Tasty Traverse - Self Guided Foodie Tour
Livability.com has rated Traverse City as the #1 "Foodie City" in America. Discover why for yourself.
Long known for its scenic beauty and recreational bounty, the Traverse City area has also begun to attract attention as one of America’s most unique culinary destinations. Today, many visitors are familiar with the region’s award-winning wines and superb restaurants. But there is another side to the story: the talented artisans who create delicious foods that you can sample, purchase and enjoy on your own – whether it’s a fresh baked loaf of bread, a warm cherry pie, a glass of hard apple cider or a string of smoked sausages.
Want to meet and chat with the butchers and bakers, fishermen and brewers, cheesemakers and candymakers whose creations have helped to turn Traverse City into a “foodie’s paradise?” Here are a few places where you can do exactly that. This guide is by no means exhaustive, but it offers a wide variety of food experiences that you can enjoy any season of the year.
Be sure to stop in to our Visitors Center, conveniently located on the corner of Union St. and Grandview Parkway (right at the base of West Bay on the edge of downtown), to get a great local map and our Tasty Traverse - a self-guided foodie tour brochure to assist you in your discovery of these local treats.
(Photo credit (above) bite-sized bakery treats from Morsels - downtown Traverse City)
TRAVERSE CITY DESTINATIONS
Within the compact waterfront area of Traverse City you can enjoy discovering many unique culinary treats created by local artisans. Many can be explored by foot and a few only a short drive away.
Bay Bread (A)
601 Randolph St. ~ Traverse City ~ (231) 922-8022
Just a block from the beach on a quiet side street, Bay Bread occupies a handsome two-story building of pale brick. Inside, Stacy Wilcox and her crew create an astounding variety of breads – from crusty boules and sweet baguettes to great crusty ciabattas and dense multi-grain loaves – as well as scones, cookies and other treats. There’s a small café serving sandwiches featuring those awesome Bay Breads, too.
Grand Traverse Pie Co. (B)
525 West Front St. ~ Traverse City ~ (231) 922-7437
101 N. Park St. ~ Traverse City ~ (231) 933-3972
Since 1996, Mike and Denise Busley have been making pies of all kinds (27 varieties of fruit pie, including six kinds of cherry pie) as well as seven kinds of cream pie, pot pies, quiches, cookies, scones and muffins. Grand Traverse Pie is now a major chain with branches throughout MI & IN, but this cozy shop on Front St. is the original. It includes a café with soups, sandwiches and other items – but the real draw is still that signature pie with its light, flaky crust.
Deering's Market (C)
827 S. Union St. ~ Traverse City ~ (231) 947-6165
Located in a residential area just a few blocks south of downtown, Deering’s looks like nothing more than a modest neighborhood convenience store. But it’s the home of “Deering’s Famous Jerkey,” a line of more than 26 varieties of cured and smoked cured meats – everything from beef, turkey, chicken and pork to venison, elk and buffalo, prepared in a bewildering variety of styles and flavors.
Morsels
104 Cass ~ Traverse City ~ (231) 421-1353
Jess and Misha Neidorfler were an architect and an interior designer who loved to cook so much that they opened a bakery together. But thei idea was a bit different: to create tiny bite-sized "morsels" that people could snap up without feeling guilty. All their treats are made from scratch in their tiny store at the corner fo Front and Cass, and include such flavors as "Devils in the Details" and "Olive You."
Pop-Kies
147 East Front Street ~ Traverse City ~ (231) 933- 3000
Greg and Amy Gembis loved the gourmet popcorn they used to buy when they lived n Chicago, so when they moved to Traverse City in 2005 they decided to set up their own popcorn shop on Front Street. Pop-Kie's features over 40 flavors of popcorn made fresh daily in their downtown sotre, including such local favorites as Front Street Blend, Cherry Capital Crunch, Chocolate Explosion, and even Dill Pickle.
Simply Cupcakes
445 E. Front Street ~ Traverse City ~ (231) 633-2253
Len Mayhew and David McClary have turned an old framing shop into a gourmet cupcake bakery featuring such favorites as Black Tie, Lemon Love, Key Lime, Red Velvet, Peanut Butter Passion, Hint of Mint, Silly Wabbit (carrot cake), and Funky Monkey (banana cake). Menus rotate every day and are posted online and on a chalkboard inside.
Grand Traverse Distillary
781 Industrial Circle, Suite 5 ~ Traverse City ~ (231) 947-VODKA
After visiting micro-distilleries on the Weset Coast, Michigan native kent Rabish decided to join the small-batch renaissance taking place in the distilling industry. Grand Traverse Distillery is celebrated for its True North Vodka, a premium spirt hand-crafted with local rye and clear glacial Michigan water. (In 2009 Wine Enthusiast Magazine rated it as one of the world's top 6 vodkas.) more recently, the company has moved into the aged whiskey market and has begun producing a new wheat vodka.
Light of Day Organic Tea Company
3502 E. Traverse Hwy. ~ Traverse City ~ (231) 228-7234
Located on a picturesque farm eight miles west of town on M-72, Light of Day was founded in 1996 by Angela Macke, a registered nurse and horticulturalist who decided to raise and serve organic teas as a part of her quest for a holistic, low-impact lifestyle. In addition to fair trade teas from around the world, they feature herbal teas made from locally-harvested plants, organically grown and hand-harvested.
Moomers Homemade Ice Cream (E)
7263 N Long Lake Rd. ~ Traverse City ~ (231) 941-4122
Selected by viewers of "Good Morning America" as the best ice cream store in the country, Moomer's is the brainchild of Jon and Nancy Plummer. In this rural setting near Long Lake, just west of Traverse City, visitors can watch the dairy cows grazing outside as they sample some of the more than 100 flavors made here. (Their signature flavor, Cherries Moobilee, features black cherry ice cream with chunks of black sweet cherries, red tart cherries, chocolate fudge swirl, and chunks of homemade brownies.
THE VILLAGE AT GRAND TRAVERSE COMMONS DESTINATIONS
Just a very short drive from downtown Traverse City you will discover one of the regions most unique destinations. Formerly the Northern Michigan Asylum this auspicious 63-acre site with magnificent century-old Victorian-Italianate architecture is being transformed into a mixed-use development. Here you can park and explore these beautiful grounds and enjoy the scents and tastes of some truly unique experiences. Be sure not to miss the Mercado area where you will find more to explore.
Higher Grounds Trading Co. (L)
806 Red Dr. Suite 150 ~ Traverse City ~ (231) 922-9009
Many of the area’s most interesting foodie attractions are located in The Village at Grand Traverse Commons, a vibrant new multi-use development on the site of what was once the local mental asylum. Located in the hospital's former laundry building, Higher Grounds Trading Co. is a roastery & coffee bar serving fair trade, organic coffee & tea. Have a cup of the barista’s choice daily brew or choose any coffee brewed-to-order, browse the diverse selection of local & fair trade goods, & take a peek at the roastery through the large viewing windows to catch a glimpse of what goes on behind the scenes!
Left Foot Charley (M)
806 Red Drive ~ Traverse City ~ (231) 995-0500
Sharing the former laundry with Higher Grounds this is Traverse City’s first “urban winery.” Owner/winemaker Bryan Ulbrich buys his grapes from selected growers on the nearby Old Mission Peninsula, but all the wines are made here in the old laundry building. Stop in at the tasting room to sample some of their Rieslings, Pinot Grigios and other whites. (In warm weather, the winery also runs Café Leftique, a patio bistro where you can enjoy a plate of bread and cheese with your wine.)
Pleasanton Bakery (N)
812 Cottage View Dr. ~ Traverse City ~ (231) 941-1964
The asylum’s former fire station is now home to this unique bakery, where bakers Gerard Grabowski and Jan Shireman use an enormous wood-fired brick oven to bake hand-shaped loaves made with organic Michigan grains and natural leavening agents. Their flavorful and deeply textured breads include such varieties as Parmesan Olive Herb, Cranberry Pecan, Sesame Whole Wheat and Village Rye.
Underground Cheesecake Co. (O)
1333 Yellow Dr. ~ Traverse City ~ (231) 929-4418
This business actually did begin underground, when Lori Dawson and Mary Vickerman decided to start making designer cheesecakes in their basement. Today their cheesecake emporium occupies two handsome brick buildings at the Grand Traverse Commons. They produce 42 different flavors of cheesecake, from Turtle Sundae to Mocha Mudslide, nine cake varieties, five kinds of brownies and a frozen concoction called “cheesecake on a stick.” There’s also a café serving soups, salads and sandwiches.
LEELANAU COUNTY DESTINATIONS
To the immediate northwest of Traverse City is Leelanau County – a beautiful peninsula of rolling hills and spectacular Grand Traverse Bay and Lake Michigan shoreline views. This area is rich in agriculture and offers more Tasty stops on your Tasty Traverse Foodie Tour.
Carlson's of Fishtown (F)
205 W. River ~ Leland ~ (231) 256-9801
Fishtown is a quaint shopping district at the mouth of the Leland River, where century-old fishing shanties and sheds have been converted into galleries and boutiques. Here you’ll find the region’s last full-time commercial fishing operation, Carlson’s of Fishtown. If your timing is good, you may be there to watch them unload boxes of iced whitefish from the tugboat out back. The store sells fresh and smoked fish and even a smoked fish sausage.
Cherry Republic (G & H)
6026 S. Lake St. ~ Glen Arbor ~ (231) 334-3150
154 E. Front St. ~ Traverse City ~ (231) 932-9205
The Traverse City area is America’s “cherry capital,” and nowhere is that more evident than in the village of Glen Arbor, in the heart of the Sleeping Bear Dunes. Here you’ll find The Cherry Republic, which features more than 150 cherry products, from soda pop and wine to ice cream and salsa. Free samples are plentiful! Beautiful perennial gardens connect each of the hobbit-style buildings, and there’s a charming café. Open seven days a week all year. (The Republic also has an “embassy” in downtown Traverse City.)
Pleva's Meats (I)
8974 South Kasson St. ~ Cedar ~ (231) 228-5000
The interior of the Leelanau Peninsula was settled by Polish and Bohemian farmers who dearly love the sausages of their native countries. But in the village of Cedar, butcher Ray Pleva took things a step further in the 1980s by mixing cherries and crushed pecans into his smoked sausage. Today almost every grocer in the region carries a version, but the original recipe is still followed at Pleva’s Meats, along with a wide selection of their other cherry-enhanced meats.
Tandem Ciders (J)
2055 N. Setterbo Rd. ~ Suttons Bay ~ (231) 271-0050
In the apple orchard country at the northern end of the Leelanau Peninsula, Nikki Rothwell and Dan Young have revived the traditional art of making and bottling hard cider. A clear, fresh-flavored, slightly carbonated beverage that’s usually served in bottles or fresh from the tap, hard cider has little in common with the sweet brown liquid sold at farm markets. It’s a traditional favorite in Europe and was America’s beverage of choice in colonial times, and is making a comeback in many parts of the country.
Leelanau Cheese (K)
10844 E. Revold Rd. ~ Suttons Bay ~ (231) 271-2600
Black Star Farms is a fascinating “agricultural destination” in the hills south of Suttons Bay that includes a winery and distillery. It’s also the home of the Leelanau Cheese Co. founded in 1995 by John Hoyt and his French-born wife Anne. Their aged raclette, made with milk from local cows and mellowed for months in a cool underground “cave,” has been named the Best Cheese in America. They also make a variety of French style fresh cheeses, and you can watch the process through a set of picture windows in the winery tasting room.
Self Guided Foodie Tour Brochure
Chocolate Trail
Throughout the area, we have many shops that are a must for any chocolate lover.
The Chocolate Den
324 E. Front St. ~ Traverse City ~ (231) 935-3618
Traverse City native Jeni Novakova first started making candies when she was living in the Czech Republic and couldn't find the kind of sweets she'd enjoyed back home. This proudly "old-fashioned" chocolatier that boasts that its truffles have only a three-week shelf life - because Jeni refuses to add preservatives or use pre-mixed ingredients.
Chocolate Exotica
525 W. Front St. ~ Traverse City ~ (231) 922-9401
Offers a wide selection of handmade truffles, barks, dipped fruits and delights like Lous XVI cakes.
Doug Murdick's Fudge
116 E. Front St. ~ Traverse City ~ (231) 947-4841
4500 US 31 ~ Traverse City ~ (231) 938-2330
Murdicks was founded in Mackinac Island by a complex dynasty of fudge-makers and confectioners. (One branch migrated to Martha's Vineyard--- another island destination similar to Mackinac.) Traverse City is home to Doug Murdick, whose two stores make 16 varieties of fudge.
Kilwin's of Traverse City
129 E. Front St. ~ Traverse City ~ (231) 946-2403
The Kilwin's name is famous across the United States, but it all began here in northern Michigan when Don and Katy Kilwin founded their first store in Petoskey in 1947. Brian and Mary Daily preside over the Traverse City store, one of the oldest branches. And although the truffles and bonbons are imported from faraway Petoskey, the store's famous fudge, bark and clusters are all made on-site.
Phil's on Front
236 E. Front St. ~ Traverse City ~ (231) 929-1710
An 80-seat bistro with a "chocolate lounge" where handcrafted chocolates are paired with wines and spirits, including several variations on the chocolate martini.
Grocer's Daughter Chocolates
12020 S. Leelanau Hwy ~ Empire ~ (231) 326-3030
This tiny candy factory offers intensely-flavored "artisan chocolates" in which powerful Ecuadorian cocoa is blended with local herbs, flowers, fruits, nuts and honey. They also offer such delicacies as lavender and rosemary truffles, and even a Mayan truffle flavored with a subtle but unmistakably warm dose of chili.
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