Logistics. Downtown Battle Creek, along the Battle Creek River and on W Van Buren, between McCamly and 6 Mile. Vibe and First Impressions. It is an converted train station. We sat outside to enjoy the live jazz music. Jazzers were excellent and fun, playing a lot of classics. The audience was engaged, and the patio is huge. Hospitality. Service was friendly and accommodating. Offerings. Food and drinks were overall good. We had appetizer plate and scarfed it down. But we were too full to try desserts that seemed plentiful to pick. Of Note and Last Impressions. The loo was clean and stocked. We would come back mostly for the venue and the jazz. Nothing beats live music, dining outside, and relaxing near the river. Very cool. Would recommend. read more

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Visited early Saturday evening for dinner. We had a table immediately however, the young ladies at the host stand were not professional. Passively greeted and sat us between their giggling chit chat. We were sat against the shut door that was pouring cold air. Of all the empty tables, why anyone is ever sat at that table in the winter, either doesn't care or isn't paying attention. The grime on the menus confirms the host stands needs to step up their attention to their work. The waitress was great. Very attentive. Made a mistake with a quick fix. Service could not have been better. She took our order and we scanned the room and decor. The cold draft was getting annoying but was quickly overshadowed by the group of men in the corner shouting and one kept frickin whistling in response to the raucous laughing and shouting. Where was management to ask them to tone it down a bit? Whistling! Like you're calling a dog in from the yard. Clearly he just wanted all eyes on him and their group. It was insanely inconsiderate because it went on for 20 mins. The 20 mins until they left. Idk if they were that loud before we arrived or what kicked up the volume. They weren't watching a game. They were sitting in a big circle like a group discussion. Anyway. The good was fine. Nothing special. The stuffed mushrooms came in a half moon dish on a plate with nothing on the side. It was strange but tasty enough. Salad was huge but I think they forgot the tomatoes and cucumbers. Homemade ranch really set it off. Reasonable prices and quick service. Glad to leave when we were done and warmup in the car. read more

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Clara's is in a great location, and the inside is full of interesting vintage decor. Service was friendly and prompt. 0ur food was uninspired but reasonably good. There are lots of choices on the menu. read more

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Cool location on river with neat atmosphere. The service was excellent. The food, however, not that great. The menu has so many things on it that perhaps they should concentrate on less choices with better quality. My wife and I had the chicken sandwiches which were dry and bland. Buns crumbly. Our kids were also unimpressed with what they had. As we had never been to Battle Creek before it was fun to try a unique restaurant, but the food here will keep us from returning. read more

We eat here when we are at Firekeepers and we are never disappointed, l ordered the Chicken Salad sandwich w/onion rings, both were delicious my wife ordered a Baked potato loaded. Amanda. our server was very attentive even though she was Bar tending and all over the Train Station, l want to shout out a Thanks for the young man Marcus, hustling to clean tables and Amaya also running our food out for us. We love the ambiance there, although it was hot & there was no music outside!!! read more

Good atmosphere, great staff, great location very cool building but food is very mid, I'm better off making my own at home and saving the money not to mention it's pricey! I wish they would focus on their menu to make more items fresh, less frozen and trim the menu so they can focus on more fresh ingredient's. read more

Clara's On the River - American Near Me - Battle Creek, Michigan

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Definitely unique building. The inside clean and antique decoration. Like walking into the past. We went there twice in a week. Menu is huge. So much to choose from. It was delicious both times. The waitresses were very friendly and efficient. read more

Wow wow wow is all I got to say about this place took my daughter and granddaughter to lunch on a girls day today, their food was amazing the service was impeccable, the ambiance of the whole establishment was amazing. My daughter and I had an olive burger the best hands down ( ask for well done if you want it well done), she also had her first margarita (strawberry), she said was amazing. My granddaughter had a cheeseburger. The sliced pickles were humongous. Over all a little pricey but well worth it. read more

Clara's On the River - Strawberry margarita - American Near Me - Battle Creek, Michigan

I Love the Chicken Cordon Blue Morney! It is to die for! The restaurant itself is beautiful. The service is good. My mother and husband were not impressed with the French fries as they were under seasoned and the Hawaiian chicken was also not as good according to my daughter. She took it home and added more teriyaki sauce and ginger and said it was much improved. The yeast rolls were and ceaser salad were wonderful. read more

It's an interesting looking place. But the staff is rather brusk with you. Argue with you over soup choices that they made a mistake on. The food quality was not that tasty. And the staff just wants to get you in and out. Interior is interesting to look at. The most interesting thing to me was it had a actual rotary phone. But pass that I was very disappointed and didn't feel. I need to take any pictures of the place to remind me of it. read more

Food and service was real delightful. The food was a little cold, though we had a large party and it all came out at the same time. Quiet music fills the air and they are quick at cleaning tables for the next group. They are changing with the times, so beware of the 3.5% card processing fee before tax, but no forced gratuity on large parties. read more

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Great food the service was amazing and the atmosphere very nice I recommend you to visit it

food was average... the menu has too much on it. Clara should decide on an identity and narrow the menu options and do those items well. Service was average but the venue has great potential read more

Lunch was great...wide range of options. Cobb salad comes in two sizes and the small was plenty. Delicious roll came with it. Soup and salad combo was a hit too. Excellent waitress! Kept water coming and very attentive. Fun atmosphere with retro feel. A super spot to stop for lunch between Detroit and Chicago. read more

Clara's On the River - Menu - American Near Me - Battle Creek, Michigan

Five stars +++. We held a bridal shower in their banquet room and served Clara's Sunday Brunch. The food, atmosphere and service were fabulous!!!! Everyone praised the venue. I highly recommend and the cost was extremely reasonable. read more

Dinner with co workers. Sat outside. Service was rather slow. Food was excellent. Started with appetizers. Wings , bread sticks, salads . Every says great . I had a large Cobb salad for my entire . Excellent. One of my co workers said his steak had zero seasoning. read more

Clara's On the River - Cobb - American Near Me - Battle Creek, Michigan

We had a party of 12 and though not all of arrived at the same time we were seated right away in our own small space with a stained glass ceiling. Greg our server tried. It took a while to order even when our whole party was present. The club car top sirloin was very well seasoned and prepared perfectly, the roasted vegetables were not, they were boiled and bland. A couple of the orders were wrong, though one got her meal comped for her trouble. read more

No A/C and the weather was hot. Food and service was good. Old train station is interesting. read more

Excellent food. Huge menu with variety for all. Very good service and such a cool historical building. The shaded garden seating along the river is a perfect atmosphere. We enjoyed the live music outside. Prices are provide a wide range for all appetites. We love to stop here when passing through and will be back! read more

Clara's On the River - Clara's on the River. - American Near Me - Battle Creek, Michigan

Just left Clara's. Very disappointed. I ordered the half size grilled chicken Caesar salad. Normally, the size is rather large. This one was more like a side salad. They used the same bowl for a half salad, but it could have fit in a small cereal bowl. Plus, lemon juice was squirted on it. Lemon juice doesn't belong on a Caesar Salad. The lettuce was all wilted and it tasted nasty. We go to Clara's once a month. I will not be getting their salads anymore. read more

Old train station that convert into a beautiful restaurant. If you are in town it is a land mark that you have to try. You are not here for food but the atmosphere. Food wise, don't try anything risky and stick with the basic like sandwich and burgers like everybody else. Our fish was dry as hell, I am guessing they weren't hot sale items. Squash spaghetti is a very good side to try.. Waitress and bartender are the same person so service is slow. There are a lot of people working but none of them serve food. read more

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The Breakfast Brunch was pretty much your standard fare breakfast bar. Lots of carb foods, a wonderful omelette bar with a great Chef-lots of toppings, waffles with lots of toppings, thin pancakes, cakes and muffins, some not so perky mixed fruit-not fresh, the butter was to die for- per my 2 guests, some really Smokey thin bacon, and some sausages: Two out of 3 of us were not impressed. The scrambled eggs were super salty. There was a bowl of salad greens-with kind of an odd placing. The service was amazing. We never know how much to tip at a buffet---but beware-they have a surcharge if you use a card...to me that just takes away from the tip. The restaurant itself was very nice, long to walk from one side to the next for two folks with leg issues,1 with a cane... but put on the opposite side of the restaurant. I have waited years to go to this restaurant and I will give it one more try for a dinner. This was our anniversary celebration. It's a maybe. -Per Rita read more

The location and ambiance is the best part of this restaurant. So charming and cute. I love the details. We enjoyed walking around and marveling at the woodwork, stain glass windows massive fireplace and decorations. The menu is huge. There should be something for everyone. My sandwich was pretty good. It was not outstanding but pretty good. Very satisfactory. Husband had a mushroom and Swiss burger, which he enjoyed. It had brown gravy which gave it good flavor. Our waiter told us that they have music in the summer. It looked like there was a lovely outdoor eating area. They also have Sunday brunch, which you need reservations for. I would recommend this restaurant. read more

Clara's On the River - Bar area - American Near Me - Battle Creek, Michigan

Food service in the ambience I love our waitress is fantastic. A lot of phrase goes to Ashley. The food is so good. Everything on the menu is so yummy. Thank you so much for your service. Can't wait to be there again. read more

Came here for dinner with the family and we're seating pretty quickly on the patio. They put us in the back corner in the yard in a little brick pathway. It was a nice quiet spot but the tables and chairs were all very uneven and not sitting flat, which is not pleasant for dining. Had to shove some rocks and napkins under some of the legs to stabilize. We ordered pretty quickly and our server was very friendly, however the wrong order was first served to our table. We knew it wasn't right, so we didn't touch it, but our server was able to be waved down for at least 10 minutes to tell her, and when we did, she just took the food over to the correct table and served it... after it had sat out for that long and sat in front of other people. Wasn't the best impression. With all that said though, their food is pretty dang good if you're just looking for some comfort. While their menu is arguably too big with any possible thing you could ever want on it, it gives an option for anyone and any craving. I opted for the Michigan cherry salad and it was super light, refreshing and delicious. I split the crab and spinach quesadilla with someone and it was SO good. Like idk why I liked it so much but I did. My dad enjoyed the Polynesia tuna salad, which was a very unique combination but her really enjoyed it. Their rolls that came with the salad were soft and sweet. Great food, great people. read more

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Have always loved this restaurant. Menu offers many choices. Great food and service. Took my family over Christmas and it was decorated beautifully. read more

Both the food and service were excellent, and the ambiance is unique and special. I enjoyed my experience at Clara's On the River.

Clara's on the river is a former Amtrak train station. The historic beauty has been maintained and is worth the trip just to experience. There is also a very spacious outdoor dining area which has lots of green spaces. It is like a stroll through a garden. Even though Clara's is located in a downtown area, the patio is quite peaceful as it boarders a walking path/park and then the river. There is also live entertainment in the garden area on some Wednesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays. The menu offers a large variety of food. Everyone should find something they will enjoy. There is a full bar and it is a beautiful area as well. Sunday Brunch is amazing and very popular. I recommend a recommendation for Sunday Brunch. I do recommend Clara's on the River. You will enjoy the experience. read more

So, my husband and I came here for dinner one night. We have heard great things about Clara's. We walked in and the place is different. Very VERY low lighting. Like so low we were sitting at a table right under a light and I could BARELY see the menu. When I finally was able to read the menu I wasn't impressed. I finally picked the ribs and substituted the fries for a baked potato. I wanted to order an appetizer, I ordered some bread. I can't believe for their prices and the business they do you don't get free bread? $5 bucks for some what tasted like undercooked yeast rolls . Our food came out and my husband ordered a burger and fries, he said it was good but you can't really mess up a burger and fries. Then I got the bbq ribs and baked potato. My ribs were overdone . Baked potato was ok. I wasn't impressed at all. It was ehh... read more

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The out door dining was nice, food was good I would recommend this place if you were in the Battle Creek area. Very nice setting read more

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Still awesome and friendly staff. We ordered pasta , they made it the way we ordered. Very accurate and good. We ordered French fries were good and made right. Onion soup as usual very tasty. Chocolate mousse was fun to try too. read more

Clara's On the River - American Near Me - Battle Creek, Michigan

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The food was very good as well as the ambiance. They had live music and nice seating outside. I highly recommend this place.

First time here after hearing such good things for years. Beautiful old building. Our table was sticky. The waiter was loud and harsh. The menu is 98% meat (no vegetarian). The waiter wore sloppy clothes, the other staff was mismatched. I had to wait 15 mins for a straw. Our appetizer came without side dishes. The waiter tossed a register receipt for us to find on table. The menu is too large for any dish to be good. When asked what side dish I wanted with my $15 burger I was sharply informed that there would be an up charge. Not that $15 wasn't enough. Gross at best. read more

They have something for everyone for sure. Love the decor there. My favorite is lunch is half a BLT and French Onion soup. Yum!!

Very cool establishment. Love the old train station vibe. Good was great. Staff very friendly.

The restaurant is nice, nostalgic. The food is OK, room for improvement. We used to go here for special family occasions. Most recently it seemed like a step up from bar food read more

They have a large selection of food across multiple cuisines! Friendly service. Food quality is not bad.

Food was average. service was great. Honestly if our waitress wasn't so good, I would give it 2 stars. This place has a huge menu, with no "specialty " it is an Italian,Mexican , American place with some other random stuff. I got fish tacos and a mixed drink. The tacos were edible, the drink was definitely made from a mixer. Saving grace... wasn't expensive. read more

Not impressed, whatsoever. We dropped in on Saturday during a road trip, for some lunch and sat out on the patio. That is where things just went sour. Our server was either very green or really bad at her job. After sitting there for 5 minutes, she finally approached us and asked what we wanted to drink, a beer for him and a water no ice for me. After another 5 minutes, she showed up with the drinks, and there was ice in my water. Thanks for listening. I didn't send it back because I was for realz thirsty. At this point, we knew what we wanted, and wanted to get our order in with the girl before she left again - which I had to say "we're ready to order now". He ordered the perch sandwich and I the Caesar salad. Another 25 minutes until our food came out, and our server never stopped by our table to refresh our drinks. BTW - I was there for almost 1.5 hrs, and only 1 friggen water was given to me. Food comes out, and does not look impressive. His sandwich had the 3 smallest pieces of fried perch - a hard roll/bun & the saddest lettuce ever, and my Caesar was topped with parmesan, red onions, and a lemon. He was in the ARMY, so he'll eat anything, and finished his sandwich. I, on the other hand, took one bite of my salad, and knew I would not take anymore bites. The romaine was soggy! Who wants a soggy salad? They probably made that salad 25 minutes ago and let it sit there and sog-a-fy. AFter 10 minutes our server showed up and I send the salad back and just ordered a basket of the yeasty rolls. Surprisingly they came out in less than 5 minutes. They were the only good thing about our experience. As soon as the rolls came out, I asked for our bill. Needless to say that took another 20 minutes. Mind you, this place had like 10 tables, and my server only had 3 of the tables. She took my credit card, and proceeded to go to her other 2 tables, take their orders, then get their drinks, ALL while holding my bill and credit card. I was so annoyed and just wanted to leave. The building is awesome though. read more

I really wanted to like Clara's a lot. It's a neat location in what I assume was the former train station and is downtown on the river. Great service from the hostess who brought me to a hightop in the bar area and the waitress who took care of me with multiple soda refills. They have a couple of muted televisions in the bar which were tuned to sports channels. They also have a free wifi and this worked well. I had the wings to start. A good portion, served with a somewhat watery blue cheese dressing that had no lumps of blue cheese in it. The wings were tasty but overdone. The half-caesar salad that comes with the meal was interesting. Yes, romaine lettuce and parmesan cheese and croutons but I'm not sure what the onions, lemon wedges or warm bun were doing there. That was unusual and untraditional. Large salad, though. Lettuce was fresh and the amount of dressing was good. Ribeye steak looked good when it was presented. Cooked with the usual diamond-shaped char marks. And it was cooked to the medium rare that I requested. I found it chewy and a little tasteless. The broccoli with it was a massive portion, cooked properly. I'm sure I might be back to Clara's. I'll have a burger next time though. [Review 11133 overall, 907 of 2019.] read more

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