main. Servers clad in smart black-and-white gingham shirts bring slightly elevated pub fair akin to the gastropub craze. Think house-made meatloaf or panfried Great Lakes perch with capers, lemon, and white wine.

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Pony up, and get yourself inside Fort Mackinac, the oldest building in the state. If authentically costumed soldiers, the sound of cannons firing, and the call of "Mess Hall" on the bugle aren't enough to lure you up that steep hillside, perhaps one of the island's best kept culinary secrets will? Did you know that the string of yellow patio umbrellas known as the Fort Mackinac Tea Room is managed by the Grand Hotel? And that they serve milkshakes using Guernsey Farms Dairy ice cream? Nab a table overlooking the freighters and ferries from above, and order that chocolate shake. You’ve earned it after all that climbing.

With some 13 fudge shops on the island, there's no better place on the planet to be a "fudgie" (that's Northern Michigan slang for "tourist") than Mackinac Island. Despite some confusing signage down the way, the Murdick's location at 7363 Main Street was the very first place on the island where fudge was made, and it is as charming as ever today. Stop in and watch these candy magicians as they stir cream, sugar, butter, and more in a massive copper bowl, pour the hot slurry onto marble tables to cool, and then put their paddles to work flipping and turning it into the blocks of fudge that are perfect for taking home to that pet-sitter.

Planning to bike around the island? Start your journey at the main location of Doud's market, which is apparently the oldest grocery store in America…and quite possibly the only grocery store in the country where Jamaican Jerk cheese curds make perfect sense. Whether its cheese curds, fresh seasonal produce, or selections from the in-store kitchen's extensive prepared foods section, there is no question this is where to fill that collapsible cooler you wisely packed.

With Lilly Pulitzer resort wear, loose-knit "Mackinac" sweaters, argyle socks, and of-the-moment beaded bracelets, there is no question that the boutique that is a part of this iconic restaurant is one of the best places to shop on the island. But there has to be some kind of unwritten rule that in order to earn a Pink Pony souvenir, at the very least you need to order a pink drink. Whether you ask to be seated outside on their beloved deck or inside where you can peep the famous mural of dancing pink horses that sits behind the bar, pick your poison — a frozen rum runner, French 75, house punch, Cosmopolitan cocktail, or even a lemonade will all come in the namesake hue.

Most people know the Island House Hotel, located next to the Mackinac Island Yacht Club, for its white tablecloth restaurant, 1852 Grill Room. This grand, glass-walled dining room overlooks Haldimand Bay. But did you know that behind the hotel is one of Mackinac Island's best kept secrets, Ice House BBQ? Follow the alleyway on the hotel's west side. You may feel like you’ve made a wrong turn when you get to some maintenance sheds, but keep going down the brick path and you will round a corner to a peaceful oasis of patio umbrellas and outdoor furniture. Order a copper-mugged mule served on draft, grab a slice from the restaurant's brand new wood-fired pizza oven, and try your hand at a round of bean toss or yard Jenga.

Stop in for a strawberry or blueberry-white chocolate pop tart, stay for a...painting class? Equal parts cafe and artists retreat, this colorful cottage, seemingly suspended over Lake Huron, is just plain adorable — with treats just as sweet. Don't let those coats of pastel-colored paint or kids coloring area fool you into thinking this is Grandma's house. Thankfully, that's Tribe Called Quest radio on Spotify.

With its great lawn of white Adirondack chairs, live music at Bistro on the Green restaurant, glow golf at night, and well appointed rooms, Mission Point Resort is an especially popular place to stay. The resort's main restaurant, Round Island Kitchen, recently refreshed its two porches—making this restaurant on Mackinac Island's sunrise side a best bet for breakfast. Start your day with avocado toast or the smoked whitefish eggs Benedict and watch the cruise boat tenders whip back and forth from the anchored ship to main street. Hot tip: children who are guests of the hotel eat for free.