The Experience: The Side Door Saloon is the kind of place that can sneak up on a Burgermeister. Located near an intersection in Petoskey near the road to Harbor Springs, the modest sign and small building don’t exactly call attention to the glory contained within. The Side Door Saloon is set up not unlike many bar/restaurants in Northern Michigan, with a menagerie of sports and hunting memorabilia hanging up on the walls, and a small room with a few video games. In a nice touch, the doors leading to the restrooms are true saloon doors. The wait staff is very friendly, and a small sign leading into the restaurant encouraged guests to wish Laura the cook a happy birthday, which helped this Burgermeister feel like the Side Door Saloon could be the kind of place where everybody knows your name.
Burgers Devoured: The Rise and Shine Burger and BBQ Bacon Cheddar Burger
The Taste: I was able to make two separate trips to the Side Door Saloon to sample two of the nine burger options on the menu. While the sign outside promotes a “World Famous Olive Burger,” I finds olives to be disgusting and couldn’t bring myself to order one. The Famous Burgers have been a Michigan tradition since 1969, and are 1/3 lb. burgers made from fresh ground beef. The first burger I tried was the Rise and Shine Burger, a fresh ground beef patty topped with a fried egg, bacon, and American cheese. Only one aspect of this burger was disappointing, and that was the fact that it had to end. Simply put this was one of the best burgers I have ever consumed and I was tempted to order another one immediately after finishing. The burger was cooked a perfect medium rare, just juicy enough for a little bit of moisture to splash onto the chips served in the basket along with the burger. The bun was a standard sesame seed offering, but perfectly held everything together so that only one tiny piece of egg escaped during the whole process. The bacon was of the perfect size and American cheese was the right choice to tie everything together. When I get to heaven, there better be Rise and Shine Burgers from the Side Door Saloon there.
The second burger devoured was the BBQ Bacon Cheddar Burger, and it had a lot to live up to. This was the same 1/3 lb. burger, but topped with smoked cheddar, bacon, and BBQ Sauce. The smoked cheddar tasted great, and the BBQ sauce was the perfect amount of sweet but not overwhelming. The patty was once again cooked to a perfect medium rare. The only drawback here was the bacon, which was not as perfect as the previous visit. It was crispy in some areas and chewy in others, creating a bit of unfortunate inconsistency. Still, the overall package was delectable and easily recommendable for anyone craving BBQ Sass on their burger. Overall, it is impressive how delicious both burgers were with the minimum accoutrements, and no rabbit food whatsoever. Fries would have been nice, but the Side Door does not possess a fryer, so the chips that came along had to suffice. Honestly they could have served fried manure on the side and I would still recommend getting the burgers.
The Verdict: The Side Door Saloon gets my highest recommendation. All other burgers from this day forward have a new burger butt to kiss.
The Side Door Saloon is located at 1356 N US Highway 31 in Petoskey, Michigan.
