Where to Eat in Empire: The Best Restaurants and Bars

April 14, 2018 Tynisha Seiler

Empire is a village in Leelanau County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 375 at the 2010 census. The village is located within Empire Township.
Things to do in Empire

1. La Becasse Restaurant

9001 S Dunns Farm Rd, Maple City, MI 49664-9668 Reservations, Outdoor Seating, Seating, Waitstaff, Parking Available, Serves Alcohol, Full Bar French, Gluten Free Options, Vegetarian Friendly Dinner SGD 38 - SGD 41 +1 231-334-3944
Excellent
80%
Good
9%
Satisfactory
6%
Poor
3%
Terrible
2%
Overall Ratings

4.5 based on 189 reviews

La Becasse Restaurant

Reviewed By Boomer0 - Texas

This restaurant is a gem! Great food, fairly priced. Superb service. The ambience is like a country French inn. Off the beaten track but worth the drive.

2. Joe's Friendly Tavern

11015 W. Front St., Empire, MI 49630 Takeout, Seating, Waitstaff, Television, Highchairs Available, Wheelchair Accessible, Serves Alcohol, Full Bar, Parking Available American, Bar, Pub, Vegetarian Friendly Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner, Brunch +1 231-326-5506
Excellent
47%
Good
37%
Satisfactory
12%
Poor
3%
Terrible
1%
Overall Ratings

4 based on 372 reviews

Joe's Friendly Tavern

Reviewed By jjnemitz - Traverse City, Michigan

If you are looking for a great burger and a place to stop after hiking or biking, this is an excellent rest stop. The burgers are excellent and they have many types of beers to choose from. They have items on the menu as well....MoreThe Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore is indeed a great place to visit during all four seasons. Thank you for promoting us and our region. We look forward to seeing you again.

3. Cherry Republic Grand Cafe

6026 S Lake St, Glen Arbor, MI 49636-5115 Waitstaff, Highchairs Available, Takeout, Seating, Parking Available, Street Parking, Wheelchair Accessible, Accepts American Express, Accepts Mastercard, Accepts Visa, Accepts Discover, Outdoor Seating, Free Wifi American, Cafe, Gluten Free Options Lunch, Dinner SGD 10 - SGD 20 +1 231-226-3033
Excellent
60%
Good
29%
Satisfactory
10%
Poor
1%
Terrible
0%
Overall Ratings

4.5 based on 265 reviews

Cherry Republic Grand Cafe

The Cafe is Closed until Spring 2018.<br><br>Welcome to the Cherry Republic Grand Cafe and Bakery located in Glen Arbor, Michigan. Serving a full menu of cafe specialties, Chef Chris features hearty sandwiches, savory BBQ, fresh salads, and plenty of shareables to feed a crowd. After your meal, our Bakery serves up our signature homemade cherry pies, huge Boomchunka cookies, and 16 varieties of ice cream, all made with local northern Michigan cherries. When you stop by the Grand Cafe, don&apos;t forget to stroll across the gardens to the original Great Hall, where we sample over 170 of our locally made cherry products, from chocolate covered cherries and salsas to dried fruits and BBQ sauces. Oh, and our Stomp House serves people of all ages with 24 varieties of wine and soda, so bring the entire crew. Located in the heart of the &apos;Cherry Capital of the World&apos;, this is where Cherry Republic got its humble beginning, just a couple blocks from Lake Michigan in beautiful Glen Arbor. Come visit!

Reviewed By 360mechelles - Montague, Michigan

If you are at the cafe, don't neglect to stop and shop next door or sample the wine across the garden. The cafe is friendly, relaxed. Excellent Cherry flavors of ice cream. Tonight I had the special: bacon wrapped meatloaf with mashed potatoes. Good comfort food for a reasonable price. Excellent wait staff. A gentleman came in for a pie to go. It looked absolutely delicious.

4. Grocer's Daughter Chocolate

12020 S Leelanau Hwy, Empire, MI 49630-8704 Outdoor Seating, Wheelchair Accessible, Takeout, Parking Available, Free Off-Street Parking, Accepts American Express, Accepts Mastercard, Accepts Visa, Free Wifi, Accepts Discover, Accepts Credit Cards Vegetarian Friendly SGD 21 +1 231-326-3030
Excellent
64%
Good
25%
Satisfactory
10%
Poor
1%
Terrible
0%
Overall Ratings

4.5 based on 104 reviews

Grocer's Daughter Chocolate

We are a small family-owned craft chocolate business that focuses on sourcing as many local ingredients as possible. Our chocolate is fairly traded from Ecuador and Venezuela and of the highest quality. We LOVE great chocolate and we look forward to sharing it with you. Because we are committed to sourcing the best ingredient - local dairy, honey, fruits, spirits, etc - and chocolate, our prices are higher than what you&apos;ll find at a typical chocolate shop.

Reviewed By Sherri7013 - Manistee, Michigan

Took a day trip to check this place out. M22 is a scenic drive. Specialty chocolates in bars of either milk or dark chocolate some with nuts/fruit and iced coffees and teas. Hand selected truffles available in a fancy box. More dark chocolates available than...MoreThank you for stopping in Sherri and leaving an informative review! We appreciate your support of our little business and all the farmers we work with.

5. The Compass Rose Bakery

6999 W Macfarlane Rd, Glen Arbor, MI 49636-9767 Delivery, Takeout, Seating, Free Off-Street Parking, Digital Payments, Free Wifi, Accepts Credit Cards American, Cafe, International, Delicatessen, Healthy Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner, Brunch, Drinks +1 231-835-2554
Excellent
60%
Good
0%
Satisfactory
20%
Poor
0%
Terrible
20%
Overall Ratings

4 based on 5 reviews

The Compass Rose Bakery

Reviewed By jimkimble - Holland, Ohio

This was possibly the best breakfast of our trip. We stopped here and were pleasantly surprised at this quaint little bakery. We had a cinnamon role and a pecan roll, plus great coffee. I returned for a 2nd pecan roll and probably would have had a 3rd if my wife was not in control. We ordered 2 cookies to go and for sure will return here next year.

6. Trattoria Funistrada

4566 W Macfarlane Rd, Burdickville, Glen Arbor, MI 49636-9726 Reservations, Seating, Waitstaff, Parking Available, Serves Alcohol, Full Bar, Wheelchair Accessible Italian, Gluten Free Options, Vegetarian Friendly Dinner SGD 41 - SGD 66 +1 231-334-3900
Excellent
67%
Good
26%
Satisfactory
5%
Poor
1%
Terrible
1%
Overall Ratings

4.5 based on 173 reviews

Trattoria Funistrada

Reviewed By tlccorkmaster - Detroit, Michigan

Went with a group of six people and we thoroughly enjoyed our dinner experience. Made reservations weeks in advance and glad we did. Started with the asparagus wrapped with prosciutto and it was excellent. Ordered the house specilalty Veal saltimbuca and it was fantastic! I would highly recommend going here!

7. Empire Village Inn

11601 S Lacore Rd, Empire, MI 49630-9402 Takeout, Seating, Waitstaff, Television, Wheelchair Accessible, Serves Alcohol, Full Bar, Highchairs Available American, Bar, Pizza Lunch, Dinner +1 231-326-5101
Excellent
45%
Good
39%
Satisfactory
9%
Poor
6%
Terrible
1%
Overall Ratings

4 based on 97 reviews

Empire Village Inn

Reviewed By Ruey90 - Michigan

We were looking for somewhere to eat and we came across a you tube video for this place so we tried it out. When we were there it was not busy. Some of the menu items were unique and others were your usual. The Dune climb looked great, it had a mound of fries on an open face hamburger. We ordered "pre-existing conditions" This was a little over the top. Less would have been better. I would not order that again. The kids got mac and cheese and they enjoyed it (looked like Kraft). One little guy got pizza sticks and they only had 2 of them. Luckily he was our light luncher because that did not seem like enough. They had a special root beer on tap that was very good.

This was a nice find, if we came, here again, we would eat here.

8. Tiffany's Cafe

10213 W Front St, Empire, MI 49630-5120 Wheelchair Accessible, Takeout, Seating, Parking Available, Street Parking, Free Off-Street Parking, Free Wifi, Outdoor Seating American, Cafe Lunch SGD 13 +1 231-326-5337
Excellent
50%
Good
44%
Satisfactory
6%
Poor
0%
Terrible
0%
Overall Ratings

4.5 based on 29 reviews

Tiffany's Cafe

Reviewed By Jenny H - La Grange

We enjoyed homemade waffle cones with a big scoop of hand-crafted ice cream in this adorable little cafe. Delicious and the bar inside with stools is really cute. Friendly staff and they offer you a taste before you choose your flavor.

9. Blu

5705 S Lake St, Glen Arbor, MI 49636-5102 Reservations, Outdoor Seating, Seating, Waitstaff, Parking Available, Wheelchair Accessible, Serves Alcohol, Full Bar American, International, Gluten Free Options, Vegetarian Friendly Dinner SGD 33 - SGD 59 +1 231-334-2530
Excellent
81%
Good
12%
Satisfactory
2%
Poor
3%
Terrible
2%
Overall Ratings

4.5 based on 188 reviews

Blu

Located in Glen Arbor on the shore of Lake Michigan with panoramic views of Sleeping Bear Bay and the Manitou Islands, Blu has a location unparalleled by any Michigan restaurant. With thoughtfully executed cuisine, our award winning wine program and gracious hospitality we seek to excite, inspire, and transport guests for one memorable evening.European techniques fused with local ingredients and the finest from afar will influence Chef Randy Chamberlain&apos;s daily changing menus with an emphasis on the products, simplicity and flavor. The carefully chosen wine list includes vintners from around the world including local favorites as selected by Sommelier Mari Chamberlain.Since opening in 2008 Blu has received numerous accolades including a James Beard nomination for Best Chef-Great Lakes and high praise from Wine Spectator and Travel+Leisure. Blu continues to set the standard for fine dining with a modern interpretation in Glen Arbor; we look forward to your visit.

Reviewed By mktn - Chicago

Every summer we drive 45 minutes to eat at Blu at least twice. The location is beautiful, views of the Manitou Islands and Lake Michigan coast line. The food is delicious, lots of local ingredients, beautiful presentation. And the staff is very professional, also wonderful wine list.

10. Shipwreck Cafe

11691 S Lacore Rd, Empire, MI 49630-9402
Excellent
60%
Good
40%
Satisfactory
0%
Poor
0%
Terrible
0%
Overall Ratings

4.5 based on 5 reviews

Shipwreck Cafe

Reviewed By bcsystems - Ann Arbor, MI

The Shipwreck Cafe is a decent place to stop by for a quick lunch. There are variety of sandwiches and soup of the day. Sandwiches are reasonable price around $7.50. I found everything made with fresh ingredients. If you are on the way to the dunes or a river trip, this is a good option to take out. There are benches outside.

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