Iconic. A must have if in the area. Get a pasty and a donut and you won't leave disappointed.

Great breakfast spot! Really enjoyed my egg, bacon and cheese biscuit breakfast special this morning. Every time I come to Syl's I enjoy my meal. read more

This place was bussin bussin' - Great service and food. Great for dinner or breakfast!

Such a lovely spot. When we drove into town in a Sunday, it appeared all of the businesses were closed. Then we saw a bunch of cars and realized it was the place to go. We had pasty w/ gravy... delicious!!! Pastry's were amazing too. If you are in Ontonogan, this is a must try. read more

Syl's Cafe - Pasty w/gravy - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Ontonagon, Michigan

Never again. Getting ignored by the waitstaff for 45 minutes to start. Then over an hour for 2 sub par burgers with fries then another 30 minutes just to get the check. We weren't in a hurry at all but when everyone else gets served, fed, and exits before you even get your food, something is wrong. read more

One of the only sit down restaurants in this town. Really great food. They have breakfast, lunch and dinner menu items. Very glad we came here and intend to eat here again. The bacon cheeseburger was really great!! read more

We came in with a group of 5 at about 6ish. They were very busy, but had a table for us. We sat down, and then the waitress took our drink order. She came back with our drinks about 10 minutes later, and she was very apologetic about the drinks being late despite them being super busy. Then, she took our order. We ordered breadsticks as an appetizer, and then I got a BLT. She constantly checked on us, asking if we needed refills, or waters, etc. Even tho they were SUPER busy. She eventually gave us the status of our order, and said the breadsticks would be out soon. They came out 3-5 minutes later, and they were so good. Worth the wait. Then, we waited a little more for our meal. She kept checking on of and giving us the status of our meals. When the BLT came, it looked so good! The bread is homemade and very tasty, and the bacon especially was really good. After we finished, we wanted to order some bakery items, and she was great helping us! Overall, I 100% recommend, and the food and service is so good. If it's busy, and you wait long, it's most likely worth the wait. read more

Great breakfast and comfort food. This place also has a great bakery serving pastries, donuts, and breads. It also has a great pasty. The food rates a solid 4 stars and the prices are cheap rating 5 stars. The service is wonderful and waitress was very nice. I would say the best restaurant in the area (Ontonagon-Silver City-White Pine) read more

Great food and service!! We loved the chicken wild rice and mushroom soup and the hot beef sandwich and the turkey cranberry wild rice sandwich! Great pasty too! read more

If you don't stop by and have the pasty with gravy you'll be missing a truly wonderful dining experience. We got two to go to eat at our rented cabin tomorrow. read more

Great breakfast and brunch place . Friendly staff very fast . There pizza is supposed to very good also. We will try it next trip.

The turkey cranberry sandwich was super good! DH & I stopped in for a late lunch between Porcupine Mountains and Copper Harbor. Best reviews on here for a small town. DH had the large pasty & it was very large and good. Loved the cranberry wild rice bread on my sandwich. read more

i've stoped many times over the summer and fall with friends and family and always had great service and food. we love the cranberry turkey melt! and always recommend to people when visiting the area. read more

What a great dining experience. Ate inside and Syl's is still practicing safe social distancing which is commendable. They were busy but the wait staff did their very best to take good care of us... like drink refills brought w/out asking Hubs had the Turkey melt on wild rice bread and a cranberry aioli. He said it was so good and different. I had chicken wrap and it was flavorful and tons of chicken in it. We both wanted a side salad rather than the usual sides --fries, onion rings, etc. For 50cents extra received a beautiful salad with fresh veggies and house made dressing. Really great touch. The only fail was the homemade cherry pie--long on cold, tough crust and short on cherry pie filling. Will def return while in town. read more

Sly's is the bomb! I had a turkey sandwich on homemade cranberry wild rice bread, with lettuce, tomato, onion and cranberry aoli sauce. Grilled to perfection! My husband had the Sly's burger. Also very good with a home baked bun! The beer battered fries were tasty too! I hear the Pasties are excellent! Also baked goods, cheese cake and excellent pie! Don't miss the gem as your passing thru! read more

Fantastic Pastie with gravy FOR BREAKFAST!! Yes I really enjoyed that. It was a treat. My wife's French toast was excellent too. Yes, I tasted it. Definitely stop in for breakfast. read more

I'm so sad to say this, but I must. Syl's has become one of those places that thinks a bit too much of itself. I used to pop in now and again for a delish piece of pie or a sit down dinner with my hubby. Recently, and twice, I stopped in to pick up a few cookies and the other for a half dozen frozen pasties to give to folks from out of town. Both times I was treated VERY rudely by two different waitresses. The first time the young woman didn't even speak to me and put the cookies into a bag so agressively they were smashed. Then she treated me to a loud sigh when I asked for a few napkins and told me to "take them" from her hand. It seems Syl's has become even more popular with tourists, which is terrific, but the management has forgotten to train the staff on how to pleasantly interact with customers, whether we come in and sit down, or order something to go. I'm not sure I'll come back to Syl's, I think I'm going to take my business down the street to Lynn's where I am always treated kindly. To the management: please take time to teach your staff not to let their moods interfere with how customers are treated. Thanks. read more

Something that was not immediately clear to me about the Porcupine Mountains is that the park spans two time zones: Eastern and Central. This is somewhat important information when you're camping in the park, were relying on getting food in Ontonagon, and had planned your last hike based on their closing time, which you had previously confirmed at lunch. I think you see where this is going. Once our cell phones got service again on our way back to Syl's, we were initially confused about the time change, but that quickly turned into panic. On some weird pocket in the road, we grabbed enough service for one of us to call them, explain the situation, and ask them for mercy. The server on the other end of the line was incredibly patient with us. They had two pasty meals all ready to go when we arrived, and even a slice of pie for me, since I had been dreaming of one all day. These people are amazing. Even though my memory of dinner is colored with my sheer relief at having found something to eat, we had gotten bagged lunches there that morning to eat on a hike, and I can attest to the fact that the pasties are delicious under normal conditions. They can come with gravy or ketchup, and they'll throw it all into a white paper bag for you to stuff in your hiking pack. read more

What a great find! We were exploring the UP and hit Ontonagon around 2:00 p.m. and were starving. Scoped out a few other spots that were definitely at the lower end of the food chain. Went into Syl's and loved it from the beginning. The waitress, Audrey, was as friendly as could be, and cute as a bug. We're from the Bay Area of California and are always shocked at how affordable things are in the Midwest, but this was crazy. French toast for $3??? Who can do that? One of us had an omelet that was half the size of the table -- unbelievably great tasting, fresh, looked scrumptious just sitting on the plate. I had a chicken breast sandwich that was awesome. Freshly homemade pies rounded out the meal and they were delicious. Really, really great food in a super cute setting with fabulous waitstaff, a diverse selection of eats -- who could ask for more? Thanks!!! read more

This review is for the breakfast at Syl's. The joint has classic old booths, and appears to be the sort of cheap mom n' pop place that would have my thrifty German relatives thrilled. The food is abundant and inexpensive. My two egg breakfast clearly had three eggs. Maybe the chef cannot count ;) ? The coffee was about what I would expect, hot and plentiful, but if you like dark roast or Italian style coffee, this is much more Folgers/Maxwell House. The staff was pleasant. I could see the cook in the back whipping up our food. Their up north decor is limited to a trapping joke. There are few choices up here, so you are a captive audience. read more

See all

We had two meals here while on vacation to the Porkies. Definitely THE place to eat while staying in Ontonagon. The service is very friendly and quick. It is a place where you see quite a few regulars and locals. First day we ate breakfast here. They have the regular diner fare and everything we ordered tasted good. Between the four of us we ordered the French toast, Veggie omelette, pancakes and eggs. Everything tasted fresh and delicious. We came back the same night for dinner again (there is a serious lack of restaurants in the town). We ordered the white fish, veggie melt, a pasty and the turkey tortilla wrap. Their portion sizes are big, all the food tasted good. Their curly fries are crisp and delicious. read more

We stopped in Ontonagon for lunch and saw Syl's. My husband had read that it was good so we decided to give it a try. I had a patty melt that was hot and very tasty. My husband got breakfast. Everything in his plate was cold. We were outside and our server never checked back until she handed us the check. She asked then if everything was alright. He told her it was all cold and her reply " oh do you want me to go heat it up?" It was over easy eggs! Oh and she asked if he wanted a to go box for it. No remedy offered. Anyway,cute place, has outside and inside dining. The food was hit or miss. If we lived closer we'd give it a second try as this could have just been a fluke! read more

We were in the area recently doing some hiking at the Porcupine Mtn. State Park and ran across Syl's Cafe, and ended up getting dinner here twice. Another example of a small in-town restaurant that offers excellent food and relaxed family atmosphere for a great price. I highly recommend the Pasty, but you can't go wrong with anything on the menu. One night my wife had the chicken flatbread pizza and it was fantastic! I only have one issue...As soon as you walk in the door you're staring at a display of donuts, cinnamon rolls, and pastries. I was complete drawn to them from the first step in, so of COURSE we had to grab a couple donuts to go, for a late dessert. Excellent marketing I must say! read more

This morning the pancakes shmacked!!! Also the my waitress was so good and I would rate this restaurant a 10/10. A plus grade syrup for my pancakes and the coffee was very refreshing. read more

We were told that if you are in Ontonagon you need to eat here. They didn't disappoint. The food was amazing and despite them being busy, we got our food in a timely manner and our waitress was wonderful!!! When we come back through here again, we will be back! read more

OMG The best pasties ever,had the gravy with them and was great.Should have bought the 16 for 78.00 and took them back home to Muskego,wi.

I love a restaurant that serves breakfast all day since I never can eat in the morning but I love breakfast food. Not only are the omelettes amazing, all the bread - and even English muffins - are homemade and so yummy! Service was always good and friendly, so do yourself a favor and check it out! read more

Absolutely wonderful! Great family restaurant. Loved the Pasty! Great service! I would recommend this place when you're up near the Porkies.

Great food and a nice range of choices. We were driving through the area on our way home from the UP and found this gem. You won't be disappointed. read more

Syl's Cafe - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Ontonagon, Michigan

An old-fashioned local restaurant that serves breakfast, lunch, and dinner and does a very good job with all their food. All the food seems made from scratch. I had a great turkey & cranberry sandwich on wild rice bread one night, and on another, a huge bacon, lettuce, and tomato salad. For breakfast one morning I had eggs topped with pot roast, very good. They also have great homemade pies and many other things on their large menu. The servers are really friendly and helpful, they make you instantly feel like one of the locals who eat here. The kind of diner you don't see much of anymore. read more

We stopped in after our day trip to the UP (from San Antonio, TX). Really enjoyed the quaint atmosphere, both inside and outside and the food was great. Breakfast all day, pizzas, burgers, quite a variety and many options for adults and kids. Really enjoyed the food. read more

Hands down one of the best diners I've eaten at. Pizza A+, Turkey melt on wild rice bread A+, Pasty A+, danish and donuts are outstanding and strawberry rhubarb pie the best ! Spent week in the Porkies and ate here three times. If only they'd move to our town. Seriously , don't go anywhere else. read more

Absolutely the best breakfast! Great service, wonderful baked goods.

Great food; classic comfort diner with a diverse menu to suit everyone's needs. The service is so ridiculous it's comical! Our waitress is oblivious and relaxed. Patrons are getting up to get their own coffee. Our waitress forgot half out coffees and We are fairly certain she forgot to submit the ticket to kitchen for a solid 20 minutes. Honestly, I highly recommend this place anyway. You'd have to see it to believe it! read more

Food was good. Service was a little slow. Loved their pizza and sandwich. I would definitely recommend this place

We were at the Porcupine Mountains and wanted to try a local restaurant. Stopped in on Friday and we both had a pasty. They were delicious and HUGE. Very reasonably priced. I also had a cup of the chicken and rice soup and it was very good. We would have given 5 stars, but both of our pasties literally sat in the serving window for about 15 minutes. Our server was very polite, but walked past them several times. The food was so good, I would eat there again. read more

Hopefully next time we are in the area we will have time to stop again. If I am real lucky we can grab a few sweets out of the counter on our way out because every doughnut, pastry, cookie, cinnamon roll, you name it looked mouth watering. It is a cute little place with pretty decent food, and friendly staff. In a small town like this, finding a gem with good food and great staff is all you can hope for. read more

See all

Looked like a cute spot to eat, but man the food was amazing. We started with cheese curds followed by two pasties with gravy. We would have bought a cooler of pasties to take home but they were all spoken for. Highly recommend!! read more

Food and service is very good had turkey wild rice sandwich, would definitely eat here again .

We came through and visited Lake Superior. There's a beach a block away. We parked across from Syl's. The waitress was sweet and explained a "pasty" to us. We got a large and split it between two of us. It was steaming hot and flavorful-potatoes, rutabaga, onion, pork and beef. And we enjoyed the very sexy spicy chicken sandwich. They put it on a pretzel roll, which made it even more amazing. If you need a place to eat in Ontonagon, come here read more