The time has come to review the McDonald’s of pasties, at least in Michigan. The original owner of that title goes to West Cornwall Pasty out of the United Kingdom, which is much closer to a McDonald’s as they are everywhere and serve coffee.
Dobber’s Pasties surprisingly only has two locations in the Upper Peninsula, but they are in two of the biggest cities and sell by the bunches online. It’s been in the family since the late ’60s, but the name wasn’t created until the late ’80s as a nickname of one of the owners, Doug ‘Dobber’ Mantela.
As far back as I can remember, Dobber’s has had a pizza pasty. Throughout the years, they’ve added to the menu with breakfast pasties and mini pasties being some of the newer options.
Because of the history and the amount they make, Dobber’s is one of the more trusted options in the southern U.P. along US-2. I’ve been here multiple times through the years and never had many complaints. If you want a good pasty and don’t want to gamble, Dobber’s is at least dependable.
But when put to the test, there were some noticeable faults in these pasties. The first being the crust, which is usually the case for pasty shops in this area. Of course, the ones pictured on their website look perfect, but similar to real life, they aren’t perfect in person.
The crust looks good, but it’s too soft to be considered among the elite. For the one being reviewed, it was like eating a mushy potato. It was soft to the touch and not up to perfect pasty standards. Of course, I’m being slightly harsh and the crust is usually better than average in my experience.
The inside is what Dobber’s has honed over the years. Unlike some places, you could tell they’ve gone through numerous versions of just how much salt and pepper should be used. That’s easily noticeable when enjoying a Dobber’s pasty as they get those amounts just right, at least in the beef pasty.
The first bite had me disappointed due to the crust, but overall, Dobber’s got the job done and everything passed the test. No ketchup needed, even if they have loads of it sitting out front.
Taste: 3.5 (out of 5)
Crust: 2.5 (out of 5)
Pasty Presentation: 4 (out of 5)
The Shop: 3 (out of 3) The bonus for Dobber’s is that they are (almost) always open.
Would I come back for Pasties?: 2 (out of 2)
Total Pasty Rating: 15 (of 20 points)
(Reviewed early Winter 2017)
You wanna live, try a Dobbers with melted mozzarella on top and sprinkle crushed red pepper and tobacco/ Taco Bell fire sauce on top🤷♂️
I like the innovation.
Some friends stopped over and wanted to go out to eat. New to the area, I had not eaten in any of the area restaurants yet, and thought that a local specialty might be nice. I took them to Dobbers. I ordered the pizza pasty for myself. It had a crust, a spoonful of red sauce, and two slices of pepperoni in it. That was all there was. My friends ordered normal pasties, and had to order a second one each to get filled. Maybe I was there on a bad day, but was not impressed.
Maybe you had mini pasties? I’m not sure I’ve ever run into a problem of needing two pasties in order to feel full.