This is a truly unique spot, as you can only access it by boat. The spot and vibe alone get five stars for me. Yes, it's a no-frills bar, but it was so much fun to pull the boat up and grab lunch, and the energy inside is lively and more of a party atmosphere. The food was above average for bar food. I got the Walleye and enjoyed it. They were having a deal on burgers, and some of my party took advantage of that. The food is affordable, and everyone enjoyed what they got. I would make this my go-to lunch spot on a boat day if I lived in the area! read more

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I've never been to Harsens Island before and my family and I ventured out on a Sunday afternoon drive. My Mom always raved how great Browns is so I had high expectations. I was quickly disappointed the second I walked through the wooden screen door. My family and I walked in and we were told their would be a 15 minute wait. I couldn't understand why. The place was dead and their was at least 10 waitresses standing around texting on their iPhones. When we were finally seated it took out waitress over 20 minutes to get drink orders and introduce herself. She then told us they were out of about 10 common menu items (fries, rings, chicken, etc) My family and I ordered cheese sticks as an Appetizer. Very tasteless. Then again they were out of ranch to dip them in! I ordered a fish sandwich as my meal. I assumed that since the restaurant was on the water that the fish would be fresh. The bun was way too large and hard for the tiny over fried piece of fish. I would have been more satisfied getting a fish filet sandwich from McDonalds. I wouldn't suggest this for a family get together, especially with younger children. I felt like I got an STD just walking into the bathroom with all the half naked men and women around. read more

This is a must stop if you're on the water. The views and location is amazing. They recently redid the bathrooms this season which is great. They have okay food. The Madison burger is very good, but sometimes it comes on Texas toast, which I was not a fan off. I think before I got it on something different. They have good wraps and mozzarella sticks. Strong drinks. Sometimes the servers are hit or miss, but that's because they are usually packed on the weekends. There are a lot of boat slips, but it may be hard to find one mid day on a Saturday. Great loCal! Views! People! Remember though there is no wake out front on the middle channel. read more

Bill Fritts' Browns - boat in the water - Bars Near Me - Clay, Michigan

The only thing going for this place is that it's on the water and it's open in the summer. The staff is uninterested in waiting on tables. They baffle the patrons on who will wait on their table. No process and no concern. If there was an once of competition, they'd be out of business. read more

what's not to love!!! you're at browns!!!! everybody's having a great time!! " the Big Crunchy" fish sandwich is great!! 2 for 1 Madison burgers on Monday Cool beer Big loud boats read more

Camping for the weekend. Tried to go somewhere else to try some place new but it was closed Browns was not busy. Still setting up from being closed for COVID. WAITRESS WAS GREAT and the food was great. We sat out on the deck and ten all of a sudden the boats started rolling in. They have a guy that comes out and hooks up your boat! We had burgers and black & blue wrap, fries and onion rings. Everything was to brag about although we agreed the black & blue wrap could have used more blue cheese. Worth the stop! read more

I just hopped in the boat and brought the family today. We parked with ease (Monday) and there was a good crowd there. Food was fast and prompt, the Bloody Mary and fireball was nice and stiff. Bartender and wait staff were prompt and professional. BIG portions of food for the money, though menu was limited because they just opened and covid so totally not their fault. The place was generally clean and everything looked neat. This will be our hot spot for the summer when we travel. Anyone who gave 3 stars is a little too critical I think. We had a good time! read more

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They call this a family place, but on their website, women in thong bikinis and barely there bikini tops are displayed. Before you walk in there's a sign on the window GUNS GUTS GOD which is disgusting and at the bar, they have a mannekin rastafarian with a giant bottle of booze in front of them (RACIST!) You can barely hear anything anyone's saying bc of the blasting blare of the nonstop heavy metal music. Mostly over forty crowd trying to be seen. The waitress was great and the food came hot and fast. The drinks were ice cold, fantastic. However, the perch was so overfried had to gnaw on it to tear a piece off. Lots of very annoying flies. I wouldn't come here again and I wouldn't recommend it to anybody. read more

I can't believe I'm the first to rate this Harsen's Island gem. It's only open from May 1st until the middle of October, but this place is a great time. The screen door and plywood floor set the tone as you walk in the door. Definitely kind of a "shack," but it's a cool shack. Very casual, no shirt, no shoes, no problem kind of place. Good burgers, good fried foods, good atmosphere and good drinks. Super friendly, super cute waitstaff, tons of room to dock a boat, but get there before 7:30pm on the weekends if you want a dock. It fills up quick. Bar generally closes around 10:30-11:00 pm, but for those few hours it rocks. Lunch until early dinner is casual and quiet. Great bloody mary bar on Sundays (for after church, of course). Overall this place is just a great, casual, good time, with a great view and friendly staff. Definitely the friendliest bar on the Island! (there's only two!) read more

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Pulled up the boat to the dock and enjoyed this place - kinda the same ambience as being at an oyster bar / seafood restaurant on the beach in Florida. Lots of families enjoying their Sunday breakfast/brunch in the open area. At the bar, my group enjoyed the build your own Bloody Mary bar with good mixers and good ingredients. Even brought me out the celery salt when I requested. I had the fresh local fish sandwich and it was tasty as were the fries. Plenty of beer choices to whet our whistle. Bartender was friendly, snapping a group photo for us. And when we told her we were on our way to Muscamoot Bay - she showed us aerials taken the weekend before. Nice that someone takes the time to "mingle" with the guests while still able to attend to everyone's needs. Looking forward to my next trip and a stop here! read more

Most items on the menu that are fried are generic BUT the mixed drinks are strong and view is beautiful. It's definitely a must visit place! read more

Bill Fritts' Browns - First time here... - Bars Near Me - Clay, Michigan

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Browns..perfect place to go by boat rain or shine. Currently raining, but we're inside looking out and that's cool. Madison Monday is always a blast! #Madisonburgersrule! read more

We went here on the Fourth of July and the gave me raw salmon. Service wasn't the fastest, but the server was pleasant. read more

Bill Fritts' Browns - Raw salmon - Bars Near Me - Clay, Michigan

This is a dive bar on the water on Harsens Island and should be judged accordingly. On a hot day it's going to be packed with boaters and revelers looking for a meal and a drink before they head back out on the water. I've been several times and usually get a madison burger or fries or onion rings, which are delicious. The menu is burgers, sandwiches, fries, onion rings and the ilk, about what you'd expect for a bar. The service can be a bit slow when it's crowded, but the waitresses try hard and the crowds can be rowdy. If you're going to be offended by bare chested guys, girls in bikinis, the f-word flying around and more then a few intoxicated patrons, you should probably avoid this place. I always enjoy the break and the chance to relax and have a drink and people watch. read more

AMAZING food. AMAZING service! love it here i had the madison burger and it was a 10/10

Lots and lots of boaters. Great people watching. Shared a Madison burger, with fries and coleslaw. All was good. Burger was supposed to come with thousand island dressing, never happened tho. $3ice cold draft beer. A great patio on a summer afternoon! read more

What you want on the water! Ambiance, good burgers and buckets of beer. Wait times can get long but you're on island time so calm down and have a beer! read more

Stopped by with my family over the holiday weekend and was sadly disappointed in the irresponsible way business is being managed during the COVID-19 pandemic. The governor's order is for 50% capacity and social distancing yet the place was packed with no one taking any precautions. Apparently the owner cares more about making a quick dollar in the 3 months of summer we have here then public safety of the community. This place will be your next East Lansing bar, stay safe!! read more

Very busy place on the weekends. Filled with locals and boaters. Great Bar with awesome food. Excellent service but expect to wait a bit because they are busy. Food is fresh and hot, best shrimp I've ever had. Prices are reasonable and kids meals are huge. It gets hot when the sun shines in but plenty of open windows and fans to cool off. Love this place. read more

Bill Fritts' Browns - Bars Near Me - Clay, Michigan

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Worst restaurant experience in my 44 years. The food may be good, I wouldn't know. After waiting patiently for nearly 2 hours (on a Monday!) my family of 5 finally left. I'm pretty sure the dogs (yes, the 4 legged type) all inside the restaurant enjoyed their food though. Maybe the health department should swing through there one evening. I guess my boat isn't big enough to get served better here. Only those that captain vessels over 35 feet seem to be favored. I'll just let the rest of those people continue to dine there. Nobody in my family will ever go back there. read more

Decent food, but that doesn't matter...you go here to have FUN and PEOPLE & BOAT watch. On a hot summer day, no place better!!!! COLD BEERS and guarantee you'll have a few laughs along the way!! read more

I am on the lake every weekend, every time we decide to come to browns we regret it while sitting inside waiting for our food. Sure this place is convenient because its on the lake and easy to pull into but every time we eat there someone in our group gets sick. I think they leave the ranch out all day. The waitresses are RUDE and so entitled. They act annoyed to be doing their job. If you go in here on a Saturday or Sunday expect it to be a 3 hour thing, MINIMUM. Again, Its an easy convenient place but its not even worth it, your better of taking your boat home and going somewhere on shore to eat. read more

Had a Hispanic friend with me when we went to have dinner and a beer after a day on the water. Instead the "owner" stated that we could not drink because the passport which was valid was not a United States ID. Although he was a legal citizen, with a valid passport, they would not allow him to be served. Even after informing him of the mistake he had made, he refused to serve our friend. We asked for a refund of our drinks, due to our friend not being allowed to be served, and the owner informed us that none of our group were welcome in his bar, although we had all been id'd and cleared. Unsure why the owners feels this way towards legal minorities, but it is not a great look. Unbelievable the service that was refused read more

Nothing screams summertime like having beer in a plastic cup while having a burger in an open air bar on the water. This was the case at Browns Bar on Harsen's Island.Browns is nothing fancy pretty much waht you see is what you et type of place. There were folks in overalls, camo, and the latest trends having drinks and eats. A plastic cup of Miller Lite here was a mere $2.50 and the burger is $7.50. This is very reasonable until you tack on the $6 for the ferry ride. It is a rockin place and the food was even better so in my mind it is just all worthwhile. We both sampled the Madison burger. The madison came on Texas toast and was loaded with bacon, sauteed onions, swiss, and 1000 Island Dressing. Clean this was not. It was sloopy like it owned me! Burger- 4 Price- 3.5 Service- 4 Overall- 4.75 (hands down due the the overalls, camo, and patriotic signs on the wall) Burger- 4 Price- 3 Service- 4 Overall- 3.5 On Mondays this palce deals a two for one Madison Burger deal. There is also a HUGE Halloween party at the bar in October that sounds like a worthwhile trip. But this is all probably expected from a bar that has been in operation since 1946! read more

Only go to Browns if you have a boat, have been drinking a lot, or are starving. Everything is fried. If you have to eat there stick with a burger. Julia, the waitress, was less than helpful. If you get there by car, definitely head over to the Schoolhouse Grille or Sans Souci instead. read more

Poor service, poor management, poor quality food. Like other reviews waited over a hour. Food and service has went south in the past 5 years. Don't complain or the staff and management will curse you out leading your group of guest into a fight. Like the other guy said in his rating, if you like being treated as a dog this is your place! read more

Spent the day on the boat yesterday and visited Browns for lunch. It was the first visit there for all of us. Hands down the best Bloody Mary I have ever had. The food was fantastic. We had the shrimp basket, philly steak and cheese, the mushroom swiss onion burger, the pulled pork and a chicken wrap. Not one bad thing was said by anyone! Our server (didn't catch her name) was not the friendliest. But the food, location and bartender will definitely bring us back! read more

Brown's is fantastic! Their food is tasty and inexpensive and their drinks are awesome. They also thoroughly impressed me by tracking me down through my bank to let me know that I had left my purse there! Wow! Thank you so much, Brown's! read more

Great food and margaritas! Service has improved! Definitely a go-to spot for food on the water

This place is extremely hit or miss. We stopped in Friday and they were trying to close around 8 PM for some unknown reason. Good luck finding hours on this place. They pretty much close whenever they feel like it. They seemed annoyed we were even there on Friday and I was really looking forward to their Bloody Mary. Instead I had a thrown together Bloody Mary that wasn't good at all. No pickles, no olives, nothing. I did order some chicken fingers and fries and they were very good. We quickly and left. There were several highly intoxicated people stumbling around as well. I'm not offended by that at all, but if you have kids, be aware. We came back Monday earlier in the day and had an excellent experience. My Bloody Mary this time was spicy and delicious. Nice Pickle and green olive garnish. This time I had a burger. My friend had fish and chips. We both agreed the food was very good. So, if you are going to go to this place I would highly suggest going closer to the middle of the day. The atmosphere here if you sit on the patio overlooking the water is tough to beat and the prices are quite reasonable. read more

Speaks for itself. We got there almost every sunday on the skis or boat after being out on the lake. Service is slow because there are a million people, but who cares, you are on the water! No shoes, no shirt no problem here. It is also nice that their is a boat launch right across the street. The Madison burger is terrific, as well as the fries. Im sure I will find myself there this weekend. read more

This is the place on Lake St Clair for a great lunch, good drinks and the Madison burger. OMG that burger! Once you've had one you'll be hooked. Then you will crave them, day and night, all winter long, while they are closed during the fall and winter months. This is a basic nothin' fancy bar accesible from land and the water. They cater to a boater crowd and it's reflected in the simple decor, the drinks and the solid basic fare they serve. Fritt's bar in Mt. Clemens is owned by the same folks and has a similar menu. Not a bad place, but that sun soaked, Margaritaville feeling just isn't there. It;s a you'll love it or you'll hate it kinda place, me I love it! read more

I love that when you walk in, there's no signage as to wait to be seated or seat yourself. Also, it was really a great experience to not even get recognized but the party of 6 that walks in and sits down after you has drinks and is getting their food order taken before anyone comes to my table, a party of 2. Never have I walked out of an establishment for not even being acknowledged yet there was more than enough staff floating around the restaurant. I think it's a safe bet to say I won't be returning to Brown's. read more

Dirty and slowest service ever. Someone needs to buy it out and clean the cobwebs and bugs and it could actually be a nice place! You make a ton of money in the summer you would think you could actually do some cleaning and make it a presentable place with faster service than waiting over an hour for a burger. It's a burger not a four course meal! read more

This bar is exactly what it says it is - a beer and food shack on the water. We were there on a weekday so it wasn't very crowded. Boat slips are in great shape and easy to manage. Lots of cold beer and food choices, everything we had was very good. Our friendly waitress, Jamie, even volunteered to help with our GPS. Our average age is 73 and have spent a lot of time in waterfront hangouts! read more

Went to Browns yesterday for Madison Monday but didn't order a Madison burger because they have gotten small from what they were last year. I ended up ordering the walleye dinner, big mistake !! Only one piece of fish and it still had the bones and skin still on. The fries and cole slaw were good but I didn't order a $ 15.99 walleye dinner for the fries and cole slaw. read more

I would like to start by saying this is the first time I have ever felt so compelled to write a review! This was by far the worst service I have ever experienced! We arrived on a saturday evening about an hour and a half before closing time via boat. We were a party of 4 hoping to grab a drink and some food quickly. To sum the experience up we ordered 3 meals and 3 drinks. It took 20 minutes and 3 attempts (requests for service from one of the maybe 12 staff members standing around) on our part before a server approached our table. Once she approached she handed us menus and told us "the kitchen was waiting on our order" which we had decided upon 20 minutes prior despite the lack of menus or service. When our drinks arrived we only received 3 out of our 4 drinks ordered. We were left to hunt down another server in order to receive the 4th beverage. Once the food arrived from the food runner we had no condiments at the table. The fish and chips arrived with no tartar sauce. We requested ketchup, and tartar and nobody ever returned.... We finally hunted down yet another staff member to obtain the ketchup and tartar. We finished our meals and left. This was not my first time at this establishment but it will definitely be my last! (Sidenote, the pickles in the bloody mary must have been handled by someone who recently applied a perfume or lotion, as they smelled and tasted like perfume. Needless to say we did not finish those but we paid for them and left) read more