This review is far overdue as we were there back in early July while on a road trip. We were just…read moretalking about it and I remembered that I needed to write this review. When we arrived there were no closed signs or anything but they were having a graduation party. Asked about takeout and they insisted that we join the party and wouldn't accept any payment, only accept a donation to the graduate if we wanted to (of course we did). This actually worked to our favor because we don't eat much so we got to sample very reasonable size portions of several options we might not have gotten to if we purchased a full meal to split. Also, since we were traveling, we wouldn't have been able to keep leftovers and would have felt bad about wasting it. It was also nice to meet and chat with folks from the area. It was one of the highlights of our first trip to this incredible state. The barbecue was so good we're still talking about it months later. The meats were exceptional. Perfect seasoning. Perfect smoke. Obviously high quality meat to start with. The sides were very satisfying as they were traditional, but at a very high standard. This was a place that would beat most, if not all of our local southern joints hands down. I don't know if we'll be back in that area again, but if we are this will be one of our stops for sure.

I'm very fussy about my BBQ. Because of the reviews we decided to try it. Brisket is the best I've…read moreever tasted. Perfectly done. Pulled pork is excellent also. I had the dinner sampler. Sausage, I had the jalapeño, cheddar. 10/10. Pulled pork 9/10. Brisket 10/10. Mac & cheese 10/10. I used to live on the Virginia-north Carolina border & love the BbQ sauce from there. This was too sweet. But northerners might like it. (Yellow sauce) They also have original sauce. Mac & cheese tastes like my homemade straight out of a southern kitchen. You've never seen a baked potato like theirs. Huge with triple the normal amount of toppings you can put on it. Dessert- coconut cream pie. Disappointing. Peach cobbler is so easy to make & would taste much better. Huge & I mean huge proportions. My dish could easily feed 2-3 people. They are only open a couple days a week. Thursday & Friday when we went. Best place in Gaylord!!!! They also cater. Would be great for a lakeside party.

If I could give Ray's a sixth star, I would. Everything we ordered tasted better than we ever…read morethought we enjoyed it somewhere else. Seriously. I ordered a bowl of the Mumbo Jumbo Gumbo. It was better than what I've enjoyed at various traditional Cajun/Creole restaurants over the years. The difference? The flavors were spot on. The consistency of the soup was perfect -- not too thick, not too runny. The Beef & Cheddar Burger was a patty made from brisket and browned on both sides to a light crust and topped with cheddar cheese melted on top on a hamburger bun. I added a little of their BBQ sauce instead of my usual burger condiments. It was fantastic! I've heard Ray's is great, but I had no idea they were this great!

We stopped here for lunch while traveling on vacation. We both ordered the special, smoke turkey…read morewith mashed potatoes and green beans and a cup of lobster Mac and cheese. They forgot to bring one of the lobster Mac and cheese. They did bring it as we were done and ready to pay so we took it to go. They gave us broccoli vs the green beans. The food was delicious but the service was slow. Never offered refills until we were done.

Stopped at Sparks while visiting Traverse City because my husband and I were craving BBQ --…read moreparticularly BBQ nachos. Unfortunately, Sparks was busier than expected so it took way long to get our food - even though we just ordered the nachos and a side of mac. Our waiter apologized many times due to being short staffed for the holiday weekend, but we were getting soo hangry we devoured our food in 10 minutes by the time we got it. The nachos were pretty good - I expected there to be a lot more meat and toppings for the price - and I wish they had put all of the BBQ sauce on it! We asked for all of their BBQ sauce on the side so we could try all of it. The mac & cheese was also pretty good! I probably would opt for a sandwich if I came back though since I do think the nachos were a bit lackluster.

How does this place get so many stars and good reviews. Whoever been liking this had no ideas what…read morereal BBQ is or they got lucky. This is such a tourist trap. 1. It is overpriced. $25 for 2 meat plate you get little piece of chicken and chop meat. Sides are good but the meat are tiny. 2. It is gross. you know something is wrong when your bbq is drown in sauce. Look at the picture. I never seen a bbq restaurant drown their meat in sauce. It is like they just grilled it or microwave the meat and just dump sauce on them and call it bbq. Also it was cold. Might as well eat at Applebee's if they are serving this. I was going to give 0 star but server was patient and nice. Food was just terrible. Everybody that give good reviews have nachos or macaroni. That's easy to make, but the items that involve technical skills and times, they have no idea how to make barbeque period

Great service. They all work hard together. Efficient. Our server Jaline is a pro. Nachos were…read moregreat. Fish looked yummy. We'd go back.

Another wonderful meal at Trout Town last weekend. Great service for our dinner party of 9 people,…read morethe server handled our table like a champ! Delicious food - loved the Frickles! My fish & chips meal was tasty, loved the tartar sauce. Brisket was pretty dang good, I think shredded would be better than slices. Great portion sizes. French fries and onion rings were yummy too. Good prices, great portions, right temperatures, and super great service. A must try when you're in Kalkaska!

We had the Cuban and Loaded Mac & Cheese with pulled pork. Both yummy. The homemade chips were…read morecrispy and delicious. Service was quick and friendly.

Fast service and a great variety of BBQ options. The staff is always very friendly and the meats…read morethey use are a good quality.

Food was Great ! Packed small place, and the food got out quick! Service was excellent everyone was…read morefriendly.

Service was unusually slow--we waited 17 minutes just to order a drink…read more The biggest letdown? The nachos. If you want the same size appetizer tray they used to serve, you'd have to order three now. No heads-up, no adjustment in price--just a dramatically smaller portion. Our drinks sat empty on the edge of the bar for 11 minutes before we finally flagged someone down. The wings came out with no ranch or dipping sauce, and no one asked if we wanted any. It's a far cry from how this place used to be run. The food is still decent, but portion sizes have shrunk significantly and the service has really gone downhill.

I proudly call myself a "foodie". I have been many places in the United States, and I make sure to…read moretry the favorite place to check-out in each place I visit. I have years of food service(a cook myself each time)within my palate, so I can be a bit picky. I lived in South Carolina, near Charleston, for a while. Barbecue is their world, and I can say I've tried just about every style BBQ known just from living there. Hometown Smokehouse, blew my mind away!! Hands down the best barbecue I have had in a very, very long time! Diamond in the rough. Great job to the owners, cooks, and servers there! Your business will grow fast with excellent food like that. May you prosper beyond your dreams.

I wasn't even that hungry but I thought $6.95 for a 4 piece chicken I'll give it a shot good thing…read moreI did this was the best bbq I've ever had. It was cheap and delicious also bathroom was clean and so was the restaurant. There was alot of traffic in and out the door but a real short wait. Aged white cheddar Mac and cheese was out of this world so was the bbq sauce what a gem I can't wait to try something else!

Lewiston's best kept secret. We literally found it by accident and nearly missed the small sign on…read morethe front. The food is awesome and we have enjoyed everything we ha e had however the don't miss item is the French fries covered in sliced meat and mushrooms them smothered in cheese. Had a great conversation with the owner who grew up in Vegas then decided to live the good life in Northern Michigan, so glad he did because the Spot is a treasure.

***I would've given it a 4 star review of the food but the things that happened while we were there…read moreare definitely bringing it down*** Neither employee behind the counter was wearing a mask nor was there any protective covering between staff and guest. Also out of the probably 15-20 people we saw going in and out while we were waiting for our food, only 3 of them had masks on. There isn't even a sign on the door saying masks required. Such a let down to see that this restaurant wasn't doing its part to flatten the curve.

I joined some friends at this brew pub. I was impressed by the length of the list of brews. Being…read moregluten free, I can't comment on the beer. I had a hard cider, which was good. I really liked the GF pizza crust. I ordered a chicken quesadilla, but served on the pizza crust. The crust was good and chewy--chewy bread is rare for GF diners. Servers were attentive, atmosphere was conducive to conversation. I would go again next time I'm in Cadillac.

This was the best overall meal and experience we've had at a restaurant in a long time. The Clam…read moreLake Vanilla Shipwreck beer was great, their buffalo chicken dip appetizer was such an amazing, elevated version of that classic app, and their special dessert for the evening (tres leches cake) was to die for. That's not even to mention the incredible pizza we had! We got a build your own pizza with candied bacon, pepperoni, jalapeños, and pineapple. This exceeded all expectations. They make their candied bacon in-house, and I don't think any pizza will ever come close to what this simple ingredient added to the flavor of it. Lastly, our server - Randall N. - was so kind, fun, honest, and engaging! He truly topped this experience off for us.