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    Barrel Back Restaurant

    3.7 (376 reviews)
    ModerateNew American
    Open 11:30 am - 10:00 pm
    Updated 3 months ago

    Barrel Back Restaurant Photos

    Business Info

    BARREL BACK RESTAURANT ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Loud
    Casual
    Good for groups
    Outdoor seating

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    Recommended Reviews - Barrel Back Restaurant

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    Savanah L.

    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.

    Carrot cake
    Andrea P.

    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!

    Dawn S.

    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!

    Brisket sandwich
    Rachel B.

    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.

    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.

    Brisket sandwich
    Liz P.

    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.

    Whitefish.   Small portion.
    Mark K.

    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.

    Brisket Melt*
    Holly B.

    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.

    Western omelette
    Tanya T.

    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.

    Nachos

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    6 months ago

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    1 month ago

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

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    9 months ago

    Great food and service. Nice shop downstairs. Friendly staff checked on us continuously to make sure we had everything we needed.

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    11 months ago

    The ambience is great. I have been here a few times and the service is hit or miss. The food is average for the price.

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    Ask the Community - Barrel Back Restaurant

    Do they normally have music playing? It's weird that that there's no music here today... but thought maybe it's a fluke.

    They have music Mondays, Tuesdays, and Wednesdays.

    Are dogs welcome here?

    Service dogs with proper documentation and harnesses are more than welcome.

    Don’t See Your Question? Ask Away!

    Verify this business for free

    People searched for New American 371 times last month within 15 miles of this business.

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    Walloon Lake Inn - John Cross Whitefish with Parmesan crust

    Walloon Lake Inn

    4.2(105 reviews)
    0.1 mi
    $$$

    After numerous friends telling me " You have to eat at Walloon Inn you would love it, the food is…read moregreat and of course the view across the lake is spectacular ". Well I couldn't get a reservation in the fall so my girlfriend and I tried again while taking a ski trip to Boyne Mountain . Yes, The location and ambiance is fabulous . We were graciously greeted and sat at table # 1 right by the windows looking out to the frozen lake truly a great table. Our waitress Janice a local greeted us and was very nice. Janice did a great job going through the menu which I will added the prices were very fare . The wine and cocktail list were also impressive with a wide offering in price and choice. We decided on a Malbec to start. Then they brought out a the welcoming taste of salmon pate on a cucumber which we both found to be very tasty . After reviewing the menu we chose to bypass an appetizer for fear of just getting too much food and not finishing our dinner . After I told my girlfriend how good whitefish is in Michigan we both ordered that instead of the salmon or short ribs that also looked enticing. . Before our entree was served we had the warm bread and garlic butter that was terrific and tempting to eat the whole basket . Our dinners were served very quickly even though the restaurant was sold out . As we took the first bites of the white fish I was extremely disappointed . The breading had absolutely zero seasoning or flavor . The fish was flaky and cooked perfectly but the breading was completely flavorless taking away from the fish. Neither of us finished the dish and my girlfriend tried adding salt just to get some flavor but it didn't make it any better . I was going to order dessert but we were so disappointed after our dinner we chose to bypass dessert . . I did order a coffee since they didn't have cappuccino. I will say the coffee was very good , but what good restaurant doesn't have a cappuccino machine . As a side note the bathroom very nicely decorated in old wine box shingles on the wall and was very clean . I gave 3 stars simply because the Walloon Inn has been around so long and highly acclaimed as one of the better restaurants in the area. This was very disappointing . I may come back with my business partner and hope my experience will be better . Until next time .

    Visited again last night. Had the prix fixe dinner, two Caesar salads, the whitefish dinner and…read morethe salmon dinner. A nice wine to complement the dinner. Always worth the visit when in the area, servings were plentiful, dessert was a carryout as we couldn't touch another bite of food.

    Photos
    Walloon Lake Inn
    Walloon Lake Inn
    Walloon Lake Inn

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    Gates Ausable Lodge - Restaurant - Sous vide New York strip - great with red wine

    Gates Ausable Lodge - Restaurant

    4.7(51 reviews)
    44.0 mi
    $$

    We were up in the north woods with the in-laws . We had been to Gates previously for lunch and…read moresaid "Hey, let's go for dinner,". I called and Josh was accommodating for a reservation. Gates is a place that makes great food and is low key /non pretentious. Don't dress fancy, don't expect cloth tablecloths or napkins. Do expect solid food. The crew had one vegan and three carnivores. Ryanne and Lexi were great for support and took care of us. We had drinks and a few appetizers as well as entrees. The trout, pork, and steak were great. The vegan salad and pasta were vegan... We finished off with a few desserts and had a great time. The location is remote and beautiful but worth a 40 minute drive.

    We love this restaurant and have been going for almost 6 years. A very small intimate restaurant…read moreoverlooking the Ausable river with a serene view of canoes, river rafters and yes, Anglers fly fishing while dining on today's catch, as well as the special of the day. The food is absolutely amazing. from the Pastry Chefs homemade desserts to the Chefs daily creations. We live and dine most of the time in the Los Angeles and Santa Barbara Wine area. We know awesome food. This rates right with the best! The service has always been excellent and we can't speak highly enough of our wonderful server Ryanne. She has waited on us several times this year and last year. Always a smile and always aiming to serve and please. Make sure you call in advance for your reservation. It's a very small restaurant suggest calling at least 2 to 3 weeks ahead. Sometimes you get lucky 1 week in advance. We are going back again tonight. Highly suggest starting the meal off with their "out of this world" Michigan Salad (field greens, Roasted Pecans, Blue Cheese Fritters with their homemade dressing). The salad with a cup of soup is a meal into itself. The pictures I have posted was their special that day: the Soft Shell Crab plate. They were flown in live that morning and put in the pot minutes before I ate it. Delicious. My husband ordered their fish fry, which is always on the menu for $28. Lightly breaded freah Blue Gill, fries, homemade coleslaw and tarter sauce. Wonderful!!! The special dessert of the day is well named, the Flutter Nutter Cheese Cake; We went crazy nuts over it! It was the Pastry Chefs (the restaurants' owner BTW) unique creation. A very whipped and fluffy peanut butter and chocolate cheese cake. Just heaven! Can't wait for our 5pm reservation for tonight. Stay tuned!

    Photos
    Gates Ausable Lodge - Restaurant
    Gates Ausable Lodge - Restaurant - Chocolate Pistachio layer cake

    Chocolate Pistachio layer cake

    Gates Ausable Lodge - Restaurant - Pork schnitzel in mushroom ravioli with apple and cabbage slaw

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    Pork schnitzel in mushroom ravioli with apple and cabbage slaw

    Barrel Back Restaurant - newamerican - Updated May 2026

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