We came here for dinner while on vacation mid August knowing there would be live music. Service was a bit slow given how empty the restaurant was with only 3 tables. Probably waited for an hour for food. The star of the evening was the live music hands down! The duo was quite talented and amazing for such a small venue. Their caliber is fit for a music festival. Food was mediocre. Husband ordered the white fish which was drowned in cream sauce. My shrimp tacos were just okay. Overall, would recommend this place for live music and drinks but not for food. read more

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Do not book a summer wedding reception here. We held our wedding reception in the banquet room on July 26, 2025, one of the hottest days of the year. The banquet room technically has an AC unit, but it was so ineffective that our guests could not tell it was running. The owner has since acknowledged that this unit "struggles on any hot day." The venue knew the forecast and knew the limitations of its AC, yet there was no adequate contingency plan. The room became so unbearably hot that our elderly aunt, who has a heart condition, and other family members had to leave early--some before receiving dinner. Most of our guests were gone before dancing began. Dinner was scheduled for 5:30 p.m. but was approximately 1.5 hours late. Several parents left to get fast food for their children and then returned. Once dinner was served, the venue ran out of potatoes and barbecue sauce even though only 76 guests attended--12 fewer than the 88 people the venue had been asked to prepare for. We were told the venue was short-staffed because employees had called in sick, and the owner later cited problems with the oven. Those circumstances may explain the service failure, but they do not change what our guests experienced. The restaurant side had substantially stronger air conditioning. We were told at the time that it had been closed because the venue was short-staffed. We were eventually allowed to move there, but by then most guests had already left. We still paid the full $500 charge for a dance floor that we could not meaningfully use. We also had to advocate for a reduction afterward; it was not simply offered. The final invoice was reduced by $462 from $4,467.84. Of that amount, $312 corresponded exactly to the 12 absent guests at $26 each, while only $150 was deducted from the $600 room charge. The $500 dance-floor charge and the $587.60 charge for "gratuity, set-up, tear-down, etc." remained unchanged. Although I waited to post a public review because I did not want these problems to overshadow my memories of our wedding, I documented the heat-related departures, food delay, shortages, and staffing problems in writing three days after the reception. When I eventually shared my experience, the owner responded publicly with "not sure what possesses you" and "shame on you," minimized what happened, compared us with couples who were supposedly happier, and attributed the problems to the weather, sick employees, and equipment issues. That response showed very little accountability for the venue's responsibility to provide a reasonably comfortable room, timely and sufficient food, and a workable backup plan. A wedding brings together people who may rarely all be in the same place. We cannot get back the part of that day our family missed because they had to leave. Future couples deserve to understand this risk before booking the banquet room. read more

This place has such an amazing atmosphere and great attitude . We turned up at 5pm after graduation, I had made the maid take of ringing for another date and didn't make a reservation as I was told they open at 5pm and it's normally ok then to just come. Well my mistake as I gave them the wrong date. So we turn up when there was a pile of people who had made reservations - the manager was amazing - she was already so busy but she went out of her way and managed to get our party of 8 sorted and seated. The service was amazing , the food even better. The BEST prawns I have had outside of Australia - like amazing. My husbands chicken was really great as well - in fact all of our meals were cooked to perfection. Even when they were so busy with the graduation we were made to feel like we were fabulous. The band was great as were the cosmopolitans. The manager kept checking on us making sure we were ok and she was so so lovely. I highly recommend Bonfire , even under stressful conditions they gave the best service, drinks, food and ambience. And don't forget the great prawns I highly recommend this place , I'm definitely purely going again. read more

Food quality and diversity of meal option on the menu coupled with the great ambiance makes this my favorite restaurant in town. This is the local place I usually go for a grilled steak or a creative seasonal dinner special like Halibut or other fish. While I like almost everything on the menu, some things could be improved. Busy or slow, it routinely takes a very long time for service here. Therefore, service workers don't seem very guest focused, but the kitchen's food is good enough to keep me coming back, bringing new guests, and recommending the place. If the service and guest experience could be improved then this place would be amazing!!Ambiance is best in town. Can accommodate singles to huge groups for food and weekly music entertainment. Nicely serves food a little later at night for the area, until 10. No one: "service is always so fast here" But if you like longer enjoyable tasty meals like I do, then it's barely noticeable read more

Ok, the good....food was very, very good. The Ahi Tuna appetizer was outstanding as was the fresh made guacamole that came in an incredibly heavy stone bowl. The specialty drinks were fantastic, albeit pricey. I ordered the fish special and was very pleased. But...there is some serious not so good...we arrived early, 5:30 for dinner to beat the rush, but apparently that doesn't count. We waited for drinks..., we waited for appetizers..., we waited, and waited, and waited for our entrees..., when it finally arrived, everyone was thrilled, but they missed an order and one in our party waited even longer until finally served. If that want enough, we came back the next evening for the music and were told after ordering apps, that the wait would be 2 hours...mind you, the place was no where near even half full. And it took almost 2 hours. I will also echo the shock of an upcharge for using a credit card. Food alone would be 5 stars, but service was excruciatingly slow and so it's 3 stars. read more

Service was extremely slow for not a crowded night. 2 hours to get us through. 30+ minutes to order drinks and then finally order food. My steak and potatoes were good. California veggies, awful. Brisket tacos dry. Wife's trout dinner, cloyingly sweet aioli sauce? ...that was just weird. A beautiful space, but a restaurant that is trying to be something that it can't be and/or shouldn't be... as previous reviews stated, slow service and mediocrity for a high price tag. What set me off.... Hidden charges. Kid cup lemonades = $4 each. $5 dollar up charge for my dirty martini that wasn't dirty... NYC pricing... ($16) and a 4% charge for the bill if using a credit card... This place is going to sink like the restaurant on the Titanic during COVID.... read more

Bonfire - Ugh - Steakhouses Near Me - Houghton, Michigan

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Good food. They were busy so service was a bit slow. But beware the overcharge for using a credit card. The bottom of the receipt shows they charge 4% to use a card, but they actually charged 24%. Plenty of other good locations to select around here, we won't return to this establishment. read more

Bonfire - 24% card service fee?!! - Steakhouses Near Me - Houghton, Michigan

We dined at the Bonfire on Saturday, Feb. 1, 2025 for my father-in-law's 88th birthday. We arrived at 6 pm before it got busy (maybe 25% occupied). It took a full hour to get our salads and soups. It was over 100 minutes before our entrees arrived. One steak was purple/red inside (almost raw) and had to be sent back. Food was good once it was properly cooked, and when it finally arrived. No warning or apology from staff regarding the extremely long wait for the food. When asked, they told us they were understaffed. Okay... Not likely to return until the staffing shortage is remedied. read more

I'm not sure why the reviews for this place are so low. The service and food I had were great. I went with a party of 4, and our server was prompt and checked on us frequently. I had the lobster mac and cheese. I usually never order that because lobster is hit or miss, but I was craving some cheesy goodness. The lobster was delicious, and the mac was definently cheesy enough. Everyone else also enjoyed their meals. I also tried the coconut mojito and loved it. This will definently become my new date night spot. read more

Bonfire - Lobster Mac and Cheese - Steakhouses Near Me - Houghton, Michigan

Ambiance was great, we sat in the hayloft, with view of the water. Has the feel of a New York Loft. Food was good, service was great. Will go back. read more

Great food, great service, great atmosphere, fun night life. The renovations are beautiful and the bathrooms are clean. Prices are very reasonable. Will definitely be back soon. read more

Great place in a 1 horse town. Food was excellent . Waiter very attentive. Had live music that set a nice atmosphere read more

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Food was good, server was polite and assisted in making a good decision for the foo. Music was a bit loud and annoying while trying to converse. read more

Great food, great service, and great ambiance. Would absolutely eat here again. Ravioli and watermelon margarita were both very yummy read more

Bonfire - Watermelon margarita - Steakhouses Near Me - Houghton, Michigan

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The location is great and Houghton has room for more interesting dining. There is a live band here tonight. The menu has a wide variety and good choices. Take a look around and pick a spot in this historic firehouse. read more

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The owner and her staff were absolutely amazing! The friendliest people in town and the food is easily better than anything we've had in town. Don't skip out on this place! read more

My wife and I have been to Bonfire twice this month, including this afternoon for their Monther's Day Buffet event. Both times the only handicap parking spot on the property has had a dumpster placed in it. There is space to the right of the dumpster but that encroaches onto the sidewalk and there is a No Parking violators will be towed sign. When we were there on 5/2 we mentioned this issue to the bartender. Since it was still an issue, today we asked to talk to the manager at the end of our meal. The manager told us that was the only place the dumpster could be placed and that we should have just parked on the sidewalk. My wife explained that there are No Parking and Tow Away signs but his comment was not to worry about those. My wife then asked why they didn't create a new handicap spot if that was the only place the dumpster could go to which the manager replied "all the locals know to just park on the sidewalk". Someone else in our group had a few comments for the manager regarding the temperature of the food and the 24% included gratuity. The manager stated that 20% of that was gratuitity and that 4% was credit card processing fees. I have no issues with included gratutity for a large party, especially on a special event day like Monther's day. However, there is no notation anywhere that the 4% is for credit card processing fees. The 4% is also added BEFORE they know if you are paying with a credit card or cash. Do they redo the bill and remove this fee if you pay with cash? What if someone just wants to leave exact change? A 20% standard gratuity is also high for a buffet meal. After these discussions the manager became extremely unprofessional and aggressive towards us. He began shouting that he's working here on Mother's Day and not spending time with his mother so we could have a good meal. He repeated this statement, very loudly, multiple times. read more

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Lovely canal and portage bridge views during the day turned to a soft and warm ambiance after sunset. Dinner date night setting with hand crafted cocktails was romantic in a historic brick firehall with a live music setting. The cuisine was creative and excited the taste buds. On service staff was a refreshing energy as they delivered with an exceptional performance. I'd highly recommend! read more

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We looked at all the + and - reviews and decide to take a chance and see for ourselves. Wait staff was prompt and very helpful. Appetizers came out within 7 mins and our dinners arrived less than 20 minutes after the order. We were there around 6:00 - and while it wasn't full downstairs it was upstairs, down there were a lot of tables full. I own a restaurant and good servers are hard to come by and getting them to show up is equally hard. so give them a bit of a break - they are doing the best they can. Food was very good and have no complaints over it. It did look like they were setting up for a band - so if you just want food and not music, suggest you eat their a little earlier. Floor is set up perfect for a band and if in the mood seems like it would also be a fun place - but if you came here expecting a low volume music you should not don't complain about loud music. It is almost impossible to have 'low music levels'. My family will be back. read more

Filet was awesome salad fresh great dressing corn was phenomenal filet in butter was delicious lots of flavor read more

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I've only been here 3 times but each time was great. My favorite items on the menu are their ribeyes. Inside its very beautiful and there's usually a band playing on stage. The employees have always been friendly and deserving of a generous tip :D read more

The best restaurant with the best variety in town! We loved every minute of our date night here - the staff is so friendly and welcoming! read more

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Bring your ear plugs! Somehow the owner think people want to go out to dinner and hear OVER AMPLIFIED covers of 70's rock performed by "C" level local bands. Sorry, not the case. The music was blasting at 6:30. I've asked several times for the music to be turned down (on various visit). I even asked the manager with the response "I know, it is a little loud" and did nothing about it. Dinks are $$$, Food is expensive, and 4% upcharge for using a card. Solution: cut the volume in half, and think about a mellow guitar, or light jazz until later. People come for food and conversations, not bloody ear drums. Solution: Don't start the live music until 8:00. read more

Absolutely the worst music selection the world has ever seen. Do not go here on weekend djs.

Appetizer took 30 minutes. Service was okay. Ambiance is fantastic. The new 4% up charge to pay the credit card fee charged to the Bonfire should not be passed on to guests. I do not carry cash, our bill was $60. The surcharge reduced the servers tip to less than 10% as I was not going to tip 20% + 4% charge. So disappointed and I will not be back. read more

I would like to preface this one star review by saying that the food was actually really good And the restaurant is beautiful. Food took 1:15 minutes to arrive at maybe 50% capacity Quotes from our lovely waitress... "The delay is because, although you can not see it, the upstairs is packed" It was indeed 50% full, we checked. "You did order the steak medium well, that takes longer to cook" at this point we had been waiting for a hour. I am quite stunned that she would treat us like this, we are customers! (After 1:10 min of waiting we were making comments/jokes and visibly displeased) She returned to our table with this to say "I just want ya'll to know that this a normal wait for this restaurant (1:12min wait), this is not a Applebees or fast food" wow, I have never been waited by such a kind and costumer first waiter in my life!!! In all seriousness, I have never seen or experienced such awful waiting, in our 1:15 minutes of wait not once did she offer us a free drink or apologize for the wait. What happened to the costumer is always right? Do not come here unless you think that the food is worth it. read more

I enjoyed the BBQ salmon. I also had Caesar salad, green beans, and mushroom parmesan risotto. I enjoyed all of them. Keweenau beverage tried was a blood orange one, it was good. A little pricey, but quality was good. Very nice service and chic environment. Live music was happening later, but I needed to put my feet up. read more

If I could give a negative star review I would. The Restaurant didn't have very many people in it and we still waited almost 2 hours for our food. When we it finally got here it was cold, and everything was over cooked and charred. This place is also EXTREMELY expensive. Our waitress told us we would have been better off going to Burger King. read more

We arrived at 5:30 which was slightly before the dinner rush. The place seemed dark at first but after your eyes adjust it is a nice setting. I had the elk burger and it was good and came out timely. Not the best burger I've ever had but not bad. The cocktails were very good. Wait staff also did a great job checking on us. However, either the manager lady with the greyish hair or the owner (not sure which) walks around and seems to micromanage everything. Maybe it's petty but it was a little annoying watching her eyeball everyone and everything in the place and then have her march past like a drill sergeant. read more

Ordered the 'special' Chicken Salad sandwich tonight. Worst sandwich ever. I picked it up and the "salad" ran out onto the plate. It was still dripping when the waitress came by to ask about the food. Look, I don't know much about food, but I know that a chicken salad sandwich is not supposed to drip onto a plate. Why not call it a chicken soup sandwich - that would be a hell of a lot more accurate. Out server was very gracious about this. Very professional. JFC, Julie, if you can't put decent food on our plates, get out of the business. read more

BAD SERVICE AND FRAUD!!! If I could give 0 stars I would. This might have been worst dining experience I've ever had. One positive, we were seated right away, but from there things went downhill. After sitting for about 10-15 minutes server finally came over to take our drink order. We ordered our food at the same time. 25 min later drinks came. Then after another 15 our appetizers came (after having to ask the server what happened to them). Had to search for her again to get a new round of drinks. Still no food. About 1.5 hours in, I asked her where our food was (again) and this time the hostess came over and got all up in my face telling me that this is an "hour wait restaurant" um ok, "this isn't fast food" um no shit, and that it was "packed upstairs" sure it was. Then proceeded to loudly talk about me as she went back into the kitchen. FINALLY she comes out with our food in carryout boxes and hands me the check proudly displaying that she had discounted the meal. I didn't ask for a discount -- all I wanted was our food and to get the hell out of there. I paid the bill of 138.21 (after the discount) and mind you, I WAS going to leave a tip but after the hostess was such a b!tch I decided nope not today sister. Fast forward to today, I looked at my bank account and guess what? They charged me an extra 27$ that I DID NOT AUTHORIZE. That my friends is fraud. Oh and ps. the food was terrible to boot. read more

wife ordered filet medium rare it came after an hour wait well done. Service was attrocious we arrived as the only customers at opening time and were first to order. my meal of brisket contained mostly fat and the garlic mashed potatoes and 'california' vegetable medley were pedestrian to put it kindly. I would recommend ANY other restaurant in this college town read more

Live music was very good. The food was good - great selection and you get allot. The bacon wrapped poppers were amazing! Service was good as well read more

Service is slow food is okay. When there is a band playing it is quite difficult to talk.

Ah, Bonfire. If I were to describe this place in three words I would say it's a "Love, HATE relationship". Let's start with the love: Great building. Cool live music\club venue and fun for evening events like live music and DJs. The owner and staff overall are friendly. Now, the HATE: The servers are poorly trained college kids that do not give a crap about the venue or the value of quality food or service. But, it's not their fault, it's the manager\owners fault because they are responsible for training their staff and holding them to high standards. No excuses. The biggest issue with this place is it's consistent lack of consistency. Lack of consistency will slowly kill any restaurant and that's what's happening to this place. You will sometimes wait 40min or 2 to 3 hours for food when it's not even that busy and when the food does finally arrive it will be luke-warm or cold! That's because I'm guessing there is no real chef\leader or expo in the kitchen controlling food quality before it leaves the kitchen. Sometimes a dish will taste great and the next time it will have changed slightly to where you question even ordering it again. But, when they get it right the food does tastes good. However, for the life of them they cannot make a cheddar bay biscuit to save their life. It's a biscuit for God's sake. They always come out dry, cold and have little flavor. They're not buttery hot\savory and fluffy. The cooks need to visit Red Lobster and learn how to make biscuits. If you want quality, consistent, very high-endish cuisine then visit the Harbor Haus in Copper Harbor. The owner is an experienced high-end resort chef with very high standards. Nothing leaves that kitchen without his approval. So, when you eat at Bonfire you take a risk. It's a 50/50 chance you will have a good experience, so remember that. If you're eating before a movie or event, do not eat here. You WILL be late, very late. That's my honest opinion from personal experience. read more

Spinach salad with hot bacon dressing was extraordinary. We had the coconut shrimp, fish, loaded baked potato and it was excellent. Beautiful view of the lake. Service was amazing. Will be back the next time I'm in town. read more

This is the slowest service I have ever seen. 7:45 reservation, and it it now 9:40 and I haven't seen a salad or soup. This is ridiculous stupid. 2 beers later, I think I am done read more

Bonfire - Empty beer - Steakhouses Near Me - Houghton, Michigan

Been here a few times and the food is always good. It's a bit pricey, especially for Houghton, but it's good. They sometimes they run a bit slow, but it's worth the wait. The bar has always been good to us and you get a daily discount coupon of you stay in the hotel. Just hit up the bar today and got a good, strong drink. read more

Horrible staff, rude people and ownership, and slow service. Foods mediocre at best. I can proudly say I will not be eating here again.

We have a big family dinner here every time we visit the UP. The food is always excellent, and the whole family enjoys an evening of great live music and cozy atmosphere. read more