If you're a true Michigander, then you know about pasties. You love 'em, you're OK with 'em, you don't care for 'em, you've never tried one...but at least you know what they are.

There's a big difference between:
1) This crusty hand-pie filled with meats, taters and rutabagas and
2) A couple of doo-dads that are worn on a stripper's breasts.....
...so make sure you always tell the uninformed that the correct pronunciation is PASS-tee, not PAY-stee.

Yep, not only is this northern Michigan delicacy normally filled with beef, pork, potatoes, onions, carrots, rutabagas, and lard, but there are other variations that include beans, cheese, and venison. One of these fat little babies will fill you up!

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Okay, so where do you find the BEST pasty in the Upper Peninsula? Let's face it – every shop that sells pasties will say theirs is the best, the Number One, Michigan's Finest, whatever. You have to begin in Mackinaw City and work your way thru the Upper Peninsula. It's almost impossible to pinpoint the absolute Best Pasty in Michigan, so it will have to be in the tastebuds of the beholder.

To help out, here are a dozen spots to taste-test your own pasties:
AU TRAIN GROCER – Au Train
COLONEL K's - Menominee
CUT RIVER  INN – Epoufette
DOBBER'S – Iron Mountain
HIAWATHA – Naubinway
HUNT'S – Mackinaw City
JOE'S – Ironwood
LEHTO'S – St. Ignace
MINER'S – Munising
MULDOON'S – Munising
PASTY CORNER – Iron River
ROY'S – Houghton

HOWEVER!
There has been a conclusion as to who has the best pasty in the U.P., as conducted by The Pasty Guy on thepastyguy.com. According to the site, there is a tie for the top pasty spot:

LAWRY'S in Marquette
THE PASTY OVEN in Quinnesec

They both tie with a total of 18 points out of 20.  There's gotta be somebody with a 20, right? I guess one of us will have to take on that challenge but it's a tuffie – there's almost no such thing as a bad pasty...

The Best (and #1) Pasties in the Upper Peninsula

MORE UPPER PENINSULA STUFF:

Upper Peninsula's First Dairy Queen

Old Victoria, Upper Peninsula Ghost Town

Abandoned Ice Cream Shop, Upper Peninsula

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