Eating in Bay City, Michigan

Bay City is home to a little over 33,000 souls in the middle of Michigan. It’s also a small town that punches well above its weight when it comes to quality places to eat.

Here are some places I like to eat in or buy food from in this partially Polish-American city. It is not an attempt at a comprehensive evaluation of all of the wonderful food options in this small and beautiful burg on the Saginaw River, and near the Saginaw Bay. Instead, I just want to tell you about a few places my wife Lori and I like a lot.

Delicious Polish hot dogs, fresh and smoked kielbasa, ham and much more are available at the honestly named Meat Shop. Located in a charming brick building at 1600 Kosciuszko Ave, during some visits the smell of the smokehouse fills the air with proof that Polish delicacies are getting that special tasty treatment. They also make a killer shrimp salad.

Next door to the Meat Shop is Larry’s Meat Market. One of my favorite products is their exquisite homemade Krakowska sausage. Perfect flavor and texture and just the right amount of saltiness make this item alone worth the trip. I also like to buy their Polish meatball mix, fry it up, and eat it like a hamburger. Smaczny!

Krzysiak’s House Restaurant is a charming Polish and American eatery located at 1605 Michigan Ave. Their chicken soup is appropriately well-loved by anyone who’s had it, and their kielbasa is just the right combination of smoke and spice. We had the buffet on a Saturday and were not disappointed, so I’d definitely recommend coming when the crowds keep the food on the line freshly replaced. You can also buy their soup base and kielbasa to go. Take a taste of Bay City back home with you.

We’ve had a delicious perch and walleye dinner at the most unassuming little restaurant near the flea market called Chuckie’s (108 Adams St.). The combo fish dinner was more than enough for both of us, and they cooked it all to order so it was fresh, hot and perfectly breaded and seasoned. We sat at the counter, and enjoyed the banter between the waitresses and coffee-drinking regulars.

Barney’s Bakery (421 S. Van Buren) bakes excellent pecan rolls, cookies, and other sweet treats. The prices cannot be beat. If you spent $20 at Barney’s, you’d have enough desserts for a week, but you wouldn’t feel like you got low quality for low price. This place is the quintessential neighborhood bakery, and as with all of the places I’ve written about here, the people who work there are incredibly friendly.

We’ve also had one of the famous Tony’s steak sandwiches at Grampa Tony’s (1108 Columbus Ave.). Served on Napolitano bread from Saginaw, and covered in delicious sauce, cheese and mushrooms, this tasty offering really fills you up. My favorite thing about Grampa Tony’s, though, is the side orders of stuffing. It was a delicious evocation of Thanksgiving dinner, and oddly, the perfect accompaniment to the steak sandwich.

Whether it’s meat, sandwiches, stuffing or dessert, Bay City, Michigan offers some really excellent eating options. If I were you, I’d get on the road now!