Best Breakfast Spots in Manistee and Mason Counties

Ahhh breakfast. The very best meal of the day. Anyone who knows me knows I’m always up for breakfast, even if it’s dinner time. So today, I’m taking it upon myself to talk about TWO of my favorite sit down breakfast spots in Manistee County, and TWO places for a quick grab and go donut.

The House of Flavors 

You guys. I just spent TWO HOURS trying to find a picture of my food from House of Flavors. I literally take one every time I’m there and I couldn’t find a single picture. So here is a horrible quality photo of Trev and I where you can slightly see our half eaten food. 😥

Sometimes, all you want is a good, hearty, breakfast that doesn’t cost you a fortune. Enter: The House of Flavors. Now, you might know The HOF as a place to get some of the world’s greatest ice cream, or as the holder of the world’s longest sundae record. (I promise, this is a thing. Click here to learn more about it!)

But, not only do I love The HOF for Ice Cream cones on Sundays that I take on beach rides with my family, I love them for their breakfast too.

Breakfast is Served. All day ‘ery day. And snapple fact. You can order anything off their menu in the morning too, if salad for breakfast is your jam.

Location. You can find The House of Flavors in both Ludington and Manistee, however Ludington’s flagship restaurant is much bigger. But don’t worry, you’ll find the same menu, 50s style decor and friendly service at both places.

The Menu. While The HOF has great options for Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner, I’m only going to be talking about their breakfast options. What people love is their portion size. Although it has gotten a bit smaller the past few years, it still is a lot of food. You generally get two eggs when you order, however they always offer a third egg free. You’ll find all sorts of typical breakfast combos, pancakes, french toast, biscuits & gravy and oatmeal. My Dad and husband LOVE their breakfast stacks and scrambles. (I’ve heard the Gobbler Stack is by far the best thing on the menu. I just can’t stomach turkey dinner with eggs for breakfast.)

My Order. Personally, I’m an eggs, bacon, toast and hash browns kind of girl. And their “Super Special” can’t be beat. Not only is it a great deal, the food is amazing! They let you choose your meat and you don’t have to get toast. You can get banana bread (which is served with cream cheese frosting and is seriously amazing) or pancakes. I order my eggs over medium, (no third egg), bacon, and white toast.

Local’s Secret. Get there early. The place is PACKED on weekends, especially when all the tourists are in town. Besides, if you’re there before 9 am you can order The Early Bird, which is just the Super Special for $1 cheaper 🙂 Also, going on a weekday between 7-11 will score you great deals on breakfast specials.

Chef John’s European Bakery & Cafe 

Are you ready for the most charming, hometown feeling restaurant ever? Chef John’s is the kind of place that locals come to every weekend and sit in the same spot. It’s the place where the waitress already knows your order, and the food comes out perfectly every time. The thing I love about Chef John’s is that it’s a lot less popular than places like The HOF. It’s not on the main downtown strip, and see’s more locals than tourists every summer. Every table has a different table cloth and unique salt and pepper shakers. Every mug is different, and from a random location/school/tourist trap in the US. And every dish is packed with flavor. Do I have you sold yet? I should.

Breakfast is Served. If you want breakfast with Chef John, you better get up early. It is only served from 8am until 11am every day.

Location. You’ll find Chef John’s just a few blocks away from Downtown Ludington.

The Menu. While not as expansive as other menus in the area, what they lack in choices they make up for in taste. I promise you, you can’t order anything bad off this menu. The pancakes are MASSIVE and some of the best pancakes I’ve ever had. The Huevos Rancheros take me back to San Antonio, and the cinnamon rolls are bigger than my head.

My Order. I never end up with the same thing at Chef John’s. Two weekends ago I got the Huevos Rancheros, the time before that the breakfast special. I promise you, everything is delicious. I always make sure to try what everyone else at the table has (yeah… I’m totally that person when I’m with my family) so I’ve at least had a taste of everything on the menu. And I’ve loved it all!

Locals Secret. Show up just before 8 am to get a seat. As soon as the doors open, the place starts to fill up. But as long as you’re there between 8 and 8:30 you’ll be one of the first to order.

And now… it’s time for donuts! Donuts are honestly one of my favorite quick breakfasts. I’ll take a donut and a coffee from the bakery over McDons drive through any day. My favorite donuts in the entire world were at Olsen’s in Manistee, but it closed down a few months ago. I almost cried when I ate my last donut from there. But, luckily these are two pretty amazing substitutes.

Wesco

I know. You probably think I’m crazy telling you that the best donuts come from a gas station. But I’m not lying.

Breakfast is Served. All dang day. While the freshest donuts are served in the morning, you can find them all day. Lucky you!

Location. There are Wescos all over Michigan, but for the best donut selections in Manistee County go to the one on Parkdale Ave. in Manistee.

The Choices. You name it, you’ll find it.

My Choice. I always choose a mexican roll (A cinnamon roll with frosting, I like the white, and chopped nuts) or frosted with sprinkles.

Local’s Secret.  Stopping by any Wesco in the area you’ll find homemade baked goods, but look for the ones with the “bakery” signs on them for the freshest donuts because they are made in that specific store.

Cops and Doughnuts 

Breakfast is Served. Starting at 5 am.

Location. Cops and Doughnuts is BRAND NEW to Ludington and I know Mason County is super happy to have them there! The original location, their Headquarters, is in Clare. But you can find the Precinct’s (so cute… right?) in Ludington, Gaylord, Bay City and South Bend, Indiana.

The Choices. There are so many choices I’m not even going to list them. However, you can check them out here 🙂

My Choice. Blueberry glazed. OH. EM. GEE. Talk about heaven!

Ugh. As I’m sitting here typing this I’m getting really really really really hungry. Maybe I should just drive the four hours north to get my dinner (or should I say brinner?) this evening?

Ugh. If only.

I’m back tomorrow with our final day in Jackson Hole! We did something super daring and I literally can’t wait to tell you all about it!

Enjoy what’s left of your Monday!

Xx.
Savannah

PS- I’d just like to apologize one more time for the photos in this post. When I wrote this I assumed I had all the pictures I needed of the delicious food. I’m so darn frustrated!