Restaurants we'd send our parents to, breweries we'd send our brother-in-law to. Filtered by quadrant where it matters — sun on the dock at six, dinner by seven.
A tavern that's covered this stretch of shoreline since 1940, when it opened as the Evergreens. Order the Codwhich or the beer-battered onion rings off a 22-tap beer list, and take the patio if the weather holds — a 2012 remodel opened the deck straight onto Mullett Lake. Arrivals come by car, boat, jet ski, and in winter, snowmobile. Prime rib shows up Saturdays.
A family-run kitchen on the Cheboygan River since 2011, with a 75-slip marina out back for anyone running the Inland Waterway down from Mullett Lake toward the locks. The shrimp tacos and the walleye both come up in the same breath as recommendations; prime rib and chicken under a brick round out the heavier end of the menu. Open year-round, with an indoor room for the months the deck doesn't work.
A family dining room built around fresh-cut steaks and whatever came off a local boat that morning, walleye and whitefish included. The kitchen makes its own soups and bread rather than buying them in, and a full bar alongside the kids' menu keeps the room split evenly between a date and a family dinner. Open Tuesday through Saturday, 4 to 8 — early enough that a late arrival means a locked door.
Downtown Cheboygan's wine list, deep enough to take TripAdvisor's Travelers' Choice award in town five years running, paired with gourmet pub food and a Royal Libations cocktail list that doesn't take itself too seriously. Thursday through Saturday only, 4 to 8:30, closed the rest of the week. The pub reopens May 1 each year — call ahead in the shoulder season before making the drive.
The Michigan cap maker's outpost in downtown Cheboygan, where a retail wall of wool caps and flannel shares a room with a working ale house. It's an odd pairing that works — browse the gear that shows up on half the boats running the Inland Waterway, then sit down for a beer at the same counter. A Main Street stop worth the ten minutes even without a shopping list.
Hand-spun dough, hand-shredded cheese, and sub bread baked in-house rather than trucked in. The pizza is the draw, but the baked submarine sandwiches built on Michigan meats hold their own. Dine in, carry out, or have it delivered back to a Mullett Lake rental. Open daily, with Friday and Saturday hours running to 10 for anyone coming off the water later than planned.
Cheboygan's own brewery, back after a hundred years without one, pouring Blood Orange Honey and Blackberry Blonde alongside small-batch nano beers that never leave the taproom. Live music runs Friday and Saturday, 6 to 9, and Thursday's $10 flights are the cheapest way through the board. Closed Sundays. Fresh popcorn is free; outside food is welcome if popcorn isn't dinner enough.