Waited 2 hours for my mediocre food. Could've made better for 1/3 of the price. Food was either under or over seasoned. They try too hard to make the food fancy when simplicity would taste better read more

Recently their with a group of colleagues, maybe 18 in total maybe a few less. Seems this place changes names often, not sure if new owners or just changing things. Tables were well places and spaced and drinks for socializing were first. They did a great job there as I asked for a Manhattan and ideally with Bleu cheese stuffed olives they did end up stuffing them, was impressed. Drinks were good not over poured. The drink service was prompt for all and just long enough. Sat down to find a printed menu of the entrees, seemed like a nice mixture of choices, seafood, chicken, steaks and steak with shrimp. Since the place calls itself a steak house I went with a NY Strip. Could have gone with a rib eye but it was smaller and didn't want the coffee grinds rubbed on it. Asked for it medium rare and included a salad. Another drink and salads came out, they were OK maybe a little small though adequate. Steak and mashed potatoes, came out promptly after the plates were cleaned. The mashed potatoes seemed dark, I like they included the skin, though they also seemed lumpy and yes too mushy. I then cut into the steak and could tell it did not feel tender and once cutting the piece off could also tell not MR, more to the Medium or medium well side. Considered send back but was hungry and didn't want to sit there while others ate. Found there to be a bit too much gristle so didn't bother fighting it. Next came a small dessert, which I think was a soft chocolate brownie? it was drive and not much taste to it. All in all unhappy, considered one star, thought the bleu cheese stuffed olives made up for it. Would I go again, not unless I had too and somebody else was paying. read more

Walked in with my family and no one said hello. Two ladies scrambled unsure what to do because there were diners there. The whole place was empty. Hubby ordered a Coke and it came flat. The waitress brought him another and it was also flat. We told them they needed to change the CO2 and she said that she didn't know how. My burger came with no tomato, lettuce or onion and the waitress had to run back to get them. One cheeseburger came with only a burger on a bun. We told them that we asked for a CHEESEburger so they took it to the back and nuked cheese on it. Hubby's sandwich was the worst. He ordered a Philly Cheesesteak and it was like chewing unflavored fat between two pieces of bread with a few peppers. Now we know why we were the only diners. They need a manager!! read more

atmosphere is really nice & our server was attentive, but the kitchen was soooo slow. first time here we waited an hour for our food, went the other night to give it a second chance and sat for close to THREE hours waiting for our entrees with a table of 6. that long of a wait is ridiculous. we had a reservation for 7 pm and by the time the food came it was 9:45. the table we reserved got sat 10 minutes before we came in and they had to move us somewhere else, wasn't a big deal but honestly unprofessional. when the food finally came out, half of our sides were cold and the food was dry. wouldn't recommend. ‍ read more

Excellent food! Very accommodating for my dietary restrictions - DF, GF, EF. Extremely attentive staff. They also have live music and a good view of the city. Highly recommend. read more

Worst service ever tonight! Made a 6:30 reservation for 8 people and at 8:40 still had no food. Took 30 min to get drinks and when we asked to place our dinner order was told "no, I have to wait after your apps r served as it will screw up our kitchen." Really? At 8:15 we asked how much longer and was told "pretty soon". At 8:35 we asked her to check on our meals and if they couldn't be ready within a few minutes we would prefer to pay for our drinks and apps and cancel our dinners. We were brought the check as requested but was told that they were short on help and she couldn't help the kitchen. When I "politely" explained that tables all around us were now empty and we had been here over 2 hours she contributed to argue. I responded that I didn't want to argue and proceeded to sign the check. Was leaving a tip when the server rolled her eyes at my request not to argue further. One of the people I was with told her that was unnecessary and she responded "u people r very rude!" I then proceed not to leave a tip, pay our check and leave. I realize restaurants are understaffed and totally understand the challenges, however u can't expect people to wait, wait and wait some more ESPECIALLY when we made a reservation. I am so disappointed as this restaurant is an amazing venue with a great vibe but no one deserves to spend money and be treated so poorly. If you have 3-4 hours to eat then go to Bonfire. read more

We couldn't have had a better time here. Everything was first rate, from the amazing view to the friendly, welcoming service to the tasty food! We started with the House Made Guacamole. This was so good, we considered getting a second order, but caution won out over gluttony! Our Main Courses included two Elk Burgers, Shrimp Scampi and Beef Tenderloin Medallions. Our group usually samples each others food, but these were so good, no one either offered or suggested sharing. For Dessert, we had two interesting versions of Fried Ice Cream. One with Chocolate and one with Cherry Ice Cream. If there ever is a hot day in Houghton, I could see coming here just to order one of these! This restaurant is wheelchair accessible, fun and convenient if you are staying at the Magnuson! I know we will be back! read more

My girlfriend and I were getting in town late and needed to meet someone at the hotel briefly. We had been on a long drive and were tired and hungry. We read the reviews of the restaurant and were worried. Fortunately most of the reviews were I correct. The food was fine. The service was good. Didn't take too long to get our food. Maybe they were on their best behavior with it being parents weekend at Michigan Tech, but it was totally fine. Casual, but a good place to take parents. There is a nice view, but we didn't see it due to it being dark when we arrived. We didn't have any of the issues most of the reviewers did. And it's not super expensive. read more

The restaurant is very cute and stylish. The food is very good. But...expect to wait at least 2 hours. The service is painfully slow.

I just want to preface that we were not able to eat so this is not based on the food quality. We were in town for my brothers graduation and arrived for our reservation but the host had no record of the reservation. The staff worked very hard to find us a smaller table but for a party of 14 people, it was hard. We ended up leaving after receiving our waters because it was too difficult having family stand nearby waiting for more space to open. read more

Who runs a restaurant like this? The help disappears, the food takes forever, and the flatware is sheet metal! Oh, I forgot, Julie " knows what her customers want". Bye Julie. read more

The menu isn't huge but all the items on it are great. This place has the best view of any restaurant in the keweenaw. The drink menu is also amazing and filled with tons of original cocktails. If you're looking to have a nice dinner in a beautiful restaurant then this is the place to come to. read more

Wow! A Houghton MTU parent's dream! The drink selections are good, and the dinner menu is fabulous! We started with the "made-to-order" guacamole and salsa with chips- didn't expect the stone mortar and pestle presentation- a nice surprise. The guacamole was very good (I grew up in Arizona and know good guacamole!). Followed by the Ahi tuna- again, a nice dish- seared with a raw, tender center and nice drizzle of what we think was a semi-sweet siracha. One of us ordered a Caesar salad with salmon and it was okay- the salmon was perfection- slightly smokey, flakey. The salad needed some anchovies and I'd recommend shaved rather than shredded Parmesan and a little less dressing. Go more old school on this and you'd nail it. Another ordered a burger, simple but often not done well. This was very good too- the beef was pink centered and full of well balanced flavors. The fries were with skin and crispy. We ranged in ages from 54, 49, 21, and 17 years- we were EACH very pleased. Final note- the evening we were here, the entertainment was a young man (Martin Manivert?) playing guitar- deep voice that was unexpected- icing on our evening. Thank you Bonfire Grill Bar! We'll be back! read more

See all

The problem with the Bonfire is not the work staff. The issue with this restaurant is systemically bad management. Workers are stretched thin on tables. This is beyond the current workforce shortage in the area. Food takes an incredibly long amount of time to receive. Drink service is highly intermittent. It's frustrating being at a venue that has so much potential spoiled by an owner/manager that has complete disregard for the work staff planning. read more

This review is for the bar not the restaurant. We were staying at the hotel and decided to go up to the 7th floor for some drinks. The bar is not that big but there was two seats open so we bellied up and ordered some drinks. The beer selection was good and the beer was good as well. The bartender was helpful and attentive even though he had to deal with a trio of drunken young ladies. The best part was when we got our bill......3 beers and a glass of wine was 20 buck.....in Vegas that's a 45 dollar tab, gotta love them Yooper prices. read more

We stayed overnight and for the free breakfast it was like we were invisible. Servers kept walking by even as we waved. Took 15 minutes to get coffee. The place was not crazy busy. Lazy servers make bad servers. Not impressed read more

Ridiculous wait times and disorganized service, with so-so food. We were there almost 2 hours, literally because our waitress kept forgetting we existed and disappearing. Literally waited half an hour for to-go boxes and our bill. read more

Was reluctant to eat here due to the 2.5 star rating but ended up staying because we had just drove 12 hours and were really tired and hungry. The service was good and the prices and food were good as well. Not sure why the low rating. Totally reasonable. read more

Waitress was slamming plates and cups on table, took forever to get our drinks. I don't normally leave reviews, however, someone from our group left behind an item and upon returning to the restaurant to grab it our server and a guy (who I'm assuming was the cook) was talking about how we didn't tip enough. As they were leaving he stated "fuck that" and proceeded to go back into the kitchen. Pretty sad when we spent $200+ at your restaurant. Very poor first experience. read more

We stood waiting to be seated in a completely empty dining room. Eventually a young waitress came, while on her phone, and said she couldn't seat us she was leaving, yet didn't let anyone else know we were waiting. Eventually another waitress came along the asked the young waitress if she was going to seat us, she relied no she was leaving. The two argued about if she could leave or not as my husband and I stood there and continued as we walked out the door never to return. read more

Best view in Houghton County. Waitstaff was very good and the steak bite appetizer is good enough for a meal for only $9.00. Hummus plate has plenty of pita and hummus, although the curry was a bit too much. It was still good. The mussels were served in a very tasty sauce and came with a small loaf of bread for dipping that was perfect. Recommend l read more

This place exceeded my expectations. We were staying at the hotel and wanted to have a nice night in with good food. Yes, the view is beautiful, but I'm all about the food. When we arrived we were greeted by the owner herself, who was very pleasant and lit a candle at our table. There was a band playing which added to the ambiance. I ordered the steak medallions and my boyfriend ordered the special which was walleye. While the steak medallions were a bit salty, they were cooked properly and still tasty. The walleye was the star. The butter sauce was amazing! And the sautéed vegetables we both got with our meal were delicious. He had the French onion soup to start while I had the Caesar salad. Both were decent. Coming from a city where food is everything we were pleasantly surprised. read more

Stopped in for drinks. Great view and pleasant atmosphere. Hot mess mule was perfect as far as mules go. Server messed up a friends drink twice but quickly corrected the issue and was very apologetic. We didn't eat but the food looked great. read more

We had the most terrible experience possible at, what was supposed to be a good dining experience. Total disorganization, unprofessional and unattentive waitstaff, poor drinks and food was the quality of a TV dinner! Couldn't get the drinks right, forgot our salad and soup until AFTER we received our main entre, food quality was unacceptable for ANY restaurant. This was truly the worst dining experience we have had for years at any priced restaurant. Our advice.....AVOID AT ALL COSTS and grab a sandwich out of a vending machine!! At least you will avoid the unprofessional waitstaff and the food quality will surely be better! read more

The atmosphere and music is great but the service is terrible!! Waited about 20 minutes to even be ackowledged and finally went to the bar to get our own drinks. The bad service continued--always needing to search down a server to get anything. Finally got my soup and salad, told the server it wasn't the kind of soup I ordered and she just walked away. The other two people in my party got their food about 10 minutes later. She brought the food and left. We had no utensils, ketchup, etc... Very, very disappointing. read more

I walked into an empty restaurant and waited to be seated. It took 5 min before anyone came out from the back and noticed me. I ordered the fried pork tenderloin sandwich and fries. It took almost 45 min for my food to come and once it did I wasn't impressed. The pork and fries were left in the fryer way too long. The food was dried out and almost rock hard. My drink sat empty two times for over 5 min while the waitress sat at the bar and ate her lunch. I decided to give this place a second chance and went there for breakfast. Different waitress but same service experience. The eggs were bland and the breakfast sausage was still cold. WILL NEVER GO BACK AGAIN read more

I have tried not to leave a negative review but last night tipped the scales. I went out for my birthday and sat at the bar. Service is always terrible here and I figured this would improve it as I was sitting front and center. This is not the case. We ordered appetizers and waited an abnormally long time for our meal. When they came the bartender said "oh your appetizers will be out in five minutes". I told her I don't want them now because they are meant to come BEFORE the meal. The food was good, if it was served at any other restaurant I would come back for it. The final straw was when I asked for one last glass of wine and left my cash on the bar to pay for it. The bartender kept all of it, paid for the drink and put the rest in her tip jar without asking me. NO. That is not how tipping works especially after such terrible service. Will only be back here if someone else absolutely has their heart set on it. read more

Note to Cobb salad makers: chicken should not look like its haphazardly cut. That makes me wonder if its left over from some other chicken dish. read more

Walked in, could not get a waitstaff to look at us. Bartender showed some care, got us drinks and sat us on setee's. Waited 20 min, saw a table open and grabbed it. Half hour: wait staff kept walking by, would not acknowledge us. Left. Went to Ambassador, got waited on right away. read more

Me and a group of friends went to the Bonfire just the other day and found that the atmosphere was pleasing with good lighting and live music. But was disappointed by the service that we had. Our server seemed confused about the domestic beer selection that the restaurant had, and only took some of our drink orders and neglected to take the orders of the other people at the table (there was only four of us)n she then preceded to take our appetizer orders before taking our friends drink order till someone at the table said something about it. When the appetizers got there, some of our drinks didn't even arrive yet and when they did arrive the ice was melted, and the drinks were weak. Very weak for a 10 dollar drink and a 23 dollar margarita pitcher. Our entree order was taken when our apps arrived to the table (still haven't had some of our drinks to the table) and the French onion soup was so salty that within a couple of bites, our lips were chapped and was inedible. Besides the soup, the food was good but overpriced. Will not be back. read more

This is by far the worst restaurant service I have experienced. I travel for work and I been everywhere but this is by far the worst!!... my company booked us to stay at the hotel which this restaurant is located in and we were advised about breakfast in the restaurant, I went up to the restaurant for breakfast and saw people crowding the wait area which I didn't see the sign to wait there, I asked one waiter if there was any tables open and she rudely said "you gonna have to wait" I said ok.. I went to sit near the waiting area as that was only available place to sit, surly those people got seated or left and no one approached me as I looked around intentionally looking like I'm waiting for a table.. a gentleman comes in talks to front desk and he sits at a table across from me (we were sitting in the area that is sectioned to the bar so no service was provided there) sure enough waiter came got his drink and food order and brought him his drink right away... meanwhile she ignores to ask me anything as I'm sitting there watching and obvious enough that I'm still waiting... I check the time and breakfast time is over so I got up went to the girl at the desk and said I want to speak with a manager.. she left " to get the manager".. meanwhile the same waiter that told me "you gonna have to wait" approached and rudely said "did someone help you" I said NO I BEEN WAITING HERE FOR HOW LONG AND NO ONE APPROACHED ME all she said was "that's how it is" turns around and walks back.. I was shocked but meanwhile I said the gentleman came way after me and sat right across me got his food and drink while no one asked me anything.. I was so mad I didn't want to eat anymore I lost my appetite and manager never showed up so I went to complain to the hotel which the front desk girl said they have nothing to do with the restaurant it's separately owned. Unbelievable! I'll be sure to tell everyone in my company to avoid this restaurant! read more

After a day of hiking the Porcupine Mountains, what a treat to sit down to a great meal at the Bonfire in Houghton. Chef Travis's homemade mushroom ravioli was divine -- the cojita cheese really made it! My husband had the surf and turf, and couldn't finish it -- steak, shrimp, two sides, plus a salad. Not to mention an outstanding view of the canal. Our server was friendly and gave us tips on our next day's trip to Copper Harbor. We will be back! read more