Great location, right on the beach. This gives you the perfect view of sunsets on Lake Michigan. That's the main perk. Menu prices matched high-end restaurants, but the experience did not. You're clearly paying for the location. The actual menus were on paper which had been manhandled, crumpled, spilled on. Not a great impression. They had a nice wine menu but were out of half of them. I had the whitefish with redskin mashed potatoes and mixed vegetables. The fish was over seasoned, the potatoes were bland and, my biggest pet peeve, the "vegetables" were zucchini and carrots. That is the cheapest of the cheap and, if you've read my reviews, are an automatic deduction. Please show some originality. The team was a group of guys from Jamaica. Very friendly. So, great views but you can get that from the outside bar. Not terrible but not worth the price. read more

My family and I went it was a table of 14. We got there and it was cute and we had their bar food when we were at the beach we thought it was amazing. But when we went into the inside and sat down we were told that they can't push the tables together because of the "view" but no one was in the restaurant. Then the service was horrible and there was one person working. We ordered food and it took a very long time. We got the food and it was just horrible! My brother got a burger and it was a frozen patty and a half circle. The salad with steak took forever and it wasn't that great overall experience terrible so if your staying at the Homestead, go into the Glen Arbor town food there was much better than this. Way overpriced for 14 people which wasn't that expensive at other restaurants. read more

My family and I went it was a table of 14. We got there and it was cute and we had their bar food when we were at the beach we thought it was amazing. But when we went into the inside and sat down we were told that they can't push the tables together because of the "view" but no one was in the restaurant. Then the service was horrible and there was one person working. We ordered food and it took a very long time. We got the food and it was just horrible! My brother got a burger and it was a frozen patty and a half circle. The salad with steak took forever and it wasn't that great overall experience terrible so if your staying at the Homestead, go into the Glen Arbor town food there was much better than this. Way overpriced for 14 people which wasn't that expensive at other restaurants. read more

We loved the view. The server had a great sense of humor (couldn't find our reservation). The cocktails were expensive and not good. The food was terrible and very overpriced. The view was amazing. Other than this Cafe experience, our stay at The Homestead was great. I'll return to The Homestead but we won't be back to this Cafe and wanted to warn others. read more

UPDATE Came back this morning, and ordered the Angus Kobe steak w scramble. It was NOT Angus Kobe. It was a pre-frozen patty of a steak, and it tasted sour :-( Keeping at 3 for its convenience on site and the friendly service (and still that fresh squeezed Valencia OJ). ******* Giving 5stars to boost Cafe Manitou's overall rating. 2 stars for this place is unacceptable! Cute interior, attentive and friendly service and yum food. Granted we only had breakfast here, but the lobster scramble was honestly the tastiest I've ever had. It was hubby's dish but I kept taking nibbles here and there. True fresh squeezed Valencia OJ (had almost 5 glasses!), croissants and mini danishes unlimited and complimentary when you order a breakfast entree. Lastly the view outside was beautiful and the decor ambience was quaint, yacht-y, classy casual. **To note, we came at the tail end of breakfast service and were the only ones inside. This may have afforded us a different experience than most** read more

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Overpriced. No need for reservations since the quality of food is not congruent with the price point. Caprese salad served with winter tomatoes instead of summer. Whitefish good but not worth the price. read more

We were initially excited by the ambiance and convenience by the Beach Club. We were pretty disappointed and we aren't easy to disappoint. To start, it is really expensive. We are talking $60 for a steak and like $30+ for ravioli. For that price, even with the views, you expect everything things to be nice. We were thus a little surprised when waiter brought out some crumbly paper menus and threw them down on table. The kids menu looked like it was typed up in Microsoft Word in about 2 minutes. Next, they didnt have the first two things we ordered - a negroni and half dozen oysters. Its always awkward when waiter says they are out but exponentially so when it happens twice in a row. He did say they had 4 oysters and we decided to go for it and their bread board. We first ordered wine and a manhattan and we further surprised when he served those in a small clear plastic cups they likely picked up at the local gas station. We ended up not liking the oysters or the bread board. The oysters were gargantuan - literally like 3 full bites and contained things that didnt look like oysters. The bread looked nice but was dry and stale. The whole thing was just poor and made all the worse because they set our expectations higher when they out forward such an expensive set of prices. But, we can say the waiters were nice. read more

The servers here are amazing. The food is great. The ambiance is unparalleled. However, we have been coming here for years and after creating Great relationships with several other people who work at the Homestead, can confidently say the manager is rude, unorganized, and especially rude to anyone with children. Her organization of reservations requires anyone to call multiple times since she simply doesn't call people back. And her fakeness is hugely insulting. She clearly hates all people with the luxury to vacation and is in the wrong profession. She makes being at the restaurant or bar simply uncomfortable and is horrible for Homestead's business. read more

Having a frozen drink while reading a book in the pool and hot tub were a nice break from mommy duty. The drinks here are ok, premade in one of those machines where you can see them being spun around. About $7 for one that isn't huge but also not tiny. The truffle fries were pretty good, and a huge portion for the price. So why 3 stars? Every time I went to the bar to order, there was a different bartender. And every time, the bartender ignored me. To the point of being at the register right in front of me and not even giving me a menu or saying "I'll be with you in a minute." It wasn't busy. It would have been easy. The hostess and another young man who was working but not sure what his job was were friendly but the bartenders needed some service skills. That being said, I came back. read more

Cafe Manitou - Truffle fries - American Near Me - Glen Arbor, Michigan

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Great place to hang out and order appetizers and drinks. Great staff especially Keagon bar tender. Brussel sprouts and Calamari wonderful. Chef amazing. Staff very attentive. Becky the supervisor was very attentive and professional. Romero was wonderful. Went to Cafe Manitou after walking the windy big waves crashing the beach. We were immediately seated for again the calamari and Brussel sprouts and 2 beers. Great service. read more

Worst service I've received in years. Hostess didn't have a reservation for us that I had made a few hours before. I actually tried to call and confirm but no one answers their phone. She sat us and made it seem like an annoyance that we were there and that we had a kid with us (this was specified when I made the reservation). We could hear her complaining about the fact she didn't have a reservation for us for several minutes while we sat awkwardly within earshot of her tirade. We decided to leave. Won't be back. read more

We had the Whitefish and Mushroom Ravioli and it was excellent. Service a little slow because they only had a couple people working but otherwise, great spot to eat while at the Homestead. read more

This place is typical resort food. The food is decent, but priced high for what it is. The view is nice, so you are paying something for that. We had very good service, but it was a slow lunch meal. read more

Flies inside the dining room, sat outside and a disorganized chaotic mess. Food was served outside from a grill which is fine but the Cole slaw and awful potato salad was in direct sun with a few ice cubes underneath. NOT Food Safety. Slow slow slow service only two servers for about 60 people. For the price of $30 for 2 hamburgers and an ice tea I will bring my own next time. read more

Food was hit or miss but overall still worth it for the view... Good: crispy green beans, frozen drinks, gnocchi side, awesome waitress, UNBEATBALE lakeside view with sunset Poor: calamari, fries were a little too soggy for my taste, beef tips were just ok read more

No alcohol drinks... guy inside little window (are we Detroit?) looks at me like I'm crazy. I say "guy we've been coming here for 17 years. I've spent lots of money at this window on frozen drinks and captain and coke". Tells me to go over by the docks under construction for that now. So I ask for a sandwich..all out of sandwiches! What the hell? This place is a huge ripoff in the first place catering to people who have more cash than brains. We own a house in town and my folks have a place here. The staff always interrogated us to get towels. Yeah let me get the card that we have to take an hour renewing every summer. Worst system ever. Can you tell I'm frustrated? I'll spend my time and money elsewhere. read more

This review is regarding the sit down restaurant portion of the cafe. It started good- we got there 10 minutes before reservation and they happily seated us. The appetizers were decent at best, and this was when things took a turn for the worst. The flies were awful. At one point I counted 5 flies that I could visibly see in the vicinity of our table constantly swarming and annoying us. Our meals were decent at best, with the food being over priced for the portion and quality. On top of all this the people sitting next to us were seated 10-20 minutes after us and received their food before us and their bill. Save your money and time and find somewhere else to eat (we were in the cafe from 4:50-6:40, almost 2 hours). I've written this entire review while sitting waiting for the bill. The only saving grace is the view. read more

Gorgeous setting on the lake, tasty sandwiches, and some impressively delicious fries. Laid-back service.

Great view of the lake with dunes in the background & good food too. Very relaxing atmosphere. Good waiter.

The Tomahawk steak was so burned covered with soot. The $90 steak was so bitter that I had to spit out the piece I ate and send back the dish. I believe the steak caught on fire while being grilled to be this much taste bitter. The cook knew that the steak was totally burned and was not edible, but served it anyway. For this reason, the restaurant was dishonest. The female supervisor sounded like she was giving me a favor by taking it off my bill, and did not even apologize. The steak was almost untouched. We paid for the rest of the dishes and left. Obviously, I had no dinner that night. read more

Cafe Manitou - It was so burned covered with soot. I believe the steak caught a fire while being cooked to be this bitter. I had to send it back. - American Near Me - Glen Arbor, Michigan

Don't plan on going here unless your staying at the homestead resort and have access to their "special" beach club. We are staying on the resort at a condo and they wouldn't let us eat or grab a drink here. It really shouldn't be listed as a restaurant on Yelp if you can't go there.They didn't even want to let me purchase overpriced $20 sunscreen at a store adjoining the beach club for my infant baby because we weren't saying at the resort (even though we are staying at a condo the property). Ridiculous. read more

First the food is mediocre at best. You have a million dollar view and over priced food that all tasted like frozen, processed food. Our server seemed clueless and made a lot of extra trips to the table because she kept forgetting things ie. Silverware, sauces and extra napkins. I had the fish and chips which was tasteless, my wife had the Asian chicken salad which she said was ok but small for the price. We have young children and ordered the typical chicken strips and fries and our kids had no problem but they don't have lids for their cups and I had to go hunt down my own straws for the drinks. The real kicker was when the bill came and I put cash in the check presenter and the server asked me if I had a card. I asked why, what was wrong with cash and the server informed me that they do not accept cash! I have never heard of such a thing! I stood my ground and said take the cash or we eat for free so they took the cash. All in all they have a nice venue but need some more server training and the "chef d'cuisine" needs to step up his game. The fact that they don't accept cash stopped us from having lunch at the pool or going back for dinner. Oh well read more

This place is for guests of the Homestead only. Beware! They will take your reservations but will not honor it when you arrive unless you are a guest. read more

Ordered at the bar with my 3 year old and went to walk into the restaurant and was rudely told I couldn't eat in there if I ordered at the bar, so me and my kid ate outside. Food was overpriced and tasted terrible, service was slow. Didn't get offered water or even silverware. Flies EVERYWHERE! Save your time and money and eat elsewhere...anywhere. read more

My family and I ate dinner here last night. My husband and I had the white fish, it was delicious. Both my kids had the chicken and they both thought it was a little on the dry side. We had a side of potatoes green beans and carrots which were very good. As an appetizer we ordered the coconut shrimp which were delicious just wish they put a few more on the plate. Overall our dining experience was great! Our server was attentive and gave good suggestions. The view of the sunset can't be beat! The man playing the guitar and singing some oldies but goodies made our night! read more

Um, where do I start. If the yelp app had a zero star function I would use it. My experience at the homestead resort has been otherwise positive but this restaurant needs some serious work. First of all, on my most recent visit I encountered lots of native wildlife. As my party walked in there was a snake(yes and actual snake) in the doorway, Thanks to the one door near the dining room system, the entire dining area filled With flies. While the we tried to eat we spent time swatting away flies nervously waving knives over the food to keep them from landing in our meals. Then we saw a mouse(yes a mouse) the staff did their best to locate and trap it but it ran out of the basket used and disappeared into the dining room, it didn't make a second appearance. Now, after all that this place could maybe redeem it self with good food but wow, was it gross. First cake the appetizers, the old, mushy burada served with nothing but oil, black pepper and cherry tomatoes could be saved with some crunchy, grilled bread, but instead you can order some stale baguette covered in olive oil. Then they advertised "Parmesan frites" were nothing more than some good fries(crispy, hot, seasoned) ruined by a mysterious white sauce( I believe it's Dijon mustard and mayo, but no Parmesan) they would have been better just as fries but they ended up bitter and soggy. Then the main course, all I can say is the pasta is a strange combination of random cheap ingredients thrown together in an incoherent sauce that ends up a oily mess, it doesn't coat the rigatoni but just pools at the bottom of the shallow bowl. We ordered two identical plates, two strip steaks medium with Demi glacé sauce(which was non-existent) one came rare and one came well done. They were both dry and chewy and served with some boiled red and purple potatoes and some flavorless still crunchy Brussel sprouts. Everything was under seasoned and lacking any flavor. After the snake, flys and mouse we weren't staying for dessert. The service was decent but this was a strange, gross and frightening experience I wish I could give zero stars. read more