Dealing with pasties, I’ll often have a preconceived notion about a shop for some reason or another. For Hiawatha Pasties, I didn’t expect much because I visited them previously and wasn’t that impressed. Or at least, that’s what I thought.

But this time was different. Maybe they have different ownership or maybe I was confusing Hiawatha with somewhere else.

Whatever the case, Hiawatha is a must-stop along the Pasty Trail.

Right off US-2, roughly 30 minutes west of the bridge, Hiawatha doesn’t look like much. I mean, what pasty shop does look like much?

As a bonus, they also sell Mackinaw Island Fudge and have free fudge and taffy samples out front. I’m in.

It’s worth noting I came through on a Saturday at midday in late September, grabbed two traditional pasties to go and couldn’t help but hear that they needed to heat more up for the next customers. It was simply fate that The Pasty Guy got the last two hot pasties available.

But why are they low on hot-and-ready pasties in late September? Are they that popular?

Maybe they should be.

The biggest fault with Hiawatha’s pasties is that they look like a burrito on the outside. Look at the picture. I thought I was about to dive into something from Chipotle.

Whatever. I guess I can move on…

Overall, the crust was good. On first bite, I thought it was too dry, but the more I dove into it, everything performed well, crust included.

The Hiawatha pasty is a bit different than most others as the ‘Traditional’ contains ground beef and pork and it’s noticeable from the start. The two meats are a different color.

At first, I didn’t know how to rate this because of the meat ordeal, but since it’s the traditional pasty, I’m rating it as I regularly do.

There isn’t much more you can do with this pasty. The Pasty Mom even called it ‘delicious’, which I’m not sure she’s ever said about a pasty.

However, the rating could be higher mainly because of the crust and because it looks like a burrito for presentation. Take away some of that dryness and make it look like an actual pasty and we’re getting closer to perfection.

Update Summer 2019: Dropped rating from 17.5 to 16.5. I can’t get past the burrito style and the ratio was heavy on potatoes. 

Update No. 2: Hiawatha Pasties seem like the go-to for nearby stops on US-2, as I’ve run into them numerous times while looking for new pasties. I’ve run into them at Hog Island Country Store and the St. Ignace Truck Stop, as well as a few smaller grocery stores.

Taste: 4.5 (out of 5)
Crust: 3.5 (out of 5)
Pasty Presentation: 3.5 (out of 5)
The Shop: 3 (out of 3)
Would I come back for Pasties?: 2 (out of 2)

Total Pasty Rating: 16.5 (of 20 points)

(Reviewed Fall 2016, Summer 2019)