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Flat River Grill

4.1 (194 reviews)
Open • 11:30 am - 10:00 pm
Updated 1 month ago

Flat River Grill Photos

Business Info

FLAT RIVER GRILL ATMOSPHERE

What's the vibe?
Casual
Moderate noise
Happy hour specials
Good for groups

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Recommended Reviews - Flat River Grill

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Brisket was very good. Nice portion and great flavor

Good food and great service. Brisket was tasty and good portions. Meat loaf was good as well. Happy hour is 3-6.

Bar
Dominic C.

One of the BEST restaurants in Michigan, hands down. As a Chicagoan visiting Grand Rapids for the very first time alongside my family, I am delighted to have been able to try the Flat River Grill in Lowell. While it is a bit of a drive away from Grand Rapids itself, it could not have been more well worth the trek. Where do I even begin? The food was excellent and the service even more so-not to mention we went on a 90-degree, muggy summer day. You'd think that given the weather conditions, the staff would be worn out and not performing at their best-however-you could not be more wrong! Every staff member was seen working hard with pure intention, despite the added pressure from the blazing heat. That takes dedication, commitment, and more importantly, love. Love and passion for the work that fills stomachs and puts smiles on so many faces. One staff member in particular that I'd like to mention is Jacob, our server. He gets a special shout out as he was absolutely on his A-game. He frequently checked in on us and made sure our experience was as best as it could be, and he did it happily. Jacob has everything you could want in a server, and if I am fortunate enough to come back to the restaurant, I will make sure to request him. Those who live close to the Flat River Grill should thank their lucky stars for having such a fantastic restaurant at their fingertips. The pricing was fair, the food was superb, the environment was stunning (especially the scenic outdoor seating), and of course the staff was excellent in every way. I have little to no downsides to even mention about this restaurant. Overall, as far as a number rating goes, I give the Flat River Grill a 9.5/10, me and my family all had a great time and I pray we will be back here very soon. For a more in depth look at my reviews of the individual menu items I tried personally, they are featured below: Cooked Brussels Sprouts (Appetizer): 7.8/10. Cooked to absolute perfection, the crisp factor was most definitely there. The flavor was great too although a minor gripe would be that they were slightly too salty tasting. If you love Brussels sprouts, definitely order these. Sweet Potato Fries (Side): 7.9/10. A very flavorful and crowd pleasing side dish. The only thing I'd change for the future would be to request for the fries to be cooked slightly longer. While they were cooked well and felt quite warm, I tend to favor more crispy fries personally. Overall though, I imagine if I were to try the other sides, the sweet potato fries would be in my top two alongside the French fries, as I do happen to be a fry lover. Honey Peppercorn Beef Brisket (Entrée): 9.2/10. This entrée is extremely well crafted, it completely earns its spot as a Flat River Grill staple on the menu. The brisket itself was perfectly cooked and it totally melts in your mouth. The potatoes were crispy and flavorful, while nice and fluffy on the inside. Not to mention, the sauce (or glaze if you will) completely ties the entire meal together. Overall, an absolutely fantastic menu item that everyone must try. Key Lime Pie (Dessert): 8.9/10. This key lime pie is to die for. It was smooth, sweet, and it went down so easily. I imagine it was so delicious because the majority of the desserts at the Flat River Grill are made fresh in house-which was told to me by our very pleasant and wonderful server, Jacob. Everyone in my family ordered a different dessert and we were all very satisfied with our experience. Once again, I cannot express just how fantastic of a time I had dining here. I highly recommend the Flat River Grill to anyone who loves great food, great people, and great vibes all around!

Maple bourbon glazed salmon
Annie A.

This restaurant had an impressive menu with lots of good options. I ordered the maple bourbon glazed salmon and it was not as good as I was expecting, it a little dry so I wish that there was some extra sauce on it. It came with sweet potatoes, chard, wild rice and walnuts. I also ordered the blueberry flatbread and that was amazing, goat cheese, blackberries, blueberries and honey. I was able to find street parking fairly easy outside of this restaurant. The service was pretty slow on a Saturday night but I think they were just really busy.

Cajun Salmon
Leora B.

My sister and I hit up this place for our sister date and I am glad we did! We both had the spinach and artichoke dip which was very good but nothing off from what you'd normally get with this. The salmon dish was flavorful but not cooked to my preferred temperature. I was told it was sushi grade so I wanted a medium rare cook on it. It was most definitely medium well and verging closer to well. The mango salsa always the most exciting part of the dish and the rice was seriously just plain white rice. Want to find a way to really full out the flavor of a dish? Serve plain white rice! I would have loved to see some of the flavors pulled through in the rice. Maybe a pineapple fried rice? My sister ordered the mushroom pizza with gluten free crust for my sake. It was PHENOMENAL!! Full of flavor and I can't wait to eat my left overs!! Food quality receives 3/5 stars. The service was EXCELLENT!! 5 stars!! Cleanliness 5 stars! Food freshness 5 stars!! Ambiance 5 stars!! No explanation needed for the rest because seriously it's just that in point!! So, with this the average is rounded up to 5 stars! I'd love to see some changes with that salmon though.

Brisket Hanger Steak Pomegranate Martini

Another great meal at Flat River Grill. We had the brisket and the hanger steak and both were excellent. Cooked perfectly and just the right portion. We were seated immediately which is nice compared to long waits we typically have in the winter months.

Flat river burger with goat cheese and sweet potato fries on the side.

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27 days ago

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Gilmore C.

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9 months ago

Good food great location. Right on the river with seating out year-round. I had the goat cheese pizza and a seasonal beer

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4 years ago

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9 months ago

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1 year ago

Good Service and Atmosphere! Celiac options are decent! Overall a great place to eat!

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2 years ago

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Matt D.

Thanks for your kind words, Leslie! We'd love to see you again!

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5 years ago

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Gilmore C.

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2 years ago

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1 year ago

Great spot on the river. Good food service was excellent and enjoyed our dinner. definitely would recommend and return.

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Gilmore C.

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3 years ago

Ordered the brisket. So good. Melts in your mouth. Not fatty. Must try. We ate early on a Sunday. No waiting. So nice.

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Matt D.

Thanks for the stars Brad, the Brisket is everyone's favorite too!

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5 years ago

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3 years ago

Decent food, relaxed atmosphere, good drinks. Part of the Gilmore group so you know what to expect.

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3 years ago

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3 years ago

Great food and space. Lovely to sit on the deck overlooking the river when weather permits.

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Matt D.

Thank you for your kind words! We look forward to seeing you again! :)

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3 years ago

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8 years ago

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Gilmore C.

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3 years ago

Love the food and service!! In the summer you can sit outside by the river. Great craft cocktails and a changing me u

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Matt D.

We appreciate the kind words and we're flattered by your review! :)

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6 years ago

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Gilmore C.

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Ask the Community - Flat River Grill

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Went on St Patrick's Day weekend. It was super busy but the staff was getting everyone through…read morepretty quickly! We got the chicken and rice bowl and the meatloaf. Both were delicious! Dante stopped by regularly to check in on us and the manager Josh stopped by when we got our food to make sure everything was just the way we like it! Great experience!

EDIT: Read to the end, because it turned out very well…read more We called and booked a reservation a few weeks ago for GVSU's graduation, then just tonight got a call from the manager saying they "overbooked" and were cancelling our reservation. In other words, all these weeks later, it appears they gave our table to someone else and cancelled us. I'm sure the food is fine, but I will never know because they did us dirty and now we can't find a reservation elsewhere in town, as everywhere else is booked for the very busy night. Worst part, there was no sincere apology. Would not recommend, as they are not a reliable business partner. EDIT 11/14/25: THE DAY AFTER I POSTED THIS, THE ASSISTANT MANAGER CALLED US BACK, APPOLOGIZED AND REBOOKED OUR TABLE AFTER GVSU GRADUATION. I AM UPDATING MY RATING, AND WILL UPDATE AGAIN AFTER OUR EVENT NEXT MONTH. SO FAR, THEY HAVE MADE THINGS RIGHT FOR US! (although we did spend two hours last night calling every other restaurant in the area to try and book and had not luck, causing more stress). EDIT 12/8/2025: GVSU's commencement got out early, so we headed to the restaurant to see if they could seat us a little earlier than our reservation. They did! The food was excellent and everyone was satisfied with their plate. Good service, and a great atmosphere. I highly recommend this place and they made things right after our initial experience.

Flat River Grill - newamerican - Updated May 2026

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