These 12 Amazing Michigan Restaurants Are Loaded With Local History
By Serena Maria Daniels|Published February 22, 2016
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Serena Maria Daniels
Author
Serena Maria Daniels is an award-winning freelance journalist in Detroit, by way of Chicago, by way of the West Coast. She writes about Michigan for OIYS. Serena enjoys learning about language and culture and taking road trips with her beagle Ralph.
Michigan has a long history in the restaurant business. Long ago when the state was a hub for weary railway travelers, small inns, pubs, and diners were needed to nourish the business people and vagabonds who were on the road.
Many of these establishments remain, mostly as they were founded, and continue to be popular dining destinations. Whether you go for the history or the comfort food many of these spots serve up, you’ll appreciate the legacy behind them.
White Horse Inn opened as a stage coach stop in 1850 and had long held the record for Michigan's oldest operating restaurant. That title went away in 2012 when it closed for two years for a major remodel. It's now reopened and dishes out Michigan comfort foods.
Founded in 1882, this Traverse City institution is known for its variety of lake fish, bar snacks, and steaks. And technically, because of White Horse Inn's two-year hiatus, Sleder's takes the title of oldest restaurant in Michigan.
Opened in 1891, this spot was originally an inn and served as an important rest stop for wary travelers. Now, it's a popular restaurant, known for its array of classic American cuisine.
Are you in the mood for Polish food? The Detroit area has a ton of it, but this is perhaps the oldest restaurant around serving up the Old World classics - since 1909.
Later Gus's brother Bill Keros arrived in the states. The brothers worked together, but later got into a business dispute and broke apart, with one brother staying with American Coney Island and the other opening Lafayette in 1924... And thus starting an age-old rivalry over who makes 'em better.
A "newbie" by comparison with some of the other places on this list, this establishment opened in 1920, first as a hotel with a small dining room, then called the Albert (named after the founder, Albert Schuler). Relocated to the Royal Hotel and Restaurant in 1924, it was then renamed Schuler's. Here you'll find pub food classics that keep you satisfied.
What cool stories behind these places. Bet some of you didn’t know just how long these places have been around. And we know there are many others, with similar pasts. Tell us, which are your favorites?
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