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    Brenda's Harbor Cafe

    4.1 (118 reviews)
    Closed 6:00 am - 2:00 pm
    Updated over 3 months ago

    Brenda's Harbor Cafe Photos

    Business Info

    BRENDA'S HARBOR CAFE ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Moderate noise
    Casual
    Outdoor seating
    Good for groups

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    Recommended Reviews - Brenda's Harbor Cafe

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    Swedish pancakes scrambled and over hard eggs, bacon, and hash browns.
    Kurt G.

    One of the 3 great old fashion breakfast gems in Ludington, Mi. Theresa was our all American server who guided us through our experience. My wife has a Swedish background so we were thrilled to find Swedish pancakes. It's a small, warm and cozy place. Check it out

    A view from our table
    Wendi S.

    We were here for breakfast, and I am going to start with by saying that my husband likes his breakfast! Especially his eggs over medium...he must have told me 100 times that his eggs were cooked perfectly, his bacon was done perfectly, everything else was great as well! So with that said, I'm going to suggest to stick with the basics. I ordered the greek omelette, I personally did not care for it only because it tasted like in addition to the feta cheese that I expected it also had some kind of processed cheese such as a white valveeta, the sourdough toast and home fries were great! I gave 4 stars mostly because my husband was so happy with his meal!

    Nicole E.

    Another diner today awaits us. They have the old school paper ad placemats on the table, reminds me of a Mel's diner of the bygone era. Ordered the gf stuffed French toast with a side of turkey bacon, my husband ordered the breakfast wrap with the turkey bacon and a side of hash browns. They leave the whole carafe of hot coffee at the table for you to get caffeinated to your heart's content. There is antibacterial sanitizer at every table as part of the condiment tray. $3 for 3 strips of turkey bacon here, yes, $1 a turkey bacon strip, seems hefty, no? The berries are of course frozen and nice devoid of red color for the strawberries after being frozen for far too long. The gf bread wasn't bad, but it was so soggy from the water from the frozen strawberries. I took a bite and so did my husband, it was super soggy and tasteless. I asked the waitress if I could get the breakfast sandwich instead with the turkey bacon, eggs and cheese on GF bread and a side of crispy hash brown. I am stunned at how this place could have a 4 star, completely confounded by the overall ratings. Then again it seems the owner has never claimed this business so it would seem they care not what about their patrons reviews. I ordered a breakfast sandwich and ended up with a breakfast wrap. I event double checked to make sure I got the gf toast too. She gave me a pissy look as if it was my fault and told the cook in the back kitchen that I don't want it. I even said that's why I asked her for gf toast. She asked if I wanted her to her to put in the order for my breakfast sandwich. She was upset at me because she wasn't paying attention enough when I put in my replacement order. She was too rushed about getting off of work and out of there. My husband's wrap sandwich was good, the stuffed French toast is the worst I have had since I was a kid maybe. The waitress made my experience infinitely worse. Yet another meal skipped due to poor service and even worse food.

    pancakes, eggs, sausages and pancakes
    Antony P.

    We were seated pretty fast, and the hot chocolate was great. However the eggs were a little dry and the sausage were cold on arrival. The pancakes were awesome if you added syrup.

    Eggs Benedict. GROSS!! Burnt hashbrowns

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    2 years ago

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    8 months ago

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    11 months ago

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    9 months ago

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    11 months ago

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    10 months ago

    Pretty darn good food even with the owner change. I would definitely recommend this place to all my friends and family.

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    1 year ago

    Wonderful hometown breakfast! The service is always good and I love their Hot Chocolate. Their Swedish pancakes are amazing.

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    1 year ago

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    1 year ago

    Everything was great. Waitress was on top of everything. A great find downtown. Stopped for lunch but coming back for breakfast!

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    1 year ago

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    2 years ago

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    1 year ago

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    4 years ago

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    3 years ago

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    2 years ago

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    1 year ago

    Best breakfast around. Always good service, and consistent menu. Try the hot chocolate

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    7 years ago

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    3 years ago

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    2 years ago

    I love this place!! Great food, great service and they're so nice to the kids! They always accommodate our big group with a smile.

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    5 years ago

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    4 years ago

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    2 years ago

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    2 years ago

    Good everything! Especially the Swedish pancakes. Yummy. It's always been a good place to eat. Even when it was called " ya all come back "

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    4 years ago

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    9 years ago

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    2 years ago

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    3 years ago

    Great food and great service! Yummy diner style breakfast and lunch but get there quick, they get very busy!

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    3 years ago

    The food was amazing and great portions! Service was quick and friendly! Worth the stop for sure!

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    2 years ago

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    3 years ago

    Did not care for any thing I had crepes and hash browns even chocolate milk was warm, no thanks!

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    3 years ago

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    4 years ago

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    3 years ago

    Pretty good. Nice people understaffed so food took a while. Pancakes were good but big difference in size. Scrambled eggs OK.

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    La Catrina

    La Catrina

    4.3(21 reviews)
    21.3 mi

    Finally...a good restaurant on River Street! We're in Manistee about a dozen times a year and I'm…read moreso burnt out on not having good places to eat. If you're looking for good Mexican, skip 'Taco Bout It' (which is very generic Americanized Mexican fare) and go here instead! This place just opened in the old River Street Station location and it's now my favorite place around town. Authentic Mexican food and drink in a very cool "Day of the Dead" style atmosphere. Awesome custom murals and decorations inside. It was totally empty when we walked in at 3pm on a Wednesday (to be expected) so we got 1 on 1 service at the bar. Food was super fresh and made to order. The freshly fried taquitos with super fresh veggies were awesome, and the tequila drinks were solid. I'll go here again the first chance I get. I feel like some restaurants in Manistee think they're fancy but are just overpriced and the food isn't very good (lookin' at you Golden Stag and Blue Fish). Then you have second tier food at Taco Bout It, Fricanos and North Channel. The food at these places almost seem like the quality of "theme park food" (generic and not very fresh). This place, IMO, is a big step forward. Fresh and authentic, probably family-owned (that was the vibe I got), with a great atmosphere (they were jammin' some modern Mexican music videos on the tv over the bar, which is WAY better than places that play ESPN or some political news channel). I predict that, if they can last until summer and have a good business-minded owner, they'll be jam packed all summer long. Or at least I hope so because I want it to be here, and be thriving, each time we visit Manistee!

    Best restaurant in Manistee, hands down. A true taste of some of the vibrant and vital cultures…read morethat make northern Michigan so special. The food is authentic, unique, and absolutely delicious. The menu is large and has options for everyone! The prices are fair and the portions are large. The staff are friendly, knowledgeable, and helpful. The deck overlooking the beautiful river has a picturesque view of historic Manistee, a nice breeze, and is conveniently right across the river from the live music pavilion!

    Photos
    La Catrina
    La Catrina
    La Catrina

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    Doc’s On The River - Finger licking Chicken Gizzards.

    Doc’s On The River

    4.1(54 reviews)
    14.3 mi
    $$

    It was our first visit to Doc's on the River…read more The restaurant recently just changed names and ownership. The new owner also renovated the restaurant and the up north vibes are cozy and welcoming. There is a very large parking lot. When we walked in, there was just a small nook to stand while we waited for a table. It was very busy, but expected for dinner time on a Saturday night. There was not a host at the stand so some other guest had a pen and was adding everyone's name to the list. Which ended up being very helpful actually! The host came back to tend to those waiting when she had time. She was very pleasant and kind. The space could be a family restaurant, but I would say it definitely leans more towards a sports bar. There is a full bar, high top tables, regular tables and lots of tvs playing sports. Every table was full when we were there and it was pretty loud. Towards the end of our visit it started to clear out a little bit. We noticed that when it did get quieter when people started leaving, there was not any music playing or anything. It kind of made it awkward feeling. We had the jalapeño corn bites as an appetizer. They were served with ranch. The bites were ok. I probably wouldn't order them again. For our entrees, my boyfriend and I both had the broiled walleye. It was very good and it was not dry. The mashed potatoes were amazing and my favorite part of the meal. The veggies were fine, nothing fancy! Our waitress seemed stressed and you could very much tell. The place was very busy but she was still attentive and helpful. They do have very nice restrooms. The place felt clean. Overall a good spot if you are passing through.

    Service was great food not so great. The menu says lake perch. It is not lake perch! They need to…read morecorrect that in the menu because calling lake perch is a total lie. The breading is not that great as well. Drinks were reasonable. Will probably go back because they are close only 7.5 miles away. Will maybe go back to the burrito. They should screw that up should they?

    Photos
    Doc’s On The River - Bar

    Bar

    Doc’s On The River - Walleye

    Walleye

    Doc’s On The River - Jalapeño corn bites

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    Jalapeño corn bites

    Brenda's Harbor Cafe - breakfast_brunch - Updated June 2026

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