Phenomenal Location Great Bar…read moreOutside Patio to watch the bay Great food. Group enjoyed the specials and the fish and chips

So, our first stop on our 2026 Tour d' Yoop (the upper peninsula of Michigan) was…read moreEscanaba/Gladstone with an overnight at the Terrace Bay Hotel. We didn't have any plans for dinner so my companion started looking for acceptable options on his iPhone. "How about this one," he said. "The 'Fresh Water Tavern' in Gladstone. Gladstone is just a few miles away." Having been to the Terrace Bay Hotel recently I said, "Actually, it's just down the hallway." "Really!" He replied. "Yep, it's the restaurant and bar right here in the hotel," I said. "Let's go!" He replied. And so we walked from our room to the bar. Once seated at the bar we ordered drinks. I went for a dry martini with one of my favorite gins -- which was properly mixed and chilled. Since we were in need of dinner too, we checked out the menu. Lots of good options. I decided to try the whitefish sandwich. It was excellent. A nice filet on a decent roll with the right amount of sauce and crunchy veggies. I'd definitely eat it again. Generic but decent fries along side of the sandwich made for a nice meal after our first day on the road. I didn't expect to find five star food in Gladstone, but tasty three star food with a properly mixed cocktail at the hotel restaurant/bar after a long drive is actually worthy of four -- so kudos to the Freshwater Tavern!

Food and service were phenomenal. I saw a lot of comments on here saying the pizza was equivalent…read moreto frozen pizza. That couldn't be further from the truth. That was some of the best pizza I had ever had around here. Bonus points for my 2 year old being obsessed with the animal heads on the wall

Being a picky wings person these Wings and chips were delicious!! Root beer on draft was absolutely…read morethe best I have had!!! And Sherri was just a ray of sunshine Great knowledge of beers on tap.

Oh, man. You ever do that thing where you want to try a pasty for the first time, so you search for…read morea good restaurant that has them, then go about your business for a minute, then search the google map for the restaurant based on memory alone, then go to the restaurant only to find out you went to the wrong restaurant because you have the memory of a goldfish? No? Nobody? Just me? Damnit. The silver lining? A wonderful breakfast meal and cheap to boot! Since I realized I'm part idiot (and not the good part), I decided to eat breakfast at my accidental restaurant. Mostly because I was already sitting in the booth and did NOT want to admit defeat. And boy howdy, am I glad I did! I ordered the French toast, eggs, and bacon. Two toasts, two eggs, and about three bacons. And a breakfast Coke (which is normal coke, but in the morning). First off, the eggs. I only eat scrambled eggs because I'm a child. Salt and pepper, then into my mouth. I don't like creamy scrambled eggs and I don't like scrambled eggs that get that weird skin on them for cooking too long. These ones were perfect. I garbled them down. My trick is to heavily salt and pepper them THEN cut them up and mix them together to disperse the seasoning. Eggs 10/10 The French toast? Perfect. Good size slices, a ball of butter on top (thankfully enough to spread over all four triangles), and a ramekin of syrup. They were the perfect portions. The FT (French toast) had the best sponginess and fluffiness. French Toast (FT) 10/10 Finally. The bacon. Look. I am a huss for bacon. I'll do some shady sh** for some good bacon. But I ain't going back to prison. I always ALWAYS request my bacon be floppy. Some places call it limp. I call mine floppy. Because I'm a professional. A lot of places struggle on what floppy should look like. I've had floppy bacon I could put through a plate glass window. I've broken a piece of floppy bacon on a table edge and shanked somebody (see prior prison comment). But here? This place? Sweetie pie, I could tie my shoes with this bacon it's so floppy. I could lasso a baby calf with this floppy a** bacon. If you don't believe me, I attached a photo of what floppy bacon should look like. Professional Floppy Bacon 12/10. I would also like to mention the Coke this place served was top tier. It's like it's chilled prior to coming out the fountain dispenser. It just went down SO smooth. Drink some. Also. It's a medium-quiet place. Family friendly. Has that down home look and feel.

10/10 recommend. We were driving through the UP, headed back to Milwaukee and planned on getting…read morefast food but decided to stop here instead - and it was a good choice! A true diner in every capacity and the portion sizes were HUGE - enough to feed two people for every meal. The food was good as well and we experienced good service. We will definitely be stopping again on our next trip!

Old fashioned diner feel, friendly service and breakfast is classic diner food! The only thing I'd…read morechange is the prices have gotten steeper. Which I understand with inflation but it's breakfast food...

Out of our three dinners there was something wrong with all three meals! Two of them had hairs in…read morethe food!! One in a salad and one in potatoes that were almost consumed before the discovery was made. The third was mistaken condiments that were assumed to be spoiled because the identity was not known until the waitress investigated them. Very, very disappointed!!

Cozy, homey restaurant. All the staff were super friendly and attentive. Food was great! Never…read morehad such savory gravy in my biscuits! Can't even put my finger on what the ingredient was that put it over the top! The cherry waffles were delicious- not overly sweet. Bacon is thick and not overly salty. Found our new breakfast place when driving up North.

Food was delicious each of us had something different and we all loved our meals. The service was…read moreoutstanding. Loved the ambiance, clean restaurant and restroom.

Holy sh$t!!! This is the best steak sandwich you can have in this area if not anywhere. Absolutely…read moreloaded with everything when you order an "Everything Steak", wow! And a couple of wonderful young ladies taking your order at the window in this great family business. How is the line not blocking traffic at this place? Shame on you locals, get your a$$es down there and keep this place going!!!

Not a fancy place, but dang good sandwiches!! I had the cheese steak with extra cheese,…read moremushrooms, peppers, onions and jalapeños. It was awesome! One of the best cheese steaks that I've ever had...anywhere. My hubby had the NY chopped. Also very good. We will definitely be stopping by whenever we're in Escanaba. But we're hoping the they open another one of these in Marquette.

Great salad bar and fish fry! We went midafternoon and enjoyed a quiet meal right before the rush.read more

The food was very tasty & service was prompt and polite . It was a perfect night to dine on the…read morepatio!

This is a hidden gem of a restaurant. Absolutely excellent food, great service and a down home,…read morefriendly atmosphere. We were on vacation in the area and ate there 3 nights. it was that good.

This halfway between Menominee and Escanaba. We ordered the walleye and it was amazing. No draft…read morebeer but cans and bottles. Wine and liquor. Interior is clean and new. Hand cut fries and chips. They also have lake perch, burgers and sandwiches.