Outstanding dive bar and about the only one for many miles away. Very friendly, good beer prices.read more

Probably the 2nd. Best dive bar I have ever been to.toms tavern in Detroit was number 1 ! And I…read morehave friends in low places. When you first enter it looks like time stood still since circa 1969! .35 cents for a local call, on a push button phone. Beer coolers from the 60s along with a 1950s? Cash register. However the barmaid and customers made it an EVENTFUL night. A lady patron was leaving, but her favorite song came on jukebox and she rushed thru the door doing a kick dance and proceeded to tell us she was from ferndale,in the past. Gentleman at bar said he used to live in hamtramck- soo struck up conversation with him. He brought over a mint Kit Kat bar - told us we had to try it. Sent him a beer ! 4 shots of fireball 3 beers - bill a whopping $21. Fun time !

We came here on a recommendation. Glad we did! Amazing views of the bay! We opted for first floor…read moreseating inside with a view. There is rooftop, bar, and patio seating too. We got there at 4pm just when happy hour started. Score!! $5 cocktails (select drinks) and 40% off small plates. Pretty amazing happy hour! We orders non-happy hour drinks - the hibiscus spritz was the perfect summer drink! We order a few small plates - the Mezzi, short ribs, and crab cakes. Delicious!! Service was great! I saw a few pups when we left. The patio is dog friendly! Always good to know!

After a long day of exploring northern Michigan, we were happy to be able to snag a reservation at…read morePalette Bistro to feed our hungry bellies. Located close to downtown Petoskey, Palette Bistro offers views of the lake from their back porch, indoor seating, and a nice front patio. We were seated out front and greeted promptly by our friendly server. We started the meal with the crab cakes, and I decided on a farmer's pasta with salmon as my entree. In between we had fresh bread with a sweet balsamic and olive oil for dipping. Our server was fantastic. Appropriately attentive, and going the extra mile to help grab things for kiddo (like a coloring sheet and mug full of crayons), to make sure that everyone enjoyed the meal. The ambiance is relaxed and definitely a vacation vibe, and we enjoyed winding down our day that way. If you're in the area and need a place to grab dinner, Palette Bistro deserves a spot on your list!

Finally made our way to the Fire Place Lounge at the Otis after hearing so many good things about…read moreit, and the experience did not disappoint! The vibe is mid-century modern/up north/chic, and the room offers plenty of different seating groups/options, plus of course a huge fireplace. It was HOPPING at 6:30 pm on a Friday. We sat at the bar and enjoyed drinks and food. My (house special) Old Fashioned was exceptional - really complex and delicious. She had a nice glass of California Chardonnay. We ordered the Apple Carpaccio, very tasty, and the Chicken Cutlet, which is served topped with a Caesar Salad and croutons. The cutlet itself was slightly overcooked, but still good, and the dish was very good overall. It's about a 40-minute drive for us, but we both agreed that's it's worth the trip for a unique, fun experience. Well done, Otis!

As summer residents in Harbor Springs, we couldn't be happier to see the refurbishment of the Otis…read more My wife and I went on a Saturday night for cocktails and cheese and charcuterie in the lounge. The service was fabulous and a very hip environment. The meat and cheese platter was very good and the cocktails were nice. What highly recommend us. I assume next year they will be adding on with a more full type dinner service but for now it's a great addition to Harbor Springs.

Great visit!! Owner and staff were the best!!…read moreEvery spirit we tasted was unique and very flavorful!!!" Ambiance first class! Lots to do and very well appointed. It was originally a beautiful equestrian center. Olivia and Brittany are awesome!

This quaint little distillery was a perfect spot for a warm sunny day! They had the garage doors…read moreopen and music playing. They distill their liquor at another spot but carry and sell it there. I love espresso Martinis and I love old fashioneds. When I saw an espresso old fashioned on the menu it really piqued my interest. Omg. It was absolutely ridiculously good!! I'm hoping to duplicate it. I would go back just for that! The bartenders were great and very helpful. After all this alcohol it was time for an afternoon nap!

The service and meals are excellent. I had Cindy as my server, and she is simply the best. The…read morehost as well was great.

We celebrated our 15 year anniversary here last night to mixed reviews. The service was very good…read more Ben did a great job. The wine was very good and the bottles were reasonable, by the glass not so much. We ordered a "jumbo" shrimp cocktail two filets and a ruffle fry. The jumbo shrimp weren't and they were just ok. Not steakhouse worthy. They should be U10 or 10/15. The extra horseradish was fresh but the presentation was lacking. Should have been served in ice with more than one tiny lemon. The steaks were not 8oz closer to 6oz. The bernaise was more like a hollandaise and the garlic aioli for the fry's didn't have a garlicky taste like it should. So overall we spent close to $300 for a just ok experience. I thought at least we would have an acknowledgement of our anniversary as it was in the open table notes. I doubt we will return and if we do it will be a really warm day where we can sit outside but we won't be ordering $75 filets because they simply aren't worth the money.

An absolute charmer! The terrace inn is beautiful and welcoming, we grabbed a drink before dinner…read moreat Josephine (back porch of the inn) - so relaxing and laid back. The hostess was so nice to set a table for us outside upon request instead of our indoor reservation - and it was the best!! The whitefish is the way to go, so delicious and the table's favorite entree. Don't sleep on the crème brûlée! We will be back, this is the perfect place for a relaxing and delicious dinner out!

Great food but not-so-great service…read more We arrived a bit earlier than our reservation time. The host told us we needed to wait for the 2 parties that had an earlier reservation time, even though they had yet to show up. But the restaurant was far from full. It seems an inefficient way of running a restaurant. The wait staff seems a bit pretentious as well. No one ever refilled our water. The food, on the other hand, was excellent. The fish dish has such a beautiful presentation, and the chicken has unique flavors with pickled vegetables.

Got a table right away at 5:30 on Tuesday evening. The strawberry spinach salad was nice. My pan…read moreseared perch sandwich was somewhat disappointing - two small skinny pieces of fish hidden under sauce and lettuce. Still going with 4 stars because our waitress Mariah was great, grandson enjoyed his salmon, granddaughter liked her veggie quesadillas, and three year old great granddaughter ate her grilled cheese

It was a Thursday and I was in town (Live 64 miles from Petoskey) for a Doc appointment and a bit…read moreof shopping. I had done a bit of research the day before .. looking for restaurants in the area. When I noticed that the Side Door had Prime Rib on special, (Wed-Sat) the decision was made. DISCLAIMER: I had eaten at the Side Door a few years ago (Cilantro Lime Shrimp W/Pasta) Me and my neighbor arrived at about 4:45PM, and were greeted with a warm smile and seated immediately ... we were kinda early for the dinner rush so there was plenty of available seating. (NOTE: When we departed about an hour after we arrived, the place was FULL and a line was forming for a table.) We both ordered the 14oz Black Angus Prime Rib (10oz also available). About the same time that we finished the first beer, dinner was served! Simply one of ... if not Thee best, PR that I have had in several years, across 11 states. My neighbor agreed. Both of us now try to plan our Petoskey trips to coincide with dinner at the Door My ONLY complaint is that the horseradish was weak. Actually, it seemed that it had been washed into submission .. totally without any flavor or "bite". The rest of the meal made up for it. (But I *will* bring some nose-incinerating, sinus-creating horseradish from home on the next planned trip.) Service: Superb. We never had to ask for anything. Drinks were refilled with perfect timing. And always smiling. She is an asset to the establishment. Driving Suggestion: Depending on the season and the time of day, if arriving from the North, it can be nearly impossible to make the left turn into the Side Door. Suggestion: Turn Right into the strip mall (KFC, AT&T, etc) and use the traffic light near the gas station to turn left, back onto the highway then a right into the Side Door Saloon for some of the best dining in the Petoskey area. Ample Parking is available. YMMV

I had a great experience here. The staff was exceptional, especially Patrick McGeehan. His kindness…read moreand understanding was amazing. I would recommend coming here only for his service. Great guy.

I unfortunately cannot tell you, from a true "buyers' point of view", how this yacht club compares…read moreto others located on Great Lakes. To be extremely clear, my parents are the long-time, hard workers who earned their ability to afford the fees associated with this family vacation spot. But I hope you still see some value in my review, because sometimes a visitor's outlook can be the most powerful selling point; your children/grandchildren will love coming to visit you, not only because you are awesome parents, but because you live in a really cool place with lots of fun activities. Where to begin? This spot.......just....speechless, hands down, I see God, beautiful. Even without currently owning a boat, our family still has the best time at the Bay Harbor Yacht Club. Located just 70 miles north of Traverse City, this well kept secret offers world class comfort and amenities. For starters, you can enjoy their pool where many parents swim with their kids and order refreshments poolside. If you want to stay in shape during your visit, the club has a decent workout center that doesn't get too crowded. They offer instructor-guided classes such as yoga, pilates, cardio, and even (according to my mom) stretching seminars. If you like to run, the surrounding neighborhood is fun to get lost in. For avid cyclists, feel free to journey from the yacht club to the neighboring city of Charlevoix or Harbor Springs; both are about 14 miles away in opposing directions. The beautiful bicycle path was recently completed for the entire 30-mile stretch hugging Little Traverse Bay, and I guarantee you'd be hard pressed to find a more beautiful bike path anywhere else. Remember to take your camera. If you're bored with pools, walk to their man-made sand beach and go swimming. You can also rent a kayak, paddleboat, or two-seater sailboat to go explore the bay and examine mega yachts up close. From the shore, you can comfortably lounge under an umbrella, or you may choose to build a tan along with some sand castles. There is a swing-set available for your tiny adventurers, but it might take some convincing to get them to stop hunting for tiny beach-crabs near the shore. The club also provides a food stand where you may order picnic-like nibbles like PB&J sandwiches, hotdogs, beer, juice, and sodas. The ground level of the BHYC is where you can find the bar. They offer your typical cocktails, but they throw in a few diverse drink indulgences as well. My favorite coffee drink can be found at this bar titled the "Awesome Coffee". If you like banana's foster because of the fire element, you will enjoy this drink and how it's made. Surrounding the bar is the banquet space that offers a cliffside view of the harbor, surrounding villages, sunset, and boats/mega yachts coming and going. I'm not sure who their chef is at the moment, but the menu is always inventive and the food is never disappointing. Neighboring Cities: The Village of Bay Harbor shares the same harbor as the actual yacht club and it only takes a short walk, jog, bike-ride, or tiny drive to reach. Just off of Front Street in the village is the boat ramp where you can meet with water ski and wave-runner rental companies. Just call ahead because they don't house their rentals in the harbor; they drive in and drop off. You can find many upscale fashion stores, art/restored-car galleries, wine shops, ice cream parlors, delis, high-end grocers, or restaurants. My favorite casual spot is The Knot where you will find a new standard for comparing Fish 'n Chips. You can also have your name painted onto their walls in boat-print if you try all of their 69 beers; not in one sitting of course. For breakfast, an absolute "must" is The Original Pancake House. Holy omelets, my mouth just watered thinking about their fluffy-fluffy pancakes. Petoskey is only four miles up the road and offers your more typical amenities. It has reasonably priced grocers, liquor stores, a movie theater, Walmart, coffee shops, boutique hardware stores (LOVE), parks, the famous St. Francis Xavier Cathedral for a dose of traditional mass, and some awesome Chinese food at Hu Nan. Harbor Springs is only a 15 mile drive from the club and viewable across Little Traverse Bay. It would be a waste not to pay a visit here on your trip. If you enjoy French architecture and gardens, art, homemade ice cream, bicycles, classic boats (the Ford Family Yacht can sometimes be seen here), make the trip over via car, boat, or bike. This city is also home to Nub's Nob offering a variety of short ski runs from bunny to black in the winter. In the city center one can find the Holy Childhood of Jesus Roman Catholic Church for a more contemporary Catholic Mass. Atop the daily activities, Bay Harbor offers numerous annual events, activities and celebrations. You have to be a door nob to be bored. For an up to date list of events, please visit http://www.villageatbayharbor.com/events/events.aspx. Come Up North!

We enjoyed closing the night at the Noggin and then stumbling back to our rooms. This is a super…read morecool spot. The pics don't do it justice. The bartender was always upbeat and happy to help. They didn't have a huge variety of beer on tap but they did have beers and assorted drinks in the cooler. They also had a variety of liquor options. We didn't eat but the food coming out looked really good! Definitely a place to check out when you are in the area!

Sooooo disappointing! If you read my two previous reviews, you will see that we USED to love this…read moreplace. All gone! First the good: Nice servers who are really trying. Second, the popcorn. The end. Now the bad news. Everything else. We are veterans restaurant/bar/cocktail lounge/ brewery patrons, so should've tuned into the fact that the place was empty at 7:30 even on a Tuesday night. My wife wanted a Chardonnay but was unfamiliar with one of them and asked for a taste. Seriously? What bartender sends a taste of wine in a shot glass with literally a quarter of that shot glass holding a "taste?" My wife had no idea what this wine was supposed to taste like so ordered a glass of Decoy, which was decent but quite overpriced. I ordered a Bellaire Brown out of the can which was cold & non-ruinable, thank God! We ordered a pizza with pepperoni, which used to be quite good here. Not anymore. As hard as it was to believe, in 8 slices there were NINE pieces of pepperoni. Total. We wondered if the kitchen was instructed to only use one piece per slice & maybe an extra one got slipped in by mistake. The pizza was undercooked, crust was tasteless, cheese bland, and sauce was not close to Italian. Maybe Contadina with a little oregano thrown into it. If you're a fan of Red Baron or other frozen pizza, stick to that because it's better. The best part of the pizza was the red pepper flakes we buried it with. I don't know if the new owners are cheap, unaware of why this place was once popular and populated, but we shan't be back soon. And from other recent reviews and the lack of crowd were not the only ones. Sad.

An awesome experience for chilling out with small pour tastings or full glasses in a relaxing…read moreatmosphere with tabletop, comfortable bar, or lounge chair arrangements. The small plates are always tasty and work well with the wines suggested by the staff. Very attentive, delightful employees !

So helpful and nice. On a crazy busy 4th of July, they treated us like we were royalty…read more Everyone here and in Boyne City rocks!