Petoskey Restaurants
 

Looking for some ideas for nice places to have dinner in the Petoskey area, hopefully with some creative fare.
Considering Latitude, Whitecaps, Chandlers and Andante, but don't know much about any of these.
Would appreciate any input from anyone who is familiar with any of the above, or others that I have not mentioned.
Also, would love suggestions of what not to miss in this area.
Thanks,
Annie

I love Chandlers. I have been thre 4 times. Each time better than the last. Wonderful wine selection.

Also, the Perry Hotel. Wonderful and elegant restaurant. I love the food there and teh atmosphere. Great dessert after dinner drinks.

I am not sure how much you want to spend etc...

Sad to say, haven't been to any of those restaurants. But we LOVE the City Park Grill downtown! Also the restaurant at the Little Traverse Bay gold course is very good. Don't miss Knot a Bar at the Bay Harbor complex. Noggin Room (basement of Stafford's Perry) very good for casual; good pizza, salads, sandwiches, specials. Excellent (we think!) and inexpensive golf at Chestnut Valley. Like bookstores? Don't miss McLean & Eachin downtown, and check out the Roast & Toast nearby for a cuppa joe. The state park is worth a visit for hiking or beaching. Have a great trip.

I live in Petoskey, and enjoy many of the area's restaurants.....I take it you will be staying here for at least a few days...and your experience will have a lot to do with the time of year you will be here (hoping its NOT 4th of July week!) Latitude has really great food, but pricey (at least in my book!)
I save it for special occasions! Whitecaps is pretty standard....I ate there quite often when they first opened a few years ago, but did not think it was great. Andante and Chandlers are both small and serve really gourmet fare....both terrific! My other suggestions would be the Fish, north of Harbor Springs. If you are looking for more middle of the road prices, but really good food, the choices are more abundant. City Park Grill in my opinion, has not been very good the past few years. I like the Weathervane in Charlevoix, Taparooneys on M-119 between Petoskey and Harbor Springs, Side Door Saloon in Petoskey and the ride up M-119 north of Harbor Springs to Cross Village and Legs Inn is well worth the trip. Good Polish food and a really beautiful view on a nice day. If you let me know when you are visitng, I can offer more suggestions on what to see.

I would agree with Legs Inn. We were staying in Petoskey and made the drive up through the avenue of the trees, as I think Rt 119 is called, and it is a beautiful drive. Legs Inn is a uniques dining experience. Our waitress that night said she had only been in the U.S. for about a month. I suppose she was telling the truth.

je - that WOULD be M-119, better known as "The Tunnel of Trees" and it is always worth the drive just to see the new houses they are building every year! We bike it as often as we can. Legs Inn brings a good portion of their servers from Eastern Europe, which adds to the flavor of the place!

I agree that Latitude is expensive. It is good and has a nice atmosphere (especially on the patio), but I think the prices are high. In Petoskey, I like the Perry Hotel also. If you drive a little North. The Pointer room is very good in Harbor Springs. I don't know much about City Park Grill, I was excited to eat there and then I heard three people at the hotel said they got sick there, so we skipped dinner and just went for drinks. I also like the restaurant at Little Traverse Bay Golf Club. It has nice views and good food. It's a great area - have fun!

Thanks for all your suggestions. I will be visiting from July 9-13. We are staying at Staffords BayView Inn. Hope that is an OK place. Does anyone know how the food is there?
I thought while in the area we could go to Sleeping Bear Dunes, spend a day on Mackinac Island and if we have time take a drive to the upper peninsula, although we could not go as far as Pictured Rocks.
If you have any other ideas of what to see or do or where to eat please let me know.
Thanks,
Annie

Annie - The Bay View Inn is a really unique and beautiful place to stay...right on the water and within Bay View, which is a historical area. It is one of only 2 Chataqua's left in the U.S. It was formed in the late 1800's as a Methodist "camp" where the arts and religion would be promoted to Methodists summering in our area. You really need to spend an evening walking through Bay View, and on Sunday evenings, they have wonderful vesper concerts at the main hall in Bay View. They are free and many musicians who study there in the summer perform at them. It is really worth a visit!

As for Staffords restaurant...I played piano for them 3 summers in a row, (the last year being 2 years ago). The food was over priced and not very good at the time, as many of my friends who came to hear me play advised me! I can't speak to the quality now. The Sunday brunches are well known and in the $20.00 range. I believe with your room you will get breakfast free, which is worthwhile, but with all the other great restaurants in the area, I personally would skip Staffords. Little Traverse Bay Golf Club is a really good recommendation...the view is fantastic, and they have a great menu...early bird lower prices before 6pm and a nice patio to sit outside. One place I forgot to mention previously, was the New York in Harbor Springs...really, really good food, in the 15-25 dollar range for an entree, but will not include your salads. Hope you have a great time...if you are interested, its cherry picking time that week and the crop is supposed to be good!

My husband and I just returned from a wonderful week in Petoskey. Our favorite restaurants are The Fish, Legs Inn(be sure to be there at Sunset and eat outside in the gorgeous garden) and now Chandlers. We also love Tapawingos which I think is in Ellsworth. We have been a little disappointed in the City Park Grill on recent trips and probably will take it off our list for awhile. Our last nite of vacation we ate at Chandlers and it was perfect in every way.