Putting together a list of current Edwardsburg restaurants made me think of past eating places in the area.

Maybe you remember some of these but many came and went so fast that you may have missed them.

In the town area on M-62 there was the Tastee Freeze, which stood where Spicy’s’ is now. It made the best ice cream cones and the lines in the summer were long but it was worth the wait. The Little League teams would line up after games for the coach’s treat.

Next was the Cupboard, whose building became Village Hall in later years. It is now moved to a space between Spicy’s and Lunker’s parking lot and is a taxidermy business. It was the go-to place for good food and it provided jobs for many young girls of the town.

Another popular place was the Bungalow that was a Realtor’s office until recently and is now empty. It was always busy.

The restaurant with the best pies in town was at Marge Taylor’s little restaurant adjacent to the Sinclair Station which is now a part of the antique store next to the museum. Mrs. Shoemaker made pies, my favorite, coconut cream and lemon meringue that were wonderful.

A place only open in the summer was the Root Beer Barrel before it became a drive-in. It was located where Maple Cafe is now. My son John worked there in high school. He was the root beer boy. His job was to draw the root beer into the cold  frosted mugs which were a treat on hot summer days.

A new restaurant came to town. The new Ranch House built in front of Harding’s Market. For a short time is was a Chinese Restaurant.  It later became Legend’s and is now gone.

Next, down the street was Paul’s Pizza Parlor, which later became Esther’s Cafe. It was just about in the location where Taco Bell is now. It made the best pizza for miles around. It was an eat-in and take-out kind of place, always popular after sporting events. It was first a gas station converted into a restaurant.

Of course the Four Square has always been in business. It was known all over southern Michigan and northern Indiana for its great fried chicken.

Out of town there was the first Ranch House which was on Elkhart Road  near Garver Lake. It was in the front room of a house and Mrs. Banghart was the good cook.

At Eagle Lake the popular places were Mariners Haven, a small little take out place in the parking lot of the Dock. The Dock was at the east end of the lake and served delicious lunches and dinners. It was just a small place in the beginning and then was enlarged to meet the crowds.

Eagle Park Inn was up on the hill and is now Stacy’s. It had a very fine dining room with good food and later was known as Fisherman’s Wharf.

At the time all of these places were available there was no place in Granger to eat and everyone in Indiana came to Michigan to eat and drink.

There was even a restaurant on the corner of Adamsville Road and U.S. 12 that was part of a store. Of course all of the resorts had kitchens and served meals, French’s Resort, Christiana Lake Lodge, even Smith’s Hotel, now the Museum, served Sunday dinners.

Places to dine were plentiful and Edwardsburg people loved to eat and still do.