Suttons Bay Gets A New Mexican Restaurant, Distillery Tasting Rooms Reopen; Other Local Business News
A new Mexican restaurant has opened in Suttons Bay, U-pick season is underway in earnest across Leelanau County, and both Northern Latitudes Distillery and Grand Traverse Distillery have reopened temporarily-dormant tasting rooms. Read these tidbits and others in the Leelanau Ticker’s latest roundup of local business news.
Cantina TwentyTwo
A new restaurant concept has opened inside the former North Country Kitchen and Bar building in Suttons Bay. The restaurant is under the same ownership, but has rebranded as Cantina TwentyTwo and is now a “Mexican-inspired restaurant with a patio driven experience featuring waterfront views.”
Established in 2008, North Country Grill and Pub was the final restaurant created by Barry Boone, the restaurateur behind Boone’s Prime Time Pub, Boone’s Long Lake Inn, and Boonedocks. Barry passed away in 2011, but his wife Karen maintained ownership of North Country Grill until early 2023, when she sold it to Matthew Branton. Following kitchen and dining room renovations, Branton reopened the restaurant in June 2023 as North Country Kitchen and Bar, touting a new “Lowcountry southern food” concept.
Branton still owns the restaurant at 420 North St. Joseph Street, but has now pivoted to the new Cantina TwentyTwo concept.
“We are honored to open Cantina TwentyTwo and share homemade dishes with our Suttons Bay community,” Branton said in a press release. “We distinguish ourselves as a premier dining destination by offering a vibrant menu that blends Mexican-inspired flavors with locally sourced ingredients, fresh seafood, and house-smoked meats.”
The menu features Mexican food staples as well as shareable appetizers. The food is complemented by an “extensive beverage program featuring handcrafted margaritas, specialty cocktails, premium tequilas, bourbons, and mezcals.”
Cantina TwentyTwo opened last month and is open Sundays through Thursdays from 11am-9pm and Fridays and Saturdays from 11am-10pm. Happy hour deals – $2 beers, shots, and tacos – are available daily at the bar from 2-5pm and again from 8pm to close.
In other local business news...
>It’s berry-picking season once more at Bulldog Berries. The U-pick operation had its opening day last Tuesday for saskatoons and raspberries, opening at 9am with plans to stay open until 1pm. Then, at 10:17am, Bulldog announced it was closing for the day, as customers had already “picked every ripe berry within the first hour.” Raspberry U-pick reopened on Friday, and blueberry picking officially commenced on Sunday. Due to hot weather in the forecast, Bulldog will keep 9am-noon hours for U-pick Tuesday and Wednesday, before kicking off regular 9am-5pm hours on Thursday.
>Also now open for U-pick is Hallstedt-Homestead Cherries in Northport. Owner Phil Hallstedt says the farm has “a pretty good fruit set at present,” despite a challenging growing season for cherries. Hallstedt-Homestead Cherries is also hitting new milestones for its Red Truck Orchards cherry vinegar, which “launched at Meijer on US-31 in Traverse City” and recently won its first award: a bronze medal at the 2026 USI International Vinegar Competition. Hallstedt says Red Truck Orchards will “continue to expand our distribution network and online sales.”
>Northern Latitudes Distillery has reopened its Suttons Bay tasting room following a three-month closure. July 10 marked the first day since March 29. Going forward, the Suttons Bay spot “will once again offer complimentary spirit tasting, bottle sales, and cocktails,” with hours of noon-4pm Sundays and noon-7pm on Saturdays and Monday through Thursday. The tasting room is closed Tuesday and Wednesday. The coffee bar is not available, but “will be returning soon,” according to the announcement.
>Also back online is the Grand Traverse Distillery tasting room in Leland. The business vacated its space at 110 Lake Street last fall and didn’t expect to be back in Leland this year, hence the opening of a brand-new location in Suttons Bay last month. But a new opportunity in Leland allowed the distillery to move “just kitty-corner from our old stall into a much bigger space” in the 110 Lake Street complex.
>Leelanau Cookie Co. announced last week that it was closing its doors for good. “We have been blessed with so many great memories and people who loved our product,” the business shared on Facebook, before adding that “the struggles are real” for business owners and that “small businesses can’t continue to take losses.” Leelanau Cookie Co. had sold its handcrafted cookies online, at events, and via area businesses.
>This summer is the first in business for Leelanau Transportation, a new ride service launched by husband-and-wife team Jim and Kim Robb. Formerly a wedding planner, Kim saw the need for more transportation options in Leelanau given northern Michigan’s general dearth of Uber or other similar services. The business offers “pre-arranged comfortable group transport” for up to 13 passengers, with advance booking options available for anywhere from three days to one year. The Robbs’ service area covers all of Leelanau County, as well as the City of Traverse City and Cherry Capital Airport.
>French Valley Vineyard is teaming up with the Leelanau Conservancy to raise money for the stewardship of Sugar Loaf. The wines, simply named Sugar Loaf Red and Sugar Loaf White, will be formally introduced at a free-and-open-to-the-public release party on Friday, July 31. The Conservancy will be on hand to share details about their plans for Sugar Loaf, which is expected to open to the public yet this year.
>The Mitten Brewing Company in Northport celebrated its 10-year anniversary last week, rolling out limited edition merch and a special anniversary beer for the occasion.
>Tandem Ciders shared last week that it had recently sent its one-millionth can of cider through the Tandem canning line. While the Suttons Bay cidery has been around since 2008, this milestone only extends back to the business’s current canning line, which was installed in 2021.