Where to Find the Most Delicious Brunch in the Petoskey Area

Short-stacked with flavor and real Michigan maple syrup

Brunch is a many-splendored thing. It’s a necessary part of every vacationer’s diet. Why get up early and eat plain ole breakfast when you can choose from an endless smorgasbord of breakfast, lunch, and cocktails? It’s the Platonic ideal of meals.

Back in 2023, the Petoskey Area Visitors Bureau offered guests to our region a guide to area brunch spots. Scented with maple syrup and a hint of bacon, that guide turned out to be a big draw for folks seeking the holy grail of pancakes. It was so popular, in fact, that we decided to take the concept out for another spin. It’s our pleasure to introduce five more area restaurants that elevate that most beloved of meals into an art form.

Brutus Camp Deli, Brutus

Do you want a plate of breakfast big enough to feed five people? And do you want to eat it, piping hot and fresh, in a gorgeous log cabin? If so, Brutus Camp Deli is the brunch place for you. The restaurant has been a congregation spot for hunters, and the vibe is definitely that of a northern Michigan camp—with cinnamon rolls.

“We try to keep the same practices as the previous owners: really good-quality, home-cooked food,” said Dean Grill, one of the restaurant’s new co-owners. “You’ll notice pairings of sweet and savory featured dishes, and some old-school favorites along with new-school creativity. And we still have the big portions.”

Breakfast is served all day. That includes candied bacon, Belgian waffles, huevos rancheros, skillets and omelets, smoked brisket hash, and the most exquisite Monte Cristo sandwich I’ve ever laid eyes on, served on cinnamon twirl toast. One thoughtful touch: They offer vegan and gluten-free options for many of their dishes.

My breakfast burrito arrived on an enormous platter. It weighed several pounds, and was accompanied by a large mound of freshly-fried taters. I took a bite of the loaded tortilla full of savory beans and velvety cheese. The eggs, beans, and cheese melted together into an incredible taste sensation I was able to eat for three whole meals. There were, dear reader, real slices of avocado stuffed inside. Would 11/10 recommend.

 

Gildas’ Lake Street Bakery, Boyne City

Gildas’ Lake Street Bakery is an iconic Boyne City experience. I’ve seen people lined up outside the door for pastries during the summer months. The bakery’s table at the Boyne City Farmer’s Market is a sight to behold. They’ve been featured in our local bakery guide, and they’re a beloved downtown fixture.

What you may not know is that they offer more than pastries. There are also crepes: Buckwheat crepes with crispy edges, slathered with melted butter, mounded with fillings, and lovingly folded into a delectable hand-held treat. Those crepes draw the Boyne Market crowd, and people willingly queue in the sun waiting for their chance to order a sweet or savory bite.

“We strive to be ecologically friendly with our business,” said Tara Berrou, the bakery’s co-owner and wife of its namesake, Gildas Berrou. “We use minimal packaging and compostable cutlery, and the crepes are meant to be eaten straight out of hand.”

Crepes come in a variety of flavors, with fillings like egg, ham, spinach and mushrooms, cheese, Nutella, honey, banana, chocolate, and caramel. The menu is a crepe choose-your-own-adventure, with flavors to please just about any group of hungry vacationers.

Gildas is an authentic French baker, and his display case is stacked with cream and fruit pastries, almond croissants, ham or spinach and cheese croissants, cream puffs, tarts, scones, cinnamon rolls, and the famous buttery goodie known as kouign-amann. He crafts some of the best quiche I’ve ever tasted. You’ll definitely be taking treats home for later.

 

Sam’s Graces Cafe, Petoskey

“You ordered the best items on the menu,” a staff member from Sam’s Graces said as he set a plate of smoked whitefish benedict and hashbrowns before me. I uncapped a bottle of homemade ketchup and began the arduous task of eating a delectable brunch, all for the benefit of the Visitors Bureau’s audience, of course.

Sam’s Graces, named in honor of owner Victoria Conklin’s father, is a small, magical brunch spot in downtown Petoskey. The restaurant features truly homemade fare, including the scones, English muffins, and crispy, decadent hashbrowns. And, yes, even the ketchup, a concoction too good to be true, with an earthy sweetness that outshines its garish grocery-store counterpart. I think I ate half the bottle while I was there. (Sorry, Victoria. Recipe, please?)

“Practically everything we offer is made from scratch, even our breads and pizza dough,” staff member Haley Gromack explained. “We work with regional farmers during the summer to bring in fresh produce for our dishes. A lot of love goes into our food.”

Brunch at Sam’s Graces was excellent. The whitefish was plentiful, but didn’t outshine the eggs or creamy hollandaise sauce. A smattering of sprouts on top of the pile was perfectly refreshing. Whoever makes that dense English muffin deserves a raise. And I’ve already raved about those perfect, crispy hashbrowns.

What are your brunch tastes? Frittatas and pancakes? Pizza, gyros, and sliders? Or a few homemade blondies to take back to the kids, or hide in the bathroom and eat while they’re napping? This bright, airy location has a small footprint and a whole lot of flavor. And plenty of boozy cocktails to try!

 

The Bistro, Petoskey

Tucked back into the Oleson’s plaza north of Petoskey proper on US-31 lies a hidden gem of a restaurant. The Bistro, a small diner with a homey, welcoming feel, serves up breakfast and lunch six days a week.

I tucked into a booth and expected to be one of the few patrons there early on a weekday morning. My assumption was incorrect, and the dining room filled with people before I was even halfway through with my breakfast. So, maybe this gem isn’t so hidden after all.

That morning, the air was redolent with the aroma of hashbrowns, and I watched a man receive a comically large stack of blueberry pancakes. The pancakes are popular, and were on almost every table I passed on the way out. But if you love your breakfast sweet, there’s more than short stacks on your horizon. The Bistro also boasts French toast stuffed with cream cheese and fruit, and morning glory oatmeal studded with dried cranberries and apples.

For those walking on the savory side, The Bistro offers breakfast sandwiches, skillets with eggs and sausage gravy, and traditional plates with all the fixings. My choice was the vegetable omelet, stuffed with mozzarella, tomato, mushrooms, onions, and peppers, accompanied by a huge pile of crispy hashbrowns. I did my homework and read online to get the cinnamon swirl toast, which did not disappoint: two enormous slices of Texas toast crusted with a sticky blend of butter, sugar, and cinnamon. Neither did my enormous, fluffy three-egg omelet, which was stuffed to the brim with veggies and huge slices of cheese.

The Bistro is an old-school restaurant in the best way, with truly friendly and excellent service. My waitress seemed to know everybody’s name. If you want a relaxed, homestyle meal full of flavor away from the downtown hustle and bustle, this is your spot.

 

The Sagamore Room, Bay Harbor

The first thing that hits you when you walk through the door of The Sagamore Room, located in the Inn at Bay Harbor, is light. The dining room is open and airy, with incredible views of the Little Traverse Bay through a wall of windows.

The second is the sight of the breakfast buffet. On weekends during the off season, and every day during peak season, the buffet is loaded with freshly-made goodies for just about every type of diet. There are piles of bacon and sausages. Waffle makers at the ready, with a mountain of whipped cream and strawberries to top them. A hearty skillet of breakfast hash, and a chafing dish loaded with eggs benedict. Bowl after bowl of fresh-cut fruits. An omelet station. It was a breakfast buffet out of a dream.

“They had eggs benedict, so I had to get them,” I overheard one patron say to her husband. “I had no choice, I just had to do it.”

Having not yet achieved peak pancake during my brunch sojourn, I ordered the blueberry streusel pancakes with sausages—my waitress’s favorite dish. They did not disappoint. They swerved directly towards the “cake” department, with a tender crumb and what appeared to be flecks of oats, included so I could pretend I was eating something remotely healthy. I topped them with maple syrup and butter and dug in. The Plath’s sausage was juicy and perfectly cooked.

Some people think that Bay Harbor is just condos and vacation rentals. Well, now you know it’s not! Branch out and you’ll find plenty of dining and shopping experiences during your time in paradise.

 

About the Author: Jen DeMoss is a newcomer to the Petoskey area and loves northern Michigan. You can catch her paddling a canoe, hiking a trail, or swimming in Lake Michigan as often as the weather cooperates. She’d love to help you make the most of your time in this paradise she now calls home.