What a gem! We were traveling up to Traverse City in the midst of a little ice storm and decided stop by here for lunch. Very cute place. Down home decor, friendly, GREAT service, full bar (reasonably priced-had two shots of 1792 bourbon that were VERY well priced), and AMAZING food! Speaking of amazing food, here is what we had... Potato leek soup: it had just been St Patrick's Day, so they were still offering some themed items. The soup was VERY fresh, had a very pleasant aftertaste, and the potatoes were fresh. Rich, but not too rich. Just the right balance. Onion Rings: WOW! Fantastic, and huge! Beer battered mushrooms: Equally as good as the onion rings. What I also loved about these (and the onion rings) is that they tasted just as good the next day either heated up or even ice cold. They were THAT good Turkey Catamaran Club: My wife loved this. Triple decker sandwich with very fresh and tasty smoked turkey, bacon, and mayo. My wife is not big on leftovers, but liked this so much she was sure to finish half on site and the other half the next day. Boat Builders Burger: 1/3 of a lb of ground chuck medium rare (they cooked it perfectly) with some Swiss on top. Probably the best burger I've had in the last few years. All of the above for WELL under $100. Even tipping quite generously (our server deserved it-she was a sweetheart) we still didn't come near $100. Can't wait to come back here next time we travel up north. Fantastic place. read more

See all

On our way up north for a girls trip and stopped in for lunch. We sat outside where we could see Lake Cadillac. The food was very good, but the service was a bit slow, especially since it wasn't crowded. read more

See all

Great food, great atmosphere, great service. Loved the bar area. Only downside was the lighting, need to change all fixtures to a softer yellow bulbs. read more

Delicious food, great service, old fashioned cocktails were made perfectly. Decent prices and beautiful views of the lake. Decor may be a little out dated, but the food, service & moderate pricing is the important stuff. Five star, dining, 3 star prices!! read more

Lakeside Charlies - Yeah, we had a tree in our view, but we didn't have reservations and were lucky to get a table outside! - American Near Me - Cadillac, Michigan

The clam chowder was way too thick. The Linguine Carbonara was not al dente, but was mushy , the chicken was also overcooked and chewy, the garlic sauce was goopy and couldn't taste anything but salt. Ate less than half. At least the service was okay and the Oberon was cold. read more

We came her at 7:00 on a Friday night and had the choice of sitting inside or outside. It was a little bit chilly so we sat inside and they seated us by the window so we got to watch the sunset over Mitchell Lake and it was beautiful. We got seated immediately and it wasn't too crowded at the restaurant. It took a while for the waitress to get our drink orders, then it took a while to get our food orders, but that seems to be the way things are going nowadays with the staff shortages. The food came out fairly quick and the waitress was good about refilling our beverages. I ordered the southwest chicken taco salad ( you also have the choice of beef) and asked for the dressing on the side. It was very good. My friend ordered a cup of chili and the waitress let us know that it is made with prime rib. He enjoyed his chili very much. He also ordered the Garwood sandwich and it came with salami and turkey grilled with smoked Gouda cheese, lettuce, tomato, onion, peppers and mayonnaise among other spices. It came with potato chips or he could have upgraded to french fries or onion rings. He stuck with the potato chips. He enjoyed his meal also. read more

See all

We arrived to find out the outdoor patio was closed. We then were told it had rained and we didn't know that because we were driving through. It had stopped and they promptly blew the rain off of the entire outdoor seating area and we were able to sit out with a fantastic view. The people were wonderful and the food was good. We didn't spend time inside in the bar but were very impressed with it and would definitely take advantage of it if we were ever in the area again. read more

Quaint restaurant with a touch of country. Food was tasty. Portions were adequate. Pricing moder. Staff friendly and courteous. Facilities were clean. read more

Came here for dinner while visiting Cadillac area. The service and food were great. Got the daily special which was chicken Marsala on top of noodles and grilled vegetables, and it was amazing. Attentive waitress, with quick service and was very helpful with the menu and daily specials recommendations. read more

Beautiful location, great interior space, but the food was unremarkable and the waitstaff I encountered the two times I've come here makes make never want to come back. read more

Breakfast was great! Service was excellent! I'll be sure to do it again! It's hard to give 5 stars simply because I feel 5 is almost untouchable! read more

I love the idea how they have the restaurant set up with a bar/restaurant to. It is good food once in a while thought. Both bar and the restaurant does have good food and it will fill you up from chicken to seafood. Price on the other hand is 50/50 depends on what you are getting. The service can be great depends where n the day or night to. read more

Quiet and reminiscent of Wisconsin supper clubs. Loved the ambiance. If only the fireplace worked. We both had the lunch buffet and it was decent. Lovely staff and customers. Very friendly place. read more

I reserved the upstairs for a large wedding party. The food was great, the service was fast and friendly and the atmosphere was beautiful. Thank you so much for helping to make my son's and future daughter's day so special. read more

Really disappointing that this restaurant has gone down hill so much on service. After being seated by ourselves in a large room (the only people in the room) we waited for nearly a half hour until a waitress appeared saying she had something wrong with her voice and couldn't speak very loudly. We ordered coffee while we perused the menu. It took quite a while to get it. The entries we ordered took nearly 45 minutes to get. She never returned to ask about the meal or refill the coffee. Finally I asked someone passing thru to call the waitress for our bill. After about 20 minutes she came by with coffee and we asked for the bill. After another long wait she brought the bill. Each time she never said a word. Needless to say, we will never return. This restaurant obviously does not care about their customers. read more

Lakeside Charlies - Pretty empty restaurant - American Near Me - Cadillac, Michigan

It might be time to change hands. I've been to Lakeside Charlie's for years and have always enjoyed the great location and atmosphere. The food has always been good, for the most part. But the last few years it's steadily been disappointing. One time I ordered a burger and it came out very thin and plain w packets of mustard and ketchup for me to put on myself. Tonight we ordered chicken wings and requested that they be cooked extra crispy. They came out very undercooked and rubbery. My husband got the blackened salmon and the spices were actually sweet. Not at all what you'd expect for blackened salmon. The waitress was very rude and unattentive. I hope that things will turn around for Charlie's soon. I'd hate to see this place go out of business. read more

Nice place , great wait staff, tucked out of the way. Average pricing, excellent prime rib.

Love it they are the best but they don't have the seating area on the lack side but food is great read more

Lakeside Charlies - a picnic area with picnic tables and picnic benches - American Near Me - Cadillac, Michigan

Loved the food and great service. The atmosphere was very cozy and and I enjoyed the classy artifacts in the lounge. The prices were reasonable. All salad dressings were home-made. Great view of Mitchell Lake. Enjoy! read more

I've never been to an establishment with such condescending wait staff. After waiting over 10 minutes to be greeted, my friend actually had to ask if someone would seat us. Apparently the person that does that was sitting at the bar. When my friend told one of two girls at the register that we'd been waiting for over 10 min. she told him not to be rude. Don't care to see that woke rude waitress again. We left and won't be back. Been letting a lot of my friends know about what had happened. read more

Teens loved the lunch buffet to make their own sandwiches and great soup. Flanks salad was delish. The gliding tables on the patio are very cool. Service is great! read more

Lakeside Charlie's is great. I love the décor in the entire restaurant. The bar is very cool and the dining room is great also. It just has this old school, homey sort of feel. We were here on a Friday so I took advantage of the fish Fry. They served all you can eat Alaskan Pollock and all you can eat french fries. My only complaint is that they didn't bring it and offer to put another order in or even come back part of the way through and offer. Our waitress waited until my plate was clear before offering more. But it was hot, crispy and delicious. Our girls had a chicken strip basket which was good. It was the same frozen chicken strips you can get anywhere but they were still good. Our meals came with a salad that was cold, crispy and made fresh. I have to stress that ALL of their dressings are house made! What!? Fresh made blue cheese and ranch that are so delicious!? Sign me up! My husband ordered the seafood fettucine alfredo and it was good but we've had better. He's also been here and eaten the prime rib which he said didn't disappoint. We did order wings for an appetizer and they were great. They have a great view from their dining room and even have awesome patio seating as well. Give Lakeside Charlies a try! read more

This pub and bar was unique for the area. Not only are they inside of the beautiful park but the front room has a traditional design. Then you go through a pentagon door which leads to French doors entering this gorgeous bar. Food was fantastic and the deserts were delicious! As you're walking through this eating establishment it tells a story about what the owners are attempting to portray through the bar layout and the service. The prices were very reasonable and the staff was extremely personal. Giving us their own honest opinions about the food and not rushing anything we had questions about. If you have not been I highly suggest going to this establishment. read more

See all

We stopped at Lakeside Charlies in Cadillac on the way home from the fall color Tunnel of Trees drive. We'd been to Cadillac to visit friends more times than I can count and never knew this little gem was there. The food was fantastic and the service was superb. I had the chicken morel and clam chowder. It was so hot and the fresh, grilled vegetables were especially delicious. Lake artifacts and memories from the last 100 years hang on the walls and tell the stories of days gone by. A charming bar area with short, round tables and comfortable, padded chairs would make for a great meal after a day at Caberfae Peaks or snowmobiling locally. All these years and we never knew.... ‍. Glad we know now! read more

Garden setting outside is wonderful and the beverage selection is very good too. I do wish the people preparing the food would have some spare time to fine tune the dishes they serve. It's all good, but could be great! read more

We had a large party and service was great , food was great and on time, very nice inside old antiques and local historic items

Well what a gem of a restaurant located on the shores of Lake Mitchell, Cadillac MI...I ended up unexpectedly having to spend the evening in Cadillac and found this restaurant... the waitress and staff were friendly and attentive... Followed all the latest in COVID protocols... the food was great and very affordable... enjoyed the NY strip steaks and views of the lake from this top of the line restaurant. As evidenced by their award winning team. read more

See all

The service was fantastic. Great drink selection. The food was great. Don't pass on the Clam chowder.

We were in Cadillac for one night and hoped to sit by the lake and have dinner. Lakeside Charlie's was recommended by someone working at our hotel. We arrived and I loved what I saw - my kind of place. However, we found ourselves standing by the hostess counter for 5 minutes with employees full out ignoring us. No Hi, no Welcome, no Hold on I'll be with you soon .... so we stood. Finally we were acknowledged with "do you have reservations". We didn't have reservations because when I called earlier no one answered the phone. Anyway we were told 45 minutes to sit outside, no problem. We walked around outside for a while it was a beautiful night. We went inside to get a drink at the bar and the bartender was great! Very friendly and hard working. There was an open table so we decided to sit in the bar for dinner. I really liked the vibe in the bar. Our waitress was great - very efficient and attentive. My wife ordered salmon and asked for it rare - it was over-cooked and inedible. We were not charged for her dinner. I ordered strip steak medium rare, it was well done. Some parts of our experience was great, some not so great. read more

Very pleasant place to eat outdoors over Lake Mitchell. Restaurant was busy and full, but food came out timely and hot. Steak was cooked perfectly and prime rib dip was delicious. Friendly hostess and waitress. Definitely will go back. read more

We stopped here on our way to Traverse City for lunch. It was a beautiful day and we got to sit out on the patio. Which had a lovely view of the lake and these very relaxing glider tables. Staff was super friendly. My fiance got the Caesar salad with chicken which he said was good. I had the steak salad. It was very good the steak had a couple chewy pieces but the dressy was a garlic balsamic and was so delicious. Both were good size salads. We also each got a cup of their soup of the day which was cheesy sweet pepper soup. So good. Everything tasted fresh and home made. Highly recommend. read more

Stopped here on my way through town. The food was good and the service was great. The servers all looked tired and overworked. My waitress was visibly shaky and seemed like she was in need of a seat and some water. The food was good but it just seems like the management in this place was not up to par with how good the service was. read more

I have eaten here before and it was great. Tonight, i ordered the Chicken Morel and it was absolute shit. The chicken was rubber and chewy. I asked the server to have them cook both sides longer, she took it, disappeared for 10 minutes and brought it back. It was the same rubbery crap that was not edible. I asked for my check, no adjustment at all, I paid it and left. The view is great but not if you cant eat the chicken they must buy from Walmart, disgusting. Don't waste your time here read more

I went with three people today to get dinner, the food was alright however i got a taco bowl and the "chicken" was definitely not chicken and the bowl was tasteless the lettuce was whole and could have been chopped up. My friend got the garwood sandwich and said it was pretty good except the fries were not fully cooked and very soggy or over done and not even whatsoever. The service was amazing and our server carlos was very friendly and helped us with the menu. thanks all folks :) read more

Lakeside Charlies - this is the garwood sandwich - American Near Me - Cadillac, Michigan

I love this place great food and great service ! Inside or outside it is a beautiful place on the lake

Hate to say, but not sure why the meat and steaks quality are so poor, we have eaten here for years the last 2 times the steaks were very low quality. The New York I ordered last Friday was so tough I could not cut it, someone had taken a chunk of meat and butterfly-ed it and never remove the blue skin. Last mothers day we took the family to dinner here the prime rib that my son received was so full of fat and gristle it was impossible to eat. My steak was over cooked but I eat it anyway. They need to replace their executive chef, or manager who ever in in charge of the quality of meat they order. read more

The decor wasn't my cup of tea, but the food was delicious. The staff was also friendly and the service was surprisingly fast. I've eaten here twice and will definitely go back. read more

On our way up north for the weekend we stopped in on a Saturday for lunch. First, some Pros: The decor in the bar is awesome, the service was good. The Cons: The misspellings and bad grammar on the menu should have been a clue. weird, limited menu. I played it safe (so I though) and got a bowl of chili. My wife had the chef salad. The only reason this isn't one star is that the salad was okay. Nothing special. Just okay. My chili was the worst bowl of chili that I had ever tasted. Runny, thin, no meat, too much tomato taste, and the nasty stuff was even sweet and no spice. gross melted glob of cheese. I was hungry from being on the road and I ate it. I will never go back. Makes me realize how spoiled we are with all the great food in Grand Rapids. read more

I love this place and hope it never closes. The food is pretty good but you have to watch what you order. The bar is the best place and I love the atmosphere... more later on that. Wine list is pretty good and reasonable prices, in fact, a pretty good value. Same with specialty and craft beers. I'd stick with standard dinners and one can make a decent meal of appetizers and sharing. Forget the buffet table. Tired and same old, same old. Order from menu. Ribs are good. Never got a steak here and don't have high expectations. But, it is a really cool place. Outside dining with spectacular view of Lake Mitchell. Here's the best thing... the best outdoor art display in Northern Michigan. Mort Fadum was guy that put this together. Probably 100 grand or more to do a wonderful display of his works. I have one small piece of his art that was over $1,000 30 years ago and I still love it. Morts talent is everyplace in this place. From 1930's outboard motors to duck and loon decoys and Moose heads and old canoes and racing boats on Detroit rivers and everything tastefully done. A virtual museum and history of North America all in one. Forget the perfect steak... have a craft beer or Bourbon and enjoy the artwork. It's just great. read more

See all

I am from the area and have eaten at this establishment several times and even worked here some time ago. Unfortunately the food and service have continued to get progressively worse. The menu, decor, hired help and outside appearance have never changed to my knowledge. Went here with some friends recently and WOW was it terrible. Had prime rib.... was overcooked and could not have been fresh. Soup was clam chowder and I've seen thicker water. I don't think the owner cares about this restaurant anymore. read more