We enjoyed a late afternoon drink and wings at the outside bar. Beautiful view of the lake and great service from Joel. He recommended the wings and did not steer us wrong. They were huge and juicy and delicious. Came with 4 dipping sauces but honestly, they were so tasty they didn't need any! read more

Barrel Back Restaurant - Smoked Chicken Wings* - New American Near Me - Walloon Lake, Michigan

Barrel Back is one of those restaurants I have really mixed feelings about because the food itself can be amazing. Their brisket is genuinely unmatched. We've had brisket at plenty of other places and nothing compares to theirs and it is absolutely the reason we continue coming back. Unfortunately, the rest of the experience doesn't consistently live up to the food. Wait times for food are often very long, and across multiple visits we've found the servers generally aren't very attentive. The other major issue is the price. It's very expensive for the amount of food you actually get, and especially in the current economy, that's hard to overlook. When you're paying that much for a meal, I think it's reasonable to expect not only excellent food, but excellent service and an overall experience that feels worth the price. That's ultimately why I'm torn. The brisket is five-star brisket, but the overall value and service aren't five-star. We'll probably still find ourselves coming back because apparently that brisket has a hold on us, but better service, shorter waits, and pricing that feels more proportional to the portions would make a huge difference. read more

Menu keeps removing things we like. New waitstaff are terrible. Ours was socializing at the bar we could see her and brought our drink 20 min after they were done while she just talked and hung out. There are some other good wait staff but be warned some are terrible. They have a food runner so other than order and drinks the waitstaff don't have much to do. A 3% fee is now added to your bill without your choice to cover employees benefits. Steak portions have shrunk while prices went way up. read more

Stopped in last weekend on Friday night. Quickly sat at a table near the fire place and greeted by our male server. We all got wine and then order the $25 meal special. This included a side garden salad - it was pretty big and very fresh. We all got the flank steak with gorgonzola cheese potato and flank steak. It was a really good portion for the price. Highly recommend! read more

Barrel Back Restaurant - Flank Steak - New American Near Me - Walloon Lake, Michigan

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Barrel Back sits atop the Legacy Water Sports store. Enter the store and head upstairs. Makes a great first night dinner if you're staying next door at Hotel Walloon and want to leave the car parked for the night. Menu is varied and tasty. Possibly the best fish and chips I've had outside of the United Kingdom. Huge whitefish portions battered lightly and deep fried along with some great fries. The personal pizzas are also a hit. Full bar and friendly servers. The folks that live and work up here ain't here by accident. They're doing what they love and loving what they do. Chat up your bartenders and learn what's great about the Walloon Lake/Boyne/Petoskey area. read more

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Food was ok. They skimp on fries and sandwiches. They look tall with shredded meat but if you smash it you can see it's all bun. Service was good in restaurant. View was in the restaurant looking at the lake or at the overpriced weak drink bar on lake! Get a beer or wine if you want to feel satisfied or its all ice! read more

Good food, good service, and a great view! Been here often since it opened, never been disappointed!

Christopher was a good waiter, attentive to water & wine refills, friend had romaine wedge, I had the veggie burger both were very good, I don't know why they don't list the Veggie Burger on their menu! Maybe a few more veggie options would be nice. Handicapped accessible. Awesome view of Walloon Lake! We sat outside! read more

We were visiting from out of town and wanted to have dinner near the water for our last night. Our server was wonderful and the food was really good. I've been dreaming about the margherita pizza with the balsamic glaze since we left. read more

Terrible. Ordered a cheeseburger came dry as hell with no cheese. Requested that they fix it and make a cheeseburger and they handed me a piece of unmelted cheese. Don't come here absolutely worst service and ridiculous prices. read more

Barrel Back Restaurant - New American Near Me - Walloon Lake, Michigan

This place has the best waterfront views! It also has a huge gas fireplace in the middle is the restaurant giving it such a welcoming ambience. Stopped here for dessert and it did not disappoint. This has to be one of the best pieces of carrot cake I've had in a long time. I absolutely loved the candied Ginger served on top. If you're in the area this is a must stop place to grab some grub! read more

Barrel Back Restaurant - Carrot cake - New American Near Me - Walloon Lake, Michigan

Came here for my daughters birthday lunch. The view is spectacular. Our server was very good and helped make it a special experience with mocktails for the minors. The menu has enough variety that everyone could find something they like. Highly recommend checking this place out. read more

Our host sat us at a comfortable table with a view of Walloon Lake and close enough to the fire place to feel its cozy warmth. We both ordered the taco night special with three different kinds. The Buffalo chicken taco had a nice crispy texture in the chicken tenders. The tempura shrimp was really tasty. I took the last taco home. We also shared nachos with smoked pork, really tasty. Our server was helpful and wonderfully friendly. read more

We had gone to the wood boat show and wanted to get some food. It was really busy there and did have to wait to get seated but that wasn't surprising considering how many people were coming in to eat. The pizza was sooooo good! Others who had gotten other food were just as happy with theirs worthy stop! read more

Barrel Back Restaurant - New American Near Me - Walloon Lake, Michigan

Service was great, ambiance was good, and the whitefish appetizer was amazing. But, if you want to pay for BURNT and overcooked food, this is the place for you! read more

Ordered the chicken sandwich...told the server it was WAY overcooked and dry. Asked her to tell the kitchen...adjust the time for cooking. They are way overpriced. Have been going here since they opened...not again. read more

3.5/5, so I'll round up to 4 stars. First off, the views here are fabulous. I'm in town for the weekend with some girlfriends, and we met the uncle of one of them here for drinks and dinner. We started off at the outdoor bar - which has a different cocktail menu from the indoor restaurant, btw - and I had a Painkiller, which was very good. We then went indoors but had a 20-munute wait, so we looked at the shop on the first floor for a bit. The pizza, pasta, and Cuban sandwich all looked good, and I ended up ordering the Cuban, with a side of parmesan Brussels sprouts. The Cuban was good but not what I pictured - it also had jalapeños, which I didn't know (and I can't do spicy well). The Brussels were okay but I kinda wish I ordered the sweet potato fries instead. Two of the people in our group ordered pizzas, and those looked really good - a BBQ chicken one and a gluten-free margherita. The other ordered a brisket sandwich. I also had the strawberry basil cocktail but unfortunately it was more basil-y than strawberry-tasting. Up until then, this was a 4-star (not 3.5-star) review. However, we ordered dessert around 850pm and it didn't come out until 920pm (I know this because I had sent a text to someone around that time)... My friend's GF cookie with ice cream showed up then and also a super large piece of carrot cake (honestly, it looked delicious and I usually dislike carrot cake). However, we had ordered the brownie s'mores... So we had to wait another 5-10 minutes for it. If you're staying at a Boyne property you also get 10% off here if you show your wristband, our waitress put this on our initial check but then when we asked her to split the check, she had to redo it. Overall I'd come back here again since the views and food were great, but I'd get a pizza instead, and also hope the kitchen wasn't as slow. read more

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Food was good, came out on time but sometimes it's not even cooked well. Our waitress "Meghan" acted like it was her time on the job. She lied to us about the ranch situation and told us it was the last ranch in the restaurant and then she brought some to go. She over shared about her skiing story bragging to us about her black diamond trip. She kept telling us it would be an up charge for fries and even other sides, telling us multiple times. She will not be tipped read more

It pains me to write this review. We've had several positive experiences here, but reflecting on yesterday's experience something has gone awry. Stopped in early evening after a round of golf. Beautiful day. They had the place closed up even though the restaurant is an open atmosphere with screens all around the place. The air conditioning unit was running non stop. Problem is all the flies had no where to go, so many of us were swatting away flies as we tried to enjoy our dinner. Ugh. Service: wow, our server just didn't want to be bothered. I get it. Young girl probably wishing she was out on the lake. But....... Finally the food. Ordered the whitefish sandwich. Tiny, little piece of fish. I'm still hungry. Up charge of 5.00 for fries....fine, but again, tiny portion. Oh well, hope they address some of these issues. read more

Barrel Back Restaurant - Whitefish. Small portion. - New American Near Me - Walloon Lake, Michigan

Beautiful location right on the lake! Unfortunately we went on a rainy day and it was just for breakfast. Our server Jayna was amazing. Very friendly and attentive. The coffee was a bit of a let down. They need a stronger and better tasting brew. My omelette was tasty but I do think a side option should be offered for the cost of the item as I wasn't very full. Gorgeous views of the lake and an outdoor bar too! I would love to go back in the summer for dinner. read more

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Rib's flavor was pretty good but they were EXTREMELY hard to separate and eat. Ended up giving up. Brisket sandwich, burger, and Pork BBQ were all pretty good, however, they forgot to switch the bread for the brisket and forgot the tomato for the burger. Second time here and it was overall a different experience. read more

Barrel Back Restaurant - Brisket sandwich - New American Near Me - Walloon Lake, Michigan

Food and service was good. Steak was added to salad and that was a little pricey. Probably won't do that again. It was like paying for two entrees. Otherwise enjoyed the atmosphere, fireplace, and view. read more

Barrel Back Restaurant - New American Near Me - Walloon Lake, Michigan

Wonderful views and good service. I enjoy it here but the food this time was so-so. The brisket did not have much flavor. The nachos were bland. I love that they have gluten free options. We usually always get the gf skillet cookie but it's no longer on the menu, which is a bummer as it was so good. We will still come back because of the location and view, but hope the food is better next time. read more

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The food here is fantastic, the gf carrot cake is and the gf cookie sundae were both delicious. Highly recommend going here, great service and great food! read more

Great game time vibes. Spicy Bloody Mary's & watching Michigan v Ohio. Chicken soup & chicken wings were off the charts. Nachos were good. Great place!!! read more

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This place is excellent. The food is great. Try the chili-truly delicious. We rated the pulled pork as one of the best sandwiches we've ever had. The pizza is fantastic. We've eaten here 4 times this week and every time the food has been great! While they've been busy every time, we were able to get a table right away. The service staff is extremely well trained and friendly. If you are in the Petoskey/Charlevoix area you really should eat here-you won't be disappointed! read more

This restaurant has one of the most beautiful views from its dining room that Michigan offers. The tables seems to hang over Lake Waloon yielding stunning panoramas in every season There is a cozy circular fireplace that adds to the Ambiance. The food is pretty standard bar/gastro pub? fare which can be heavy. If you go without big culinary expectations, you will be fine. Try Barrel Back on a clear Fall evening The entrance does not hint at the grandeur of the sights that await you inside--the crystal clear lake, passing boats and bird life. Magnificent! read more

Grab a quick drink from the bar overlooking the lake and the marina. They had a full bar, tons of specialty beverages/beers, and a lot of fun people just chatting about their day. It's a great spot, if there aren't clouds, to catch the sunset. We'll be back! read more

Barrel Back Restaurant - New American Near Me - Walloon Lake, Michigan

Done with the Barrel Back. What happened to this place? Limited menu items, waaay too expensive for what you get, terribly slow service (took 20 minutes to get a piece of carrot cake), and the worst part... our server tried to rush us to place our food order because a party of 8 was coming in. Seriously. There were plenty of empty tables and the restaurant was no where near capacity, so a party of 8 was going to clog up the kitchen that much, that we needed to "rush" our order because of them. Give me a break... When we heard this, we said check please... Will most likely not be back, this restaurant, while very nice, has just lost its way, serving tourists for a 1x purchase, but not for Wallooner's who have been living on the lake for many decades. read more

Decent food. Was not super impressed for the prices paid. Service was 2-Star if that ! The staff was busy and wait time was long. Weren't that busy when we got there read more

Really had high hopes for this one but was pretty disappointed. Came with a group of 6-7 and service was friendly and helpful - but the food just didn't deliver. People who ordered breakfast foods had fully finished their meals long before folks who had ordered lunch got their food. Super awkward. I went for the bbq pork sliders and they came out completely luke-warm. Flavor was fine but they felt like they had been sitting for some time before they made their way to the table. Fries were the same. Just a bit of a let-down. read more

Food: 3.5 Ambiance: 4 Service:0 Cute place. Went there on a winter evening so couldn't see the lake view. But the central fireplace was v atmospheric. Service was slow to start, but not terrible at first. We ordered, food came before the drinks which is always a bummer when you order drinks 5 min before. Hubs said wings were good. I got the mushroom fettuccini Alfredo and - surprise, surprise - it was fantastic! No jarred Alfredo here. It was lightly sauced w tons of fresh sautéed mushrooms. Yum. Husband got grilled ceasar w chicken. There were tiny bones all throughout the chicken. Kinda a bummer bc you can't enjoy it bc you're worried you'll crack a tooth. Didn't want to send it back bc at that point our server hadn't been around. Finally, we ask another server if he can send ours over. He says yes, but who is it? I thought, IDK, donchall know who's handling what tables. But told him she was young w brown hair (which I think also described every other server there but him). Finally about 7+ min later, a real live grown up brings over the check and says "here you go". We had needed to order something to go for our kids at home, but was kinda annoyed the check came before she even asked. I mean, have the check ready, but at least ask first. This place has some promise. So hope they can get the service and rest of the food right. read more

Five stars for lunch. Found ourselves in Lake Waloon at 12 noon. As we were passing through town I picked up the scent of Mesquite and had to find the source which brought us to the Barrel Back. Their smoked wings are now on my top 10 wings list. Outstanding! No need for sauce at all. The flavor is perfect. I also ordered their white fish sandwich which was pretty much the best white fish sandwich that I have ever had. With that said the novelty of ordering local white fish has wained for me and I can't see myself ordering it again any time soon. My wife ordered street corn chowder soup and a chopped salad. Both were excellent. Our server was super friendly and attentive. The dining bar area is comfortable and inviting with an industrial tavern vibe. Lots of outdoor seating as well with great views of the lake. I will certainly dine here again the next time I'm in the neighborhood of Walloon. read more

Barrel Back Restaurant - White fish sandwich. Smoked wings, Chopped Salad, Street corn chowder. - New American Near Me - Walloon Lake, Michigan

So I always thought a 'Cuban Sandwich' was served after a pressing via a 'Slim Jim' grille. Well mine arrived on a huge brochette roll! It was stuffed with tasty pulled pork, ham & most of the other stuff from the kitchen sink. Our server was cool, calm and respectfully distant. Must admit their lavender martini was unique, but overpriced at $18 a pop (summer season rates). The noise level was deafening given all the hard surfaces in the massive room. Glass garage doors added to the reverberations. Someone dropped a plate & the entire operation froze for a brief moment. Also a child screeched during a tantrum which stopped everyone's heart. Poor brat needed a pacifier! Now would I return - probably not likely this season as there are several other operations that need a salty review read more

This was our last meal as we were leaving the Petoskey/Harbor Springs area and am very happy we stopped! You have to walk through a little shop to go upstairs to Barrel Back, and it's so cute! Very spacious and airy - I can't wait to see how it is when the summer hits, the garage door is open and it overlooks the lake. I can imagine that it's super great for a summer evening and sunset. We ordered the french dip and cuban, both very good but the french dip was FANTASTIC. We asked for a side salad instead of the chips and didn't realize that it would be $8 each for the upcharge for the salad. Had we known, we would have purchased a salad and split it that way. Either way, I can't wait to go back this summer. read more

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Great view! We were there for lunch; both of us had pizzas- very tasty. We sat on the deck and really enjoyed the nice weather and beautiful view. The service was good, and the prices were reasonable. We will be back! read more

3 girlfriends and I were there for dinner last Saturday evening. While we were sat fast, the value for food was not good. Upcharge for 3 thin pieces of broccolini instead of chips was $7.00 with my burger. That would have been fine except the portion was less than expected. Also, the $17 upgrade for brisket on nachos is just ridiculous. It was dark, so I cannot say the view made the experience worthwhile. Had dinner at Cafe Sante in Boyne City the night before and with similar menu prices and better options, the food was exceptional. Get it together Barrelback! I am in Petoskey every summer and do not anticipate coming back. read more

had the worst meal and dining experience of my life. The server ignored us while she catered to the table next to us. My dinner entrée arrived with a hair in the butter, and they asked if they could just take the butter and leave the entrée. The ribs were terrible, dry and like leather I've never returned food ever this is my first time and the waitress seemed pissed . Never even checked back with the table to see if everybody else was happy with their meal which they weren't. Never once tried to remedy the situation or make our experience better overall terrible food terrible service . Terrible experience, waste of money. read more

Pleasantly surprised! We had a great meal at this cozy lakeside restaurant located above a ski/surf shop. A large fireplace located in the center of the main room set the stage for a fun evening. The vibe was casual ski lodge and we loved it! We went for dinner on a Friday night and happily didn't have a wait at 7:30 pm, since they don't accept reservations. We had a great server who was knowledgeable about the menu and let us know they were known for their in house-made smoked meats. We had brisket, chili and linguini marinara. The brisket was a big hit, the chili was bland and disappointing and the linguini was tasty topped with crushed walnuts, feta and fresh basil. The cocktails were also delicious and we were able to peruse the shop below after dinner which remains open until the restaurant closed at 10pm! Easy to find neighborhood parking, good for date night, large groups and families. I will definitely go back next time I'm near Walloon Lake! read more

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Since I have enjoyed eating at Barrel Bark, I thought I would give it another try. In January, my family went to eat there. The server forgot to put in our order. Needless to say, we waited an hour for macaroni and sandwiches. Thought I would give it another try today. I have never before eaten a Caesar salad made up of completely yellow lettuce loaded with each piece loaded with dressing. The steak I added was nothing more than marinated flank steak which was not listed in the menu as such. Very disappointing. Not waiting for a third time. Two times, Barrel Back is out. read more