We felt like trying someplace new & while surfing options on Yelp, we can across Bitter Tom's, which looked like our kind of spot. Having recently relocated from Grosse Pointe to Clarkston, neither of us had been to Lake Orion in quite awhile. We were blown away! First. We were seated outside with a lovely view of the river and the falls. Next, my wife ordered a Cosmo $ I a whiskey sour, both with house distilled spirits. Hers was as close to perfect as she's had, mine was the classic shaker style with egg white served up. Both excellent. On to the extensive menu with many, many yummy looking choices. My wife had 3 salmon options that appealed to her but opted for the planked with 3 berry sauce. Came with scalloped potatoes & broccoli - raves! I had to try the fish & chips & am pretty particular about mine. I can honestly say theirs is my new favorite. The crunchy coating was out of this world as were the chips, served with a healthy dose of kosher salt. My only disappointment was that they have no malt vinegar. Not a deal breaker, however. We each decided to try a second cocktail - me a perfect Manhattan- dry vermouth rather than sweet & she a glass of Chardonnay. Both were excellent. Finally, our delightful, attentive, knowledgeable server, Payton, recently graduated from Cooper Union in NYC with an art degree & her medium is the difficult oil. She showed us photos of some of her work & we expect to see more from this talented young lady! We will return often! read more

Elegant dining experience with a small town vibe. Kim took great care of Wayne and me. I selected fish tacos as my entree and peanut butter pie for dessert. Lake Orion is truly blessed to have Sharon running the place and Tom serving up distilled drinks for our enjoyment. I will definitely keep this place top of mind when I'm in the area. Bravos all around! read more

Bitter Tom’s Distillery - Fish Taco trio - New American Near Me - Lake Orion, Michigan

Another great night out at bitter Tom's- and per usual, the steak frites was on point. The Brie was a bit lacking as it was cold, and the honey was one sticky hard blob? But good none the less! read more

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Great service, strong drinks and good food. What more do you need? Can be a bit noisy, but it adds to the vibe.

Josiah was a great bartender, the food was excellent and the overall quality of the spirits were good. Comparatively to the many other distillery's I've been to this one would rank in the top. The atmosphere was relaxing and very clean. read more

Took our friend for his birthday on a Tuesday night. Ambiance was decent, however due to high ceilings, it was loud and we had to talk at loud volume to be heard across the table from each other. The waitress was pleasant, however service was really slow!!! The guys ordered drinks which took a really long time to get. Our appetizer came out before their drinks. We ordered the arancini. It was 3 small rice balls with marina sauce for $13. I thought they were rather plain tasting, my hubby enjoyed them however. For meals the boys ordered the short rib grilled cheese sandwiches which came with a soup cup of fries or tater tots. They were $20 a piece and not much meat on them. I ordered the pecan encrusted chicken which came with mashed potatoes and broccoli (this was $22 and on point for price). The chicken was a very large breast and delicious. Mashed potatoes were real (lumpy) but I would say a bit under seasoned. I like crisp broccoli, however this was like taking it off the store shelf and eating it in the grocery aisle. It took at least 45 minutes for our dinner to come. Waitress never came back to ask how things were until we were done and never came to refill our tiny water glasses or ask the guys if they'd like another pricey drink. She may have been the only waitress in the entire restaurant so that could have been why. ‍For dessert, birthday boy and I got the bread pudding and hubby got the peanut butter pie. The bread pudding was like eating an extraordinary dry bran muffin. If you do not like sweet dessert, this is the one for you! It really needed some sort of sauce to combat the dryness and add some sweetness to the dessert-mine ended up in the garbage, it wasn't worth the calories to get fat on. Peanut butter pie was decent. Not the best, but a far cry from the sawdust bread pudding. Overall it was ok. If someone said "Hey, let's meet at Bitter Tom's" we would probably go, however, it's not a place we would go out of our way to go to. Unfortunately, I forgot to take any pics! read more

Great ambience! We had fast service and the food and drinks were top notch. Can be a big crowded inside, but the drinks are unique and the food was excellent read more

Bitter Tom’s Distillery - Black & Blue Burger w/ Truffle Fries - New American Near Me - Lake Orion, Michigan

Diverse menu, quality ingredients. I didn't have any drinks. The location is somewhat upscale, inside of a new building

Wow wow wow! I was impressed with the food and craft cocktails - also the price point was very nice. For starters two of us shared the charcuterie for one and the cracker pizza substituting bacon for the pepperoni - both were SO good. The board had a salami and Parmesano , candied pecans, the raspberry jam was so good, olives and watermelon. The pizza was light and delicious- there was leftovers to take home as we didn't want to get too full before our dinner arrived. I got the chicken thighs and I'm not lying when I say this, this has probably been my favorite chicken dish I've ever had while dining out. I absolutely loved the sauce of the chicken with the sweetness of the candied pecans really did it for me, not to mention the buttery polenta - yum! This dish was not too sweet though. I tried my friends Caesar salad and YUM! A Caesar salad is my favorite salad but this salad was better because of all the extra toppings instead of just parm and croutons. I typically try to order a Caesar everywhere I go to taste their dressing - I would come back here just to order the Caesar and extra dressing to use at home. We sat on the patio, the atmosphere was great. Our server Quan was very polite, prompt, and bussed our table appropriately always with a smile. I would come back for the craft cocktails too, there is so many to try. I will keep this place on my list to revisit soon. Loved all of it! read more

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Great spot and wonderful food! In person is always good but ordered online and what a treat. Salmon salad and walleye sandwich were excellent - and ordered the brussels sprouts and they were incredibly tasty! And, to top it off, they surprised with a complimentary butter finger cheesecake in our order that was out of this world delicious. These people know what they are doing!!! read more

Enjoyed something different! Great patio with an awesome view and a nice ceiling fan to keep you Kool!

The food is excellent. I had the pretzel crusted walleye. It was the best walleye I've ever had in a restaurant. Atmosphere and service is also top-notch. Highly recommend this restaurant. read more

I love bitter toms! The portions I feel are a little small for the price but the ambiance is vibey and the drinks are made extremely well!

Amazing place to go any time, with anyone, any day whether you're celebrating something or just going out for fun, Bitter Tom's sure has something for everyone! The atmosphere and vibe of the restaurant is so chill and vibrant, and the restaurant is just set up so nicely. The food. Oh my the food. It was absolutely delicious! from the Ahi Poke Nachos (i was practically licking the plate) to the Carnivore Board with a variety of mouth watering picky bits, to the Pretzel Walleye (i'm still dreaming of it till today) the drink options were amazing and creative too! The service was ok. I work in the service industry so i know how annoying it is when someone request to move tables but we were sat near the door and my mother was getting chilly. The hostess didn't have a problem with it at all and we had the same server as our original table but she was not very patient or attentive. Our group was a family of 3 with 1 long distance friend meeting up for the first time in a few years so we talked a bit before ordering food only 10 minutes but she left for a hot minute after we asked for a few minutes to look over the menu as it had only been 7 minutes but again- i as i work in the restaurant service industry i know how frustrating it can be so i tried calming everyone in my group down. Overall our server was just average. Nice just very impatient. It was my second time here and definitely not my last! read more

This is a neat little cocktail bar. Very clean and pleasant atmosphere. Server was very nice. I had cocktails and appetizers. I would say that both were good but not great. My go to cocktail is an old-fashioned and this was average. I had the brussels sprouts and a white flatbread pizza. Again, both were just kind of OK. It's worth going to and it's fairly priced. I'm not saying anything about it was bad because nothing was bad. I just thought it would be a little bit better actually. They do have an outdoor patio that looks like it would be very nice in the summertime. read more

I came in the other night and had a great experience! Alyssa was great help to me and my friends and definitely will need to come back to try more of the menu and drink options. read more

I loved the food here, the egg rolls are to DIE FOR. Are server was amazing super funny making a lot of jokes and I love the vibe of this place read more

We are in Michigan on Holiday for the Holidays! On our way from Oxford, family house, to Detroit, friend's house, we stopped in Bitter Tom's Distillery for a midday libation and snack. Small downtown area of Lake Orion is quaint. Bitter Tom's was toasty toasty inside and had a sleek yet welcoming atmosphere. Our Bartender was quick on the spot with menus and options. Our cocktails were exactly what both of us desired: A strong Espresso Martini and a soul warming Canadian Coffee! The rueben egg rolls were crispy and succulent, clearly made in house and a perfect snack! The attention put into this simply delicious appetizer was greatly appreciated. Thank you Bitter Tom's for a great midday reprieve from the chilly day and stress of the holidays! read more

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Excellent, friendly service; manager stopped by too to check on us. Great ambiance; modern, a lot of natural light, vaulted ceilings, spacious; overlooks creek. New American-fusion menu, including vegan options. Cocktails and mixology forward; interesting bar menu, highlighting bourbon and whiskey items. Planning to return for their advertised HH menu M-F 2-5 to check out those crafted drinks and other menu options. Expected more corned beef than sauerkraut in the egg rolls. Will return for the Caesar; ample toppings and perfectly dressed. Loved the Brussel Sprouts; good caramelization, seasoning, and tangy mustard aioli. We were wowed. They earned their 5 stars. read more

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Their cocktails are very well done with great presentation. Our waitress was great, quick service on a busy night. Would recommend to anyone who hasn't tried, and speaks enough for itself you will come back if you have been. read more

Seated on the outdoor patio - the tables and chairs are much too small for a group of 4 with drinks, apps and dinner. Very nice view of the water. The server was great except that she put the order in all at the same time so our apps unfortunately came out with dinner. The $7 happy hour cosmos were delicious - made with their citrus vodka and I heard the cranberry juice is even homemade. I had a hard time choosing what to order, but landed on the BOB burger really because I wanted the melted cheese curds. I upgraded to the truffle fries and although they were good, I don't think they're worth the $5 upcharge making my burger and fries cost a large $21. I'd like to come back and explore the menu more - especially during happy hour. Maybe by then they'll also add some happy hour food options as well. Street parking appeared to be free. read more

Bitter Tom’s Distillery - Cosmos - New American Near Me - Lake Orion, Michigan

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Anytime we go here it's a strange experience. The bartender was visibly hungover (I never got my Bloody Mary, but truly did not need it) The food is good, but service is always pretty spotty. It wasn't busy (three tables including ourselves, as it was a Sunday morning). The spinach dip is incredible (creamy; feta heaven). I got a hot chicken sandwich with about 421 tater tots (not complaint, just observation) *see photo- this was my leftovers. read more

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Great evening at this place!! There was a 25 minute wait on a Friday....it's handled well, they take your number and text you. If the bar is full, as it was, you can pop into another place along the street for a drink and they'll get to you. We ordered the totchos and the Reuben egg rolls as an all. Do NOT let the price of the totchos sway you away from getting them. It's a huge serving. Seriously, two people could make it their meal. Very well done!! Those egg rolls...excellent. Dinner was the Caesar Salad and I added chicken. Very good...different, too. Feta, chickpeas (not a lot of them) and great croutons. The Bitter Tom's burger was cooked exactly as ordered. Fries are crispy outside and soft inside. Our waitress, Kim was just want you want for service. Friendly and attentive. read more

Bitter Tom’s Distillery - The yummy and large order of totchos. Get them!!! - New American Near Me - Lake Orion, Michigan

Great service, good food, but it's incredibly hard to make conversation when rock music is blasting at full volume. With the seating design, sound echos as well, so it was incredibly hard to talk with my family. Seriously just turn the music volume down so people can talk read more

Nice, stylish restaurant with a very friendly staff. We had the Brie for an app which neither of us cared for ( texture and taste were off). I had the salmon harvest salad which was really good and generous portion and my husband had a burger and fries which he really liked. We had crème brûlée for dessert which we did not like ( same problem as the Brie and cold) we will return but next time we will stick to the mains. read more

Restaurant is VERY loud. Service was about as expected for 7pm on Friday. They brought us appetizers and like 30 seconds later put 2 enteree plates in front of us that weren't ours then came back and took them, took them back to the kitchen then took them back to the table next to us. The poke nachos were AMAZING but the charcuterie for 1 with stale crackers and lunch meat Bologna was way under whelming. The bbq Mahi Mahi on rice was very good but the black beans and corn did not pair well. My wife said the 3 berry salmon was really good. The broccoli was average. The gin & tonics were good. But both of the foo foo drinks were small and had no alcohol in them (Rickey, Iris) and meh. Not really impressed. Others like it more. Don't know if we will go back. read more

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Visited as a party of 4, had resv but it was early enough we clearly did not need them. Whipped feta app was outstanding! 8 thumbs up from our party. Happy hour mules were very good, service was on point very patient with our questions etc. meals were all good we had flatbread, wrap and sandwiches. read more

Ordered carry-out. Miso Cod was spectacular!! Tender and juicy with a nice, crusty breading that tasted of soy and ginger. Delicious!

Dined here 1/12/2023 We walked in and there wasn't a hostess at the stand. We waited for a couple minutes to be greeted. The person that greeted us was very friendly and were able to seat us without further delay. So far so good. The space was clean and nicely decorated. We were a party of four and we're waiting for the other two. During this time we were not greeted or offered to place drink orders. Once the rest of they party was there we were given water and were asked if we wanted to place a drink order. As the newly arrived people stated they hadn't seen the menu yet the waitress vanished prior to us being able to order drinks. We ordered drinks and food. Drinks ordered Tom Collins, Bubble Bath, Papa Grande, and a coke. The cocktails took close to 20 minutes to arrive. Food ordered was two BOB burgers, a Bitter Tom Burger, and Chicken Pizza. A big pet peeve of mine is when they ask you how you would like a burger cooked for them to just make it well done. Table requested medium and medium rare on the burgers they were all over cooked and dry. The pizza did look good but I didn't taste it to confirm. Food did take quite awhile to show up to the table we did get a water refill along the way. After the food was delivered we saw the waitress again after we took our first bites but we didn't see her again for about 45 minutes. So we never were offered to order another round. Overall very disappointed. Food was poor in that it wasn't cooked to order. Food was over priced $16 and $17 dollars for a hamburger is excessive and I noticed after the fact I was charged $2 additional for parm fires that I did not order, I ordered seasoned fries. If the food was better I would not have minded the cost as much. Drinks were meh but at $10 cocktail I expected more. This was on my list of places to try so I can check it off but I will not be returning as the cost for subpar quality food and service is not something I will do again. read more

What a great place to meet friends and have some drinks/ eats! We weren't hungry enough to order a lot but we did share a margarita pizza that was simply delicious! The balsamic glaze on it was so so good! We had awesome service and fantastic drinks! I can't wait to come back! read more

Bitter Tom’s Distillery - New American Near Me - Lake Orion, Michigan

Excellent food ,cocktails and service. And happy hour is more than an hour ! Always a good time read more

They charge an extra 3% to your already expensive food to cover you using your credit card. Isn't that a cost of doing business? Not sure how many people will carry a couple hundreds $$$ cash to pay for a family's meal. I'm sorry this is not something I am willing to pay for. read more

Beef tips with zip sauce and poblano peppers was great! It was absolutely a great appetizer portion size and the flavors were great with the dish. The noise volume was a little loud and service was a little slow but it was a busy Sunday dinner rush so that is to be expected. The only disappointment I had was in my cocktail. I ordered the "Bubble Bath" and I could not taste any Gin or Lavender, it truly tasted like a glass of non-alcoholic lemonade; which is fine if that is what I was paying for.. my moms amaretto sour was very tasty however and the presentation for her cocktail was great read more

Bitter Tom’s Distillery - Amaretto sour and Bubble Bath cocktails - New American Near Me - Lake Orion, Michigan

Went here on a Friday night and got seated immediately. Loved the decor and ambiance. Ordered an old fashion with their bourbon, not a fan at all and I love a good old fashion. We ordered a Bitter Tom and BOB burger with truffle fries and a salad. The side salad was great, truffle fries were really good but would be better if they were served with something other than ketchup. Burgers were ok, too rich and salty for me, they needed something to cut the salt. I couldn't finish the fries or burger because both were way too rich and salty. The service was amazing throughout the night. Bill was $75 after tip. I would go back if a friend wanted to but I wouldn't recommend it, cocktail wasn't good and the food was ok. read more

We were in Lake Orion for an appointment and decided to stop for lunch afterwards. We made it around 3pm, just in time for Happy Hour (3-6 everyday)! The place was pretty empty so we decided to sit at the bar and have a drink with lunch. Given it's name, it felt like a HH drink was necessary! My husband ordered the gin martini extra dry & I had a glass of house red. Hubs said his drink was not great, mostly due to some confusion on the bartender's part. It seems "dry" may have got confused with "dirty" so it didn't come out quite as he hoped. I had no complaints about the wine. Solid glass of red! For lunch he ordered a chicken burrito (must have been on special because I don't see it on their online menu) and I had The Mediterranean charcuterie. We both left feeling full but energized. The ingredients were fresh, meals were well portioned and both were delicious and full of flavor. Service was kind and friendly. We don't live in the area, but if we did, this would definitely be a spot we would try again! read more

Bitter Tom’s Distillery - Great vibe in here! - New American Near Me - Lake Orion, Michigan

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Stopped by this last Saturday afternoon, the place wasnt too busy. We had heard they did cocktails from scratch, made their own ingredients plus their own alcohol. While we werent eating we were difinitly intrigued by their drink and food menu. We met Eric, the bartender and after some small talk, ordered a couple drinks. The wife tried the Tom Collins and I opted for a hot coffee with bourbon. Both were delicious. Our next drinks were the Chocolate Martini for her and the Eastwood (bourbon) for me. Once again delicious start to finish. Good conversation at the bar with Eric and another couple too. Will be back. read more

Every time I have the opportunity to visit this restaurant, I leave happy. Great location, great food, great service! I love sitting outside with the "waterfall. " read more

The Tipsy Michigander...smoked turkey, cheddar, bourbon cherry relish, bacon on a grilled pretzel bun. A huge blast of flavor with every bite! It was excellent. The mighty Caesar salad & Bitter Toms Burger were also good. Espresso martini seems watered down. Sit on the patio, add a couple of drinks - great date night! read more

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Classy restaurant, with a LOUD inside (please put up some sound dampeners). We came here after a long day of work and an errand. The classy atmosphere was inviting, but the average service knocks them down a star. The food was really good and flavorful! I would love to check this place out again if the volume was turned down and the wait staff filled our drinks. read more

Everything went well. Had lunch with my adult son. We had my favorite server Kim. On point as always. Personable and welcoming. He had the Bitter Tom's burger with tater tots and devoured it. I had the trio of sliders with tater tots, too. Delicious and creative food. Easy street parking. read more

Bitter Tom’s Distillery - Shrimp tacos. - New American Near Me - Lake Orion, Michigan