Recently took a weekend trip up north and was craving breakfast when we noticed this cafe while passing through bear lake. My fiancé and I decide to stop and we were glad we did because lakeside cafe did not disappoint. We loved their lakeside omelette smothered in delicious gravy and the warm fluffy pancakes. My fiancé really enjoyed his chicken and waffles option as well and we both spilt a cinnamon roll and seasonal cappuccino. Our server was quick and friendly. We unfortunately cannot remember her name but the whole staff seemed great and the place was packed but food seemed to be flowing nicely out to diners. We would definitely return if ever in the area again. The lakeside omelette is a must get and their motto does not lie! You will leave stuffed read more

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Nastiest place ever. Cooks are so grosse and the wait staff are handle money and food with out washing there hands. Food was cold and not safe to eat. read more

My friend who is a local thought we would stop on the way to Manistee. The food was good! We had to wait a REALLY long time to get it. If you are needing to be some where, don't stop. Stop here when you do NOT have your watch on and see a parking spot. read more

A breakfast worth the drive! The place doesn't look like much from the outside, but the food is simply delicious and the staff is very friendly. The price for the amount of food you get is great too. The pancakes were as big as the plate, super fluffy and filled with lots of fresh blueberries. I also loved the stuffed skillet - the crispy hash browns paired perfectly with the scrambled eggs, bacon, veggies and cheese. We will definitely be back! read more

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Big selection; humorous friendly staff, quick service, home town ambiance. Great place to meet up with friends.

I came up to Big Bear lake to stay with a friend and her dad recommended this place. We were a group of four and shared biscuits and gravy, a cinnamon roll, bacon, eggs, hash browns, a chocolate chip pancake, the breakfast burrito with bacon and toast. The breakfast burrito looked the best out of the things we tried. The biscuits and gravy were good! The bacon was way too over cooked and burnt. The eggs were cooked really well and the sourdough toast was great! The chocolate chip pancake was very dense and huge! One was definitely big enough to share! The cinnamon roll was soft and had a good flavor. It was clear that this is a favorite for the locals. The wait staff knew everyone who walked through the door, which was very sweet to see! read more

Lakeside Cafe - Lakeside breakfast with bacon and sourdough toast - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Bear Lake, Michigan

The cafe is right across the street from Bear Lake. Although your patio view may be obstructed by parked cars. The service was very friendly and accommodating. The menu had many options to choose from. But, unfortunately none of the flavors really stuck out. read more

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Amazing food!! Highly recommend the french toast and the american fries! Service is nice but the place is very small

Always good food and friendly service. Neat and clean - a perfect example of a family diner.

My new favorite breakfast spot up north! Delicious food and fast service! The two girls working were so sweet and funny. My favorite is the loaded hash brown scramble - a little bit of everything! I'll definitely be back. read more

Lakeside Cafe - Loaded hash brown scramble - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Bear Lake, Michigan

Love this place. Stop in for breakfast every time I go to the airport in Manistee from Leelanau County. GREAT food by an excellent kitchen team. One disappointment is the coffee. It's kind of tasteless. They must have changed vendors recently because until Fall 2025, it had been excellent. Only reason it is not 5 stars. read more

Great food! Recommend the gravy! Stop by Lakeside for breakfast next time you're in town! read more

Lakeside Cafe - Stuff biscuits and gravy - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Bear Lake, Michigan

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The restaurant is small but cozy; it seems to be a neighborhood staple. I love how well the locals and servers knew each other; everyone was very welcoming. The breakfast was delicious and left my partner and I stuffed. I got a Hippie Omelette with veggies, bacon, and feta, with a side of home fries. If you get the chance to stop through, it's worth it! read more

Lakeside Cafe - Hippie Omelette with Home Fries and English Muffin - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Bear Lake, Michigan

This place was absolutely precious! What a cute little hometown diner! The service was a classic hometown feel and I loved how everyone knew everyone. We are up visiting the area and would definitely recommend to anyone wanting a good diner experience with warming service and a clean environment. read more

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Great spot! Eating breakfast at tiny hole in the wall diners is one of my favorite things to do and Lakeside Cafe delivered. Breakfast was good, Service was good, and it does - indeed - reside on the side of the lake with a nice view. Prices felt reasonable too -- welcome thing to see these days. We don't come through here often but wouldn't hesitate to stop again. read more

Lakeside Cafe - Eggs Benedict & Hashbrowns - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Bear Lake, Michigan

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We had an awesome Father's Day lunch/brunch today. Misty was our server and very helpful! Food was tasty and good quantity! My son had the chicken and waffles, it was amazing. It was clean and cute. I'd go again to try other things! Oh I had the blueberry pancake . It covered the plate. They supplied sugar free syrup! Go try it. read more

Lakeside Cafe - Chicken fried steak and blt salad - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Bear Lake, Michigan

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I dream about this place every year. Best staff, breakfast, and views! Truly can't wait to get back this year. Thanks for all the great years! read more

Reprinted the menu and everything went up 2-3$. Had a breakfast sandwich, potatoes and coffee...$17. Still waiting for all the prices of food to drop, local competition is much less expensive if you can venture past Bear Lake. read more

The food was absolutely great. The view of Bear Lake was amazing, and the value was remarkable. The waitress was so friendly and thorough. Every time I am in town, I will be stopping here for a fill up! read more

Found this little cafe strolling thru Bear Lake. Knew they must have amazing food by how busy they were! We were able to get right in and grab a seat. The staff were friendly and very knowledgeable about the menu! Food came out quickly, perfect and hot! The cafe is small but decorated as a lake side cafe should be. Lots of conversation could be over heard throughout the cafe on how good the food was and always has been. Our waitress offered up some things for us to do on a gloomy morning, and we found that very helpful as well. Hopes of being able to return for breakfast one last time before heading south. read more

Lakeside Cafe - Breakfast was perfect and quick. - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Bear Lake, Michigan

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We frequent here. This is the place for breakfast. Fast service (kitchen). Everything is down-home, hits the spot, satisfying. Servers are relatable friendly. read more

The food is decent, it's always busy, and for really being the only breakfast spot in town, they are pretty good.

HOT as in steaming hot food....six stars for that alone - generous portions - tasted delicious and great wait staff - so good we were there 3 mornings on vacation read more

Stopped for a late breakfast while traveling. The place was packed! Sat outside under a covered patio with a pretty view of Bear Lake. Excellent service and very good food. Highly recommend if you are looking for a solid breakfast/ lunch spot. read more

Great restaurant for breakfast or lunch yet really affordable prices. We all enjoyed our meals.

Great roadside cafe! The 1/2 order of stuffed (scrambled eggs & bacon) biscuits and gravy is amazing! The Lakeside breakfast is your standard eggs, meat, potatoes, and toast! The service is delightful and full of energy! read more

Its been a while since in wrote a review but I feel like I had to high light this place. Were staying at the Crystal Mountain Resort and the food options are limited. Every time we go on vacation we hope to find places to eat that we all can agree on. Well this place did not disappoint. The Lakeside Cafe is along Bear Lake so the views are awsome when outside. The food was deliscous and our waitress Missy was amazing. I definitely will be back when I'm in the area. read more

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Second time here! Always passed it by because we didn't know what to expect but let me tell you! It's our favorite breakfast in the area!! Not only are there many interesting and fun options, but everything is delicious!! AND, we always get the most attentive, thorough service when we come And for me that is what truly makes a restaurant enjoyable. Go support this amazing local business read more

Great breakfast! I had the farmers omelette and my husband got the Lakeside breakfast. Fast, friendly service.

This is a neat little restaurant in downtown bear lake that has great food! We had a sampling of most of the offerings and everything was prepared well and packed that breakfast flavor that you need in the morning with your coffee. I would highly recommend stopping in and giving it a try if you are nearby read more

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Service was fast, friendly, and overall a wonderful experience. We were in and out in probably 45 minutes total. I ordered the chocolate chip pancakes, and my boyfriend got the biscuits and gravy. Both were delicious and very generous portions. read more

I don't know if they went through an ownership or management change in the past year but now we always come here for breakfast when in town and they never disappoint! Service is always friendly and quick and the food is awesome! Compliments to the chefs for the amazing, fluffy as hell omelettes. Had the same one two days in a row cause they were just so good! read more

Lakeside Cafe - Meat Lovers Omelette, American Fries, Rye Toast - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Bear Lake, Michigan

Food is great, solid diner fare for a very reasonable price. Our server was friendly, funny & cheerful.

This is going to be a weird one for me. My family and I have been to this place MANY times, and it's always been a good experience... except today. A bit of back story... My aunt and uncle have a cottage on Bear Lake that we try to visit when we can. This may be in the summer like this time, but other times it could be the fall or spring... it all depends. If you know anything about Bear Lake, you would know it's a VERY small, tourist town. My family and I (mom and dad) don't mind coming when it's cold or not great weather because we enjoy distillery tours, hiking, and even skiing, which makes going to restaurants easy because not many other people come up during "off times". Ok, now for what happened today. As previously mentioned, we came up at peak season for tourists, and so we expected things to be crowded. We had gotten up late and wanted to have our favorite breakfast on our last day before going home. We typically love there eggs Benedict (might I suggest, fully loaded). We saw they were pretty full, the 5 tables outside and the parking lot were basically at capacity. For context, I'm in a wheelchair, so going inside the small diner is hard enough with less people, imagine it full now. Me and mom go up to the counter to see if we can get a table when all of a sudden behind me I hear "You gotta get out of the way!" In a very rude tone. It turned out to be one of the waitresses with her hands full of food, clearly stressed out. We apologized, I got out of the way as much as I possibly could, and we asked the simple question "What should we do? Wait outside? Stay in here?" Again, in a rude tone she replied "You can go outside and I can wipe the table down for you, but you gotta get out of the way and food is about an hour behind!" Now... this place has less than 20 tables including outside...I'm not sure how it was possible to get THAT far behind, and they were not short staffed. The waitress that yelled at us was new to us, going there every year, you get an idea of who works there since it's a pretty Mom and Pop Shop. Normally the wait staff is super nice and friendly, and the ones we've seen before were just that! But I can tell you for a fact, they are not capable of handling a busy day like that... Do not go during peak season in the summer. On a lighter note, as I had mentioned before... when you can get in and eat, the food is always fantastic. read more

Quaint restaurant on Bear Lake. Awesome food with big portions. Cute decor. Down home cooking. Great service. Arrive hungry. Leave satisfied. read more

Lakeside Cafe is one of the greatest places to eat south of Traverse City in my opinion. Another great mom and pop shop owned by very down to Earth and wonderful owners...we like to come up here any chance we can. The food is definitely worth it and a lot of love is put into it. It's unfortunate that they close at 2 so it can really limit the chances we get to go but we try when we can. It can get busy and I think with the very limited amount of choices in the area, people just sorta flock to where there's a restaurant as well. But it's easy to see why Lakeside is full a lot of the time, they have cooks that really know what they're doing and put care into what they send out of the kitchen. read more

Simply fabulous diner/breakfast place. The old and much mourned Hubbels Bait Shop and Cafe, but if anything the Lakeside is better. We showed up with 8 people at 9:00 AM on a Saturday and they smiled and accommodated us. Helpful and friendly staff. Great food. Stuffed biscuits. Shredded hash browns. Perfectly cooked eggs. Solid pork sausage and tasty bacon. Pancakes bigger than your head. Y'all come! read more

Really just a wonderful place for breakfast, and if breakfast is this fresh, I can only imagine how lunch is. Lakeside Cafe, uses sustainable local produce, resulting in fresh favorable tasting food. There omelettes are big and fluffy, no over cooked ends. Hash browns are perfect and the white gravy is nothing to laugh at. The staff is super friendly and very helpful. read more

I am so happy we decided to come to this amazing little diner. The staff are absolutely wonderful! So attentive and kind. I honestly don't know who our server was because I felt like we were being cared for by everyone! The food was so delicious and the portion sizes were perfect! Definitely worth checking out! read more

Lakeside Cafe - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Bear Lake, Michigan

Great breakfast and only place in Onekama and Bear lake. Sometimes is noisy and a little stressing. Good family breakfast and lunch place. Not gourmet or upscale but good place to have decent breakfast. read more