Community Corner
MI City Makes List For Best World Dining Spots In 2026
A Michigan town, known for its restaurants and wine, is among the top places to dine in the world, according to a new list.
A Michigan city is among the top places to eat in the world, according to a new list.
Eater, a popular food website, laid out its top 15 places to dine in the world, and Traverse City made the list.
"Drawn to bucolic farmland, endless cherry and apple orchards, and increasingly respected wine regions, chefs and wine pros are relocating from major cities to this lakeside Arcadia," Eater's Stacey Brugeman said of Traverse City.
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The area welcomed Chefs Andy Elliott and Emily Stewart of Modern Bird, which is known for its creative farm-to-table dishes. They have also been nominated for best chef in the Great Lakes region for the James Beard Awards. The New York Times ranked Modern Bird among its top 50 restaurants in the nation.
The area is also home to The Cooks' House Chefs Jennifer Blakeslee and Eric Patterson, who were also nominated for a James Beard Award in 2025. The small restaurant offers elevated cuisine based on the day's flavors, which are routinely changing.
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The Traverse City area is also among the best wine spots in the nation. Both the Inn at Black Star Farms and Chateau Chantel were the top two-ranked Michigan winery hotels in USA Today's 10BEST list.
"Farmers review seed lists with cooks before placing orders, fishermen meet restaurant owners to hand off buckets of smelt, and neighbors knock on kitchen doors to share fresh favas," Brugeman said. "They foster a collaborative energy that’s only possible in the friendly Midwest."
While putting together their list, Eater looked for outstanding restaurants and the people who ardently endorse them.
"When a friend nostalgically raves about the guava dishes in their Mexican hometown, waxes poetic about late-night trays of masala aloo buns at an Indian bakery, or emphatically declares their lakeside Michigan community to be a new dining powerhouse, you can trust the rec," Eater's Nick Mancall-Bitel said.
Other places that made the list include:
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