Totally not what we expected. This place has everything! Bowling alley, convenience store, bar, gifts and restaurant. We hit it mid day and only had apps but it definitely hit the spot. They appeared to have a pretty big menu. The main attraction was the bears! We were told that the bears come out at night but at 2pm we saw 4 bears at once, right out of the restaurant windows! Kind cool. Kids and wife loved it. Definitely worth a stop if you're anywhere near them! read more

Konteka Black Bear Resort - Local wild black bear - Hotels Near Me - White Pine, Michigan

Our waitress Autumn was very attentive and hustling to help everyone, she definitely gets 5 stars. The food was ok, my ribeye could have had more flavor same for my baked potato. The place has real promise. I know I'm being critical here but they serve their small salad in what I can only assume is a bowl meant for a scoop or two of ice cream and the lettuce was a little sad. My fork also almost bent in half as I tried to cut my steak. Some minor changes to how they organize things and an upgrade to their place settings as well some minor adjustments to their food and I think it would be "the" place to go read more

Food is fantastic and they are the sweetest people there. I heard that they have black bears that you can see while eating but that's not for me! I go for the food and the drinks. Try the chicken & waffles and one of their ice cream drinks which are absolutely delicious but if chicken & waffles isn't for you, try something else as everything tastes great! They also have a bowling alley and comfortable rooms that you can stay in after the days activities. read more

Konteka Black Bear Resort - Chicken and waffles with eggs on the side. - Hotels Near Me - White Pine, Michigan

Decent food but you really come here to see the bears they feed daily. Service was attentive enough, not too smiley but they were very busy so I get it. Restaurant is a bit older and due for a reno but served its purpose while everyone looked out for the bears. Very family restaurant feel. read more

Konteka Black Bear Resort - Bear!!! - Hotels Near Me - White Pine, Michigan

See all

This place is amazing. Great atmosphere! The service was perfect! Everyone (patrons included) was super friendly. You felt like a regular. Food was good! Perfect spot to see bear, have some drinks, eat good food, and shoot the sh*t with the locals!! HIGHLY RECOMMEND read more

A great place to stay. Complete all in one place to stay in the U.P. of Michigan - clean and tidy rooms that are comfortable with great ac, full service restaurant for breakfast, lunch, and dinner with many options for all meals, full service bar with pool, touchtunes, they even have a bowling alley and some arcade games. You can access everything without leaving the building once but you definitely want to get out and see the nature around. Staff is so friendly and welcoming, always were available for extra towels or toilet tissue and keeping this place in tiptop shape. I really enjoyed and felt I could actually relax and be comfortable while still enjoying my time outdoors as the porcupine mountains and multiple beaches on lake superior are super close by. I loved staying here. read more

Highly recommend - Be advised when visiting remote areas such as the MIUP, it is essential to manage expectations. In the White Pine area there are no chain stores, no shopping centers, no big box stores. Shop local with managed expectations. This area is remote, rugged, one of the last remaining wild areas. MIUP is characterized by an abundance of natural elements, including auroras, sunsets, copper and iron, waterfalls, trails, trees, tag alder swamps, bears, elk, wolves, fish, -40 degree +300 inches of snowfall, few humans. Are you going to find a 5* Spanish tapas restaurant serving alligator and fine / premium / luxury wines in MIUP? Doubtful. The Konteka serves up delicious UP North fare. I was pleased. Safe travels to you. * Bars - There is usu a bar in every small town in the UP; inquire about the local drink offerings - don't assume or be disappointed at the unavailability of specialized beverages and beer - the locals drink Miller Lite - so shall you - don't be That Guy. * Restaurants - Well-stocked restaurants with trained staff and capable culinary professionals are also less common in the UP - too few humans. The Konteka in June 2025 was perfect season to be in MIUP. We ordered off the menu: beef dip sandwich and pan-fried walleye. These menu items are standard fare in UP restaurants (chicken, beef, lake and river fish are seasonally available) the preparation is widely understood; both selections were flavorful and served hot. * Wait staff - Our server, Adriana, was prompt, knowledgeable, accurate, courteous, and attentive, demonstrating a positive attitude. * Restrooms - clean, well-stocked, fully functional. * Handicapped accessible - one level no steps; but the parking lot is in poor condition, with numerous potholes. We suggest that drivers drop off and pick up passengers at the entrance; the double doors are manual (not switch activated) call ahead to ask for assistance if needed. * Ambiance - known for maintaining the only out-of-season DNR permitted feeding site; shortly before our arrival, a sow and her two cubs were observed feeding. Do not approach or feed the bears ... humans are not at the top of the food chain in the MIUP Take photos from inside the restaurant behind the picture windows, and doing so respectfully by asking for permission from the guests at the table. read more

See all

Konteka is worth the stop if you are in the western U.P. The whole back of the restaurant has large windows that over look composite piles of food that attract bears. So you get a show with your dinner! While we were there, we saw two large black bears, as well as a coyote. Really cool to see!! Food was just okay, lots of options though. But the service was great! Everyone was super friendly, and was telling us a lot about the animals. It was a pretty neat place. read more

Konteka Black Bear Resort - Black bear at compost pile - Hotels Near Me - White Pine, Michigan

I only got the takeout while my family went there and ate. I stayed behind at the campsite. The BLT was good. I know they raved about the experience. They said their food was good. read more

Please, if you care about animals, do not spend your money here. Witnessed at least 12 5-gallon buckets of human food waste dumped in piles to attract bears. These bears were obese, they walked very slow and looked very unhealthy. It's a shameless way to attract business and it's hurting the local population of black bears. These bears showed very little fear of humans, and I can only imagine it's hurting the community to bring bears in this close to the residents. The food was okay, and the lack of food options in this area can make it tempting to go here, but have some respect for the wildlife. This will only continue as long as people are coming into this restaurant. The wildlife should be left alone read more

Konteka Black Bear Resort - Obese bears - years of human feeding - Hotels Near Me - White Pine, Michigan

Food was great. We got to see a bear eating & we saw them bringing food out to the bears. Food is good and great scenery! read more

Konteka Black Bear Resort - two black bears resting in the grass - Hotels Near Me - White Pine, Michigan

There aren't a lot of options in this region, but be aware that this is no 4 star rated food. The menu looks good and inviting but the execution is lacking. First of all there is not currently a soup and salad bar as advertised. Yes, it might be because of Covid, but make that clear on your website. We were very disappointed. The salad they gave had wilted last lettuces. This is readily overcome by soaking your lettuce in ice cold water and storing properly. I'm impressed they offered more than iceberg lettuce, but it needs some TLC. The soup of the day was described as cheeseburger Mac soup, but there was no cheesiness at all. It was like a weak minestrone or something. The walleye was quite fishy. Not sure if it is for too handling, or being farm raised versus wild caught or what. The steaks were pretty flavorless.No steak seasoning (like a Montreal seasoning) nor fire grill to impart flavor. Choose something other than the augratin because they came out colorful and bubbling and enticing but had very little cheese flavor. Nice try, but missed the mark. The website has pictures is tablecloths but we were there for dinner and it was plain table tops. I felt like we were eating at a golf clubhouse. Service was nice. Water was good.... but don't come to this restaurant just for those two reasons. read more

As the closest choice for a meal before 4 p.m. while staying six miles North in Silver City (see Americinn Silver City review) I ventured in the semi-wilderness of the far reaches of Upper Michigan. I didn't see any black bears nor did I see many people. Driving around White Pine I would only say it's a little town that has seen better days. There is an all inclusive resort, bowling ally, bar and restaurant in one extended building that has multiple additions. Service was a little slow to start but I'm giving some license since the lady working the restaurant is also working the adjoining bar on the other side of the large double rooms. I did enjoy a fine home cooked style meal of pan fried walleye with plenty of side options. Of course the Yoopers are always friendly and warm and chatty and this was a great way to spend part of the afternoon. read more

Konteka Black Bear Resort - Life is beautiful all the time. - Hotels Near Me - White Pine, Michigan

See all

We (family of 3) were quite happy with Konteka. It is just off route 64 before getting into the small town of White Pine. The area is quiet, and one can tell that the glory days are behind it. There's a mall across the parking lot from Konteka that is closed except for a small restaurant, I think. At first, I thought Konteka was the standard 1970s roadside motel. But then... we entered to large, clean rooms with 2 queen beds - a large game room with pool table and 8-lane bowling alley, an attached convenience store for provisions, a laundry area, and a restaurant with a bar connected. We had dinner here twice and breakfast twice (2-night stay). The food was filling and above average. The service was great. And, as others have pointed out, if you're lucky enough to time it right, you can see wild bears. We saw bears, gulls, and even vultures - between our 4 meals there. We bought provisions from the store because we were headed for 2 days in the Porcupine mountains and did fine. No... it's not fancy - but it is modern, spacious, and has a lot to do - all for a cheaper price than the chains! read more

See all

Good good and some excellent bear watching was an added bonus. Would go back if in the area.

I'm still here and I'm so impressed I want to leave a review. Staff is super friendly. Convenient really great bar and restaurant right off motel. Nice convenience store as well. The rooms though are perfect. Well decorated, modern,clean and comfortable. I'm pretty picky when it comes to motels and I'll tell you this one is a rare gem. read more

I had such a nice time here. I brought my laptop, sat by a window, drank coffee, and watched the bears for a couple hours. WiFi was fast and reliable enough to make phone calls and there were a few outlets nearby. The coffee was cheap and plentiful, and the biscuits and gravy were pretty good too. Of course the best part was watching the bears - some other reviews say that the bears are eating trash, but that's not true. The restaurant feeds them granola and pop tarts, among other human food. At first I questioned the ethics of this, considering I've always heard "a fed bear is a dead bear," but a family member who works with animals assured me that the bears are healthy and safe to eat human food. My waitress was fantastic and answered all my questions about the bears! I cannot wait to come back and see the bears again, honestly one of my favorite experiences in the UP so far. read more

Konteka Black Bear Resort - Two bears - Hotels Near Me - White Pine, Michigan

See all

I've been coming up to the UP for almost 10 years. Been to Konteka many many times. I brought my bf up for camping in the porkies and we needed to find some wifi for us to do a fantasy football draft so I brought him to konteka one night to check it out. We had a nice convo with a local man who was sitting by himself, had a drink and decided we'd come back the next night for our draft. OH. And we saw a bear. I've never seen one in all the time I've been coming...so that was neat. So the next night we go in and find a table in the bar that has an outlet and we connect to their wifi no issues. Bf ordered the special, spaghetti with meat sauce and I ordered their fried chicken because its damn delicious. Everything came out piping hot and the chicken was amazing. I had a few glasses of pinot grigio to wash it down. Draft came out fine, no wifi issues. AND there were 2 more bears. It was incredible. 10 years and no bears...bring up the bf and his milkshake brought all the bears to the yard. Crazy. Give this place a shot. The folks are kind, the food is good! And yes, they have bears. read more

See all

Review for the restaurant only. Bears and an extensive menu, what more could you want?? I thought the bears were going to be in captivity - nope, just wild bears coming to the back yard for a snack! Fully visible through most of our meal - recommend asking for a table by the window. The restaurant had basically any American fare you could want. I opted for the spaghetti, which was actually amazing! Heaping portion of meat sauce served with two delicious, buttery breadsticks. And I'm typically picky about meat sauce - theirs is A+. Given the rural location, the food comes with a higher than typical price tag. My spaghetti was $16. I would say for that price point, I hoped for more attentive service. The waitress was friendly, but you definitely had to flag someone down to get drink refills. Otherwise, this food is the best and most extensive you're going to find! read more

Food was really good. Had grilled ham and cheese, husband had BLT, daughter had grilled chicken sandwich. Fries are really good. People are great here and we got to watch a mama bear and her 4 cubs have a late lunch. It was awesome! If you come up this way you HAVE to eat here! Very cool place and will definitely return! read more

See all

It was awesome Such a fun place, where else can you eat a meal, and have a view of the black bears eating their dinner too! There is a great menu with a variety of choices. I had a cod dinner and it was delicious! Great service, and good prices. I would there again. read more

Good trail stop when snowmobiling. Decent food here, plenty big and good service. And they have a single gas pump in the parking lot that's easy to get to. Been here a few times. read more

Well.... What can be said? Perhaps I was turned off by the giant "FOR SALE" sign that half covered the name of the restaurant... and has been there for more than three years. Maybe it was the waitress's t-shirt that read "work like crazy to pay for the lazy". Nah... it was the cocktail menu that contained an ice cream drink called "Cream In Da Panties". Seriously? Get some class, please. Food was mediocre at best and hostess was less than charming. Drive on by, my friends, drive on by. read more

Was exactly what I was looking for after a hard day hiking. I had the steak sandwich on rye - very good! And sweet potato fries. My friend had the bacon cheeseburger with fries. We both enjoyed our meals. read more

Food is good but the real attraction is seeing the 5-7 bears eating their dinner while you eat yours!

Service was great! Food was alright, typical mediocre bar/mom and pop fare. No bears on our visit but piles of food outside to lure them in. Few options up here so this fit the bill after a day of hiking. read more

Welcome to the Konteka Resort/ Restaurant/ Black Bear Lounge/Black Bear Lanes Motel/Spa, located in the Western Upper Peninsula, about six miles east of The Porcupine Mountain State Park and ski area. It's the only resort behind a shopping plaza where I have had occasion to stay. And the only motel which has a huge ring binder of black bear pictures at the front desk for you to peruse. Black bear watching is apparently one of the main activities here. We ended up staying here one night on a recent fall color road trip, when we were unable to find other reasonably-priced accommodations on Lake Superior a few miles west. For a double room, this place was $56.00! And since Doug and I like staying in these kinds of places on road trips, I was fun, clean and very convenient. Although for just one night, we didn't take advantage of all the amenities, like the bowling or the spa, we decided it would be a great getaway spot for a group of friends, if we were coming up to ski, or hike the park. You can bowl, eat, drink, pamper yourself at the spa, and snooze without ever leaving the place. Which, I am sure, might come in real handy about January or February up there! We ate dinner and breakfast at their restaurant. Dinner was just bad and over-priced. The salad bar was on par with, say, a Greyhound Bus Station. There was a special table dessert and drink menu which was kind of hilarious (see pic in my pics). It offered "Marcarphone" cake and a drink called "Cream in da' Panties." How about those knucklehead Yoopers and their knotty sense of humor, ey? The good news is breakfast the next day was quite good, and the service much faster. And the fun thing about dinner the night before was that the five or six tables of one or two people in this very large room all engaged in conversation with one another and were very friendly. Something you rarely see in the big city. And you don't have to worry about the dress code. I think we were the only ones there not in camouflaged hunting gear! In winter, I'm sure that snowmobile suits are just fine,too. To solve that dinner dilemma though, there is an Italian place across the parking lot in the plaza, which was highly recommended by another innkeeper we chatted with before we found the place. Otherwise, probably not too many options in a town of a few hundred people. Besides visiting the "Porkies" and nearby Lake of The Clouds, there is also the village of Paulding near Watersmeet, which is famous for its supernatural underground lights, which are featured in some You Tube videos. And Watersmeet is famous for their basketball team called the "Nimrods." A local guy has also written a guide to all the area waterfalls, so you can go "falls hopping." But I would love to return for a longer stay at Konteka. For either a ski trip in winter or hiking and waterfall excursions in summer or fall. , Fun, friendly people, and just a good value, out there in the middle of nowhere! How can you go wrong? read more

Konteka Black Bear Resort - the dessert and drink menu - Hotels Near Me - White Pine, Michigan

Food is decent (good for the price you pay) but eating dinner and watching the bears is pretty fun. The konteka also has a bowling ally, small bar and a convenience store. There isn't a lot to do in the area (except enjoy the breathtaking nature sites) and I've found that the konteka is a great little oasis to kick back and relax in. read more

Konteka Black Bear Resort - Dinner and a show - Hotels Near Me - White Pine, Michigan

The cleanest rooms I've been in in a long time, the food was great the service was great all the workers were wonderful would definitely go back and would recommend that you stop in and don't judge a book by its cover read more

My husband and I stayed here for 2 nights while we explored the Porcupine Mountains. Pros: 1. It's very quiet! Busy in the evenings, tho, with lots of people going to the restaurant for dinner, but that area is pretty separate from where the hotel guests stay, so it wasn't noticeable from the rooms. 2. The bears were pretty cool. You get to see bears eating outside from inside the dining area. That about ends the pros, to be honest. Cons: 1. The internet is absolutely terrible. It was very tough to map our route out for the day, as we were getting kicked offline every 30 seconds. The WiFi works well from the dining area, however. But just terrible for the hotel guests in their rooms. 2. The beds were not great. I had trouble sleeping. Kinda lumpy and uneven. 3. The TV was very small and the resolution didn't match up, so everything was zoomed in. This wasn't really a huge deal, as we weren't in the room much, but just an FYI. 4. They jack up the gas prices at their pump. We paid $3.89/gallon to fill up. I would recommend filling up in Bergland, as it was much more reasonable. The bartender/waiter we had seemed to be kinda holding the place together. He was nice and took care of us when we did have dinner our first night there. Food was nothing to write home about. If you're looking for quality food, check out The Walleye Lodge, it's about 20 minutes from Konteka and has great wood-fired pizza, and a really gorgeous view of the lake. Nice and clean. All in all, this place was OK if you're looking for something unique and different from a chain hotel, but you won't get quality amenities. Probably wouldn't stay here again if we ever revisit the Porcupine Mountains. read more

Great location. Lovely view of the lake. Excellent service from staff. The room was very roomy with a microwave and refrigerator. Good coffee. The building is tired, sheets, pillows and furniture or nothing special. they are in the process of polishing the building. read more

Had dinner here again because my co-workers wanted to come here. This was my last time. I had the half rack of ribs and they were really dried out and did not taste good. I felt sick later that night. The ribs tasted like they were old or had been sitting for a while. Again, the food isn't very good here. I suggest going to Syl's in Ontonagon as an alternative--there you can have great food. I guess skill plays a role in cooking. I know they feed the bears there for everyone to view--so that is the only unique thing about this place. read more

First off the live bears made this a place to at least go once but their food was pretty good too. My food was cooked well and my friend the adult drink Cream in Da panties and he said it was awesome. Nothing bad this first trip here. Service was pretty not great but I don't have anything bad to say about this place and if we have the time may come back here if time allows one last time before we leave. read more

My wife and I spent three nights here and absolutely adored our time at the Konteka. This is a unique place with tons of character. We loved eating diner in the relaxing Black Bear Lounge--we especially enjoyed the grilled cheese & ham, cheeseburger, bar pizza and the chocolate cake. The restaurant, which is connected to the lounge, is a popular spot with locals and tourist alike. There is a wildlife viewing area in the main dining area and we saw bears, coyotes and golden eagles. Staff are sweet and courteous, super friendly but not obsequious. Unfortunately, the bowling alley is closed now due to covid, but we look forward to adding that to our trip when we return. read more

See all

Came here after a day out hiking. Auntie wanted a steak and a beer. We both ordered the sirloin. They were cooked as we asked. Hers well done and mine rare. They were tender but bland. The sides were mediocre. I ordered one of their specialty icecream cocktails. I thought I'd be getting a sweet creamy cocktail. Instead I got what was essentially a mint shake served in a martini glass with a spoon. The waitress Kelly was very prompt and attentive. We did see bears which was nice. I just don't think the quality of the food justified the price. read more

We went to Konteka while camping to have the Sunday breakfast buffet. We had heard they threw out the scraps for the bears and you could watch them, but no guarantee. So we thought why not? We don't have to cook and maybe we'll see some bears, right? When we arrived it smelt like an old bowling alley, which it has. You walk past a bowling alley then to the restaurant. The buffet food was okay. The eggs were fake and the English muffin in the eggs Benedict was weird. The French toast was awesome! And the apple pie crepe was pretty good. The stick buns and the actual egg Benedict was good if were ever back in the area I would go again. We didn't see any bears, but that isn't the restaurants fault. We did see squirrels,crows, seagulls, and wait for it............ a vulture. That was the most interesting thing we saw. This is probably one of the nicest restaurants in the area though. I would recommend read more

This place is a hidden Gem. We stopped in on our way through town and had lunch. The staff was so nice and so helpful we had gotten food to go and ended up eating it there because we were talking to the waitress. The food was awesome great Ruben. We were supposed to stay somewhere else that night and when we got there they had messed up our reservation the room was locked and no one was there so we came back here for dinner and to stay and watch for bears. They were so nice and so helpful in getting us a room. Very friendly staff and great food. read more

I know folks are drawn to bear watching here but throwing the garbage out in the yard to attract the bears is just plain disgusting. I am trying to eat here! Seeing garbage spread out is nauseating to say the least. How this is compliant with health and safety codes is beyond me. One can't help but see it - as there are large windows situated for bear watching - so the garbage is always in view unless you turn you back to the windows - and that sometimes requires moving the furniture. For this reason alone I will never go back. The food was fair - typical for this area of the UP. I was able to get a vegetarian meal without eating at the salad bar. The staff was friendly and service was prompt. If this is your cup of tea - by all means "go for it." It isn't mine - and I will stay home thank you. read more

This place was SO weird, but in a really good way. We stopped here for lunch on our way back from camping in the Porkies and it was pretty much the only thing for miles around. When we walked in we were sure if they were even open, and we were the only people in this pretty large restaurant. It felt kind of eerie like we stumbled upon some ghost hotel. I was surprised that when we ordered they had this really nice, fresh, salad bar set up and ready to go because there was just no one there at all and it seemed like that was generally the case. We ended up getting burgers and they were really good. The prices were very reasonable. read more

The Konteka is a great place run by good and decent, down to earth people. Very low key, low stress environment. You can get a clean, inexpensive room, have a home-cooked meal, sit in the bar area and have a cold beverage, enjoy engaging connversation, watch bears getting fed day old bread (kinda scary for me) and see a great star show at night by walking outside and simply gazing up at the heavens. Just a hop, skip and jump from the Porkies. This a the place to stop and chill-lax after a long day of hiking. I highly recommend it! read more