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If you enjoy a traditional Upper Peninsula pasty, you need to try Lehto’s Pasties in St. Ignace Michigan…

You know a place is one of the best pasty shops in Michigan if you decide to eat there twice in one trip. This is exactly what we did at Lehto’s Pasties in St. Ignace during our last trip to the Upper Peninsula.

Stopping for pasties at Lehto’s on our way to and from the Sault Ste. Marie area was both convenient and tasty!

The Traditional Beef Pasty With Gravy From Lehto's Pasties St. Ignace — The traditional beef pasty with gravy from Lehto’s Pasties | Photo via Leah Tennant

Two Convenient Lehto’s Pasties Locations

Known as one of the Upper Peninsula’s most popular pasty shops, Lehto’s has two locations in St. Ignace.

The Original Lehto’s Pasties spot located at 1983 W US-2 is ideal for anyone traveling west from the Mackinac Bridge. It is helpful to note that this branch only serves the traditional beef pasty.

A quick jaunt off I-75 onto Business I-75, the second Lehto’s Pasties is located at 626 State Street in the quaint downtown stretch of St. Ignace. This location has the full menu available of beef, chicken, and veggie pasties.

On our trip, we stopped at the downtown Lehto’s since it was right on our route to Sault Ste. Marie. While there are only a handful of parking spots to the side of the shop, we were able to snag a parking spot both times.

Lehto's Pasties St. Ignace — Lehto’s Pasties in downtown St. Ignace | Photo via Leah Tennant

Lehto’s Pasties Menu

Now, let’s get to the good stuff! The Lehto’s Pasties menu…

On our first stop at Lehto’s, my husband and I were quite hungry, so we decided to get three pasties to split between us, one of each variety — chicken, beef, and veggie. We also ordered one generously portioned gravy, which was plenty for all three pasties. (We tend to go light on the gravy.)

Menu At Lehto's Pasties St. Ignace — Downtown Lehto’s Pasties menu | Photo via Leah Tennant

My personal favorite from Lehto’s is the chicken pasty, which is very similar to a chicken pot pie with a savory filling of chicken, potatoes, carrots, and onions.

Lehto’s best seller remains the traditional beef pasty and for good reason! Made with beef, potatoes, onions, and rutabaga, the beef pasty is rich and satisfying.

The veggie pasty has a unique flavor with cheese, potatoes, zucchini, eggplant, mushroom, broccoli, raisins, and spices. The raisins add a slight sweetness to an otherwise savory meal.

You really can’t go wrong with any flavor pasty you choose from Lehto’s, but my top recommendations would be the chicken and beef pasties.

The Ultimate Travel Food

While there is no inside dining at the downtown Lehto’s, there are some picnic and patio tables for outdoor dining. Personally, though, we got our pasties to go.

The beauty of pasties is that they are the ultimate travel food. Originally crafted as hand-held meals for miners, the portable pasty makes a filling meal that can be eaten anywhere.

Smorgasbord Of Lehto's Pasties St. Ignace — Our smorgasbord of veggie, chicken, and beef pasties | Photo via Leah Tennant

Eat in the Comfort of Your Home

On our way up to Sault Ste. Marie, we picked up our pasties and waited to eat until we got to our vacation rental, about an hour away. There we enjoyed a smorgasbord of pasties and had fun taste-testing and comparing the three different pasty varieties.

Pro Tip: Bring an insulated lunch bag to transport your pasties and keep them nice and warm.

Enjoy a Pasty with a View

On our second visit to Lehto’s on our way back downstate, we couldn’t resist picking up more pasties for lunch. This time, we each got one pasty — chicken for myself and beef for my husband.

Then, we took a short drive from downtown St. Ignace for a pasty picnic at Straits State Park. We found a picnic table by a Mackinac Bridge scenic overlook to enjoy our pasties with a gorgeous view.

After lunch, we hiked the short, wooded trail through the campground to see the shores of Lake Huron. It made the perfect break before the rest of our drive home.