I haven't reviewed Gustafson's?…read more Giving credit where credit is due, this was another Jane & Michael Stern find from the 2005 update of their classic book Roadfood. Man, do your remember travel books? If you find one in a used book store, pick it up. The classics stay classic. And speaking of the classics, Gustafson's is the real deal. Roadside gas station with a handful of smokers to transform the bounty of the great lakes into delicious succulent morsels of delight. If you don't know, I have what I affectionately call a fat-tooth. And the fish that swim in those frigid fresh water lakes develop such beautiful and silky fat. The lake trout especially! Gustafson's isn't fancy. Walking in the door you may ask yourself, "This is it?". But when you tear open your pouch of smoked lake trout, and pull the meat off the bones with your fingers, with a little of that fat dripping down your arm and chin, you'll say to yourself, "Yeah, this is it." This is a required stop anytime I'm up in the UP. Last visit they were out of the whitefish, but so it goes. And looking back on the listing in Roadfood, the Sterns mentioned seeing smoked menominee in the case, but I've never noticed it before. I'll have to ask next time I'm up. Sure, you can get the salmon. I imagine it's delicious. The Gustafson's crew are great at smoking and salmon takes smoke well. But I say go for the local stuff. Get out of your comfort zone and buy a whole whitefish. Don't fret about heads and bones. Don't worry that you won't finish it (there is a bunch of negative space inside, they aren't as big as they look). You've got this. I believe in you!

They have the best smoked fish in the UP, and their canned goods are top notch. The candied…read morejalapeños are addictive.

Doud's Market is a staple on Mackinac Island, and they've opened this "mini Doud's" market and deli…read morea bit further west on Main Street. It's a small shop with a solid selection of snacks, drinks, candy and sandwiches/pasta salads. It's island pricing, so three wraps, three bags of chips and a dessert cup ran us almost $40, but that's significantly cheaper than most of the sit-down options nearby.

Friendly and well-stocked grocery store in Cedarville (the only one in this small town!) You know…read moreyou're a real local when you call it the Red Owl (after its former name). They have everything you need - produce is a bit limited but fresh, a housewares section, and even a pretty nice (though small) organic food selection. They also have a recycling return and an area just inside the door with all the community postings on a big bulletin board about events and other info. Nice, helpful and efficient employees. Carts aren't allowed outside but they always have an employee ready to help you out with special loading carts. Prices are steeper than you'll find in Sault Ste. Marie but it's the only full grocery in the area and you're supporting a nice, locally-owned business.

Very overpriced lately. Produce department sorely lacking. 18 eggs last week was over 7$, went to…read moreanother store they were a little over4$. I seriously avoid shopping there. Two years ago they bought beef at the fair, passed the ridiculously high price they paid on to the consumer, didn't tell you that they get a tax write off for the difference between market prices and what they pay!

Hidden Gem.. Best Beef Jerky and Smoked Fish in town. This is where the locals go. The building…read morelooks very rustic on the outside and it is a 5 minute drive from the town of St. IGNACE out on US2. They also carry cheese curds and maple syrup from a farm in Rudyard Michigan. I have been coming here for the past 20 years when I visit during the summer months.

The best smoked whitefish I have ever had. Usually, whitefish is "over-smoked"; that is, I can…read moretaste a lot of smoke and not a lot of the whitefish. The Country Store's smoked whitefish is considerably more toward the other end of the spectrum: a lightly smoked flavor and plenty of whitefish flavor. The whitefish pate is excellent, too. Well worth pulling off route 2 to stop and get some really good fish!

I was on the hunt for vegan fudge for a friend and I believe Ryba's is the only one on the island…read morethat carries a vegan option. Nate and I also got a few slices for ourselves; chocolate cherry, chocolate mint, and chocolate peanut butter. Of course they had samples so we were sold. They packed our fudge up in a cute pink tote, which made for a great gift bag when I gave my friend her fudge. She said the vegan fudge was really good and my favorite was the chocolate peanut butter. The cherry was a close second! They have plenty of flavors to choose from and you really can't go wrong. I will be back the next time we're on Mackinac Island.

Omg. The peanut butter chocolate ice cream. I will never have better ice cream. I will dream of it.read more

I love their double chocolate expresso fudge. Friendly services. Clean shop. Live fudge making…read moreexperience.

Amazing, fast service and yummy fudge, taffy, and caramel popcorn!…read more As soon as we arrived, the staff behind the counter were so friendly and offered to help us and gave us free samples of the fudge. The fudge samples were a generous amount and so good! We decided on the double dark chocolate fudge, assortment of taffies, and caramel corn (with peanuts). We loved the experience and would recommend it to all tourists of the island!

The staff was a little awkward but extremely friendly!…read more Although I did not like my ice cream, they did give very large portions which I had to add a star for.. because who doesn't love more ice cream! Maybe it was just me but that's something I can look past of course (as I am very tall and have a rbf). There was no menu in the shop which I feel would make it confusing if you were trying to order anything besides just ice cream in a cone or cup. The ice cream here wasn't just basic flavors and they're was even descriptions on each flavor so you know what it contained too. I got Mackinaw Island Fudge and it tasted like it has some freezer burn which I wasn't to fond of, and the "fudge" in it just looked, tasted, and had the properties of chocolate syrup.. it melted faster than the ice cream and it ran like crazy! My cousin, who was with me, said her ice cream wasn't like mine and was okay. Our goal is to try a new ice cream place, every time we go out for some.

If your hours are till 11pm, be open till that time! Sometime people drive out of their way to get…read moreice cream from your business... and I'm a regular living in Levering... bye bye Mickeys!

On an island filled with fudge and ice cream shops, Sanders is one of them. That old cliche is…read moretrue: You really could throw a stone on Mackinac Island and hit 10 fudge or ice cream shops. (Is that a cliche? It should be.) And if you don't like fudge or ice cream? Well, you're S.O.L., my friend. Luckily, my kids like ice cream, so we headed to Sanders because it was basically across the street from our hotel. They got a milkshake and a scoop of chocolate ice cream in a cup (their standard orders), and they were happy with their treats. But if you're looking for some other kinds of ice cream treats, they also have sundaes and things of that nature. Sanders also has a whole case of chocolate goodies, like peanut clusters, coconut clusters and pecan clusters (they seem to like their clusters here); chocolate-covered Rice Krispie Treats; truffles and peanut butter cups and toffee; caramel apples; and lots more. Oh, and fudge. But honestly, I would get fudge somewhere else that isn't a chain. There are lots of fudge places on the island. That's the thing: Sanders is a chain. But it's a Michigan chain, and originated in Detroit, so it's kinda local. Nevertheless, it's a good place to pop into to find something sweet to eat.

Went to check out if they have any bitter sweet chocolate sauce for Mom…read more They have caramel, chocolate, chocolate with salted caramel, why not any bitter sweet chocolate sauce though. The popcorn looks decent, not sure if they would be good enough to last for my team next week though. Ended up grabbing a bite or of water and chamomile brewed tea with carbonated water in a can. $7.60