Ernesto’s Cigar Lounge & Bar
Petoskey is a coastal community that sits at the very top of Michigan’s Lower Peninsula. It’s quiet here for most of the year, cooler, and life moves a little slower (unless it’s the summer season; then watch out). You’ll be hard-pressed to find many cigar lounges on your way to Petoskey, but once you’ve arrived you’ll find a gem in Ernesto’s.
To get to Ernesto’s, you have to walk off the charming main street, down an alley, and enter through a hatch door. Patrons of Ernesto’s say it’s not unlike entering a speakeasy. Once inside, you’ll find plenty of comfortable leather chairs and couches, a 21-foot walk-in humidor, a full bar, and even a bronze bust of Ernest Hemingway, whom the bar is named after.
At only a little over a year and a half, Ernesto’s is a young lounge, and it’s is owned by equally young yet extremely knowledgeable 24-year-old Alexander Engelman along with his slightly older business partner, Gerry.
“I usually tell people I’ve smoked enough cigars for a lifetime, and it’s only been six years,” says Engelman.
Engelman started smoking cigars when he turned 18 (he now smokes between two and seven a day) and even worked for a few summers at his local lounge where he grew his knowledge. It was in college when Engelman met his current business partner and started smoking more cigars, which eventually led to the idea of opening their own lounge. Only a few years later, the dream became a reality.
“I’m so new to all this, and there is always so much to do and to learn,” says Engelman. “This is my first business, and I feel like I jumped into the deep end, but I’ve been mentored by other lounge owners and it’s been invaluable. I’ve been looking for the right word to describe this lounge. You walk in and you’re teleported, taken, transported, to Cuba, but I don’t really like any of those, so let’s call it Cuban-esque.”
That’s the perfect way to describe this lounge. When you step through the door, it doesn’t even feel like you’re in Petoskey anymore. It’s comfortable, homey, and a wonderfully perfect place to spend an afternoon.
Ernesto’s Cigar Lounge & Bar
321 Reid’s Alley #1
Petoskey, Michigan 49770
(231) 753-2719
ernestoscigarlounge.com
Timothy’s Fine Cigars
Timothy’s Fine Cigars is set in a building constructed in 1860, nestled along the Saginaw River in Bay City’s thriving downtown. Father/daughter owners Timothy Socier and Emily McMann have been striving to offer the best in customer service for over 15 years. Timothy’s is the only Arturo Fuente Opus X and Drew Estate Drew Diplomat dealer in the Great Lakes Bay Region.
Whether it’s the finest in hand-rolled cigars, pipes and pipe tobaccos, or just a beautiful lounge with custom accommodations inside and out you’re searching for, Timothy’s is a true gem for cigar enthusiasts and novices alike.
*Timothy’s recently won our Readers’ Choice Awards for Favorite Cigar Lounge! Congrats, guys!
Timothy’s Fine Cigars
115 Center Ave.
Bay City, Michigan 48708
(989) 894-6673
timothysfinecigars.com
Honorable Mentions
Tuttle’s Select Cigars
3835 28th St. SE
Grand Rapids, Michigan 49512
(616) 942-6990
tuttlescigars.com
Churchill’s Cigar Shop
6635 Orchard Lake Rd.
West Bloomfield, Michigan 48322
(248) 855-0300
churchillscigarbar.com
For more lounges in Michigan, check out our full list.
