Whitehouse Restaurant

Had a cheese burger deluxe and cup of chili. Great chili, lean beef, good bean to beef ratio, nice chunks of tomato. My husband had the swiss mushroom burger and onion rings. We enjoyed out lunch, good service, friendly staff.

Being a lover of little dive restaurants this looked like an awesome find when we first arrived. Very small, and cold in the winter due to people taking their time coming in and looking around a the 7 or so booths that make up the entire place.
1 waitress and 1 cook working is a recipe for slow service indeed. Food is literally made 1 plate at a time. Menu is very large and I think this slows the cook up quite a bit — he kept having to go in the back refrigerator and/​or freezer to get specialty items.
When our food finally came it was hot, cooked perfectly and absolutely delicious!
We’ll probably be back in the summer with hope that more wait staff is added due to additional outside seating.

The perfect diner. Always great food! From omelettes to taco salad… Never had a bad meal here! And homemade strawberry jam with my toast?! Really… I love the Whitehouse! It’s a staple restaurant in Clare and its a must try! Seating is limited but make new friends and share a booth! And cash or check only! Don’t forget!

«Can’t judge a book by it’s cover» fits our experience at this tiny diner. It’s six booths (four tops) are turned over in rapid succession with the majority of patrons ordering burgers on a Sat. evening. The flavor was definitely proof of great quality beef… even the buns tasted unusually good. Onion rings were perfect accompaniment to a simple but wonderful meal. Did not disappoint!

One of the best burgers I have ever had, followed by a delicious milkshake!

Glorious little dive with good food. Can’t go wrong in a small town diner. Worth a stop and the prices are reasonable.

I really really wanted to like this place! I love hidden gems and dive diners. Unfortunately this ended up being a sinkhole.
Scene 1: We were greeted by the new cook who was friendly enough. The waitress came over 10 minutes later to take our order. This was the only time she came to our table during the painful hour we had to wait.
Scene 2: Our small, yet cozy, booth offered 1 menu to share and was one of three booths located next to the grill. The smells were mouth-​watering. I ordered the Bacon Cheeseburger and my husband ordered the ¹⁄₃^rd pounder (not sure where they get their measurements from).
Scene 3: We sat through the cook slamming his frig door against our booth about 12 times, watched him hurl his mistakes in the trash and start over again on 5 orders (I am not exaggerating), and mumble to himself phrases such as, «Not again,» «What is this now?,» «What was she thinking?,» 3 calls for extra ingredients and a spatula drop. I will say the spatula was washed and gloves were changed periodically.
Cut to commercial: The dishwasher came out from the back and seemed to have it together. He was calm, checked the tables and tried to assist the cook with figuring out the remaining 3 tickets in front of him.
Scene 4: When our food arrived, it was hot and delicious. The buns were toasted and the burgers had a nice crisp exterior but were juicy when you bit into them. Alas, my bacon seemed to have been forgotten. Onions were missing on my husband’s burger. Knowing there was no one to tell, we ate what we were served.
Scene 5: During our meal, the gal sitting in the booth behind my husband reached behind him, in our booth, to retrieve an object that didn’t fall (he checked to be sure he still had his wallet). We had to listen as her 30 year old (or so) mother walked to a booth behind us and ranted about how her 6 kids drained her, she had one that was nearly 15 years old, had 2 grandkids (doin’ the math… just sayin’…and I am not a prude), her long commute, etc. We felt like we were in a really bad, but entertaining, B film. It all just fit together in some strange, macabre way.
Scene 6: I politely, and quietly, asked the dishwasher not to charge for the bacon as he was ringing up orders. No sense in frustrating the inexperienced cook any further by overhearing an order he didn’t toss was also incorrect. The dishwasher apologized (did I mention he was a nice, genuine, guy?), I explained it was fine, and he adjusted our bill. It came to $ 18.85 and we left a $ 3.15 tip. I hope they split their tips!
Epilogue: This place could really be a goldmine. It’s next to a hospital, across from a hotel, and in a quaint little town. Live music played outside (the bugs were bad on this muggy night) and a couple of the staff were friendly and hard-​working. We did not see, nor did we inquire about, any restrooms so are unsure if they were outside or in the back. Moving the booths out a bit or putting bumpers on the frig doors will not bring us back but we did stay to the end rather than paying for our drinks and walking out.
Credits: We travel that way every weekend… we will never exit left off 127 again.

This is a great place to stop if you’re driving through Clare on your way up (or down) state. The service is super fast and very friendly. I got a patty melt and fries which were both excellent. My fiancé got the MI cherry salad which was a very generous portion of fresh greens and veggies. My son got an egg over easy which was perfectly done and some toast. Fresh strawberry jam was offered as well as the typical packaged jellies… that choice was a no brainier. The waitresses were very friendly to my extremely outgoing 2 year old which always earns big points. At one point he banged his knee on the table and the waitress quickly got him a little bag of ice. He didn’t really need it but he liked the attention and this mom appreciated her kindness. It will definitely be out go-​to stop on our way to northern MI.

Great hole in the wall restaurant. Only 6 booths so big parties probably aren’t best idea. It fills up quick and several people turned away. Lots of good specials with fresh veggies, meat and seasonal fruits. There is also an extensive dessert menu of cakes, pies, and shakes. The cook has been there for 45 years! She is awesome! Definitely try and make it in when in Clare.

Wow 6 small booths and 2 great young ladies doing it all. The cook has been here 45 years and our server only 31 years. DH had the double BLT and I had the breakfast BLT. Special requests were no problem. The cooked the bacon for our order, none of this pull some cooked bacon out of the drawer and put it on the sandwiches. Great place.

Fresh food cooked right in front of you. Staff was friendly. Menu is big compared to the size of this little — 6 table diner. I ordered the double bacon cheese burger with a drink and onion rings for a bill of $ 11.10. Fair prices and everything cooked for each order as it went to the cook station. Food was definitely hot when it was served. I will visit again.

In the area for work. While browsing Unilocal for a tasty place drove past this and looked it up. Compared to everything else it stood out from the rest. From my experience it did! Burgers are grounded up daily and taste fresh, fries top notch. My friend had the chicken strips and those were A+. Awesome Ranch an is homemade. No credit cards are accepted.

This is truly a great dinner/​dive. The food is great. The olive burger I had was very good. The cook is very passionate and the staff is nice. I would recommend eating here. The building is a small, classic dinner type with 6 small booths. It’s a great place to stop by if your traveling.

Perfect local «greasy spoon» dive burger joint. The place is very small, having only six booths. But the food is fantastic and the prices are excellent. Good, friendly service with a smile. I had the mushroom-​swiss burger with a side of onion rings, it was awesome. Only downside is there is no restroom. Otherwise, when you’re done with lunch at the Whitehouse, check out the «Cops & Doughnuts» bakery just up the street.

Satisfactory, warm and welcoming. Always a place to stop on in and have some coffee and a great breakfast, omelette, nachos or sandwich w/​sweet potatoes fries. I always love dessert too! Handmade peanut butter pie is to die for!

No public restrooms!!! We were told when we needed to use the facilities that there are none on site. I asked our server what she did if she had to go, and she said she just held it or went to the gas station up the street. Oh, and their heat wasn’t working. the poor girl had a coat and earmuffs on waiting on us!

Love this little gem of a dive. Been eating here for over 50 years. Great place for a late night snack. The breakfast omelettes are gyenormous, always hot cuz they make m right n front of u. delish Their chz burgs are to die for. Don’t pass up this vintage café, it is an experience u don’t want to miss.

On our way «Up North» (as they say in Michigan), the GF’s family and I stopped by a small-​town burger shop founded by two brothers in 1935. Back then, it featured only 3 tables and a counter selling burgers and hot dogs and while they’ve doubled to six tables since then, not much else has changed — and that’s a good thing! Now owned by Matt and Denise Jenks, 100% ground chuck burgers are made by hand and Whitehouse is open 7 days a week. The inside is cozy and kitschy. Service is delivered with friendly snark or a smile.
Cherry Soda
They have home-​made cherry soda (or pop as they call it in this neck of the woods). Cherry syrup is provided on the side, to be added to your carbonated beverage.
¼ Pound Cheeseburger [$ 3.50] & Fries [$ 2.49]
The GF went with the standard order, which was a ¼ pound cheese burger with fries on the side. Affordable and delicious, these burgers were moist and housed in a light, fluffy bun.
Philly Burger [$ 5.50] & Fries [$ 2.49]
¼ pound burger, cream cheese, green peppers, sauteed onions, Swiss cheese
I eyed the 1 pound burger with bacon and mushrooms, but knowing that we’d be grilling later that day, I decided to go with the hometown option — the Philly burger. This was deliciously creamy, with the cream cheese really adding to the texture of each bite. The combination of green peppers and onions hit the spot too.
So if you’re driving Up North in Michigan, do stop by Whitehouse and grab a burger. And if you want to satisfy your sweet tooth, hit up Cops and Doughnuts for some delightful bacon donuts when you’re done.

I had heard a lot about this place. All good. Everyone was right! All food is made fresh to order. The burgers are what I’d heard all the hype about, but they have a nice breakfast menu too. The diners that were present recommend the omelettes, which would have also been great from the looks of them. Side note: getting to know the other diners, cook and waitress is pretty easy when there only a few booths right by the kitchen/​grill. A very friendly atmosphere, fresh ingredients, and affordable. Nothing not to like here.
I had the half-​pound bacon burger with onion rings. The burger was good and juicy, the bacon was just right, and the bun was fresh-​baked down the street at Cops and Donuts Bakery. All burgers come with fresh chopped onions, lots of pickles, ketchup and mustard. Or you can order how you like. Next time, breakfast!

Cute. No longer 24 hours. it closes at ten and they only take cash because of the «high credit card fees.» We were so hungry after off-​roading and found this place. I got an omelet with country fries and toast and bf ordered a jalapeño burger. It came to $ 20. Not bad at all. And the grill is along the side and you can watch them make your food. Limited seating. It’s quite cozy. I’m glad we stopped. Our waitress was very nice too.