We were vacationing in Ludington and decided to have dinner at Old Hamlin Restaurant downtown. The word "old" definitely matches the style of the restaurant. The interior feels dated, but also warm, welcoming, and homey. It has the charm of a place that has been serving the same homemade recipes for generations, and it truly feels like both the restaurant and the recipes have remained true to their roots since opening day. We were seated quickly, and our waitress, Sydney, greeted us promptly. She was friendly and took the time to tell us about the daily specials and homemade soups. Two of our children ordered the kids' spaghetti, while our other child had the chicken strips and fries. I ordered the Monterey Chicken Sandwich based on Sydney's recommendation, and my husband chose the meatloaf sandwich with a cup of chicken noodle soup. Everything we ordered was good. The kids all enjoyed their meals, and I absolutely loved my sandwich. My husband enjoyed the meatloaf as well, although he mentioned he would probably try something different if we return on a future visit. The homemade pies looked incredible, but we already had dessert plans elsewhere, so we'll have to save those for another time. Overall, while the restaurant's interior may feel a bit dated, the homemade food, reasonable prices, and friendly service made for a very enjoyable meal. If you're looking for a comforting, home-cooked meal while visiting Ludington, Old Hamlin Restaurant is definitely worth a visit. read more

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Bad Chicken Alfredo, Good Chicken Tenders and Pancakes. Nice Waitress Sydney, 12 year old bus boy. Old timey boat captain ambiance, but playing pop music. Long Waits, Worth it? eh. read more

Good service and good for our table of 4. We came on a busy Sunday aftrr we church and waited about 10 min. We were seated comfortably and ordered a breakfast skillet and French toast. The serving size was generand the food good. The server left a pit of decaf and regular coffee on the table which was nice. Plenty of food left for take home and quick friendly service. read more

A couple multi engine students and I flew up from Indianapolis Indiana to here at Ludington Michigan for a cross-country lesson. When we get to the airport, we asked the attendant what's his recommendation for late lunch? He stated the old Hamlin restaurant. One student got the Reuben sandwich, the other student got chicken fingers, and I chose the lasagna. We all enjoyed what we had ordered, but I just want to say the lasagna was awesome. Comes with a slice of homemade garlic bread and one trip to the salad and soup bar. read more

Old Hamlin Restaurant - The Reuben sandwich platter. - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Ludington, Michigan

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The food was yummy, service was great, and the environment was relaxed. Love the homemade bread! read more

Old Hamlin Restaurant - BLT with fried egg on wheat - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Ludington, Michigan

A huge menu, excellent service and long-standing good quality.. this place doesn't look like much inside or out but it has been around a long time and has a great local reputation for good reason. Portions are huge. Try the Greek entrees! read more

After 13 of us and 1 ESA Approved canine were greeted and given an area to wait, a patron was showing some friendly attention, and my dog started to bark. I quieted him and escorted him outside immediately. As I was escorting my dog outside, who I assume was an owner, informed me that they don't recognize ESA animals as a legitimate Service Animal, and informed me that I wouldn't be allowed back in with my dog. I was traveling with a group of bikers, on my own motorcycle, so while everyone else enjoyed the breakfast camaraderie, I was not able to. If you're a dog lover, and support other brothers in the motorcycle world, please boycott this business! This was the weekend of the 2006 Baldwin blessing of the bikes, and I'm sure this business made a lot of money from bikers. read more

In downtown Ludington. Building is wierd it's pretty big but they use a lot of it for storage. Food was good. I'd go again. I had the veggie omelette, was good but had way too much veggies in it compared to egg veggie ratio. Service was ok she was a busy little bee lol. read more

Old Hamlin Restaurant - Veggie omelet - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Ludington, Michigan

My food was fantastic Homemade bread was yummy Linda was the best server ever! Very cool vintage restaurant Lots of boat pictures read more

Wow. Just wow. I have being going to Old Hamlin for many years now and the service never disappoints. All of the waiters hustle to bring out the food and treated us with the kindest spirit. The ambience is very old and musty but I love it. Plus the food was amazing, My family and I will definitely be back in the future. read more

Old Hamlin Restaurant - Cleared our plates and the waiter exclaimed, "Wow, we won't be needing any boxes today." I felt very accomplished. - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Ludington, Michigan

Food was good but some of the portions were extremely small. We've had the same rude older lady as a waitress last couple of times. My 9 year old daughter was trying to order food and the waitress got nasty and rude with her. You can treat people decent. Makes people avoid a place like that we won't be back!!!! read more

Had lunch when in town for vacation. Good old fashioned American restaurant. Lots of options. Food was pretty good. Service was excellent.

The Old Hamlin is not a great place to eat the people are very rude there and if you don't leave a big enough tip they will yell at you My mom only had $5 left to her name and she left it as a tip she left crying this is how they treat people Yes I did take a personal phone call but it was very quick My son only asked me one question it did not make anybody uncomfortable and the lady came out screaming at me I would not recommend eating here The food is not great The spaghetti has no taste The meatballs are not fresh and the service is crap!!!!!!!!! They like to make kind of ladies cry!!!!!! read more

Old Hamlin Restaurant - How rude the old Hamlin is to people My mom left a $5 tip for five people because that is all she had left. - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Ludington, Michigan

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Old Hamlin hit our radar the weekend we were in town and will be our go to when we visit Ludington. Service was fantastic! Food fantastic! And you will not find a water spot on any of the silverware. When a restaurant pays attention to details like that you found the place. The salad bar was super fresh and we ate there four times, tried various dishes and were not disappointed. Laid back atmosphere. Prices were very reasonable for what we had. read more

Old Hamlin Restaurant - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Ludington, Michigan

Absolutely loved this restaurant. The pictures on the walls are a wonderful tribute to Ludington history. The food was AMAZING!!!!!! A must try is the homemade bread! We got the turkey sandwich' could have shared it because it was a very generous portion. Our waitress was very friendly & helpful. She made sure we didn't want for anything. And don't forget the pie!!!!! OMG!!!!! Seriously sooooo good!!! read more

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I'm not a big fan of restaurants with menus that are several pages thick. Old Hamlin has such a menu. I know there are people who love restaurants where you can get fettuccini alfredo and wings and pancakes and gyros and meatloaf and chili and fried shrimp and roast chicken and burritos all in one restaurant. But this lady ain't one of them. After I perused the expansive menu, I decided on the Country Beef Melt. The Country Beef Melt is sliced beef, grilled onions, Swiss cheese, tomato and lettuce on grilled bread. On the menu, it noted that this sandwich was featured in Rachel Ray's May/June 2017 magazine! How could I not get this sandwich? I couldn't not. The sandwich tasted really good, but each slice of bread had to be about two inches thick! How is a lady supposed to eat a sandwich that tall? And with that much bread? I had to gnaw around it like a beaver. It was pretty ridiculous. At one point, I just gave up on the top piece of bread and started eating the sandwich open-faced. The good thing about an all-encompassing menu is that it's perfect if you're visiting with kids, because kids always want to eat random things. Old Hamlin does have a really good kids menu, which includes things like chicken strips, grilled cheese, burgers, spaghetti, and fish. My children each got the spaghetti with meatballs and the cheeseburger, and they both loved their meals. Kids meals do not come with a beverage, which is kind of a bummer. The decor is very old-school family restaurant, with lots of wood and dark corners. I mean, the restaurant has been around for more than 80 years, so it has a lot of history. The lighting is dim and there's a salad bar with Russian dressing. Also: You can get a piece of pie to go from here! There's a pie case on the way out. I didn't grab a piece of pie, but afterward, I kind of wish I would have. read more

First of all Old Hamlin has DELICIOUS food and I can't lie. I got a short stack of chocolate chip pancakes with whip cream on top (highly recommend) and our hard working and kind waiter made me a smiley face out of the whip cream even though the smiley face matched my life ( melty and sad ) it was actually awesome. The food took a while to come out it was worth the wait. read more

Old world charm. My grandfather Pete started this restaurant. I have so many fond memories. The staff has always been outstanding. it's like family. I like coming in with new staff doesn't know who I am but I'm still treated like family . The food is always been perfect. Plentiful. More than I can eat. One of the things I liked in particular was location. The last time I came through here we were on our boat tied up at the city dock 2 to 3 blocks and we were here. After you finish up with dinner Nice ice cream place on your way back. read more

Great food and Fantastic service. This place has a very mellow but positive Ambiance to it that just screams "Just chill and enjoy your food while you're here". There has never been a moment that I've visited this place and felt negative. All the employees carry around a joyful aura, It feels like they actually WANT to work there. 10/10 in my opinion read more

This is a great place to get breakfast. This restaurant has that old school vibe and charm. The omelette was enormous! I highly recommend you trying one if you enjoy omelettes. I did a build your own. They are known for their homemade bread and for good reason. It is delicious. Pleasant crust with a chewy not too dense inside. Perfect! The slices are cut thick. I also was able to try a piece of the cinnamon raisin which was really good too. The service was friendly. I would definitely recommend this place for breakfast although it is also known for its turkey dinner. read more

Old Hamlin Restaurant - 3 cheese omelette add onion with wheat toast and a side of extra crispy potatoes - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Ludington, Michigan

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Our last stop at the Ludington's top breakfast stops. Like the others, they serve old style traditional, breakfast. Service was great, with a local server, bringing joy, a friendly spirit and love for all things local. It is a bit dark, and small, but seems to suit both the local regulars, and visiting guests. I got the Helen's Greek Omelet and toast with their homemade jelly. My wife got the Vegetarian Omelet. Both were serve hot and at a lower price, then most breakfast places. If the streets are full, park in the back. read more

We really, really wanted to like this place. When you ask anyone they recommend Old Hamlin for breakfast so that's what we did. An hour wait, but they took my phone number and we went shopping. That was fine. Once seated it took 15 minutes to be spoken to. Our waitress was very nice, but very busy. Ok. We understood, looked to be seriously shorthand. Took 50 minutes for our breakfasts to come out. Husband got 2 pancakes, eggs, sausage, potatoes, and toast. Ordered scrambled, received over easy. Ordered sausage patty, received links. Ordered white toast, received wheat. He just rolled with it. Pancakes super sweet, it was weird. I ordered hash, eggs, potatoes, and toast. Hash was burnt, and literally 2 Tablespoons in quantity. Potatoes were under 3/4 off the small plate, and they put the tiny bit of hash on top, I guess to make it look like more. Best thing was the toast. Great homemade bread. Nice thick slice. It was great. Only reason for two stars is the toast and the very sweet, but overwhelmed waitress We won't be back read more

This place is filthy. The carpet looks like it hasn't been cleaned in years. Bathrooms smelly and gross. The decor is 1960/70's I have no problem with a retro look, but this place is trashed!!! The owner is rude. They are understaffed & the service is horrible. This business puts a surcharge on Visa cards, but is out of compliance with the policy. There is no notification at point of sale as required. When discussing with the owner she was horrible. In addition, she shoved my wife and pushed the door on her arm. The owner (Marsha) screamed at me that she pays Visa over $40,000 a year so she is passing it on to her customers. What a joke! she pays for all sorts of things to run her business and she prices the menu to cover those costs, but for some reason she can't figure out how to add the Visa costs into the price of the food? Her food is no cheaper than other restaurants in Ludington & yet these other businesses don't have hidden fees that show up after they swipe your credit card. Could it be that the owner loves the extra "profit" from her junk fee? Since the owner is outside of Visa policy and did not disclose the fee at point of sale, I will be contacting Visa. How much Marsha needs to refund all customers since she started her hidden fee scam could be hundreds of thousands of dollars. Buckle in Marsha for the ride!!! Could the attitude of the owner be the reason this place is so understaffed? Who would want to work in this place? I also wonder why the other family members of the owner who sit around the back table don't lift a finger to wait or bus tables when they are busy. It seems like they lack ambition and as mentioned it shows in cleanliness & maintenance of this place. Maybe Dr. Reimer needs to buy this place and make it respectable! Stay away from this old run down place!!! read more

Yummy filling breakfast on our way back from Nordhouse Dunes! The food was good (homemade whole wheat toast was ), the service was better. And we had fun discussing the cool historical photos. read more

We have made three visits to this establishment. One visit for take out and two dine in visits. This place had been around since 1929, I believe. It was last decorated in 1978. There are always people, mostly family groups when we arrive. The service is good but the waitresses seemed to cover a lot of tables. When you dine in, they will bring you a huge slice of homemade bread and real butter to snack on while your order is prepared. The salad bar is typical Mid-west, some watermelon slices, green lettuce with a variety of topping/add ins (tomatoes, chopped eggs, black olives, green peppers and the like), a variety of self serve dressings, cole slaw (very sweet) and macaroni salad. We have ordered a variety of entrees, fried chicken (good, crispy but seemed commercially made), cabbage rolls (homemade) perch (a light crisp crust but again commercially made) fries (crisp and crinkled) and smelt (crust was too thick). read more

This place is a a local icon. The food is plentiful and homemade! The bread is made in house and the cinnamon raisin is to die for! If you go here more than a few times they will recognize you and call you by name. The decor is nostalgic and many a local will tell you of fond memories from the banquet to the salad bar. If you are looking for flashy and fast, if you are in a big hurry go to Stix or HOF. This place is old school. Warm, nostalgic, everybody knows your name kind of place. read more

Amazing food! We enjoyed the club sandwich and a burger. Really the best food of our trip. There was a lot of crispy bacon on both sandwiches!! read more

Great baked goods! I just stopped in to get a piece of pie for home. They told me that not only are their pies baked in house, but also homemade breads and cinnamon rolls. Break is served whenever they're open. I'll bet it's a great place for breakfasts! That's all I have on the Old Hamlin for now. It's definitely worth a try, and they're open on Mondays! read more

Well we will cross this off the list of places to go and we won't go back. Two fried chicken dinners & a chicken tender dinner that were way over cooked & batter on chicken was terrible. Salad bar was ok but lettuce had brown spots on some of the it. It took a long time for food to come out and salad plates weren't removed after we were done with them. SAVE YOUR $ and go somewhere else. read more

We went in and was told there was a 30 minute wait so we gave the hostess our phone number and went shopping at the local shops while we waited. Came back around 25 minutes and she said we were up next and a waitress took us to our table. I ordered the special which was roasted chicken with mashed potatoes and gravy, cranberry sauce, and stuffing with a free one trip to the salad bar for $14.99. I got my salad which was good. We were brought a huge double slice of white homemade bread they make there. Ohhh I could have eaten a whole loaf. It was heavenly. Our waitress was great. My bf got the small perch plate with fries and coleslaw. It was caught locally and was really good. All of the waitstaff were so nice and the food was good. I would love to go back again and try something new. 100 percent if your ever near here please do yourself a favor and stop in. read more

We walked by and said why not!!!!! Walked in it was very busy clean and loud.... We ordered and 58 min later I food came out, the wait was worth the wait.... The food was amazing I had the hot turkey and my friend had the roast beef sandwich, to die for. Their house dressing was very delicious and perfect... I truly recommend to further friends and family and you of course.... Enjoy!!!!! read more

Laid back easy going spot for a quick meal. Good food. Old style atmosphere. Check it out.

I don't understand the resent low reviews. Some visiting folks come into our beautiful little town and think it's ok to blast local businesses that work very hard to accommodate all of us. Marsha, owner/manager, is on site every time I visit this establishment. I have always felt respected and look forward to my next visit. Give this place a shot and you'll be glad you did. read more

Told my group of 6 would be seated in 15-20 minutes, but it took an hour and more than 30 more minutes before food arrived. Food was fine, not told soups are all cream based, and forgot our fries and Cole slaw. Waiters are like sloths, carefree and no urgency. Bring a book to read... read more

Came for breakfast. Didn't disappoint. It's an old school family eatery but I happen to like those types of places. Ordered a farmer's burrito. I thought the menu was just using commas poorly but turns out your American fries are inside the omelet. Would have asked for them on the side if I'd known. Also would have asked fir the gravy on the side. Can't believe I'm saying this, but there was too much gravy. The toast was incredibly thick. So good. Would definitely come back and try other menu items. Service was incredibly friendly too. read more

Old Hamlin Restaurant - Farmer's omelet w gravy - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Ludington, Michigan

I love this place it never disappoints. The small plate special with soup and salad is the best value in town.

Started off good. Was served large slices of delicious bread before dinner. Ordered the turkey dinner which came with stuffing, mashed potatoes and sauteed vegetables. Everything tasted good until I got to the stuffing. It tasted sour. And everything that was touching the stuffing tasted sour. Something was just not right with it and I didn't want to eat anymore because I was afraid I would get sick. The manager was sent over and immediately said that it was just sour to me because she had some earlier in the day and there was nothing wrong with it. She didn't even apologize. I didn't even eat half the meal and all she did was take $5.00 off. Another person at my table also thought it tasted spoiled. I will never eat here again mostly based on the owner's arrogant attitude. read more

Food was good, service was great and restaurant was clean. Love the old restaurant feel. Staff was great.

Absolutely outstanding. This is an institution that has been there for generations and the quality food and service was just what you would expect from a hometown local family run restaurant. I can't begin to tell you how important it is to support a family style dining restaurant like this. read more

The food was absolutely amazing! we were served with intensive care and kindness. She put up with our shit the entire time. Food came out very quick. If you are ever downtown ludington definitely check this place out! read more