You know the old saying: "Good things come in small packages." For one reason or another, this phrase seems to hold especially true when it comes to restaurants. There’s something deeply delightful about stepping into a small eatery and encountering major flavors - even when it means a bit of wait. There’s one such spot here in the Great Lakes State that will blow you away with its delicious burgers.
The Chuckwagon is located at 7400 Main St on beautiful Mackinac Island.
This quaint spot is the very definition of a charming hole-in-the-wall eatery, and you’ll join generations of satisfied diners when you stop in for a tasty meal.
For approximately 60 years, the Chuckwagon has delighted visitors to Michigan’s most famous island. As soon as you set foot inside, you’ll be treated like family.
Seating consists of several tables and a counter, so you might have to wait to snag a spot - but trust us when we say that the eats here are well worth the time spent in line.
Whether you drop in for breakfast or lunch, your tastebuds will be tingling in no time. The Chuckwagon prides itself on providing classic meals with fresh ingredients.
The burgers at this tiny joint are certainly its most famous items. Try a Chuckwagon burger or indulge in a mouthwatering bleu cheese burger. What’s not to love?
If burgers aren’t your first choice, you’ll also find options like a traditional BLT sandwich, grilled ham and cheese, cherry chicken salad, and a full breakfast menu.
As you wrap up your meal and head out to explore the island, you’ll have a full stomach and a happy heart. This is one dining experience that’s well worth waiting for.
For more information about this one-of-a-kind spot on Mackinac Island, click here. Do you have a favorite burger to indulge in when you visit the Chuckwagon? Share your thoughts in the comment section below!
This Michigan Dining Experience Has Been Called One of the Best Restaurants in the U.S.
This Detroit, Michigan restaurant has been named one of the top restaurants in the United States. With a menu full of seasonal, fresh, and always changing ingredients, we can understand why.
Since moving to Michigan a few years ago, I’ve been amazed by the variety and quality of restaurants. Want to eat a Polish meal that feels like it’s been cooked by your long-lost grandmother? The Mitten State has you covered. Want to eat one of the fanciest meals of your life in a building that used to be a bank? Come to Michigan; we have what you’re looking for.
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Well, one of our Mitten State eateries has recently been chosen as one of the 47 best restaurants of the year. Let me introduce you to the incomparable Selden Standard. From the exterior, this incredible dining experience in Michigan doesn’t look like much. The restaurant is housed in a simple, square building with an equally simple sign adorning it.
Don’t let the plain exterior fool you, though. Once you walk through the doors, you’re in for an absolutely delectable Michigan dining experience.
The interior of this Detroit restaurant is clean and modern, with both bar and table seating. No matter where you sit, you’ll eat one of your life's best meals.
Selden Standard is a restaurant that focuses on local, seasonal flavors. This means the menu will likely be different on each visit.
When restaurants create a menu using local and seasonal ingredients, their chefs are passionate about flavors. When chefs truly know their craft, they can create new and surprising bites that surprise diners every time.
The dish pictured above is a perfect example of a dish like this coming to life. A mashup between a crispy Korean potato dish and traditional roasted potatoes, these potatoes are roasted in a wood oven with soy glaze, togarashi, and crispy garlic.
I have to taste these potatoes—they sound mouthwatering. You could say that about almost any dish served at Selden Standard in Detroit, Michigan.
Even what would be a standard pasta dish at another restaurant sings with unexpected flavors at Selden Standard. The orecchiette is hand-formed, the mozzarella is hand-pulled, and the dish is dressed with anchovies and rapini.
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It looks gorgeous, and I want to eat it. This restaurant offers so many dishes that showcase humble ingredients and make them the star of the dish.
The plating at Selden Standard in Detroit, Michigan makes each dish look like a true work of art. The oblong plate above features a whole grilled Eagle Creek trout with fennel, potato, salsa verde, and grilled lemon.
When I say you’re in for one of the greatest meals of your life, I am not exaggerating one bit. You can get a steak and a baked potato almost anywhere, but where else could you order a grilled octopus or beef tartare topped with a smoked beet puree, crème fraîche, and trout roe?
Not only can Selden Standard tell you which state its meat, seafood, and produce come from, but in some cases, they can tell you the name of the farm! For example, the beef tartare pictured above is crafted with the eye of a round from Moraine Park Farms in Zeeland, Michigan.
In fact, if you visit this Detroit restaurant’s website, you’ll find a list of the local farms and producers providing its food. I don’t know about you, but knowing this information makes me feel so much better about the food I’m putting in my body.
And even though you’re going to want to fill up on all the savory dishes when you’re eating your meal, do not skip dessert. Go with something like this light-as-air strawberry shortcake (made with local berries of course).
Or go out of your comfort zone a bit to try something new. I spied a buttermilk panna cotta on one of Selden Standard’s seasonal menus, which I hope I get to taste one day.
Plus, if the weather is nice when you visit Selden Standard in Detroit, Michigan, you can sit on its gorgeous outdoor patio. No matter the time of day, it looks like a beautiful space to enjoy an equally beautiful meal.
For all of these reasons and more, this Detroit restaurant is a perfect choice for one of the top restaurants in the country. From the atmosphere to the mouthwatering dishes, the Selden Standard is an excellent place to enjoy a meal of a lifetime.
Dining experiences like the one at Selden Standard are just one of the reasons why I love living in Michigan so much. I’m a Michgander, and I’m proud of it.
What are some of your favorite things about living in Michigan? Tell me in the comments!
Tucked away in the tiny town of Melvindale, Michigan you'll find some of the best Polish food in Michigan. It's not fancy, nor does it pretend to be. It's like eating dinner in your Polish grandmother's kitchen if her kitchen seated upwards of 50 diners. The food is straightforward, absolutely delicious, and tastes like it was made with lots of love.
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Located in Melvindale, a tiny town located about 15 minutes from Detroit, Sabina's Restaurant is home to some of the most delicious Polish food you'll ever taste. The prices at this wonderful local restaurant are reasonable enough to make it an easy choice for lunch or dinner.
The exterior matches the interior - it's no-nonsense, putting the focus squarely where it belongs: on the food. The food is where this Polish restaurant really shines.
When you're first seated at Sabina's Restaurant, you'll find a basket of bread and butter on your table. Each slice of bread is individually wrapped - something that I've found common in eating at Polish restaurants in Michigan.
The very first thing you're going to want to do is order soup; trust me. This Melvindale restaurant has an amazing selection of soups, including mushroom, cabbage, and chicken noodle. The best soup on the menu in my opinion is the pickle soup - it's practically perfect.
In addition to a selection of soups, Sabina's also boasts a solid selection of salads. The Maurice Salad is spectacular - a meal in itself!
The rest of the menu at this Michigan Polish restaurant features staples like potato pancakes, kielbasa, stuffed cabbage, and, of course, pierogi.
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It's difficult to choose what to order at Sabina's Restaurant. Luckily, they offer a combination plate for those who want to taste a little bit of everything.
That's my normal mode of operation when visiting a new restaurant and was exactly what I did on my first visit to Sabina's. I've been so many times now, though, that I have a favorite dish: the meatballs!
The service at this hometown Michigan restaurant makes you feel right at home, just like the food does. One of the things I love about Sabina's is that the staff seems to be as excited about the food as the patrons.
I mean, with pierogies as fantastic as the ones pictured above, who wouldn't be excited? At this metro Detroit Polish restaurant, pierogies come filled with potato cheddar, sauerkraut, or sweet farmer's cheese. Additionally, you can have them topped with bacon and onion, which I highly recommend.
Everything on this menu is the ultimate example of how the food should taste. It's not fancy, nor is it trying to be something it's not.
Which I'm grateful for, because simple and delicious is my favorite kind of meal. The potato pancakes at Sabina's in Melvindale are the crispy, savory stuff that dreams are made of.
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Throughout the week, this Michigan Polish restaurant offers daily specials. These include things like meatloaf, goulash, and fish.
One of the more unusual things on the menu (to me, a newish Michigander) was a dish called City Chicken, which does not have chicken in it at all. It is cubed pork, skewered, breaded, and fried.
Another thing that I love about the food at Sabina's in Melvindale is their side dishes, like the corn pictured above, There is something so comforting about a simple dish of veggies, isn't there?
Every time I visit this downriver Polish restaurant, I'm sad that I'm too full for dessert at the end of the meal. Also, every time I visit, I take home dessert in a to-go box. The Apple Crumb Cake is *that* good.
One more thing that I personally love about this down-home Polish Restaurant in Melvindale is that they close for a month every summer. This gives their employees a true break from work. This is a phenomenon I've noticed at a few other old-school Michigan restaurants. It makes things feel more homey to me. It's one of the things that makes me feel proud to be a Michigander.
So, before you make the trip to eat some of the best Polish food in Michigan this summer, make sure you give Sabina's Restaurant a call before heading its way.
