North Forest Cafe

Enjoyed «Up North» hospitality with hot cups of coffee and hearty breakfasts here this morning. The waitresses know the regulars by name and were kind and welcoming to all the strange faces too. It was an easy place to drive by, but we were on the lookout for this recommended breakfast spot. Parking is on the north side of the building and seating is limited. Love that all the coffee mugs promote the local businesses. Hometown pride is always a good thing… and so was the meal!

Hole in the wall for sure but food was fabulous! Very hot and lots of it. Very small and when we went this morning there was a short wait for a table. Will stop again next time we come through Standish.

You might be tempted to drive by. Don’t. Stop for a great breakfast including home made bread and many fresh and well made options.

Awesome! Read reviews on Unilocal and this fit the bill for a good breakfast stop. Service is fast and sweet. Waitress was singing to the music on the classic rock radio station. Decent cup of coffee, always quick to refill your cup. Food was out in like 10 minutes. I had the northern breakfast, a scramble of hash browns, bacon, onion & eggs topped with cheese… and a biscuit. My wife has scrambled eggs, hash browns & toast. Portions were huge and neither of us finished. Food was very edible but the highlight was the biscuit & toast, both were homemade and very tasty. Oh, and homemade jam too.
I felt at home in a room full of people I have never met adding to the overall experience and enjoyment. Don’t change a thing!!! a place like this treasure to find.

This place is probably the definition of a hole-​in-​the-​wall restaurant. The wallpaper is falling off the walls, the one-​person multi-​gender bathroom looks like it is right out of the late 70’s and the tables are old and rickety. They even have place mats on the tables that are covered in local businesses. My friends and I got a kick out of the «Weed Gator» ad that was positioned next to our coffee mugs.
But make no mistake: the food here is excellent. After a long camping weekend and prior to a 2-​hour drive back to metro Detroit, the three of us stopped here per one of our friends’ recommendations. I’m really glad we did because not only did the food fill me up, it also put me in a coma on the ride home.
I ordered the Western Omelet (with bacon rather than ham) and it was HUGE. They give you a ton of hash browns on the side, along with good toast and jelly. The only issue I had was that for some reason my omelet contained mushrooms, which I hate. I just picked them out from inside, not a big deal. It was so filling…
My friends ordered similar meals, with one getting the special of the day: a Polish sausage breakfast meal. It was basically a bunch of peppers, eggs, Polish sausage, etc in a big bowl. It looked really good!
The best part about smaller diners like this is that the food isn’t even that much. A coffee and the big breakfast was less than $ 9. The service was great; my coffee probably got refilled three times in 15 minutes. Stop in if you’re in the area and spoil yourself. CASH ONLY $$$

Fresh homemade bread for toast, large portions of delicious food, and cheerful service. Definitely worth the stop on the way north.

Quant northern café with good food and prices. Stopped here for the first time ever on our way up north. We would recommend this restaurant for breakfast! –dan and ashley

Lots of food, tasty. Not expensive. The portions are large.
It is dirty. I hate restaurants with crusty carpet… and the bathroom is super small. No changing table.
Good place for breakfast, not sure about lunch.

Based On Unilocal reviews, we stopped on our way up north for a ski trip. Although the building is old, small and rundown, the food was excellent. I had an omelette with toast and the bread was homemade with homemade strawberry preserves. My husband had a burger which he said was fresh and not at all greasy. Both of my boys also enjoyed their meals. We definitely recommend!!!

Homemade strawberry preserves, real potatoes in my ½ size omelet (which was more than enough!), thick French toast. Where locals eat. Cozy. We drove from Oscoda, on the way home to Detroit area, because of a prior Unilocal review. And North Forest Café delivered!

Great tasting food, great prices, super breakfasts!

Great ranch dressing and fresh salad. Liked the hot turkey that came with mashed potatoes and dressing. My son got the French toast and all portions are huge. The only down side really was the interior and seating… Ceiling looks like it had water damage and is caving in… Wall paper is coming off the walls… Doesn’t take credit or debit… CASH ONLY!

Stopped by what seemed to be a local favorite and we can see why. A nice little café with a classic menu. Four people in our party, everyone enjoyed something different. It was good food and fast service, perfect place to stop on our way through.

The Unilocal Map is a bit off on this one. They have the addy right, but it shows up in the wrong spot. Going north on 23 we passed right by this place. Copy and paste into google maps to get the correct local.
We stopped by a gas station to fuel up on our way up to oscoda. It was around 11pm and we asked the attendant where the best place to get a good b-​fast would be. He directed us to North Forest.
We walked in and you could tell they don’t see many non-​locals. It was like a scean from a movie when me and my 3 25 year old buddies walked in, everyone was chatting and when the door cracked and we walked through all mouths shut and all eyes were on us. The average age before we walked in was probably 85 so that had something to do with it I’m sure.
First glance at the menu– «Is it just me or are these prices from 1995?»
Suuuper cheap breakfast. Food was decent as well.
All they had was whole milk which bugged me, because I love me some milk with my eggs (skim– 2% is tolerable for me).