This food is certainly worth more than 3 stars, But because the service wasn't so great, I had to take it down a couple notches. I was there on a Monday morning and they were clearly overwhelmed and the service really suffered. It makes me wonder if I were there on a weekend when it would be like? However, the breakfast was really good and the homemade bread was delicious. If you're not in a hurry, this might be your place read more

We arrived later on Sunday morning. They didn't have a table available, so asked for a phone number to call when one became available. I provided my cell number. We returned to our car in the lot and waited. They called about 20 minutes later as promised. Unfortunately it went to voice mail. I noticed the missed call one minute after it was received and called them back. I explained to the person who answered that I missed the call and wondered if our table was still available. She advised it would be another 20 minute wait. She didn't seem to get the fact we had already waited. Nope. Won't be going back. read more

Fabulous food and service! I had apple smoked turkey sandwich with sweet potato fries. Hubby had Cajun sledder. Daughter had fabulous chicken & rice soup. Yum! read more

See all

Stopped here on way home from mackinac island read reviews of home made bread and it was set in my gps. Glad I came, very friendly staff. Homemade bread and the blue cheese dressing was my favorite. Had a piece of homemade apple pie. Wonderful place. read more

Shirley's Cafe - Cajun pan seared cod,with fried chicken sweet potato fries with homemade blue cheese dressing. - American Near Me - Mancelona, Michigan

A great spot for breakfast and lunch. Homemade bread for heavens sakeservice is exceptional!

Yummy yummy... I ordered French toast with raisin bread, bacon and a side of hash browns with cheese. Bob ordered rise and shine. Everything was delicious read more

Ordered creole omelette, it was improperly prepared, had no creole sauce, no pepper jack cheese, just a bland taste. Complained to server, she did nothing. This was a really nice place when Shirley, the owner, was there. She ALWAYS made sure customers were happy. Apparently not any more. read more

This whole experience was magical. Live jukebox, the owner is around with her positive cheery mood. Not to mention the pancakes.... they're the best things I've ever tasted. I never leave Yelp reviews, and felt that I had to after tasting those slices of heaven. read more

Really great. The breads are amazing. (I asked for a loaf to take home.) My omelet was excellent and because I was sitting at the counter, I had a birds-eye view of what else was coming out of the kitchen . . . the biscuits-and-gravy and pancakes made me wish I had room for multiple breakfasts. The service was fantastic . . . really nice people, attentive, kind, helping each other out and always ready to refill your coffee. Highly recommended. read more

Great breakfast stop! Got the Cajun Sledder and it was delicious. The place is small and we had a short wait but it was worth it. read more

Simple cafe ambiance, but very clean. Yummy clam strip with fries basket, and Shirley's favorite deli sandwich :) Would definitely come back if in the area. read more

Great stop for food. Friendly service and home cooked food. Try the Walnut bread, it's awesome

This is our favorite breakfast place on US131! We got to hear some of Shirley's tales today. She brought out a sample of her chicken and dumplings! We will have to go back for that, it was just like homemade! Or should I say it was homemade!! Her homemade bread is excellent! The cranberry walnut French toast is excellent! It is worth the drive from Petoskey. read more

AWESOME!!!! From food to staff to cleanliness to just total experience! If you are in this area do NOT miss this adorable little restaurant. Nice portions, excellent food, friendly staff, and good menu selection. This place is a gem and well worth the stop! read more

Best breakfast I've ever had. Homemade breads, love it! Shirley works the restaurant and makes sure everyone is happy. Thank you!

I got the "big daddy" and let me tell you, omg. The eggs were yummy, the hashbrowns were to die for, the toast, was the best toast I've ever had. And the pancakes were like floating on air. My mom got biscuits and gravy and she said they were so good. The ham I got was so tender it was, incredible. I was looking for a cute little "mom & pop" place to eat, and I definitely found what I was looking for. Absolutely amazing read more

The homemade cherry pie is delish, as well as the Shirley's Salad, fish fry, and homemade bread. Good food, cute decor and friendly service, A+. The only con I can see is that it is hard for my elderly dad's wheelchair to get through the door. Granted, it's an extra wide chair, as he is a big man. But since he doesn't get out much, being able to go out to lunch or dinner occasionally would be a nice thing for him. read more

Excellent service for such a small place. The food was very good. Bathroom was a little seedie but not that bad. So if you're headed in that direction worth the stop. read more

My favorite place to eat!! Shirley is the absolute best. Food is amazing and am lucky enough to have this cafe nearly in my own back yard. Their breakfasts you can get all day are great! You won't be disappointed when stoping in there for a meal. read more

When Shirley's in the Woods opened, it changed the culinary landscape on Bear Lake. Since I was born, that location has been every type of greasy spoon- none of which could survive due to bad food and service. At times there were no options for breakfast within 13 miles each way and in the winter, that can be impossible. This is her second location and is immensely warm and charming. The bread is what Shirley is known for first and then the soups (all homemade daily) and the PIE- there is always a fresh one in the food window cooling. People order bread and pies in advance daily to enjoy at home. They tend to run out of the potato rosemary bread before lunch so make sure you order it the second you walk in. I like to put a bit of salt on mine. The chicken and dumplings is the best I've ever had as well is the pot roast sandwich with home-made brown gravy. Nothing says real hospitality like food cooked personally by the proprietress. Shirley's infectious laugh can be heard through out the restaurant as she does table side visits and inquires after her guests families. She remembers names and kiddos and takes time with her patrons. Portions are large and my husband and I always split and entree. Our kids ask to go to Shirley's every single morning for hot coco and fresh baked bread, eggs and pancakes. They play checkers at one table while my husband and I get to have a conversation uninterrupted ;) The entire staff: Brittany, Dee, Julie and Jody and wonderful. Always ready with a smile and a warm welcome. You always feel like family at Shirley's whether it's your first time or first time that day. read more

Fresh baked pies and breads with "real" ingredients are the specialty. Yum! Clean and friendly, good service. Excellent salads, lots of food for the price, tasty dinners. Burgers, however, disappoint - pre-made patties with little flavor. A roadside cafe needs a good burger, hence the four stars not five. read more

We stopped into Shirley's on our way home from Boyne Mountain Resort. Pay attention when you enter Mancelona because if you don't you'll drive right past. We sat down and the place looked nice, very clean, and had a great warm atmostphere. The food was very good, but as with some of the other reviews the service here is what makes Shirley's something special. Shirley has a bright, vaibrant, friendly personality and she's not afraid to let you know her food is good. Speaking of the food, she suggested that I get the fried chicken which is homemade. It was very good, but the item that I could not get enough of was her homemade potato bread and butter, it was served warm and soft. We really enjoyed our time here and I'm pretty confident that anytime I'm heading up north Shirley's will become tradition. read more

This place is great! I would recommend for breakfast or lunch for sure. Their coffee is great, and they serve breakfast, lunch, or dinner ANYTIME. Great homemade bread, huge portions. read more

Homemade soups (Cajun cabbage) was very spicy and tasty. Salad contained mixed greens (not just iceberg lettuce) and the wraps were tasty! Glad that they used a nice tortilla wrap (not just the standard white tortilla, how boring!). Their chicken and spinach wrap with pecans was very good. Coffee was nice and strong! read more

We came here for a late breakfast during our ski vacation at Shanty Creek. This place absolutely rocks! The best blueberry pancakes I've ever had. The bacon and pot roast hash were also amazing. The best thing about Shirley's though was the service! The staff was so friendly and chipper that we truly felt like locals!0 read more

This is how you do it. Shirley gave fresh bread samples to people waiting for food. That's the sign of a great business owner. Try before you buy. Sell yourself. The food was delicious and I walked out stuffed. read more

Great service. A lot of homemade foods. Fried chicken is good. They make their own blue cheese dressing and homemade pies. Worth stopping in. read more

Sweet Shirley! So nice and told us all about her recipes with whole food. Nothing processed. She gave us samples of her homemade breads...carrot is amazing, potato rosemary to die for and cranberry walnut. Yum!! Even gave us recipes to take home and bake for my family. We will be back!! Want to try the fried chicken bucket next time;) Thanks Shirley!!!! read more

Found Shirley's on yelp. Phenomenal service and food!!!! Homemade bread was amazing!!! read more

Shirley's Cafe - American Near Me - Mancelona, Michigan

We had one of the best lunches we've had in a long time. We walked in and found that everyone sits together like family style. We sat with a delightful couple who had just built a home nearby and were eating here for the first time. We decided on the ruben with kettle chips and the pot roast sandwich. Everything Shirley serves is homemade, including the bread. My ruben arrived steaming hot, served on thick toasted rye bread. The corned beef was thick, tender and delicious, The swiss cheese was melted just right and the kraut was very tasty. They also serve the dressing on the side so you don't get a soggy mess. It was absolutely yummy. My wife's pot roast sandwich was amazing as it was just as it sounds. A pot roast on a bun. The meat was tender and delicious with that homemade flavor. This is a must stop if you are passing through at lunch time or breakfast time as they also serve breakfast. Actually, you can order breakfast anytime. And I will for sure next time we come through this way. read more

Just Leave! All I can say is somebody related, in someway to the owner. Was totally out of line and rude to four very good regular customers on 07/19/2019. She has no customer etiquette, and embarrassed us in front of a full house. Uncalled for comments were made, when all we had asked for was a spoon to stir our coffee? We still don't know what caused her to go off the nut like that, she must not be able to handle the stress. Needless to say we got up and left. We went next door to the Iron Skillet. We had never eaten there before, and we had a 5 star breakfast with great service, plus no waiting. read more

Went for the great reviews but they must have been having an off day. The service was excellent but the buffet food was cold. Maybe next time I'll just try something off the menu. read more

Apparently the service is only stellar when Shirley is working. :-( Side note: lack of Lenten specials was surprising to this city girl.

I drive thru Kalkaska pretty often and saw good reviews for Shirley's and decided to give it a try. They were slow, but I had food within less than ten minutes after walking in the door. Waitress was nice, Applewood turkey was awesome! Will stop back for sure. read more

This is hands down my favorite place to eat. You can't find a friendlier owner or waitstaff . They know our husband and I very well now and were always treated like faimly . The home made breads are truly amazing. The food is always so good. The Reuben sandwhich is amazing and the applewood turkey too. Doesn't matter what you get for breakfast all of it is amazing !! read more

Unassuming from the outside, this cafe is a treasure inside. We randomly chose Shirley's on our trip from Mackinaw to Grand Rapids. The service was efficient and friendly. Breakfast all day--can't beat that! Sandwiches and toast are made with homemade bread. I had a Cajun wrap that was really good. The menu is extensive with something for just about every one. On top of that, Dierdre--a server--mailed is my wife's glasses that were left behind, and she is included a note saying we didn't need to reimburse the postage. Really sweet! read more

We went to Shirley's in the early afternoon on Saturday after my parents and my brother and his family had gone there earlier that morning and said it was pretty good. We ordered breakfast. The waitress was very friendly but she forgot to put the order in and told us it would be a little longer because of that. We didn't mind and told her no problem. She brought us our food and it was pretty good except the bacon was almost not cooked at all! It was not just "not crispy" --it was pink, floppy and wet! Yuck! She then asked us if we could cash out right away because her shift was over. My guess is she forgot to put the order in and then rushed it so she could cash out quick. We will likely give Shirley's another chance but just an ok first impression. read more

Great stop! We were looking for a place to eat on our way home from an up north vacation and Shirley's Cafe popped up on our route. We also needed Gluten free options for our youngest daughter and the website stated they had GF bread. My youngest ordered the Rise and Shine and said the GF toast was good, which is hard to come by. My oldest wasn't too hungry and ordered a half order of the biscuits and gravy. Yum! And more like a full order which bonus for us because we definitely helped ourselves to her plate! My husband and I both ordered sandwiches because of the homemade bread and they both were delicious. The service was great and so was the food! read more

If you are anywhere near this place you have to stop in for breakfast, lunch or dinner. This is real home cooking. They even bake their bread in house. Go hungry and be prepared to leave full. read more

A group of us girlfriends stop at Shirley's at least twice a year....She is a sweet, vibrant lady and an amazing cook. The food is all homemade and she is always giving out samples to her customers....She is truly a person that is passionate about cooking and you can tell....it just melts in your mouth....We are going to steal her away from all her hard work one day and take her shopping with us she deserves it. Look out Shirley we're coming for ya!!! read more