Ishpeming Restaurants

BUCK'S RESTAURANT
(906) 485-4534
A popular downtown gathering place, Buck's is known for its breakfasts, big portions, and daily specials, mostly $7. and under at lunch and dinner in . Dinners include salad, potato, vegetable. Some examples: turkey, pork and beef that's always fresh-roasted, never pre-cut; Saturday's steak and spaghetti. The Friday fish fry begins at 4 p.m. and features beer-battered cod, fresh lake trout and whitefish, pan-fried fresh perch, and deep-fried ocean perch. Mashed potatoes are made from scratch. The extensive menu includes meal-size salads and 60 sandwiches from $5-$7. Dinners are around $8. The interior has a whole new look, even more outdoorsy, with the familiar mounts of trophy deer and fish, new booths and carpet.

CONGRESS LOUNGE & PIZZA
(906) 486-4233
A local landmark, the Congress is a family place and popular gathering spot. The bar has been here since an act of Congress repealed Prohibition in 1933- hence, the Congress name. Since 1957 it's been known for a distinctive, thin cracker-crust pizza with a tomatoey special sauce. A large pizza with the works is around $12. The only other food is cudighi (a spicy, wine-flavored Italian sausage patty) on a bun—$5 with tomato sauce, cheese, and mushrooms. Generations of local people have grown up on Congress pizza. If they've moved away, they stop in on vacations; it's packed here around the big July 4 homecoming.
    Now that Guido Bonetti has completely retired, his son Paul has assumed his role as informal local historian. If you show any interest in Ishpeming, he'll tell you a lot. The walls are decorated with a museum's worth of local lore, about John Voelker, hometown sports, mining, and more. Paul created the interesting, revealing scrapbook on the making of Anatomy of a Murder (for sale for about $15). It reproduces his aunt's newspaper clippings from 1959, alongside interviews with John Voelker's widow shortly before her death.

MAMA MIA'S ITALIAN RESTAURANT
(906) 485-5813
A pleasant atmosphere and good Italian food with homemade sauces and hand-cut meat make Mama Mia's stand out. (The pasta is imported; owners Phil and Julie Barbiere like it better than fresh pasta.) Favorite dishes are the lasagna (about $10, or $15 as a dinner with salad, antipasto, garlic bread and ice cream) and chicken fettuccini Alfredo (about $11 and $16). Tenderloin with lasagna is about $18. Pizza and cudighi (spicy Italian sausage popular in Marquette County) or meatball sandwiches are another option.

LAWRY'S PASTY SHOP
(906) 485-5589
This trim, cheery little spot has a very limited menu: good pasties in three versions. Traditional (beef, potato, rutabagas, onion) and vegetable pasties are $3.29 for the 12-ounce version, $4.09 for a 17-ounce beef pasty. A $2.69 breakfast pasty is filled with eggs, ham, sausage, bacon, and cheese. Cole slaw is the only side. The canoe livery is no longer in operation.

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