Those looking for something quick but different should check at this colorful sandwich shop located in the heart of downtown Grand Haven. The menu features a unique selection of sandwiches, soups, and salads all of which can be packed for a day at the beach. Options like the Italian Bomber (salami, Michigan ham, local bologna, aged provolone, spicy giardiniera, lettuce, tomato, red onion and aioli) are very well constructed.

Western Michigan’s most iconic pizzeria has been operating out of its current home since 1949. They offer pizza and drinks and that’s it. You can choose from just five topping options including anchovies and there’s just one size. Founded by two brothers who decided to introduce Western Michigan to a Sicilian style pizza their family had made and the rest is history with multiple locations today. That said, the original in Grand Haven is the one you want to try as the atmosphere is as important as the pizza, which is still cut with scissors by staff before being served. Order the “EBA” and you’ll get everything but anchovies. 

Michigan is the nation’s leading producer of cultivated blueberries and the Grand Haven area is where you’ll find the largest concentration of blueberry farms. Visit this market connected to one of those farms for blueberry everything including donuts, pies, ice cream, and boxes of the country’s best tasting blueberries when in-season (July through September).

If you’re looking for something more substantial than pizza and ice cream this day and night chef-driven cafe is a great choice. The menu features a well rounded selection of interesting options including a fried lake perch dinner served with fresh cut fries. Or try their campfire trout or the lamb agnolotti. Cocktails and locally brewed beers round out a menu that looks like it comes from a hip new spot in Chicago or Detroit rather than that of a beach town like Saugatauck.

After making the rounds as a chef and caterer Christine Ferris opened her dream deli in a lovely “Pure Michigan” setting. It’s a popular takeout shop dedicated to serving local goods and delicious sandwiches and such. Grab beach grub in the form of homemade salads and locally sourced meats from a deli case, breads from a baked goods case, caffeine from an organic coffee bar, fresh-squeezed juice from a juice bar plus a small retail selection featuring local products like the regionally loved Great Lakes Potato Chip Co. potato chips.

The Harbor Country region has a number of supermercados with taquerias in the back that cater to the labor from the many farms found around the region. La Perla is the most popular and rightfully so. Families line up on the weekends for an outdoor street taco setup that includes al pastor cut from the spit, tender melt in your mouth lengua, smoky carne asada, and much more. Customers can also grab pounds of carnitas, barbacoa, and fresh grilling meats from the butcher section inside. There’s also a location on Napier.

Perhaps the epitome of a charming small-town doughnut shop, Red Coach Donuts offers an extensive lineup of styles that range from cake, yeast, and old-fashioned, to frys, twists, fritters, and Bismarcks in tons of sugary flavors. Weekend visitors should note that the shop takes pre-orders, so groups can build a custom box (subject to availability) and pick it up for snack attacks on the drive back to the city.

A large hearth oven takes center stage at this pizzeria that doubles as a market selling curated products local to the area. Wood-fired pizza is served two ways one of which is a terrific grandma-style altaglio slice best tried with char-cup pepperoni. The husband and wife behind the operation also run a certified organic farm where many of the restaurant’s produce comes from. Sandwiches and salads make for great beach eats while families can enjoy a Roman inspired thin crust pizza on the picnic tables outside. 

Located on a scenic corner in one of Harbor Country’s most charming little towns is some of the area’s best pizza all served from a walk-up window. Patellie’s takes great pride in “an honest approach to an old favorite responsibly sourced, high quality ingredients.” East Coast-leaning pies and the massive slices that come from them get decorated with fresh local ingredients. They’ve been a major draw since first opening so it’s best to call your order in ahead.

Skip the long wait for pre-cooked cheeseburgers at the overhyped place down the road and maximize your beach time with a box of broasted chicken from the area’s best grocery store. Barney’s has been supplying both locals and visitors with everything they need for their cook outs but they also make some addictive broasted chicken found in the deli section. It’s the perfect snack to bring to the beach and it’s popularity means there’s always some being fried up. Don’t miss the sensational ‘Pure Michigan’ craft beer selection from here if that’s your thing.

Resting in the heart of the tranquil Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore is one of the area’s first locally conscious and seasonal restaurant. When Stop 50 first opened in the summer of 2006 it was a unique thing for a local restaurant to take advantage of the local bounty. Stop 50 does so in the form of Naples inspired wood-fired pizza cooked in an open kitchen oven using fresh in-season ingredients. Non-pizza favorites include the wood-roasted sausage stuffed banana peppers an s'mores roasted over the wood fire.