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.

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. 

Another newcomer to the area’s growing regional food scene is this fishmonger that triples as a market and a takeout stop. Customers can take baskets of fried fish including cod and lake perch among other items to their picnic tables outside overlooking the Red Arrow Highway. Anyone searching for seafood to make at their rental or campsite will also want to stop and check out the day’s fresh catch offerings.

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.

Most of the bars and restaurants in the area live off their close proximity to the water and the allure of booze rather than the quality of food. The grub at this little Jamaican joint is one of the major exceptions in the area. Diners are treated to big plates of heavily seasoned Jamaican favorites such as jerk chicken, oxtail, and curried goat. Ice cold Ting and Red Stripes are perfect for washing it all down on a hot summer day.