My family has frequented the Clear Lake Bar for probably more than 5 decades. It is the quintessential Up North bar. Weekends can be busy, but it's busy for a reason. This is where you go when you are in the area. The current owners have made some updates and changes these past few years and all for the better. They even have their own named micro-brewed beer on tap. You gotta love a bar with knotty pine walls, cold PBR in cans, Kessler's behind the bar, and an ample supply of Cajun picked eggs for the late night snack. read more

Clear Lake Bar - Cajun Pickled Eggs - Bars Near Me - West Branch, Michigan

Let's just say we walked in and there was only 1 table available. We were greeted immediately and sat down. Our waitress was so sweet & efficient. I ordered the bang bang shrimp and it was amazing! Absolutely the best pizza I have had in along time. My fiancée ordered the special which was spaghetti & meatballs. Very yummy! We will definitely be back! read more

See all

Considering the location, the food is actually quite good. The wings are cooked to perfection. The pizza is not special, but it's cheap and cheesy, midwestern style. The only drawback is they have a very limited selection of alcohol. Didn't even have dark beers. read more

owner is disrespectful and rude. unclean. ceiling is falling in with 2x4's holding it up. "late" night 9pm menu is basic with bad food. read more

The Clear Lake Bar (The CLB) is everything you expect from an "Up North Bar" and more which is family- friendly and it is across from the beautiful Clear Lake and hundreds of miles of ORV and Snowmobile trails. There are always snowmobiles, quads, side × sides parked out front. The owners Bob, Brent & Joe are extremely great hosts, and the entire staff are outstanding (You get a fresh drink in seconds flat) The food choices are from a big selection of appetizers, the best, pizza, 1/2 pound hamburgers, grinders, and wings to upscale dinner options, including fish, pasta and smoked meat. I'm not sure, but around 20 beer tapes, including one of my favorites (Amber Bock). A bonus is occasionally they have live entertainment and special events... Just 11 miles north of West Branch and close to St. Helen and Rose City read more

The food was fast and fresh! The wings are some of the best we've had, and the service was so great! The waitress had a new refill waiting before I even realized I needed one. 5/5! read more

Clear Lake Bar - Cod and fries, Texas Burger and waffle fries - Bars Near Me - West Branch, Michigan

Great food and beers. Order the ribs or the special. New clean look and pine interior is very quaint Service is very good esp Moe read more

Great Up North bar stop in with your side-by-side four wheeler or snowmobile. Cold Beer friendly service great food

We have been twice now. First to a Time to Taste. Absolutely amazing! And to the Future of Comedy. What a great show. Food was amazing both times. Love the CLB burger. read more

I could not check in. When our group of seven went in for dinner. No cell service --crappy Verizon. The waitress was friendly and patient. With this group, everyone talking while our waitress was getting either drink orders or food order. It was prime rib special that night. We asked how fatty the prime rib was that evening and she stated how it could be. We asked her to check and she returned with the answer it was a bit on the fatty side. I ordered a New York strip medium rare instead. Another patron ordered one also medium rare. The waitress returned to say they only had one new york strip but they had ribeyes. But when both of us got our steaks they were well done. Very disappointed. Good flavor but when you pay $19.99 for a steak you expect it to be cooked correctly. We both should have returned it but did not. If we return, I will expect better food or will not return again. read more

Affectionately known to the locals as the "CLB", this vacation property community bar is worth incorporating into your northern Michigan travel plans. Clean and friendly environment with beer and food options to accommodate everyone, while still maintaining its rustic bar roots. The smoked brisket nachos and pretzel cheese bites with a side of CLB Copper Ale are all must-tries! More healthy are keto pizza and a traverse city salad, and then everything in between. Relaxing place with friendly staff that is welcoming to both newcomers and long timers. And they now take Apple Pay! read more

See all

Good food good beer good staff. Nice local town bar! Anybody that's lived in the area already knows this, just adding it for all you visitors out there! read more

My husband and used to go there years ago when we had a cottage on the lake. We recently revisited the bar and we're very pleased with all of the renovation. They now offer burger and pizza, there is a place to dock your boats, as well as tables for outdoor dining. read more

Food is great and Hunter, our server is fantastic!!!! Quaint bar that is a must try!!

The food is always terrific and great prices. A rather large selection of beers and great service. This place is set near beautiful Clear Lake and is reminiscent of takings step back in time. This is our second trip here on snowmobiles and will for sure be a stop on future rides. They have a birthday cool little birthday package with pitchers and pizza. read more

Wings and fries were amazing. Great bar food, got take out. Pretty crowded and no one was wearing masks so that gave me pause.

I love this place. The atmosphere is fun and the servers are friendly. The food is always good. Yes, it's true! I love their Greek salad , their pizza and spaghetti the best. I'm not a seafood lover, but I've heard it is very good. This place is always packed but the wait is worth it. read more

Great food, had fresh Alaskan Pollick breaded with Japanese crumbs and coleslaw - absolutely delicious!! I was craving fish and coleslaw and it hit the spot. Will be back for more!! Local crowd around the bar and great staff. read more

Always busy for good reason. Their prices are good and the service is too! The food is delicious! Their menu is your standard fare, but I've never been disappointed. They always have a variety of rotating specials and dishes. I highly recommend their pizza cheese sticks! read more

Very friendly bar and excellent food. Deep in woods across from Clear Lake. The best spinach artichoke dip I have ever ordered. Fried perch dinner was delicious. The whole reason we traveled to the restaurant was my husband wanted smelt. He loves it and thoroughly enjoyed his dinner. Regardless of the restaurant being totally packed service was excellent and very friendly. Menu was varied. Appetizers salads sandwiches pizzas hamburgers pastas dinners desserts and a board listing specials. Highly recommend. read more

Food is amazing! Prime rib on Thursday night was fantastic! Fun bar! I have been coming here for the last seven years. Crazy when the Detroit Red Wings are playing. When they score a goal the sirens go off and the waitress brings out a real octopus and they throw it back and forth. Do not catch it, it will make you smell for the rest of the day! :-) :-) :-) The bartender/waitress is harsh! Everyone comes to this bar to have fun, there is just no reasons for the waitress to be so harsh! I would give it 5 stars for everything except for the bartender/waitress. read more

Great prime rib, excellent service. Would recommend this place over and of the bars in the surrounding area... food is a cut Above the norm. I will be back. read more

Clear Lake Bar - Bars Near Me - West Branch, Michigan

One of my favorite places to go eat in the summer! Love the atmosphere and the people! And the lake is absolutely gorgeous!

Food is fantastic! Good beer selection and great wait staff. Wasn't expecting much when we got there but that changed. Been back several times since read more

We have never had bad food here! Love their burgers! Pizza is great. Oh, the soups are super. This is always a snowmobile destination.

This is a top notch establishment. I've been a handful of times and have never been disappointed. Today was the first time I ordered food carry out.It was as hot and fresh as if they had just served me at the bar. Best "bar burger" in Northern Michigan, and my husband loves the bison burgers. It's my 12 yr old sons favorite place to eat. Well done CLB!!! See you soon!! read more

The monte cristo sandwich is great. They need the make it s regular menu item. They have a very friendly wait staff and the beer is really cold. read more

They have great food and it's not really loud fun the lake is not that far from the bar read more

Clear Lake Bar - Bars Near Me - West Branch, Michigan

Great St. Paddy's Day at CLB, I had the Special Corn Beef and Cabbage it was the Best I have ever had Sorry Mother R.I.P. Thank you so much Buddy and Scoob jr for always having Awesome food!!! Thank you Kelly and Sam y'all do a Great job!!! read more

I guess I have a theme going here of reviewing small Up North bars that you only know about if you happen to have a place near where they are located. So to continue this trend, allow me to enlighten you on the qualities of Clear Lake Bar. This place is famous for miles around for one thing, well several things but mostly this one. Friday night walleye dinners for $8.95. Delicious crispy fried walleye fillets and fries every friday night. Here is the catch, if you're not here by around 8:00pm you're not going to find a spot to park, and if you do, you won't find a table to sit at, and if you do, chances are the walleye is all sold out. Hordes of people from miles around know about Clear Lake walleye fridays and they get there early and get their tables. Another thing this place has going for it is the atmosphere. Its a cool little sports bar right across the street from Clear Lake. Pool tables, darts, keno, girls....wait I'm married.... "people watching". Like Toby Keith says in his song, I love this bar, it's my kind of place. I've reviewed a few bars and given them all 5 stars, but when it comes right down to it, I'd rather be at Clear Lake Bar on a friday night then just about anywhere else. They actually have a nice menu selection, far more then just bar food. Their pizza's are the best in the North and they have these colossal clams that are terrific. It's also one of the only bars I've ever been to that knows how to make a B-52. Maybe one day you'll be deep in West Branch and happen to come across Clear Lake Bar on a friday night, at this point, consider your life to be complete. Go inside and enjoy. By the way, CLB is NOT an easy place to find. It's like 15 miles through the back roads from downtown. You can get there from exit 212 or 215, I don't want to tell more than that because I don't want you to be the one in front of me who gets the last order of walleye. =) Enjoy. read more

Don't be alarmed if you think you hear the banjo from Deliverance as your GPS takes you down dirt roads on the journey to this backwoods jewel. And don't get all squeamish as you slip past the buck pole that just may be sporting a five point buck just inches from the front door. It'll be worth it when you get inside. And when you can't make up your mind, take Sherry's advice on the specials ... you won't go wrong. read more

CLB is a great place for summer and winter. We snowmobile there often for the great food and cold beer. (only one on sled) I know poeple that off-road there in the summer and say its a good ride. The have a great selection of food and drinks including bar food and some "better" food. Known for fish frys and pizza but everyhing there is good. It's a little hard to find which gives it even more character because only people that really want to find it do. It's got that up north feel but it's not a total dive. They have some stuffed animals that are interesting to look at. They also have a pool table and a few video games. Aways a good crowd here to watch Lions and Red Wings too. (can get crowded at times) read more

Clear Lake Bar is a gem off the beaten path. It is a quintessential northern MI bar with great food and an up north local atmosphere! Try the fried smelt dinner. You don't find that on the menu just anywhere. The kitchen is open until at least 11 pm too. If you're a fisherman or women coming off the lake late, that is a great bonus. Worth a visit. 5 Stars. read more

I have been coming here for a long weekend every summer since 2000. It is great. For where it is located it is incredible how good the food is and the prices. We eat two meals a day and drink until it's time to go home. Have yet to not like anything I have ordered. Agree the pizza is s must but the specials are always great. Also love they have a had station attached and buck hunter. Come here read more

This is my second time out to Clear Lake Bar, I go out of my way coming home from up north, just to come here. The food is great, hot and fresh. Their French onion soup is some of the best I've ever had. Portions are filling. The $5 bloody Mary with pickled asparagus was pretty delicious, but they could use some more garnishes to really complete the drink. See you guys again at the end of the month! read more

This place Is a great up north bar with an excellent kitchen. Daily specials and great friendly staff. Highly recommended all year around read more

First off, cell phone service stinks in this area, and as a frequent visitor, it can be hard to even get checked in on Yelp. Perhaps the location is off a bit or something. CLB never fails to surprise me. They are crowded every night of the week. Certainly there are the local regulars, but people travel from far away to hit this local spot. The menu is large, and has enough variety for everyone. Don't miss the nightly specials. Wednesday spaghetti, Friday fish fry are top of the list. The great staff, and fun seasonal events make the CLB a top destination. Special note: Don't be thinking that because this is located near Clear Lake that this is a summer only destination. Winter sports are work well arounf the CLB. From watching the Red Wings to the annual broom ball tournament mid winter. Check this place out. read more

We always love coming here! They have lots of different beers and always have a couple on special that are really cheap. The food is always fantastic. I love that they do lots of specials everyday and only make small quantities of them. I know they are making their food good and fresh everyday. Their nachos are some of the best around. The portion is huge. I always ask to add green pepper and onion. We have yet to have a bad meal there. Servers are always working hard to give great service! Only negative is that I think their fish portions are really small and that they need an all you can eat option. The fish is good but it's not enough food in my opinion. Oh and they have super cool Shirts too! My wife loves her CLB shirt! read more

Went on a Thursday evening for Prime Rib dinner and it was AWESOME!!! Can't wait to try the Walleye next time. Reasonally priced and the service was excellant. Give this place a try, you won't be disappointed!!! read more

Nice place ... found by 'accident' ... just an afternoon road trip ... been was cold ... fresh shrimp right out of Clear Lake (LOL) ... it was really good ... and Abby, the bartender, was all smiles. Will definitely be back with friends. read more