Delicious burgers and friendly staff. A convenient stop/walk if you are at the Tesla supercharger as well. We ordered the jalapeño olive burger and it was fabulous! read more

At one time I gave this little restaurant a glowing review, but our recent experience has downgraded my opinion. Our group ordered breakfast and burgers. The pancakes were burnt (black) on one side which the lady cooking tried to hide by putting the burnt side down. The scrambled eggs and omelette was over cooked. The burger buns suffered from the same fate as the pancakes. Over cooked and hard. At one time, this was a must try find in Clare. Now, not so much. Disappointing to say the least. read more

I came here because it had made multiple lists as one of the best Burgers in Michigan. This place is truly the definition of hole-in-the-wall, meant in the best possible way. Inside is a whopping 6 tables. On the left side is the grill and prep area. So dinner and a show. I ordered a 1/2# Bacon Cheeseburger. Not sure of the breakdown but the total was $18 with a soda and onion rings. It was 2 patties that tasted like high quality meat seasoned right with a couple of large strips of bacon. The burger was juicy and super tasty. The bacon was excellent. Together they made a fantastic burger. The onion rings were good, but the breading to onion mixture was a little heavy. The crunch was good though. The service was fantastic. Everyone was super friendly and very efficient. The cook is excellent and a nice lady. I enjoyed watching her cook the food. Overall an easy 5 star review. Would I return? At 2 hours away from me the answer is still absolutely! read more

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Had the 1/2 lbs cheese burger top notch will definitely be back to this again the onion rings were out of this world also.. read more

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Wow, i was going to go to Ponderosa , so glad I didn't pass on the to visit this 90yr old institution! The place is small, i mean you have to be lucky to get a table, and fortunately for me fate was on my side! The vibe is super casual, and the staff is super friendly. But the star of the show is the amazing food! I had a patty melt with onion rings and a cup of chili. The chili was lukewarm, but the patty melt had to be one of the best i've ever eaten. A hand formed patty with perfectly cooked onions and the right balance of cheeses that were melted into gooey goodness! My server was very friendly and let's talk about pricing, the value for the dollar was very good! If this place was in the Metro area the price would have been double. If you want a great meal at a fantastic prices while dining with "real people" don't pass this place up if you're in the area! read more

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Don't blink or you will pass by. We ordered takeout due to limited seating and a great day to eat outside. Approximately 10 tables for dining in. No seating available for takeout waiting. Visit was at 12:57pm on a Tuesday. Wait time was close to 40 minutes!! Our order was 2 burgers and an order of fries. My burger was with cheese and pickles. My husband had heard of this place on social media. My burger was too overcooked for my liking. My husband likes his beef rare, but burgers are the exception. He enjoyed. For me, I would not go out of my way for a second visit for a burger, but the fresh hot fries were delicious. read more

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I love this place! The true star is chef Julie who has worked there for 55 years! Her food is delicious and always top quality! The ambiance is a small town burger joint but truly a foodie experience! Stop by...you won't regret it! read more

After visiting Clare numerous times, we finally decided to try this highly-rated vintage diner on a busy Saturday. They take your first name and tell you how many groups are before you and the approximate wait time. Ours was 20-25 minutes. You can't wait inside because there is no room. Wait outside and stay there. They will move on to the next person if they call out your name and you're not there. Inside, it is tiny, nostalgic, retro, and looks like it has been around for around 80 years. Small wooden booths allow you to watch the grill man cook your food. The turnaround time from order to eating was 40 minutes. I had the mushroom burger basket with onion rings. It was delicious but small. My brother called it an oversized White Castle burger. Many condiments, like mayo and other items, are an upcharge. Due to the close quarters, it was hot inside. They have a limited outdoor eating area. Excellent service. There is a 4% credit card fee that I didn't see posted anywhere. Lunch was good, but It didn't knock it out of the park as expected. I probably would go somewhere else next time for a multitude of reasons. read more

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Excellent service and great food in a charming place. My friends, my son, and I had dinner and desserts at the Whitehouse, and we enjoyed ourselves very much. read more

Tiny restaurant with lots of character. Really good burgers, Ruben, patty melts. Tasty sweet potato fries and hashbrown. Good service. Come on a cool day as a/c is strugglng. read more

Very cool little, hole in the wall joint with made to order food. Super tiny inside with only 6 booths. Service at great and staff is very friendly. read more

Whitehouse Restaurant - 2 eggs, meat, potatoes and Sourdough - Diners Near Me - Clare, Michigan

Super good food, I got the philly burger, meat was cooked was perfect and good and warm. Everything was a tasty. We sat outside so we didn't see the inside but the outside of the building was cute though it is small. Took a little while to get our food but the wait was worth it. read more

Whitehouse Restaurant - Philly Burger - Diners Near Me - Clare, Michigan

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Had dinner here for the first time tonight and was impressed. Very small seating area at a historic establishment. The owner, Paul was cooking and was interesting to talk to. Burgers cooked to order and pretty good. Huge menu and looking forward to trying it for breakfast. read more

Once again my daughter and I landed in Clare MI at breakfast time. Today we had a short wait for a table, bit the owner's wife greeted us with a smile and cleared a table in few minutes. The flat top grill was tended well by the experienced gal at spatula. She is amazing for all the decades she has taken care of this place. Again she and the Whitehouse prepared a good breakfast and tasty coffee. The place may be old, but it always smells good and feels like a hometown diner should. Take the time and wait for a spot or eat outside, it is worth the time at the Whitehouse! read more

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Was driving through on the highway and wanted to stop to get something quick to eat. Whitehouse Restaurant is such a unique and cute spot! The restaurant is quite small and tight, but it feels extremely inviting. The food was great and I will be recommending this spot to others that live close to here! read more

Whitehouse Restaurant - Diners Near Me - Clare, Michigan

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They have excellent food and service I would definitely recommend it to all of my friends

I loved everything about this little spot. The staff was incredibly nice. I love seeing her cook right there & she spoke to her employees with love & kindness. Really set the tone for a good hardy breakfast. I was back visiting Beaverton and always wanted to try whitehouse but we never went to Clare as a kid. It def lived up to the local hype. read more

Whitehouse Restaurant - A skillet covered in gravy! - Diners Near Me - Clare, Michigan

Had breakfast. Ordered the hungry man. Three eggs, sausage, bacon, ham and potatoes and toast. Nice slice of ham. Tender, delicious. Good bacon. Sausage was just ok. Lacked flavor. Eggs perfectly done. Hashbrowns terrific. Service was great. read more

Absolutely a "small" hole in the wall restaurant. And absolutely great food and down to earth ambiance. Will return again for sure.

While driving up north we decided to stop in Clare for breakfast after reading all the good reviews. It's really a tiny little place with that at home feeling. I could see a lot of local people coming in so that is always a good sign! I think there were 6 booths and looked like some outdoor picnic tables. I got an egg white omelette and picked my own ingredients since they didn't have a vegetarian option. I just chose all the vegetables and watched as the cook mixed up the ingredients and cooked it. The grill is right where you can watch. I also got the country potatoes rather than the hashbrowns and they were really good. The rye toast was the swirl type. My friend got a full order of pancakes and said they were delicious. The pancakes were as big as the plate!! The restroom (not plural-only one) is outside around the back and is tiny but, hey it works!! So many exciting menu options- you really should try this place! read more

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We were driving through and stopped at this place for food on the way to another destination that we had to be at at a certain time. This literally is a shack. You open the door into a booth straight ahead and are standing over the people's table on the left. There is 2 rows almost stuck together with about 4 booths in each. We wait, no one greets us, we wait some more. Finally a girl asks if it's for dime in, I say yes. She said they're full but we are first in line to have a seat on the red bench and they will cal us when a booth opens. About 5 minutes later another couple go through the same process. I see a family leaving so I know we will be called soon. NOPE, the other couple was called to take the booth. I walked in to tell a waitress that we were to be next. She got a bit of an attitude when I explained the situation and said "well I can ask them if they will get up for you." Really!! She did absolutely nothing to help. An older more seasoned lady heard and took over. I explained the autuation and they both said that no one told them there was anyone waiting outside (how did they know the other couple was out there). Anyway. I explained that we had to be somewhere at a certain time and we could not wait any longer. No body took any responsibility for anything, just the blame game. Communication within a business in not the customers responsibility. The fact that they didn't offer another option like eating outside was just tacky. The place severely needs to be cleaned, paint is falling off all over outside. It's for the better we didn't eat there. We went uo the street and had a completely different experience. read more

My partner and I stopped by on our way up north. He has mentioned how good the food was beforehand so I decided to include this restaurant on our itinerary. So glad that we did!! Yummy burgers (and fries)! Everything was so flavorful and delicious. Small restaurant, tight place, few tables. Actually panicked a bit with how narrow it was inside but my hunger overcame my claustrophobic self. We were lucky to be seated pretty much right away but it seems like this restaurant is constantly packed. There were still quite a few people waiting for tables by the time we left and I can see why. Well worth the hype! YUMMM is an understatement. If you're in the area, give this burger stand a try! read more

Whitehouse Restaurant - Diners Near Me - Clare, Michigan

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sat there for 30 minutes waiting for food. watched them make 5-6 to go orders and still didn't have my food. Definitely will not be back.

The burger was so good! I'm not a big burger fan but this one I would get again and would crave. The bun was so good. Not sure why this bun was so much better than most but it was. Onion rings were good but not the best. Seems like people love the fries so I would probably get them instead. It is very tiny in there. Some people have said the booths are real small. The one I was in didn't feel that way, but it was low. read more

Whitehouse Restaurant - Outside sidewalk view - Diners Near Me - Clare, Michigan

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The service was ok the don't check on you too much and the wait is very long but when you get in there it is SO worth it the food is great you can watch them make it and there burgers are fantastic the place is small but mighty read more

Stopped in with the family as we were in town to get my wife's tire fixed and this place was one of the few open at 10:30am on Saturday morning. This place was very small but boy did it have amazing food and very friendly service. The food was home made and cooked right next to you as it's very small in there but definitely worth it, loved it and would go back. read more

Hello again, all you hungry hippos! Check out the next stop on the quest for the perfect experience! This place got the formula dialed in and stopped the clock! This is just the type of place I dream of finding every time I leave my house!! My friend and I took a 36 hour vacation to hit some beaches on Michigan's world-class west coast and it did not disappoint! The weather was fantastic and the beaches from Petoskey to Ludington were spacious, expansive, and relaxing! So, you can imagine how excited we were to find the Whitehouse Restaurant at the end of our trip! Seriously, we figured the adventure was winding down, but when we stopped for lunch and found this place we knew we were winning! Stepping in, the first thing you notice is how incredibly small the seating area is- probably less the 15 feet square, with a short-order grill and line along the edge. But the second thing you notice, especially as you sit down in one of the 5 booths, is that they are all toddler sized booths!! We fit in just fine though, as did the party of five brawny lads who came in after us (they needed two booths). The seats and tables just ride a few inches lower than standard. (It's sort of like when you use the restroom at a nursery school) At the Whitehouse, they take pride in their product, especially their burgers which they've been slinging for something like 90 or 100 years! My friend got a popper burger, from the daily special board, and I got a steak hoagie. We both enjoyed our selections, and the fries were done right as well. The banter between the cook and the waitress was not obnoxious, and included no personal drama that I could detect. They greeted the regulars warmly, and treated us just as well. I'll have to look up the town, but next time I travel anywhere within an hour of the Whitehouse I'll definitely be dropping in again! I suggest you do the same!! Happy Trails!! read more

We were looking for a place to get a bite between Lansing and Sears. Since the Mt. Pleasant exit was closed, we stopped in Clare. Looked at Yelp, saw the high rating for Whitehouse, and decided to give it a try. We were just going to order take-out because of COVID-19. Since there were a couple of tables open, we sat down to order. We felt so comfortable there that we dined in instead. The cook hustled the whole time, and the server was super attentive. First time eating here, and we have found our new mid-way dining stop. Food was great! The onion rings were as perfect as could be, and my husband (who orders a Reuben sandwich everywhere we go) swears that this was the best Reuben he has ever had. They had 4 different Reuben sandwiches. Wish he had the stomach to try them all. read more

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One of my favorite burgers, amazing flavor. A truly unique place that is one of a kind. Excellent service. read more

Whitehouse Restaurant - Bacon Cheeseburger - Diners Near Me - Clare, Michigan

Really good little greasy spoon that doesn't charge enough for their menu. Burgers are the specialty. The outdoor seating area is much larger than the indoor, where if inside you are sitting, technically, in the grill and fry area of the kitchen. The guy cooking was really nice. I tried his Philly steak soup on a whim. I loved that it wasn't full of potatoes. Great flavor. It was too warm out to eat very much. A cup of soup was just fine. My husband really liked his Olive Burger and fries. The staff were all young gals that were ready with their pens and paper to take your order for dine in or carryout. We left a heavy tip, hoping that business stays hoppin for them. read more

Whitehouse Restaurant - Tiny place but the food is fresh - Diners Near Me - Clare, Michigan

Good junk food. Whitehouse is a small spot to get a relatively quick burger, fries and more. Two of us got the Mushroom Swiss burger, one the chicken tenders and the other a steak sandwich. The steak and burgers were placed on the griddle in front of us and cooked to order. The fries and onion rings made in baskets while the meat cooked. There's only seven tables inside so I can assume that's sometimes an issue and that they cook one table's food at a time. But it didn't negatively impact us tonight. read more

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From MS visiting a friend stopped by and ended up very pleased. Definitely a hidden gem. Small place but don't knock it until you try it. Burger was fabulous, I got the regular cheese burger and friend got Hawaiian and loved it. Pretty fast for how busy they were and how small the kitchen is. Have lots of options for it to be such a small place. Definitely check it out! read more

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Great service, great food, happy I finally made it here! Definitely will try more food here!!

I love old diners and this one didn't disappoint. Simple burgers cooked within inches of us, great fries and a fun nostalgic atmosphere. Worth the stop on our Harley ride! read more

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We stop here 3-4 times a year. Love this place. Yoy may have to wait, but its worth it. I usually get the Patty Melt with Onion Rings. Best melt anywhere. Their omelets are very good. Quantity of food is generous for the price and everyone is always friendly. read more

Y'all have to check out Whitehouse. This is what people think of when they are looking for a classic diner. It is tiny, but it is incredible. The food is cooked right in front of you, and it is amazing. The servings are huge and the taste is top notch. Pretentious fancy menu? Not at all. Best classic American breakfast food? Absolutely. You won't go wrong if you're hungry and looking for a delicious breakfast or lunch! read more

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Food was great. It was warm so we were able to eat out side. Good conversation with the chef.

Best burger I've had in recent memory. Perfect fries. Amazing service. Fantastic setting that feels like it could be a movie set but is 100% authentic. Lunch for 3 people for 22 dollars. Enough said read more

Best late night spot for burgers or breakfast. Big staple in Clare and must see. Try a special or ask for their favorite dish!

Every small town in America should have its own independent hamburger joint sitting proudly on its Main Street. Unfortunately, too many of those gems have bit the dust over the past half-century as the McDonalds, Burger Kings and Wendy's have sprung up near the on-off ramps of our nation's highways. Clare, Michigan is one of the lucky ones. Since 1935, this town of 3,000 residents, has enjoyed the Whitehouse Restaurant which has stood proudly on its main drag serving up some great burgers and delicious breakfasts. Classic 1950's Art Deco neon calls out "OPEN HAMBURGERS" above the front door of the Whitehouse. It caught my attention immediately as did the cozy and homey nature of the one room eatery. There can't be more than 500 square feet of dining space inside including the grille area in full view. This is one of those tiny restaurants with room for only one cook in front of the grille. There were exactly 7 booths for diners so you'd better get here early to get a seat. It was a bit too early in the morning for a hamburger when the wifester and I stopped by so we opted for breakfast. I was curiously intrigued by the Hawaiian Omelette while my wife chose the warm breakfast wrap filled with eggs and sautéed veggies. Both were A+++ as we chatted with one of the locals sitting in the booth next to ours. If you are looking to step back in time...and experience some excellent down home cookin' with a personal touch ...on a well-seasoned grill, then try Whitehouse for. 5-star experience. read more

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