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Arranged from the locks outward.
LOCK VIEW RESTAURANT
(906) 632-2772
Across from the entrance to Locks Park, the Lock View isn't just for tourists. Local people regard its whitefish as the best, and the soups are good, too. The whitefish dinner is $13.95 (whitefish baskets $8.95 fish & chips) , including Friday's all-you-can-eat fish fry after 4 p.m.) is prepared five ways: pan-fried, broiled, deep-fried, cajun, and lemon pepper. Other attractions are the $3.45 breakfast special with eggs, meat and hotcakes; Heart Smart items at every meal; burgers; fried clams; and $7.95 basket specials at lunch. The owner spends winters making various kinds of locks-related nautical decor for tables, walls, etc.
When the restaurant is busy, the second floor is open. (In summer this is often Thursday through Saturday.) Second-floor seats have a view of the locks through trees.
329 W. Portage. Opens sometime in late April or early May, weather depending. Closes mid Oct. Open daily 7 a.m-8 p.m. at least, weekends to 9, in season to 10 p.m. Wheelchair-accessible. Family-friendly. Full bar. FREIGHTERS
(906) 632-4100
The hotel dining room of the Ramada Plaza Ojibwa>/b> is by far the most beautiful restaurant in the American Soo, thanks to a window-wall overlooking a park and the Soo Locks. Still, it's "upscale casual," no dressing up expected. Chicken-sausage gumbo and slow-roasted prime rib are signature items here. Old favorites often get fresh treatments here, such as the current cashew-crusted salmon spiral. Of course, lots of whitefish is sold in summer. Working young people from the area enjoy meeting over breakfast year-round for the relaxing setting and tweaked breakfast standards like banana-walnut pancakes. Typical entree prices: breakfast $6-$7, lunch $6-$8, dinner $20-$22 with simple fare like meatloaf and fried chicken $13-$14. ...continued below...
Dinners include salad, choice of starch, vegetable. No smoking here, but allowed in adjacent CAPTAIN'S PUB & GRILL. Reservations taken.
240 W. Portage. In season (May thru color season) open daily. Weekdays 7 a.m. to 10 p.m., weekends from 8 a.m. Winter hours the same, except closed after lunch, 2 p.m.-5 p.m. Wheelchair-accessible. Family-friendly. Full bar. PENNY'S KITCHEN
(906) 632-1232
Tucked away on a downtown side street, has grown from a caterer into a bustling, very successful smoke-free coffeehouse, deli, bakery, and gourmet shop. It's so busy at mealtimes, in fact, that it seems a bit like a cafeteria at a large company or a college. The café opens early for fresh bagels, muffins, and scones, and entrées like blueberry pancakes, omelets, filled croissants, and egg/cheese scrambles served in bread bowls. For lunch there are many deli sandwiches, wonderful soups, and prepared salads. This is the place for special picnic takeouts. Now with public internet access.
112 W. Spruce, 3 blocks south of Portage and half a block west of Ashmun. Mon-Fri 7 a.m.-6 p.m., Sat 8-5, . Wheelchair-accessible. Family-friendly. No alcohol CUP OF THE DAY COFFEEHOUSE & DELI
(906) 635-7272
In the heart of downtown offers public Internet access and a wide range of coffees, cheesecakes, fountain sodas, smoothies; entrée salads ($5-$6); over 30 specialty wraps, panini, and sandwiches (mostly around $5); and soups. There's lots for vegetarians. House specialties are chicken gumbo soup and grilled California panini with turkey, avocado, and cheddar. Owner/cook Tony Stackpoole, who heads the downtown business group, promotes lunch meetings, so this is an especially good place to observe local cultures in process.
406 Ashmun. Summer hours: Mon-Fri 7 a.m. to 8 p.m., Sat 8-6, Sun 9-3. Regular hours: Mon-Fri 7:15-6, Sat 8:15-3. Wheelchair-accessible. Family-friendly. No alcohol. THE ANTLERS
(906) 632-3571
Perhaps the best- known restaurant in the Michigan Soo is a family restaurant (15 years ago it would have been called a bar) in an old building made of sandstone rubble. The draw is the decor: dozens of deer antlers cover the walls and beams, intermixed with stuffed beasts from a big polar bear to deer and beaver. Sometimes these mounts form the centerpieces of wildlife scenes. The Antlers has gradually evolved after an Irishman from Detroit's east side bought it in 1948 and went for the hunting motif. It's still in the family, and the mounted animals number over 300. Bells and whistles fill the air every hour or more, when there's a touchdown or a customer with a birthday - or just upon request. The wisecracking 8-page menu ($4 to $25) features burgers, Mexican dishes, steaks, chicken, BBQ ribs and seafood, along with homemade soups.
804 East Portage across from the Edison Sault power plant. Opens spring into fall at 11 a.m. Closed on Sundays and Mondays Oct. to May. Kitchen open to whenever. Wheelchair-accessible. Family-friendly. Full bar. CLYDE'S DRIVE-IN
(906) 632-2581
Generations have grown up on various sizes of the C Burgers, from baby to the 3/4 pound Big C ($6 with cheese), made fresh on the grill and served as you like at. Hearkening back to an earlier era of burger joints, Clyde's, founded in 1949, offers eat-in and curb service. (The 3 other U.P. Clyde's in Manistique, St. Ignace, & Rudyard, have been sold off.)
This Clyde's remains very much a diner. It serves breakfasts, chili, and baskets of shrimp. An extra plus for boat-watchers: it's on the St.Marys River at the Sugar Island dock, the best place on the Great Lakes to watch freighters in motion. No credit cards.
At the Sugar Island Ferry dock on Riverside Drive. That's the extension of East Portage, about 2 miles east of Ashmun. Open from April into mid-October. Open 7 days, 9 a.m.-10 p.m. Curb service from 11 a.m. Wheelchair access: curb service only. Family-friendly. No alcohol. STUDEBAKER'S RESTAURANT AND LOUNGE
(906) 632-4262
Especially for breakfast, Studebaker's is a local favorite. It's actually a competent all-around restaurant with a wide-ranging sandwich, salad bar, and dinner menu (Mexican, pasta, steak, seafood, chicken). Most dinner entrées are from $7 to $10. Sandwich menu served any time. The big breakfast menu features good 3-egg omelets ($7) and a weekend breakfast buffet ($8). It's fun to see an owner's collection of Studebaker memorabilia, highly evocative for people who grew up in South Bend.
3583 I-75 Business Spur next to Days Inn out by Kmart. Open daily 7 a.m.-9 p.m., to 10 in summer and on Fri & Sat. Wheelchair-accessible. Family-friendly. Full bar. ANG-GIO'S RESTAURANT
(906) 635-3046
For pizza and a full menu, Ang-Gio's stands out. It's a weekly destination for the families of many working mothers. The sandwich menu is served any time. Weekdays bring the lunchtime pizza buffet from 11:30 to 2. Dinner entrées are from $10 to $16.
By the Ramada Inn on the west side of Bus. Spur I-75. Open daily from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Wheelchair-accessible. Family-friendly. Full Bar.
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