St. Ignace

MACKINAC GRILLE (906) 643-7482 The Grille manages to combine a sophisticated menu for this area -and an interior that's attractive and historic in a decorator kind of way- and still keep a small-town atmosphere. The Sposito brothers, who own and run the Driftwood and two Mackinac Island restaurants, teamed up with the Star Ferry owners on this appealing project. The main dining area is the depot from the old merchandise dock where freight from the Soo Line was loaded onto rail car ferries that crossed the Straits to connect with the New York Central and Pennsylvania railroads. The brunch and daily salad bar are in a railroad car near the entrance. And the Waterfront Pub offers a beautiful view of Moran Bay. An enclosed deck in back increases capacity in summer. Soups are exceptionally good and hearty. The 50-item salad bar with soup is $5.79 at lunch, with refills, or $2.49 if a sandwich is also ordered. (Sandwiches run $4 to $6.) Whitefish is prepared in unusual ways, like the baked whitefish dip appetizer with garlic bread sticks, good with soup for a light dinner. Of the dinner entrées (mostly $12-$15, including soup or salad, fresh bread, and potato), specialties are whitefish Rockefeller (baked, then served under creamed spinach, bacon and wild onion) and "poor man's whitefish," steamed in foil with potatoes, broccoli, mushrooms, tomatoes, and onions. Steak is baked on a plank ($15) as well as whitefish. Personal pizzas and pastas make for an adaptable menu for many diets. Dinner reservations recommended in summer. 251 S. State next to the marina. Open daily year-round. Summer hours 11 a.m. to 11 p.m., with a late night menu 'til midnight. In the off-season closes at 9 weekdays, 10 weekends. Wheelchair-accessible. Family friendly. Kids' menu. Full bar.

MARINA PUB (906) 643-0556 This surprisingly large bar with pub menu sits up overlooking the marina. There's occasional live music, and outdoor seating, but the regulation rail obscures part of the view on the deck. The view's actually better from the bar. A whitefish sandwich comes on a grilled kaiser roll with good slaw and homemade fries. Expect some smoke - it's one big area. 30 South State across from marina. Open seasonally. Not wheelchair accessible. 3 small sets of stairs. Family-friendly. Full bar.

BENTLEY'S B-N-L CAFE (906) 643-7910 A beloved local downtown diner, Bentley's B-n-L Café has been refurbished by newish owners to play up its classic soda fountain and vintage look. Now there's a juke box, checkered tiles, and Coca Cola memorabilia, plus interesting old things found in the attic. The 10 o'clock coffee crowd of local businesspeople still meets here. Now new owners prepare most all the food on the premises, including soups, hand-formed hamburger patties, and hand-cut fries. Here are big shakes, malts, floats, and more (around $3) and homemade pies (around $2.25/slice) or order whole pies ahead (order by 9 a.m. to pick up at 5). Lunch specials (soup and sandwich, under $5) are served until 5. Most dinners are around $6. Fried whitefish dinners with potato and soup or slaw are about $8. including potato and soup or slaw. Now smoke-free. The takeout window in front offers 24 flavors of ice cream cones. 62 N. State, across from the Arnold Dock. Open year-round, 7 days/week. From May thru mid-Sept 7 a.m.-10 p.m. Otherwise open 7 a.m.-8 p.m. No credit cards. Wheelchair accessible.

VILLAGE INN (906) 643-9511- One of Mackinac Island's best restaurants, the Village Inn now has a May through October St. Ignace spinoff on the south end of downtown. Here too it's known for pizza and whitefish, though it has a full menu. Fresh whitefish filet baked on a maple plank ($17) is a house specialty. Regional specialties include roast duckling with dried Michigan cherries. The steaks, though not cheap, are not just Angus, but Certified Angus (a big difference). Seafood chowder is a weekend favorite. Video games keep kids entertained. 250 S. State. Open 7 days a week year-round, 10 a.m. to 2 a.m. Handicap accessible. Family friendly. Full bar.

DRIFTWOOD RESTAURANT & SPORTS BAR (906) 643-9133. (906) 643-9133 (bar) It's locally popular, reliably good, priced for locals, open year-round for breakfast, lunch, and dinner - that's saying a lot — and it's across from the Star and Shepler main docks, on a snowmobile trail. Has a big local reputation for pizza. Daily specials at lunch are $5 to $6. The wide-ranging menu covers all the bases: burgers, salads, soups. Many entrees, including authentic Italian pasta dishes. Fresh whitefish is a specialty. It's $13 planked with a soup and salad bar. Reservations accepted in the dining room, which has smoking and non-smoking sections. The separate bar looks out onto the harbor. Its sports memorabilia bring back memories: Kaline, Aaron, Mantle, MSU vs. Notre Dame in 1949. Fridays year-round there's a band or DJ in the bar, Saturdays karaoke. A limited bar menu is available 'til 12:30 a.m. 590 N. State. Open 8 a.m. to 9 p.m., weekends to 10. (Bar open to 2 a.m.) Closed only Thanksgiving, Christmas Eve and Christmas. Wheelchair-accessible. Family-friendly. Full bar.

JAVA JOE'S (906) 643-5282 Funky, friendly, and fun - Java Joe's is a kick-back, improvised, personal kind of place that stands in contrast to the big, brand-name hotels behind it. Proprietor Joe Drum wears a baseball hat and Hawaiian shirt, with a long grey ponytail in back. He circulates through the cozy place, coffeepot in hand, greeting customers, pouring refills, humming to himself. The food is simple. Great breakfasts, all day, feature omelettes and malted pancakes or waffles with fruit. There's pizza any time in summer - Chicago deep dish (12" for $13) or regular, with variants like smoked whitefish pizza with Roma tomatoes, fresh basil, and mozzarella., or Greek pizza, or Pizza Margarita (olive oil, garlic, basil, tomato slices, cheese), a 9" pizza that could feed two for under $7. Many vegetarian choices; Joe himself doesn't eat meat. There are ice cream cones ($2 and $3), cappuccino malts and shakes ($5), coffee and ice cream drinks, strawberry shortcake. Sandwiches (mostly $6 to $9 for whitefish), three soups, two salads, some pastas. Customers love the huge strawberry shortcakes, enough for two, baked here (under $7). Kids' menu under $2.50. Decor consists of loads of photos of happy customers, immensely varied in age and dress, and teapots on a high shelf beneath the ceiling - animal teapots, lighthouse teapots, happy faces, frogs, the Mackinac Bridge —some 300 teapots on view. Joe says he spends three days picking them out at the world's biggest gift show in Atlanta. Additional seating is on the screened porch in back. Parking is tight; local tow trucks refuse to tow offending diners thus far. -59 N. State on hotel row, in front of Holiday Express and Comfort Inn. From late May thru Sept. open daily 7:30 a.m.-10 p.m. Otherwise open 7:30-1:30 p.m. After Oct. closed Wed. Wheelchair-accessible.