John Boy's isn't just a diner--it's a portal. One foot in Americana, one in a dream. The menu reads…read morelike a manifesto: sprawling, obsessive, oddly precise. Every dish arrives like it's been summoned by memory. The bacon is crisp, the toast knows something, and the omelets are heavy with intention. The dining room is small, dimly lit, and full of quiet drama. The regulars speak in half-smiles, and the staff greets you like they've seen your face before--in another life, maybe. Alpena doesn't have many restaurants. That's the mystery. You drive around expecting more, but there's a stillness here. A pause. And then--John Boy's. Waiting. Whether you're just passing through or hiding out for a while, this is your place. Breakfast, lunch, or dinner. (Even if you're not hungry.)

Your typical small town diner! Everyone was so friendly…read more Don't make my mistake and make sure you get their fresh bread!!! My husband got it and gave me a bite, and I regretted not getting my own! It was amazing.

5 stars is a nearly untouchable bar for me which is the only reason Parker House gets a 4…read more First and foremost, a greeting and service from Lori is a great start to the morning. She is absolutely a wonderful and cheerful person. This is the only place to go in the morning for breakfast. Excellent quality and a nice portion size. Omeletts are wonderful and I really enjoy the hash browns (crispy). French toast and waffles are a must try for those with a sweet tooth. Also heard that the breakfast burrito was quite good.

The omelettes were fluffy, yummy and extra large. Playing added to the aesthetics. We also tried…read morethe Turkey grilled cheese with avocado and garlic aoili! A must is my comment. Clean, friendly and well run. Barb and Lori kept the place moving on a Sunday morning. The few is great. I didn't take a pic because when they put the food in front of me and dove in

This is a beautiful restaurant on the water and the brunch was amazing (except the blueberry…read moremuffin)!

I brought my mother here for Mother's Day, and I'm really glad I did. Our waiter was very friendly…read moreand greeted us with a smile every time he came to the table. He even wished my mom a happy Mother's Day before taking our order, which was a nice touch. We started with the Street Corn Nachos as an appetizer, then ordered a pulled pork sandwich and a grilled portobello mushroom sandwich, both with fries on the side (an additional $4 each). This was an excellent place to bring my mom since she's vegetarian, and the restaurant had plenty of vegetarian-friendly options. The food was excellent, especially the nachos -- the queso was amazing. The restaurant also gives you a lot of customization options, like swapping chips for fries for an extra $4 or adding protein to the nachos for an additional charge. That said, while the nachos were really good, they were still $18 without any protein, which honestly felt overpriced for chips, cheese, and vegetables. We came during lunch service, and overall the food, service, and view made for a great experience. However, it is definitely on the expensive side. Most entrees seemed to range from around $20-30. Still, if you're willing to spend a little more for quality food, generous portions, and a great atmosphere, it's definitely worth visiting.

Baked potato soup with a side of homemade baked-fresh garlic bread was a hearty lunch!…read more Delicious food. Great service.

Food and service has always been very good for us! Pleasant atmosphere... excellent staff!read more

This is a wonderful little place for breakfast in Alpena. The food is excellent and the staff is…read moresuper friendly. My girls all had the blueberry pancakes and they were big and enjoyable. You also can't go wrong with Plath's meats. Great breakfast.

Food is delicious we had omelet and hash browns they were cooked perfectly the waitress was very…read morefriendly kept our coffee filled made sure we had everything we needed the restaurant was very clean.

We were driving back from Mackinac Island, and wanted a place where we could bring our dogs. There…read moreare tables outside, but it started raining so we ate in our car. Wood Winds has the look of an old school diner, with tasty pies available by the slice in a glass display. They also have excellent cookies and assorted nicknacks for sale. But the meals are the real attraction here. I ordered a Reuben, which I always do when I want to get a lay of the land. It was perfect, with generous stacks of corned beef, sauerkraut, and Swiss, and buttery crispy marble rye. My wife got the chicken fajita wrap. She normally orders any chicken sandwich plain, but she forgot to ask for no peppers and onions. She loved it, since they sautéed them. Sandwiches and wraps are served with perfectly crispy fries. Not a scrap remained of either meal. The price was reasonable, and the food was ready in less than 10 minutes. We'll definitely plan to visit here again, whether the dogs are with us or not.

We stopped in for breakfast on a Saturday morning. While they did offer a breakfast buffet, we…read moreopted to order from the menu. The skillet with 'Everything" was tasty and my eggs were perfectly over easy. My spouse enjoyed her breakfast sandwich on a bagel. The staff was attentive. Food was good. A good, local stop from our perspective.

Edit : my credit company me notification if I left a tip of 31 percent…read more I did not leave that much of tip for breakfast. It is very upsetting that they changed the tip amount. I would give 0 star if I can. Upon arrival, staff seem not so friendly as no one greeted us immediately. But once we sit down , waitress was friendly. Food was over priced for what they offer. I ordered hush with vegetables and It tasted so bland. And wait time was so long and I saw some customers left before they get foods. I'd rather go to McDonald for a cheaper option.

Service was absolutely wonderful. We were greeted immediately and with a most genuine smile. We got…read morethe Wacky Waffles and Kari's Creation. Both were delicious but the Wacky Waffles stole the show. If we could give more than 5 stars we would.

It's surprisingly difficult to find decent biscuits and gravy anywhere, or at least, so I'm told…read more But the biscuits and gravy at Pancake House are actually very good! The gravy is hot, the biscuits are soft, and if you get it with an egg on top, they're even better. But biscuits and gravy are just one of the items you'll find on the breakfast menu here. (They serve breakfast all day.) Of course, they have pancakes: buttermilk pancakes, blueberry pancakes, chocolate chip pancakes, and even red velvet pancakes. We got an order of the buttermilk pancakes, which are a la carte, and then you can add on an egg or bacon or sausage for an additional fee. We got bacon on the side. Another sweet thing we got for our breakfast: a cinnamon roll, which was large and perfectly swirled. Apparently, it had the perfect amount of icing on it. I got the mushroom and Swiss omelet, which was not my favorite. Swiss cheese has such a mild flavor, as do eggs, and mushrooms have zero taste unless you add something to make them soak up that flavor, so this omelet tasted like ... butter? Or whatever they used to grease the pan. I had to add a lot of Cholula hot sauce to my omelet just to taste something. And I don't even particularly like Cholula. Omelets come with your choice of toast. The coffee was great, though, and was replenished quickly. The service was super quick, too. You can tell that these guys are used to dealing with a crush of people during the busy season, because everyone was very efficient. Pancake House also shares the same location as Ryba's Fudge Shop. You're actually sitting and eating breakfast in a fudge shop. (Or maybe people are buying fudge from a breakfast joint. Same-same.)

Service was ok. The bacon was too salty to eat and the hash browns were inedible. Eggs were ok…read more They did have sourdough bread toast. Place was like a little diner.

Oh my, what a hidden gem! I was looking for a good family ran restaurant and was not disappointed…read more I got the special of the day, cod nuggets and they didn't disappoint. Hot and fresh and the fries were yummy too. The service was great, my drink stayed filled and the waitress was attentive. The restaurant was clean and had really neat curtains. One thing to note, they only take cash or checks. No debit or credit cards.

Great breakfast. We…read moregot takeout several times. Pancakes are big and good. When you add blueberries they add lots. Omelets are good. Corned beef hash is good. Biscuits and gravy is good (I'm a southerner). Portions are a good size. The bread is homemade, and it's good. Takeout was well organized - they gave us plenty of condiments. Highly recommend for breakfast. Cash or check only.

With a name like Chuckwagon ... to be honest, I didn't expect much. But it turns out that you…read moreshouldn't judge a restaurant by its name, because Chuckwagon served us what was probably the best meal we had on Mackinac Island. And it was the cheapest, too! Blessed from all directions. A patty melt was on the menu, so that's what I got. I can't not get a patty melt if I see one on a menu! This one was beefy and melty, with caramelized red onions between two slices of rye bread. All of the burgers and sandwiches come with plain potato chips and a pickle spear. We also got a regular cheeseburger and bleu cheese burger. All of the burgers are served on a pretzel bun, which is not my favorite type of bun, but I wasn't eating those burgers, and the eaters didn't seem to mind. Chuckwagon has a small kids' menu (the Lil' Buckaroo's Menu), with four items on it. Your kids can choose from a pb & j sandwich, a hot dog, a grilled cheese sandwich and mac & cheese. My little buckaroo chose the mac & cheese, which I believe was Kraft mac & cheese. Kids' menu items don't come with anything additional. This is a small restaurant with limited seating. You can sit at the counter and watch the action happen, or if you're lucky, you can find one of the few tables lining the wall or located in the back of the restaurant. Either way, depending on when you visit, you might encounter a crowd! But I think it's worth it to visit this old-school diner-type restaurant.

This lively cafe has a varied menu with probably some of the best prices you will find on the…read moreisland super friendly staff. Limited seating for sure, tight spaces along the wall and a few larger tables in the back. Found the food not too greasy and the place very clean.