Outskirts Cafe — Restaurant in Union Charter Township

We first met the owners at CMU Fire Up Fest, and they stopped by Mission Street Tattoo downtown to introduce themselves. We promised we'd visit when they opened, and honestly, we've been counting down the days ever since—we're serious breakfast people and eat out for breakfast several times a week. We've tried everywhere in town, so we know what we're talking about.

Our first visit, we weren't super hungry, so we just ordered coffee and decided to try the pancakes. The coffee? Absolutely incredible. This isn't your average diner coffee—they ship it in from Colorado, and it's become a major reason we keep coming back. For us, great coffee and good water are non-negotiables. I usually drink at least two glasses of water with my meal, and tap water just doesn't cut it. Their filtered water is delicious, which might sound small, but it makes a huge difference.

Now, the pancakes—homemade sweet cream pancakes that are so good they don't even need syrup. But the syrup? Real maple syrup, none of that fake thick corn syrup stuff. It's so good I could lick it off the plate. We left completely stuffed and thrilled with our choices. Today we came back hungry and ready to explore the menu. There are so many options, and after seeing the portion sizes, I went with a half portion (yes, they offer that!). We had the French toast—amazing, with a caramel drizzle—plus bacon that's a really meaty cut and genuinely smoky, like real smoked meat, not that processed taste. The eggs were cooked perfectly. I also ordered a side of hashbrowns because I'm super picky about breakfast hashbrowns, and I wanted to see how they measured up. They did not disappoint—perfectly cooked and nice and crispy. Even with ordering a half portion, I left completely stuffed and couldn't finish my plate. That's how much food you get here.

Overall, the experience has been fantastic—friendly staff, phenomenal food, amazing coffee and water, and the place is clean and well-organized, including the bathrooms. The prices are comparable to the most popular restaurants in town, but the food is way better. We love that we can order half portions at a lower price so we don't waste food.

At Mission Street Tattoo, we have a lot of people visit from out of town, and they always ask us for recommendations on places to eat—especially breakfast if they're staying in a hotel. We will absolutely be referring this place to everyone who asks from now on.

We really hope they do well in Mount Pleasant. They're good people, and this restaurant has quickly become our favorite...

A new breakfast joint? Yes. Please. This isn’t your average cheap diner slop. This is scratch breakfast and lunch options with some Arizona flair and boy does it shine.

Upon entering you are greeted by the host and seated. We were waited on by co-owner Chris and he is just a ball of energy and is eager to answer any questions or concerns. They did have some items that were not on the menu that they added and a couple new proteins to choose from.

My wife got the classic and it was a great amount of food. Not greasy at all with good flavor. Hasbrowns were not soggy but fluffy with a good crisp. The sourdough toast? Fluffy and buttered to perfection.

Now me? If I go somewhere new and you have a burger, I will get the burger. You can always judge a place on its burgers and HOLY COW did this exceed expectations. I ended up getting the breakfast steak burger. This burger comes on a brioche bun, hash browns, bacon, cheese, and a fried egg cooked however you want. The patty was cooked great with a great crust on it. The bacon? Incredibly thick cut and well flavored. The egg was great but I do have to knock em down a little because the egg was a bit over cooked for what I requested (I’m talking like cooked 10 seconds too long).

I did get the burger with their specialty home fries. This showcased that Arizona flair as it was wonderful cooked sliced potato’s with some onion and chiles. But it wasn’t overbearing at all! It felt very cohesive and was a chefs kiss to chiles everywhere.

I will say, bit of a hot take here, portions for the home fries with the burger was a bit much. The burger was VERY filling and I felt like I couldn’t make a dent in the pile of potatoes! Absolutely worth the cost of the food but I didn’t want to leave uneaten food but if I ate more I was gonna explode.

Another con for me is the credit card fee. I personally am not a fan of charging the fee as I also own a business and choose not to do this. But it certainly isn’t a deterrent of a great business but be advised that if you pay with a card, you will be hit with a percentage.

Parking lot hasn’t changed since the previous businesses and can be a bit tight. Interior is cozy and nicely setup to accommodate a good amount of people without feeling cramped.

Drinks are Coke products, coffee, hot chocolate (usual stuff) 3.50 is what we paid but I do believe that comes with refills.

Overall I was gonna give this a 4/5 but as I stand here pacing back in forth coming out of a food coma, I’m going to...

Service was great. Everyone working there seems happy. Food was great and a lot of it seems like it isn't right out of a box. Had an issue with their payment system and the made it right right away. Only complaint is that they charge a blanket 4% fee for credit cards which leaves a bad taste...