It would be easy to pass this little gem up in favor of more trendy eateries closer to a touristy…read moreup-north town, but that would be a big mistake. The Farmer's Table is conveniently located just off the Wolverine, MI exit of I-75. It looks like it may have once been a gas station; very unassuming building with a huge parking lot for all sorts of vehicles, trucks and RV's. Once you step inside, the magic happens. Cute and cozy, filled with charming little tables and a mercantile area, the friendly staff will greet you and make you feel at home. Their menu is varied with many entrees made from locally sourced ingredients. This concept feels fresh and healthy, though the entrees themselves feel like grandma's cooking. Not fancy or trendy, but hearty, flavorful home cooking. My husband chose a pork chop, baked potato, corn and side salad. The photo of the pork chop looks juicy and tender; it was just that. He said it was the best pork chop he's ever had. The apple glaze was really good. I chose the chicken cordon blue, to sample something I would not make at home. It was rich, a tad salty yet very good. The side corn was amazing, as was the apple slaw. Next time I'll ask for mashed potatoes without the dark gravy. We took a small fried raspberry pie for dessert on the road and enjoyed mulling the through their homemade bakery items. The prices were very reasonable. We will be making this stop a regular on our way up north. Look forward to trying their brunch items, which get raved reviews.

Friendly service. Looks like groups of regulars come here to eat. The menu is fairly large…read more We chose to split the house salad, which was a spring mix with cukes, grape tomatoes, red onions and packaged croutons. They were kind enough to give us each a different dressings. We also split the hot beef sandwich. It was tender, shredded pot roast with jarred or packaged gravy ( still blobs of the mix on the plate) served on white bread. The meat was very tasty. Rustic mashed potatoes ( skin on) and a bowl of corn were the sides. Amish fruit hand pies and frozen meats from a farm along with jars of pickles, fruits and dressings were available for sale in a small market inside the restaurant.

On a recent trip up north to the Hillman/Alpena area, my friends and I stopped at the Hi Way Inn…read morefor breakfast before we headed back home on a Sunday morning. Okay, first, I love the sign outside that says "husband/wife daycare". Second, yeah, it's a dingy bar in a small northern Michigan town, so of course you need to wonder why you are eating a Sunday breakfast at a bar. However, after the meal was served you wonder "why aren't bars at home doing this?!" We had a group of 10 and we had to split up into two tables, no big deal. Our waitress seemed to be handling the entire bar on her own, and she managed just fine. Service was a little slow, but again, she was by herself, and she did good. I ordered the skillet plate, which consisted of hashbrowns, bacon, scrambled eggs and cheese all jumbled together. But that wasn't enough, I had to order sausage gravy on top to make up for the lackluster sausage gravy I had the day before at our resort. Umm yeah, best $5.99 I've spent on breakfast in ages. Several clean plates later by most of my dining companions, we departed for the 3 hour drive with full bellies and later, complaints of "ugh, why did I eat all that?!" Had a few bites of my friends pancakes, which were also tasty and plentiful. Yeah, it wasn't real maple syrup, but again, you're at a bar on a Sunday morning, don't expect so much.

Cool little bar with great burgers. However, the map is wrong. Go into town about .4 miles away…read morefrom where it is pinned.

We had such a great experience at Maple and Batter, and a big part of that was our server, Mary…read more I've actually been here before and always find myself coming back because of her--she's that good. Mary is incredibly friendly, attentive, and makes you feel genuinely welcome from the moment you sit down. She's also very knowledgeable about the menu, gave great recommendations, and made ordering easy. She checks in at all the right times without being overbearing, keeps everything running smoothly, and brings such a positive energy to the whole experience. It's rare to find service this consistently great, but Mary truly stands out. If you're dining here, I highly recommend asking for her--you won't be disappointed!

stopped in this morning for brunch since we're in the area visiting. There was about a 10 to 15…read moreminute wait and then we were sat at a little table near the Christmas trees. Our waitress is very kind went over the specials and offered to get us some drinks which we all got coffee. My girlfriend ordered the Benedict and that it was really good. I split the breakfast tacos in the Monte Cristo with my other friend. The portion sizes were really large. Everything is really good and had nice flavor. Highly recommend for breakfast!!

Oh my, what a hidden gem! I was looking for a good family ran restaurant and was not disappointed…read more I got the special of the day, cod nuggets and they didn't disappoint. Hot and fresh and the fries were yummy too. The service was great, my drink stayed filled and the waitress was attentive. The restaurant was clean and had really neat curtains. One thing to note, they only take cash or checks. No debit or credit cards.

Great breakfast. We…read moregot takeout several times. Pancakes are big and good. When you add blueberries they add lots. Omelets are good. Corned beef hash is good. Biscuits and gravy is good (I'm a southerner). Portions are a good size. The bread is homemade, and it's good. Takeout was well organized - they gave us plenty of condiments. Highly recommend for breakfast. Cash or check only.

great fresh food, and a very happiful server, Grace. A very friendly place where the customers are…read morepart of the community. And strangers are friends we haven't meet.

Stopped by on our way through town, wait staff and fellow diners were extremely welcoming and…read morefriendly! Food was delicious, you definitely have to order the pancakes and biscuits and gravy! Exactly what we were looking for in a small town diner

Baked potato soup with a side of homemade baked-fresh garlic bread was a hearty lunch!…read more Delicious food. Great service.

Food and service has always been very good for us! Pleasant atmosphere... excellent staff!read more

A great local coffee shop!!! The staff here really went above and beyond. We needed drip coffee for…read more10+ people and they were so accommodating!! Great local snacks too - the chocolate covered cherries and fudge was a nice treat! We have stopped in at least 3 times this weekend (shout out to all the Sno Drifting folks) and will probably be back at least one more time before leaving town. Truly, the nicest service! Other pluses: breakfast sandwiches, nice tea selection, and tables/couches to relax while you wait. There's a small gift shop area too.

We came in when there was no line at like 10am. We ordered a couple butter bear lattes with light…read moreflavor. The barista disappeared into the back room for awhile before she started making the drinks. Eventually we watched the barista make the coffees with NO espresso. She just put milk and a LOT of syrup together, it was awful. She was very impersonal and just dropped our drinks off, said "here", and walked away to the back room again. This is my first bad experience here. The cinnamon rolls also are not the same So small and she just microwaved it... reminded me of frozen ones. I can make way better coffee at home and will NOT be returning. I hope it will change for the better though.

Hillman is a small town off M32 about 20 minutes west of Alpena. Mostly known for the Thunder Bay…read moregolf course, there are a number of clean and natural lakes in the area. The Black Squirrel recently opened up in the sleepy, forgotten town and it's like a breath of fresh air was pumped in to liven the tired town up. The owners are local so you know they care about their customers. It's evident the moment you walk in when you are greeted by a genuine smile and accommodating attitude. I was excited to try this place and the building itself welcomes you and kicks your experience off on the right foot. You first notice the amazingly clean and airy atmosphere of the bakery, then greeted by kind faces but when you peek back into that pristine kitchen and see the owner baking amazing items to set out, you know you are at the right place. They serve coffee - both drip and espresso specialty drinks - breads, desserts, and breakfast items (both sweet and savory). I got a vanilla mocha, a bacon and ham egg bite (it's the size of a muffin though), and a cinnamon roll. We drove back to the house and warmed up the food. The egg bite was very good. Simple but the perfect savory item to start with. The cinnamon roll was excellent - soft and fresh with cream cheese frosting that really hits home! Note that they are only open from 8a-12p (Tue-Sun) and often run out of things. They also have kitchen gifts and bread accoutrements that I'd like to try in the future as they have a special daily bread menu. Since we got there fairly early, they were setting new items out as they were prepared (which made it hard to choose, but in a good way). We will definitely return to try more of their amazing food!

We were just passing through on the way to Northern Michigan and I'm so happy that we found the…read morePine squirrel. The long bar was filled with patrons, which made the ambience festive. We ordered a taco salad and white fish dinner, plus a couple beers. Everything was great and our waitress. Amanda was attentive, but not too attentive. She was really good.

Caroline was the perfect waitress. We had the jalapeño Dip with pita bread, AMAZING. I save a bit…read moreto put on the Hangover Burger. The other two dishes Mac N Cheese with Brisket, Mac N Cheese with pulled pork. Hats off the kitchen staff. Food came out quickly and hot. So good we bought some Merchandise. T-Shirt and sticker. Great Stop. We loved the Squirrel decor.

The setting was all you could desire in privacy and with the nature of a forest and yet the lake…read morewas just across the street The facility was adequately and spaciously designed, and the price was a gift. We are blessed.

Great friendly service, with great recommendations. Good food, didn't mind cooking a little late…read more Thank you again.