The Cottage

I loved The Cottage’s salad bar… super fresh and well attended-​to. The food was hot and delicious. And the service was good, too. I loved seeing the owner play an active role in the dining room. Great dining experience.

First time visiting — very yummy omelette and breakfast burrito! Great service and food was served hot.

My wife and I went here with our 1 year old for dinner. The place is very clean the food was definitely comfort food. The service was okay not amazing but not bad either. My wife had the fish and chips and she loved it, I had the turkey club and it was HUGE and delicious. Only issue they were out of potato soup so I got the sweet potato fries instead I thought they were not very favorable but my wife liked them. Our 1 year old had the Mac and cheese which was suppose to be white cheese but was not. But was very good still it came with garlic toast. The kids meal was a lot of food for $ 4. Nice prices on the other meals, and the Unilocal check in coupon worked. Saved 20% on the bill.

You’re a foodie on a pilgrimage to northern Michigan, but after your spendy dinners of locally sourced yak tartare with straw-​smoked cherry, morel and salsify compote on artisan toasts, et al, you wake up one morning in your hotel room and realize, «I want meatloaf.» Or you are traveling with your parents, who say things like, «What is it with the kale? Kale this and kale that! What’s wrong with good old iceberg lettuce?» If this is you, then The Cottage is the restaurant for you. Billing itself as a place for «comfortable food,» it serves nicely presented, somewhat elevated diner fare in a clean, comfortable, tasteful atmosphere. We recently stopped in for a quick breakfast and were satisfied with our meals — better than average breakfast sausage, a well-​made sunnyside-​up egg and oatmeal served with cute little dishes of raw sugar and raisins, and a tiny pitcher of cream. Our service was friendly and helpful. The only reason I gave The Cottage three stars rather than four was the «meh,» Maxwell House coffee; the breakfasts we had deserved a better cuppa joe to wash them down.

I love this place. Staff and owners are great and food is always good. They are always willing to please.

We have never experienced a bad meal here from breakfast to lunch. Prices are reasonable. Best pancakes in Traverse City. Great HUGE burgers with wonderful pretzel buns!

I stayed one night at the comfort inn. When I landed, I was starving. The comfort inn recommended this place. It is right next-​door. It is your average, American style restaurant. The service was really great in terms of attention. I was on a work trip so I ate there alone. My server brought me coffee continuously, she must of been able to tell I needed sleep. She also sent me home with a to go cup. The food was OK, the coffee was good, and the environment was pleasant. It is very homey and represents Michigan very well. I got a spicy chorizo omelet with a fruit cup, and of course endless cups of coffee!

Great turkey dinner with mash potatoes and broccoli tonite and all time favorite ice tea w/​Lemmon.

Decent food. Typical American food options. Enjoyed the local whitefish on the menu at the time.

Love this restaurant! The best french fries and BLT in town. Tons of bacon on the sandwich and large portions. Breakfast is also great. Salads are very fresh and again very large portions. Great iced tea. Very friendly staff.

We had two great meals at The Cottage! The cherry pancakes for beakfast and the burgers for lunch were great! Our servers, Audri and Travis were helpful and very friendly! !

Breakfast disaster. Expensive, greasy eggs, hash browns. Decent bacon and toast, watery coffee. Did I say expensive? $ 11.75 plus tip. Wish I had read the earlier reviews. I would/​will not/​never go back. They advertise being in business since 1938. Really?

One of the better breakfasts in town. The buffet is always good and the waitresses are friendly. The food is well priced and there is usually a booth or two open.

Not bad. My wife didn’t care for the service because they seemed very understaffed.
We stood at the entrance for a few minutes before we were greeted and seated, but we agreed they were just busy.
I opted in for a casserole or something. It was greasy and looked eh, but I loved it.
Would return for the breakfast!

We were driving around Christmas morning, trying to find a place that’s open since we’re from out of town. Found a couple of cars parked outside so we decided to try it. The service was good, and the atmosphere was friendly. We were told that we could order anything from the menu, including dinner, so that was interesting. The food was pretty good. The only downside is that if you’re a vegetarian, it’s hard to find a breakfast option without ham/​bacon/​sausage, but that makes sense considering they’re «comfort foods». They don’t have turkey bacon/​sausage, which was a downside. I finished my whole meal, which is rare, so I’d say the serving size is pretty small. Local diners tend to have bigger serving sizes, but this didn’t. Their pancakes were much smaller than even fast food joints, and there were only two of pieces. I think I’d go back there the next time I’m in town though!

Great breakfast and friendly helpful service!
The Cottage has been around TC nearly two decades itself, and is now located in the building which housed «Mabel’s» for years.
We dropped in for breakfast about 8 AM on an August Thursday, a little concerned because we were the only patrons. We needn’t have worried. JoAnn greeted us with a lovely smile, lowered blinds and found us a booth where the bright sun wasn’t a problem, and quickly had us settled with coffee and menus.
Except for her advice, I would have forgotten all about the possibility of Eggs Benedict: I failed to notice them since I was focusing on the blueberry pancakes. Not only were my Eggs Benedict perfectly cooked, but my request for a single blueberry pancake instead of hash browns was «absolutely no problem!»
My husband ordered the black cherry pancakes, declining the whipped cream. They must have had a half pound of cherries on top! I noticed he didn’t need to add either butter or syrup (although they provided plenty of both). I also noticed he couldn’t finish the pancakes, though the cherries all disappeared.
By the time we finished, the place was filling up. All in all a successful breakfast: quick, quiet, friendly and delicious. We would definitely return.

Its NOT MABELS that’s for sure. Very disappointed in the restaurant which is under new owners. Food was Bland for the most Part. Wait Staff was not. how should I say this? the best.
Will not be back.

A wonderful Restaurant with Great food and Wonderful Service. Liver and Onions was marvelous as was the Southern Fried Chicken– oh so juicy. Will be back soon for the Perch.
One suggestion: change the background music. This great restaurant with a pleasant ambiance deserves a more sedate music.

I was staying pretty close to here, missing Mabel’s that used to be in this location so I figured I would check it out.
We had eaten a fairly late lunch so we really just wanted a very light meal. Something like a coup of soup or a pastry.
My friend had a bowl of the white bean chicken chili which she said was pretty good. I just had the sweet potato fries. They were so-​so. Not really consistent in taste or texture from one fry to the next. I ate maybe half and was done.
Most of the items on the menu seemed a bit overpriced in my opinion. Doubt I would venture back if in the area.

In the madness that is Munson Ave., it’s easy to head straight for the chain restaurants near the chain hotels. The can be a comforting thing to do if you’ve been in the woods or on the water, and you’ll showing up in TC for a taste of something familiar. But if you resist the fast food temptation, you’ll do all right at the Cottage Café. Nothing amazing, but a pretty good selection, served at a little slower pace for breakfast or lunch. My chicken sandwich and fries were fine.