Most highway stops feel forgettable the second you pull back onto the interstate.
Spike’s Keg O’ Nails in Grayling has been doing the opposite since 1933—serving classic Spikeburgers, cold beer, and small‑town hospitality in a wood‑paneled tavern locals call “The Meeting Place of the North.”
It’s the kind of place where you come in for a quick burger and leave feeling like you just checked a true Michigan classic off your list. 🌲🍔
How they won locals’ hearts
Spike’s opened the day after Prohibition ended and has been a downtown Grayling fixture ever since, leaning into its Up North tavern identity with old saloon doors, wood everywhere, and walls packed with local history.
The kitchen keeps things simple and smart: 1/3‑ and 1/2‑pound ground round Spikeburgers cooked medium unless you ask otherwise, topped your way, and served with potato chips and a pickle spear.
One owner’s estimate says they sell around 40,000 hamburgers a year, which pretty much explains why the Spikeburger is front and center on the menu and in every write‑up.
Reviews from travelers and locals echo the same themes:
- “Great burger…cooked exactly to temperature.”
- “Skip the chains and head here for a great burger.”
- “A must when going through Grayling…high key recommend the Spikes Burger.”
That mix of reliably good burgers, very reasonable prices, and genuinely friendly service is why people keep detouring off I‑75 instead of just pushing on to the next exit.
Food Highlights
- Spikeburger (World Famous): A hefty 1/3‑lb ground round patty, topped with your choice of way, “emblematic Midwestern fare at its best,” served with chips and a pickle spear. 🍔
- Super Spikeburger: The 1/2‑lb version for bigger appetites; same build‑it‑how‑you‑like approach, just more burger. 🥩
- Spike’s Patty Melt / Super Patty Melt: Patty, grilled onions, and melted Swiss on grilled swirl rye is a go‑to for patty‑melt fans, though one reviewer warns it can run very rich and greasy (which some people love). 🧀
- Add‑Ons & Sides: Upgrade any burger with grilled mushrooms, jalapeños, banana peppers, bacon, guacamole, nacho cheese, or beer cheese, plus baskets of fries, seasoned wedges, waffle fries, tots, sweet potato fries, or onion rings. 🍟
- Hammy Sammy & Smelt: The Hammy Sammy on grilled pretzel bread and tempura‑battered smelt (a northern Michigan favorite) give non‑burger folks real options without leaving tavern territory. 🐟
- Soups, Chili & Salads: House‑made soups and chili plus big salads like the chef, buffalo chicken, and fiesta keep things lighter for anyone not going full Spikeburger. 🥗
Atmosphere
Spike’s leans hard into classic Up North bar energy: old saloon doors, hardwood everywhere, historic photos, and the feeling that not much has changed in the best way.
Inside, it’s a true tavern bar plus a handful of tables busy enough at 6 PM on a Sunday to hit capacity under past restrictions, which tells you how reliably popular it is.
It’s family‑friendly but still very much a bar at heart, exactly what you’d want from a long‑running Up North joint.
Bottom Line
Spike’s Keg O’ Nails built its reputation on simple, well‑done Spikeburgers, cold beer, and a tavern full of Grayling history, not flashy trends.
Between the world‑famous Spikeburger, the Super Spikeburger, and baskets of rings or fries, this is exactly the kind of place you hope to find when you get off the highway in northern Michigan instead of another chain.
If you’re passing through Grayling, skip the drive‑thru and head into town the Spikeburger and the room itself are worth the detour. 🌟
Address:
Spike’s Keg O’ Nails
301 N James St, Grayling, MI 49738
📞 (989) 348‑7113
🕔 Mon–Sat: 10:00 AM – 1:30 AM | Sun: 12:00 PM – 1:30 AM