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    Blake's Backyard

    3.9 (69 reviews)
    Open 8:00 am - 9:00 pm
    Updated 1 month ago

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    Stacked apple smash burger
    Sarah W.

    Went to their Tales & Cocktails event, we made an Apple Pom Julep. It was to hear a bit of the history and it wasn't a cocktail I would normally order but very delicious. Also ordered some food. We had the Farm Crisps aka Pork Rinds, very fresh with the nice amount of seasoning, the jalapeño ranch really makes it a wow dish. My husband ordered the stacked apple smash burger. On paper you think it can't be good, but was delicious. I had the backyard chicken sandwich which was good it said honey mustard, kind of more a brown honey mustard, I'm not a big brown mustard fan but it was still tasty. All the staff were great super friendly and a beautiful, fun place to eat and have some cocktails.

    Robbie F.

    The food is phenomenal! We came in for an intimate dinner in an igloo for New Year's Eve and it was everything we needed. The heated igloo was great and our server was excellent. She answered all questions and made sure we were comfortable ordering. There was so much food left that it was unbelievable! The drinks were also very tasty. We'll be back!

    Kids menu
    Lindsey Z.

    Enjoyed our meal and very family friendly! Loved getting a flight of different ciders to try.

    Stacy K.

    For us this was a fun discovery. We were going to Imlay City to a lavender farm when we passed this place and I declared we must stop here on our way back home. I am glad I did. This is a lovely addition to the original Armada location. It looks like a nice property. I liked the store filled with all of their classic Blake's items, like cider and donuts, plants, cups, souvenirs. They had a nice tasting room with plenty of seating plus an additional room for parties. They were hosting a baby shower in the private room and it was lovely with a stone creek, nice ambience. I did not try any of the food and drinks this time in the tasting room. Instead, we got a hot cider, cider slush, a cherry hand pie, an apple fritter, and blueberry turnover. The cherry pie was so fresh, I love the crust, it is an elevated hostess fruit pie that you want to eat again and again. The apple fritter tasted so fresh, like the best donut ever. I need to get one again. The cider slush was nice and sweet, and we ate in the tasting room. I liked the swinging chairs near the faux leaf wall, a camera ready spot to take pictures. The only thing I really did not like was the restroom situation. I do not know what it is like for the gentlemen, but the ladies room is like an outhouse with a working toilet and sink. But the stalls are smaller than an actual human being with no room, you can barely fit in there. There is so much land here, and they could have built an actual bathroom like the one in Armada. It is not accessible for people of varying needs and not idea for a place with a bar where people will be drinking a lot. But this is a charming spot and we will visit again.

    Rob P.

    Going to Blake's Backyard is like going to eat in the back yard of a friend who has awesome landscaping. It's a thoroughly casual experience no matter where you sit. And, this friend also serves excellent food and drinks. The food part of the menu is simple, but there's enough variety here to please any palate, with sandwiches, fish and chips, and salads. The drink selection is vast. Blake's brews a wide variety of hard ciders, and serves a dozen on-tap. For those who don't care for ciders, there's a selection of beers and wines. No hard liquor. My wife ordered a Greek salad with a beautifully cooked plank of salmon on top. There was an absurd amount of Kalamata olives (maybe 30 of them) and feta cheese. I'm certainly not complaining. The dressing was understated, which worked perfectly with these assertive flavors. The fried chicken sandwich was crispy, not at all greasy, and very thick. It was served with a massive amount of wavy potato wedges with a robustly seasoned coating. The service was good, too, even though there was only one person behind the bar most of the time. And, you can't enter or leave the restaurant without going through the amazing shop area. Besides all those amazing ciders, there are donuts, candy, and variety of other things guaranteed to satisfy a variety of cravings. My only regret was not having enough of an appetite to get the gargantuan pretzel on the starter menu. It's $25, and slightly smaller than a tire on your car. Next time through, for sure.

    Backyard burger with my add-on of garlic aioli
    Andrea C.

    I grew up in the Almont area so I have seen how much Blake's has grown over the years. The addition of Blake's in Almont was at first surprising as it seemed small but it has expanded to include a bar, restaurant, and igloo dining. We have stopped in several times a year when visiting family in the area and have always enjoyed their products. My husband was turning 60 and my family (who still lives in the area) felt this would be a good time to try igloo dining as it's something hubby has mentioned over the past year. Our reservation was for mid-week so we easily were able to book the igloo we wanted (3 different available). We were promptly seated and greeted by a server. Once we browse the menu, we placed an order for a few appetizers and then our dinners. And of course we had to order from the bar menu for beverages. I don't know why I expected an experience to not go asas well as it did, but we were all blown away at how good the food was. The menu is small, don't get me wrong you're not gonna find an extravagant menu. But you've got a good selection of " country cooking". I ordered the backyard burger and asked for a side of garlic aïoli as I had seen that on another menu item. I used it aïoli on my burger and also dipped my fries in them. I passed around the aïoli and others tried it with their fries. When the server came back, we mentioned how much we liked it and she said she would bring more sides of garlic aïoli. Everybody enjoyed the food - Mac n cheese with pulled pork, wrap with chicken, fish n chips. Personally, I tried a bit of the pulled pork and found it too sweet BUT it is described as having a jam sauce (so that is where the sweetness came from). We topped off this wonderful meal with a few brownie desserts and donuts. Overall, a great experience and a few folks already have plans to meet back there for dinner this week. My only complaint is on the restrooms. They are not conveniently located and you must walk up an incline to get to them (we did have two folks over 80 in our group so that was a bit of a walk for them). Personally, I am not a fan of hand dryers only in restrooms so some hand towels would have been nice. Finally, the restrooms are located at the back of a room that could be rented - that room would be great for an upcoming 50th bday party BUT I would not want folks from the bar or igloo dining having to walk through our private party to get to restrooms, especially if our party was to have an open bar. I can't imagine somebody giving a toast to the 50th bday recipient and folks from bar walking through the middle of the party to get to restroom. Blake's - you need to address this.

    Hard cider flight
    Lindsay G.

    When life gives you a rainy day, you go to Blake's Backyard and get a hard cider flight and street-corn! Also, Blake's is a fun family outing with their U-pick fields (check their website to see current pickings) and their special Fall/Halloween festivities! The staff in the shop and tasting room were pleasant and the store was clean and well presented all the lovely seasonal joys of Blakes, including their home grown produce, plants, jams, locally sourced honey, wines, pies/donuts, and of course their delicious, renowned hard cider! The passion seeker is a personal fave, but of the flavors I sampled, the Grand Cherry and American Berry were a highlight! Also loved their raspberry fields wine!

    Great vibes with the outdoor seating at Blake's Backyard!
    Amanda L.

    The chillest of the Blake's properties - hands down! It carries the cider, the cider slush, the donuts, the apples, the other produce, a little pumpkin patch, and this is the only one, that I'm aware of, that's dog friendly! Plus if you're in the market for apple trees - you can get them here too! We came here after our plans to go to the Blake's Tasting Room fell through, given that the location was at capacity, & we honestly preferred it this way. There were way too many people at the cider mill, there were hardly any people at Blake's Backyard! Tons of outdoor space to sit & enjoy the ciders & they also had a few hot dog options as well - we got the mac & cheese hot dog and the coney dog. They're not the best hot dogs, they don't use Koegel's either, but they hit the spot! If you're not feeling hot dogs, there's a great BBQ food truck / soon to be BBQ store & restaurant set up just a little bit up the road from here, so get your hard cider / general Blake's fix here, then head to Country Smoke House!

    CJ M.

    The BEST of Blake's properties. It's so relaxing and the traffic isn't that of a small city! Being dog friendly with the amazing views and openness really brings it all together. You truly get the best of Blake's without all the craziness and crowds. The only thing I would like to see is a breakfast buffet similar to the one at the main location. The space here is welcoming and ready to be filled with amazing breakfast buffet food!

    Yarn Christmas tree workshop.

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    7 months ago

    Great cider mill food drinks everything 5 star very busy but worth waiting in the lines

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    Magdalen P.

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    11 months ago

    Great place if you're looking to bring your dog with you to have a few drinks and food.

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    Magdalen P.

    CJ!!! Wow what an awesome review! Please come back soon!!

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    1 year ago

    Food not good or worth the price. Experience wasn't great. Don't plan to be back. Restrooms inconvenient.

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    Magdalen P.

    Wow what an awesome review Ashley! Please come back soon!!

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    3 years ago

    Food and service and the other things were amazing. I would so go back there again. It was a hike but nothing I wouldn't go back for.

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    Page 1 of 2

    Ask the Community - Blake's Backyard

    Are dogs allowed?

    Absolutely!

    Are dogs allowed?

    Absolutely- in fact we encourage them!

    Do you make gluten free donuts?

    Yes

    Don’t See Your Question? Ask Away!

    Review Highlights - Blake's Backyard

    I grew up in the Almont area so I have seen how much Blake's has grown over the years.

    Mentioned in 2 reviews

    Read more highlights

    Brookwood Fruit Farm - Tart Cherries

    Brookwood Fruit Farm

    (5 reviews)

    Brookwood is one of my favorite low-key orchards to visit in the autumn. It isn't commercialized…read morewith overpriced goods and there aren't long lines and throngs of children. There is nothing fancy about Brookwood. This is just a really great farm along a quiet country road that has belonged to the same family for over a century. Come here if you are looking for a peaceful day spent picking fruit or for a short stop to buy delicious donuts, apples, and cider. An oversized Homer Simpson doll welcomes you as you enter the store. A very kind young woman was working there the day I visited and she told me that the orchards were opened. Other than the orchards there is only the small store. Again, nothing fancy, but what matters is the quality of the products which I thought was excellent. There isn't hot apple cider but there is cold apple cider in the fridge and a slushie machine where you can fill your own slushie cup for $2. The cup provided was twice as large as the slushie I bought at Franklin Cider Mill for a whopping $4. I could tell that there are no preservatives added to Brookwood's cider. The cider was excellent and perhaps some of the best I have tasted, and I've been to a lot of cider mills this season. I will definitely return to Brookwood and continue to support this family business.

    We love this place. We stumbled on it a few years ago and go back every year. We've picked apples…read moreand raspberries, but haven't tried anything else...yet. Bonus - the orchard is always a great backdrop for fall photos.

    Country Smoke House

    Country Smoke House

    (134 reviews)

    $$

    The gigantic cow grabbed our attention, but the smell possessed us to pull over…read more The pulled pork was smoky and sweet, and when you throw on the Smokey Joe sauce it's pure bliss. All the French fries are made in front of you with real potatoes! Worth the wait! Sides were delicious as well. Go in the store for a real treat - special meats, sauces, cheeses, and liquor all begging to go home with you.

    Tons of smoked meat and great butcher counter and deli. The real rockstar of the show is the people…read moreoutside serving out BBQ and smoked meats and sides to choose from. I can only imagine how hot it is cooking on a grill and deep frying French fries outdoors. There could be some in that truck but no idea... it was my first time going and grabbed some jerky and smoked maple ham...of course we stopped and I got some tacos and the BF some smoked sausage from the BBQ pit and ate outside..Service was fast and friendly. After I wanted to go inside to use the bathroom and more importantly wash my hands after eating sticky sauced tacos. I went back inside and asked a lady working the meat counter where their bathroom was. She told me they don't have a public restroom and that there's port a potties outside. And I was like really? What do you guys do in the winter and she said customers had to use the port a potties. That's a bull crap move? So they got bumped off a star and I won't be back until summer. I went inside the one port a potties outside and it had flies in it and poop on the seat. Let's just say we stopped at the first McDonalds we passed on the way home...

    Blake's Backyard - markets - Updated May 2026

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