The Experience: Johnnie’s Sports Bar is a little hole-in-the wall in the small tourist town of Cheboygan, which is about 20 minutes southeast of the Mackinac Bridge that connects Michigan’s upper and lower peninsulas. This is the kind of bar that was packed with locals on a Thursday afternoon, all bellied up to the bar with shots of Crown Royal and a Budweiser back, unironically watching “The Dukes of Hazzard” on the large flat-screen behind the bar. The bartender doubles as the cook, and his outgoing personality made this Burgermeister feel like less of a stranger in a strange land.
Burger Ordered: Western Burger
The Taste: The Western Burger is a third-pound chunk of ground beef, topped with bacon, American cheese, several large onion rings, and homemade BBQ sauce. I wasn’t asked how I wanted it cooked, which usually makes me nervous, but Johnnie’s was on the spot. The burger was cooked a little closer to medium than medium-rare, but it was still juicy enough to be delicious, and it probably helped keep everything from falling apart. The bacon was perfectly crispy, and held in place by the cheese on top, which is always a clutch move. The onion rings were pretty standard but they did their job. The real star of this burger was the homemade BBQ sauce, which straddled the line between sweet and spicy in a way that all BBQ sauces should aspire to. The fries that came with it were regular french fries seasoned as if they were curly fries, and were the perfect addition to this tremendous package.
The Verdict: Johnnie’s Sports Bar came out of nowhere to land near the top of my Best Burgers in Northern Michigan list. I don’t often find myself in Cheboygan, but when I do I will likely be making a return trip to Johnnie’s Sports Bar.
Johnnie’s Sports Bar is located at 210 North Main Street in Cheboygan, Michigan.
