The restaurant is lovely, with wonderful views of the river and a well-appointed, pleasant space. While well-staffed with attentive servers, the food still took some time to come out, even though we came in less than half an hour after opening. The quality of the food, however, was sadly what one can expect from a restaurant so focused on its ambience - decidedly ok, and subpar for the region. They do serve the local soda (cola, diet cola, root beer, and orange cream), which, while not as good as Coke, is much, much better than Pepsi, and has a flavor all its own. The orange cream (served in a bottle) is worth checking out. read more

I wish I could give Kelsey a million stars. She was such an amazing server! She was very warm, friendly and welcoming. As for the blonde hostess up front, she was rude from the start. She never smiled and proceeded to drop our silverware on the ground and not grab us more when she said she would. The food and drinks were great. Just wish the hostess was more welcoming and would warm up a bit. read more

Damon our server was great! Lettuce wrap ordered by my wife was great. Steak I had was tender and cooked perfectly. Only issue was the stir fry vegetables! You had better like red pepper!! read more

Sat at the bar. Good experience and food. Would definitely go back. It was recommended by a local

Good restaurant at hotel. Menu is varied, food good, service good. We had appetizers at the bar , and the bartender was attentive

The food was fantastic!! Service was not so great. Gives off a low vibe. Staff was slow. Not friendly. I think if they hired the right staff it would be a much place. read more

Firefly restaurant has a great atmosphere and really friendly staff. They were quick and efficient while serving us and the food was great. I got the Italian club and it was delicious! You have to pay extra for a side and drinks were a little pricey. They have nice outdoor seating too if the weather is nice. Would definitely recommend. read more

We ordered the calamari starter. It tasted good and had a nice kick. We also ordered the steak, fish tacos, and avocado salad. The steak was not seasoned at all but was cooked the way we wanted it. The brussels sprouts were good as were the potatoes. The avocado salad was okay. For it to be called avocado salad but only have a few slices of avocado on top was disappointing. Avocado should be the star. The fish tacos were pretty good and filing. Although not on the menu, you can get a side garden salad or side caesar. When the bill came, there were two different totals - one if you paid cash and one of you used credit card (fee added). They should have that on the menu to let patrons know. read more

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this was my second time at Firefly and i've been waiting so long to come back! i came for a saturday lunch and we were seated near their huge windows with a view of the water. i ordered the flank steak and it was delicious. i just love having many components of food i can dig into. i added a photo of the fish and chips i ordered the first time i came to Firefly. i loved their fish and chips too; i'll have to get both of these meals again next time! read more

Firefly Restaurant - flank steak with truffle fries - Tapas/Small Plates Near Me - Traverse City, Michigan

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We came to Traverse City for my wife's birthday and we loved Firefly! I had the Steak Udon stir fry and she had the salmon. Both were delicious! You also can't go wrong with their truffle fries. The TC mule was a great combination of cherry whiskey and ginger beer. The firefly martini was a little too sweet and tasted like a jolly rancher but still good. Our waitress was excellent and the inside of the restaurant had an appealing modern vibe that was very well kept. We will definitely return again! read more

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My boyfriend and I stopped for lunch on Saturday. It was early- so the restaurant was quiet. Our server was quick to wait on us and talked to us about drink and lunch specials. I went with her suggestion- a raspberry vodka and Pinot noir mix. For food, we went with the crab Rangoon, beef skewers, and ahi tuna nachos. Everything was delicious! We loved the nachos- the guacamole and pickled onions really amped up the flavor! The beef skewers were super tender and served over sweet potato fries. The crab Rangoon were tasty. This was the perfect lunch before an afternoon of day drinking and checking out the town. read more

Firefly Restaurant - Ahi nachos, crab Rangoon, steak skewers. - Tapas/Small Plates Near Me - Traverse City, Michigan

Our server Kelly made our night. She showed up to the table promptly with 5 waters. We arrived just in time for Happy Hour which ends at 5:30PM. ALL the food was amazing. We had the lettuce wraps, hummus, spinach artichoke dip and California roll. For dinner we shared a sushi roll and 2 salads. We will definitely be back and would request Kelly again!! read more

Firefly Restaurant - Tapas/Small Plates Near Me - Traverse City, Michigan

Kelsey is waiting on us tonight. Started off with the Easter feature small plate, the deviled eggs less bacon and the sushi feature with the tempura lobster roll less tobiko (masago or fish eggs), a truffle basket with truffle oil, Parmesan, all as our starters. Our climb up the dunes made my eyes hungrier than I probably actually am. We also ordered more shareables to share instead of a full meal. We ordered the avocado salad and the general Tso stir-fry. They are out of the crab Rangoons tonight, bummer. Their truffle fries are thicker, almost as thick as steak fries. Nice truffle flavor to it, crunchy. The garlic aioli is lovely with it. The fries were out in a jiffy. We had to flag down Kelsey to ask for our ketchup and BBQ sauce for our fries again. We asked the runner, but he didn't get it to us either. She promised to get us the ketchup and BBQ sauce, no sauce. The deviled eggs aren't bad, the fried capers are different, crispy and not the same salty bite. The tempura sushi roll was fairly unique, rice seemed a bit mushy and soft, the lobster was rather soft, almost like it wasn't cooked thoroughly and the mushy rice was likely due to too much water in the rice batch? It was about $63.60 for our shareable items tonight with tax. Waiting again for a refill of water. Our waitress is nice, but not so attentive. Kelsey was nice enough to split our stir-fry, but then we had to ask for another bowl to split the avocado salad. The waitress at the surrounding tables had been at her table more often than Kelsey's been at our table tonight. The avocado salad was average, lemon basil vinaigrette is rather bland and flat to me. We added some of their sriracha to add a bit of flavor and kick to the dressing. The stir-fry wasn't spicy at all and didn't taste like any general tso I have ever eaten at a Sichuan Chinese, Asian fusion or American Chinese restaurant before. It was okay. It's sad but we have made better stir-fry and more flavorful at home than this. Was expecting something a bit more special at this place. Our waitress was a no show since we finished our meals and were waiting on the bill to cash out. She came out and asked if we were done as we settled in for a wait of well over 5-7 minutes. read more

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Firefly is a great place to visit is you don't know exactly what you want but just want to try everything! The small plates are great to share and we love that you can get a variety. Their seasonal drinks are always on point as well! Don't be aft of how big it is, although they are usually full it never feels too loud or overcrowded. read more

Casual, modern restaurant with a nice variety of food and drinks. We ordered a lot of small things and steered clear of actual entrees. Our soy chino sushi roll was not what we expected, and we were unable to finish it. Mac and cheese, lettuce rolls, and corn dip were good. However, I don't think anything was worth the prices they're charging. One thing we were disappointed about was that we didn't hear of the specials before ordering; we overheard another table being told them and agreed that we would have ordered one or more of them. This place also charges you to use your card, so make sure to have cash. read more

Amazing food, cute atmosphere, great drinks. Best spinach dip I have ever had! Highly recommend, worth street parking and a walk. read more

Firefly Restaurant - Spinach dip - Tapas/Small Plates Near Me - Traverse City, Michigan

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A great restaurant with a variety of foods! We recommend the Firefly because their portions were generous and the service was fantastic. As pictured, the burgers are thick and the club sandwich had plenty of meat on the sandwich. The only thing I wish about the club sandwich I had was that it had different bread. The bread was barely toasted. It wasn't bad by any means but I think the crunch goes good with a club! But that is just a personal preference! Our appetizer of spinach and artichoke dip was huge! It came with the best pita bread I have ever had, so much pita and so much spin dip! Worth the price for sure. Top 5 best spin dips I have had! They definitely do not skimp out on ingredients! The restaurant was very clean and had a calm atmosphere. I absolutely love that there isn't a ton of bright lights. This makes the dining experience way better when there aren't bright lights in your eyes!! I love the dim lighted atmosphere at the Firefly! Our service was fabulous and the food was excellent. Definitely recommend the Firefly for a date night! read more

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Really lovely spot for a casual dinner in Traverse City! Service was very well paced and everyone was kind as well. The menu has options from a few cuisines so there's something everyone would like. We ordered the potstickers, flank steak, and the case street sandwich and everything was great - clean plates all around. read more

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My family and I are from Indiana, and was visiting Torch Lake and the wineries in northern Michigan when we decided upon the Firefly Restaurant. The positive: Great location, beautiful space, decent service. The Negative: I wouldn't call this a "Asian restaurant"...more of an a spot that carries different types of food, that happens to include a couple rolls of sushi. I think that's a better and more fair assessment. The food was ok, not spectacular. I think because its a small town the quality isn't as high as maybe a bigger city that contains more high end restaurants. Definitely come here for the ambiance...not so much for the food. read more

Service was awesome! Food was exceptional! We unfortunately did not take pix of or food. Special thanks to Hakim & Katie for their great service and conversation!!! read more

Great service last night. Food was good and fair price. Would go back again! Our friends visiting enjoyed the food and views of the river. read more

We had a bit of a wait before the waitress came to the table- she apologized and we had top notch service after that slight wait- she even gave us our app on the house. Fish and chips was perfect. Light and crispy breading and the fries were crisp and had a nice light seasoned flavor. I don't normally like tartar sauce, but theirs was just right with the fries. (I opted for malt vinegar with my fish). Others at our table said their food was delicious too- lettuce wraps, and French dip. Crab Rangoon was our app - it was fresh, crispy and the filling had a nice flavor. Nice restaurant with great atmosphere. read more

Firefly Restaurant - Da Yooper Burger - Tapas/Small Plates Near Me - Traverse City, Michigan

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Very cute restaurant with friendly staff. Food was pretty good, but slightly expensive. Fries + aioli were amazing read more

Firefly Restaurant - Pulled Pork Sandwich & French Fries - Tapas/Small Plates Near Me - Traverse City, Michigan

This eatery was recommended by someone we met, and the reviews seemedgood and it looked interesting. We went down on Saturday evening a little after seven and were told it was an hour wait. But there was one table open in the bar with full service, so we took that. We ordered the street corn dip, and two sushi rolls. The street corn dip was awesome and we finished that off. But the sushi rolls were not as good. The shrimp roll was too warm and very flaccid. The salmon roll was better, prepared at the right temperature, and we did bring that home with us. I wouldn't give this restaurant as high of a ratings as some people do. read more

The good was the food and drink was worth the wait. The bad was the wait. A table was empty nearly 30 minutes that our party could have sat at but not offered to us. Once we got seated everything was slow to get to us, drinks, appetizers and food all a really long wait. The fish tacos my husband rates as best he has ever had and my daughter loved the fettuccine Alfredo with peas and mushrooms it was on point. My daughter and I had sushi and it was very good. No GF menu but was able to get Tamari instead of soy sauce here. read more

Love their small plates and the service is so accommodating. The ambiance provides for a casual, slow and relaxing time with family and friends. read more

The service is always so quick. They are very accommodating when it comes to modifications or dieting restrictions. My fiance and i always visit on our yearly anniversary vacation. 10/10 would recommend. read more

We ordered our food for pick up, it was delicious! the fish tacos, the potstickers, the ragoons! all delicious. would highly recommend again! read more

Firefly Restaurant - crab ragoons, potstickers, fish tacos - Tapas/Small Plates Near Me - Traverse City, Michigan

I've previously written a review for this place, but not sure where it is! Either way, this is a gorgeous, comfortable, open and spacious eatery, and probably great for small groups. Simple decor and warm lighting around the patio makes this a very inviting experience. The service and food is excellent. Our server was very helpful and attentive. We started with the crab rangoon. They were perfectly fried and not greasy. I loved the Fishtown Philly (made to order, with light rice and sliced very thin). My husband devoured his Cass Street Club (massive sandwich!) and I managed to score the largest fry on his plate read more

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All good things, come to those who wait. What a good experience!!! Buffalo burger was wonderful, fried chicken sandwich was delicious but the Thai peanut stir fry was outstanding. Great food. Take-out made it easy read more

The best part of the meal was the service. The food was okay, but nothing exciting. Was pretty underwhelmed.

We lucked out on a Saturday night and walked right in. This place is very popular. Daughter and I enjoyed their sushi and hubby tried the fish and chips. Everything was delicious and we were pleasantly pleased with the check. Surprisingly, didn't feel taken advantage of being summertime and tourist season. Some places will really hike up prices. This place is also a nice easy walk from downtown Traverse City; there was no need to relocate the car. read more

Hits and misses! Misses: 1) if you're gonna take people to the back room, let them know it's a completely different atmosphere. We walked through a trendy, exciting room into something that had an American Legion bar feel 2) some of the chicken wasn't cooked Hits: 1) server was overworked, but awesome 2) lettuce wraps are on point read more

We were in Traverse City on a Friday night and this restaurant had one of the shortest waits so we decided to try it. It's a nice open space with lots of tables. The food was okay. The sushi was good, but nothing special. The sesame chicken and rice tasted similar to frozen store bought versions. I did, however, really enjoy the flank steak, truffle fries, and garlic aioli. Overall, I thought this restaurant was a little too pricey for the quality of the food. read more

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Overall a good experience here. The menu is a little weird in that it is a mix of Asian Tapas and Burgers, but we found stuff we liked. We had some sushi rolls (good, but limited sushi menu), chicken lettuce wraps, ahi tuna crackers and dumplings. All the food was good and nicely presented. Service was fast and friendly. But, not cheap and parking is a tad of a hassle, but worth a visit. read more

With so many places to choose from here in the main part of downtown Traverse City, it is overwhelming to try to narrow down the choices. I found the place that checked all the boxes! They have a wide selection of food with something for everyone. We ordered their spicy tuna sushi. I didn't have exceedingly high hopes but I was pleasantly surprised when we enjoyed that sushi! Had some fresh, slightly crunchy something in it which made it so good! Our server, Chione, approached our table and I knew we were in for a delightful evening. She was SO pleasant and warm. Very welcoming! All she needed to say to me was shrimp scampi and I was sold. It's only their weekend special (not clear if it is available every weekend or just this last weekend). Linguine, white wine, GARLIC, butter, lemon, shrimp, and roasted tomatoes. YUM!!!! And the toast it came with was UNREAL! Garlicky and cheesy and crunchy...oh boy! Husband ordered their flank steak. Chimichurri, check, truffle fries, check, 6 Oz flank steak with a side of garlic aioli, double check! He almost always gets a side caesar salad and he really liked theirs. We were in heaven. This place is right by the river which would be so stunning in nicer weather. We are planning on coming back here when we come back into town. Thank you for a great time read more

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food - everything is pretty fairly priced for me, and it's very high quality stuff and everything i've had is super good service- everyone there smiles when you walk in, and every time i've been there the waitresses i've had are amazing and super nice ambiance - the place is very clean, and the decor is all matching and it's beautiful in there. not to mention the outdoor seating right next to the river read more

We loved this restaurant! You really can't beat good food and a good experience. Since my boyfriend and I weren't from the area, we ended up chatting with our server. He was able to give us some great recommendations for outdoor activities to do since some of the National Parks around the area were closed. We really appreciated the help and the good conversation! read more

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Good food, pretty good service. The location was pretty and right on the river. I think the flank steak with truffle fries was the best thing we ordered. read more

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We went around 5pm and it was incredibly fast to be seated. Sushi was good, but nothing spectacular. Boyfriend got the beach burger and said it was amazing! Good restaurant, thought the sushi was a bit overpriced personally. Crab rangoons were yummy! read more

Firefly Restaurant - Volcano roll - Tapas/Small Plates Near Me - Traverse City, Michigan

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