The dam site in is my ultimate favorite restaurant! It's housed in a huge historic farm house with beautiful views. There are several different dining rooms with stunning views no matter where you are seated because of the full windows all the way around the room. Each dining room is decorated in a different vintage style with cloth tablecloths and napkins. The wine is served in hand painted wine glasses. No matter what entrée you order it comes with what I call "thanksgiving" it is an all you can eat sampler of all the fixings like mashed potatoes and gravy, homemade buttered noodles, peas, and biscuits with honey and butter. The steak is the best I've ever had and I don't even have to look at a menu when I go there. It's terribly sad that we have to wait for it to open because it's seasonal from spring to fall. read more

The Dam Site Inn has some of the best fried chicken in the world the biscuits with honey are amazing the noodles are awesome the mashed potatos with Gravey is awesome and the atmosphere is relaxing I highly recommend the dam site inn read more

I never leave reviews for anything because I have never been so disappointed in a restaurants costumer service until now. I ate here with my family, and while the food was good, our sever Kristen was TERRIBLE! She was so shockingly rude and was noticeably annoyed with any questions we had. It took a while for our food which we expected, but when we were finished we sat there waiting for our bill for a good 20-30 min with dirty plates in front of us. I have worked in customer service for a long time, and I have also worked in restaurants, so I am the first to sympathize if a server is struggling or the food takes a while, but this was beyond anything I have ever experienced, she just flat out hates her job. And it shows. We went there to have a nice time and enjoy some great food, but the costumer service ruined it for us. If you are looking for a great restaurant, one of our favorites is Douglas lake bar. read more

Dam Site Inn - Seafood Near Me - Pellston, Michigan

Words cannot describe the level of awesomeness this place has. Showed up about 20 minutes before they opened last Tuesday. No problem! They invite us in to sit at the bar and have a cocktail while we wait. Place was built 59 years ago and has ALL the original decor and furnishings. A couple minutes before 5pm we were seated. We all ordered the family style chicken dinner. Chicken, mashed potatoes, homemade noodles, peas, biscuits and gravy. We also got coleslaw or salad before the meal. Everything was homemade and DELICIOUS! I'm seriously at a loss for words on how good it was. Do yourself a favor and stop in at this out of the way treasure! read more

Just watch Under the Radar: https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&cd=1&ved=0ahUKEwiu5dq2lZ7VAhUD2oMKHYyrB0YQwqsBCAwwAA&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fwatch%3Fv%3DJ2lVMhMdngM&usg=AFQjCNFeJMnGMk_3W4eZHW05Pb9_-XdFDQ Nuff said! If the link does not work just Google Under the Radar..Dam Site Inn read more

A well-known restaurant UpNorth since 1950s. They continue to get it right year after year. Agree with previous comment about dress code. This used to be a "dress up" kind of place but unfortunately it has gotten very relaxed over last 5yrs. Sometimes see people in sloppy shorts and tee shirts. Worst are the men wearing baseball caps on while they eat - table manners anyone? read more

Our favorite spot in northern Michigan. A family tradition every summer. The fried chicken is a must and the large relish tray sets the stage for the rest of the meal. Ray and his staff are gracious and make the whole experience. Be prepared for a throw back to the 70s in terms of decor and ambience. It just add to the overall charm. read more

What a classic place. If you LOVE fried chicken, then this is your spot you need to come. How could you go wrong with all you can eat fried chicken, with corn, mashed potatoes, bean and they are all you can eat! I will definitely be back here next time I go up to the top of Michigan. read more

Delicious chicken, perfectly cooked mashed potatoes, yummy peas, great biscuits. My children devoured the noodles. Must order the relish tray. The big one. Totally worth it. read more

I'm dieting right now, so all I do is dream of the Dam Site Inn's chicken. Family style dining with the best fried chicken you'll ever eat, plus wonderful home made sides, like noodles and buttery biscuits. Our favorite routine is to start off in the retro "Mad Men" bar and have Shane mix us up a martini. Then we head to the dining room and order the all you can eat dinner. We often have enough to take home so we can enjoy it all again the next day. Heavy sigh....a few more pounds off and I can do back!! But to be totally fair...they do have a complete menu and I'm sure I could get a lovely broiled whitefish, or scallops or even a lobster tail! Maybe I will go soon! read more

We were up from Ohio visiting friends in Petoskey and they brought us to their friends restaurant for dinner. They recommended the chicken dinner. The meal was very good, atmosphere was cool. We really enjoyed it. read more

A little high priced but food is wonderful. Chicken platter was old style with mashed potatoes, chicken gravy, and other great fixings. A definite stop if you are in the area. read more

been going there for years we love it good chicken good service semi ok wine but just cozy and homey bar from sinatra/dean martin era fun fun fun read more

What a wonderful place to visit while on vacation. The fried chicken dinner is outstanding (however you will eat too much:) and the homemade sides are excellent. Can't get enough of the noodles. The decor is very retro and takes you back in time. Clean, friendly, and did great working with a couple of food allergies that our group had. Highly recommended. read more

Dam Site Inn is a special restaurant for my fiancé and I. We came here early in our relationship, had a blast, and have been regulars ever since. I've never eaten anything here except the TO DIE FOR chicken dinner, so I'm not a good judge of their other food. However, if they put the same care and quality into their other food that they do into their chicken, then I have no doubt that everything on the menu is exceptional. I have never had a bad experience here. Maybe a longer wait from time to time during peak season, but nothing too bad. Overall, this is my favorite restuarant in Northern Michigan, and I highly recommend it to anyone who enjoys American comfort foods. read more

I've been coming here since I was 2 years old and the food is always amazing! A loooong time family favorite and a tradition that will carry on!!!! read more

One goes to the Dam Site Inn for the experience of it all. I recommend going with a medium-to-large group because this memorable place creates memories for the people you're with. Located by Burt Lake in N. Michigan, it's a bit of a drive for a meal but so worth it. Once you arrive you MUST have a cocktail in the bar area. The decor is mid-century modern and you can appreciate it to the full extent in there (although the shag carpet was removed about a year ago). Once you move on over to the dining room, order the relish tray. It's this massive thing filled with pickled watermelon, corn relish, olives, peaches, green onions, radishes, etc. I just wish pub cheese was included. I've had both the fried perch and fried chicken. The perch is amazing but I've had better fried chicken. The accompaniments to these dishes are tasty: spaeztle, peas, mashed potatoes, and gravy. Am I missing anything? I've always been too full to try dessert so I can't make any recommendations (unfortunately). read more

We went to Dam Site INN for our aniversery. Told waiter that I had Bariatric surgery and couldn't eat that much. My wife ordered the chicken platter which was 4 pieces of chicken and all the sides, the server recommended that I could get just 1 piece of chicken, which fills me up. We get the bill and hers was 20.95 for 4 piece chicken dinner and sides. I get 1 chicken thigh and was charged 17.75 for it with not any sides, what do you think. He said sorry I should have told you. He made no offer to adjust bill. wont be going there or recommending it to anyone! read more

As a long time Petoskey resident this is one of our favorite restaurants. Very old school looking and atmosphere. But always excellent. Don't care for chicken dinners, don't worry cause everything else is also excellent. Ate here this past week. Had the all you can eat perch dinner, my wife had the chicken. Everything was wonderful. Good service, quiet, comfortable, and very very good. We will be back. read more

We had a very elegant anniversary dinner at the Dam Site. Amazing wait staff, even more amazing food. Can not say enuf good about this fabulous place. read more

It's our special place to go for Mothers Day. Wonderful good food! It's an elegant place, real tablecloths and all. Just very special.

You enter this place and you feel like you've boarded the original Starship Enterprise from Star Trek! May the furniture never change. Grab a bucket seat at the bar and you can still get a (fast) sampling of most of the great food served here. And in the main room, the chicken is incredible. read more

I was there with a large group of 14 and we had been there 2 years earlier with a large group of 19. We sat down and we had brought our own wine as we did 2 years earlier and had been charged a $3 cork fee. We had six bottles with us and had asked our server to open them all. When our server was taking our order she asked me how many bottles I had brought n I told her 1 n asked her why she wanted to know n she said she had to charge us $ 20 for opening the first bottle and $15 for every bottle after that. The most I have ever paid was $8 and that was in San Francisco. We were shocked n asked to speak with the manager which was the owner. When I spoke with him he told me he had changed the price and he would not budge at all. He said to me when u walked in with that other gentleman he asked if we could bring our own wine n I told him yes. So I said did u think to tell him about the fees of $20 to open the first and $15 for every bottle after that? He said no I didn't feel the need to because he never asked. Our wine was only $16 and $19 to start. I told him he needed to be up front with his customers n train his servers to tell people before they start to open the wine. I told him We would have just bought the wine from him n taken ours back home. So I asked him to make an adjustment n maybe cut back on the fees n he told me he would not. Everyone was very upset n some want to get up n leave. We were all paying $24 for the dinner it's not like we were not spending a lot of money. None of us will ever return again n several since have told me they have told numerous people that said they were appalled at the fee n had never been charged such a cork fee n would never go there again after our experience. That was poor customer service that just offended all of us and poor training on his part with his servers. We will keep telling people of our experience a lot of us our from the Burt lake, mullet lake n Cheboygan waterways areas. It's not like there is a lack of good restaurants in the area n he lost a lot of customers n will continue to as we spread the word of how we were treated. He could have saved the situation so easily n just waived a couple cork fees n made it more reasonable but instead he had an attitude n cut his own throat. read more

Bob Seger has been known to dine at this establishment in Northern Michigan. Only open from spring to fall, definitely closed in the winter. The wife of the owner paints on wine glasses different flowers, such as the Trillium (which is the state flower). She also carves and designs pumpkins in the fall. The gardens are beautiful - plenty of hummingbirds and butterflies around. The view from the windows is breathtaking - with the lake and the dam; and sometimes you get to see dear or other Northern Michigan animals. The food is good, home cooked. It sort of reminds me of Frankenmuth with the all you can eat chicken and the extended relish tray. But, there are other items on the menu which are good if you do not like chicken. Wish there was a dress code though - it appears to be elegant and then you see people in shorts - an oxymoron! Oh well. This restaurant is a do again place that the next time I am way up north in Michigan I will revisit. Stay tuned for part 2!!!!! read more

Have been coming here since the 1950's and will continue to do so every summer when we are at our vacation home in Harbor Springs. What a wonderful place - the owner is so gracious and always interacts with customers. It's just lovely and the food is the best we've ever had - fried chicken that melts in your mouth, homemade noodles like no others you've ever had, fried perch fish fresh as it can be, and smoked pork chops from Michigan. Love it, love it, love it. All the summer folks go here regularly. Wouldn't miss it. read more

The Dam Site Inn is located off of US-31 and is only open in the summers months . They are well known for their fried chicken dinners served with all the trimmings . They however offer steaks, chops and seafood dinners as well as complete bar service . Years ago they did have a dress code but it is not in effect any longer . They open at 5 pm most days and earlier on Sundays . The Dam Site is loacted in a resort area and can get very busy on the weekends . You may want to call ahead if you have a large group . Enjoy ... read more

we have been going there for 30 years!! but the last 2 years we found the bowl of family style potatos only got to 3 or 4 people out of 8.. maybe its been shrinking..yes you can ask for more but by the time you get it you've eaten the rest of the meal.......please dam site if you have a table of 5 big guys and 3 women bring 2 bowls to start!!! read more

I've been coming to the Dam Site Inn for more years than I care to admit! Every single time, we always order the family style chicken with the mashed potatoes, noodles, peas, and biscuits. It is always delicious. The dinner is $21.95 per person, which may seem like a lot to some people, but it really is "all you can eat". I've never had refills on the chicken (there is so much on the platter) but we did get refills on the peas and potatoes. Even with 6 in our party, we still brought home 7 or 8 pieces of chicken. read more

I spent a $175.00 for dinner for three people and it was one of the worst meals ever. The peas were straight out of a can, you could tell by the way they had picked up the 'tinny' taste. All three of us ordered peas with our meal and the waitress brought one bowl for us to share. They weren't even drained and she didn't give us a slotted spoon. Bread was dried out, steak had no flavor and chicken was bland. Over-priced restaurant with horrible food. I cannot understand why people like this place. read more

I wish I lived closer,I would go there everyday! The food is excellent and the owners are very nice down to earth people.If you want great food,go there! read more

Food was excellent, we had chicken dinner, homemade noodles, potatoes, biscuits all top notch. Had a supper club ambience. Felt like a country club preserved in the 70's. Service was great. In the middle of nowhere. Would go back again. read more

This was our fourth stop in our quest to visit the top 10 chicken dinners in MI as listed by the Grand Rapids Press. The wait staff was terrific. The dinner not so much. The chicken was bland. Salad good. We thought it was way overpriced at $22.00 plus. If you want another platter all white meat it's another $4.00. We won't be back. read more

Dam Site Inn reminds me very much of the "supper clubs" my family used to go to during summer visits to Wisconsin when I was very young. This place has a great reputation in the area. My personal favorite outing is for the lake perch which are very lightly battered served family style with noodles, peas, salad, roles, etc. If you are a Perch fan this is the only place to go in the greater Northern Michigan area. Thy are generally pretty busy in the summer but never a problem getting seated right away any time after Labor Day until they close for the winter (late October?). Have been back many times and have never been disappointed. It is quite a unique restaurant. read more

I've been coming to the Dam Site for over 22 years to celebrate my moms birthday. We even had my sons baptism dinner there back in 1994. Even tho my mom passed over 4 years ago, I still continue the tradition of celebrating there. The food is outstanding. The service is outstanding and the owners are wonderful people. The noodles are by far my favorite, but the chicken and homemade mashed potatoes are a close 2nd. It is not a fast food type place. It is a place to go and relax, enjoy the scenery and the company that you are with. Once again, in the upcoming week, I'll be returning to celebrate moms birthday and I can't wait. read more

Best chicken dinner. Better than Frankenmuth. Homemade noodles, homemade biscuits, mashed potatoes & peas. They just keep bringing refills until you say stop. Then you get a hot hand towel. A delight!! read more

I went tonight with my parents for dinner it took over 1 hour to get our food. At no point did our waitress get or ask to refill our water (my girlfriend did it on her own). We also had iced tea and had to ask every time for a refill. On a side note the food was very good but after the long wait I did bring it up to the owner he did say how sorry he was but at that point I really felt I didn't get $132 worth of service/food the refills of chicken and perch we had to beg for. All and all I would say it's hard to give them my hard earned money. You are warned.....if you wait 45 minutes for your food just walk out...!! read more

If I could give less then one star I would. It is old and out dated. Very much stuck in a different era, maybe that's supposed to be part of the "ambience" but it doesn't really work. The service wasn't good at all, she would jump around to fill people's water and forgot one person's more than once. When our food came there was barely any meat on the small wings, thighs, and drumsticks and they gave us one huge breast piece. Also the fish was clearly microwaved and the oil tasted old our sides were cold too and the noodles were all stuck in balled up clumps. We had to ask for additional sides that were also clearly microwaved before coming to our table. When we received our bill we were overcharged which is disappointing considering how much it costs to begin with, which isnt worth the price. I've been to legitimate 4 star seafood restaurants and this was the furthest thing from 4 star or classy. read more

Love the atmosphere. Dinner club feel like I remember from days gone by. Food was great. Service was spot on. Definitely made a return customer of me. read more

Chicken dinners are excellent but a bit pricey. I love the homemade noodles and biscuits with honey. Pretty dining room and pleasant outdoor background to view while dining. Not a place for children as the only sandwich they offer is a PBJ. We had a half off coupon which cut our total bill down. Even though the food is really good, we would probably only go back if we had another coupon. To expensive for us other than for a special occasion. read more

Awful experience. My daughter has a severe food allergy and before we even ordered, we asked if it was safe for her to eat there. The server acted concerned and went to talk to the chef. He came back and said we were all set- the chef said she was safe. So we ordered and he said he would be sure to write it on the ticket as well. when the food came my daughter asked for reassurance that the food was okay ( sounds silly, but she's 12 and is severely allergic). It was then ( when food was already in front of her) that the server said " actually, I apologize but I didn't ask chef and forgot to write on ticket. Let me make it right and do this now." So with food already on table, he decided to check. He came back and said " yep- she's safe but the chef did say 'no guarentees '" and he laughed...like my 12 year olds' medical issue is a joke. She picked at the food, but couldn't really eat because after the joke she was nervous. He came back and tried to do damage control. We left and I called management... Turned out to be Ray, the owner. He cut me off as I tried to talk to him and in the end had a "too bad" attitude. Super rude. Food not great and highly overpriced. Avoid and enjoy one of the other great local restaurants in this area! read more