The Best Places to Fuel Up after a Day of Skiing at Boyne

Every year we visit Boyne Mountain at least once for a long weekend of skiing. Through the years, we’ve stumbled upon some amazing places to enjoy a boisterous or low-key (depending upon our mood) evening of good food, drinks, and atmosphere. It’s always a struggle to decide which ones to visit when we only have a few days. Luckily, we know we’ll be back next year to hit the ones we miss.

Here are three of my current favorites:

Cafe Sante is perhaps the most elegant of these choices. However you needn’t feel out of place in warm sweaters and jeans – after all in the winter, Boyne City is a ski town and being bundled up is expected. The atmosphere is cozy, the food has a French influence and the drinks are strong. All excellent reasons to visit. Cafe Sante also has an amazing Happy Hour. From 3- 6 every day there are a number of $3 drinks and appetizers. The choices change slightly from year to year, but we always have a good time putting together a tasty dinner of delicious tidbits. Shrimp cocktail, salmon pate, mussels, eggplant, and even deviled eggs were some of the delicacies we enjoyed on our recent trip. Along with several $3 margaritas, we left full and in good spirits early enough in the evening to be able to peek into a few of the Boyne City stores before heading back to our resort. Interested in more information on Cafe Sante? Check out my review on The Yums.

Red Mesa is just down the street from Cafe Sante and actually owned by the same parent company. There are two Red Mesa locations, the one in Boyne City we frequent and one in Traverse City. Red Mesa serves Latin-inspired cuisine in a funky, fun atmosphere.  Every Tuesday Red Mesa has live music so if we have an extended weekend, we always make a point to stop in, enjoy chips with their smoky salsa, order a few fajitas and enjoy the night.

We always stop at Kilwins in Petoskey when in the region, and we often make a point to time our visit near lunch or dinner so we can stop in at Mim’s Mediterranean Grill. It’s easy to miss Mim’s if you aren’t looking as it’s located in a small yellow house along SR31. It’s not large, but well worth the stop if you love Greek food. In addition to unique flavors of humus such as olive and roasted red pepper, tabbouleh and other Greek staples, Mim’s serves some of the best clam strips around. Seems like an odd addition to such a traditional Greek menu, but it works.

There are many more wonderful places to try in the small towns and cities surrounding Boyne Mountain, but you really can’t go wrong with any of these choices!

Cafe Sante, One Water Street, Boyne City, MI; (231) 582-8800
Red Mesa, 117 Water Street, Boyne City, MI; (231) 582-0049

Mim’s Mediterranean Grill, 1823 N US Highway 31, Petoskey, MI; 231-348-9994

Is there a place you visit year after year that begins to feel like a second home? Where is it and what makes you keep going back?

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