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Rare Bird Brewpub

4.3 (763 reviews)
Closed • 12:00 pm - 10:00 PM
Updated 1 month ago

Rare Bird Brewpub Photos

RARE BIRD BREWPUB ATMOSPHERE

What's the vibe?
Moderate noise
Hipster
Casual
Trendy

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Recommended Reviews - Rare Bird Brewpub

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Reviews With Photos

Cobb salad
Nikk S.

Very cool spot! Parking is easy- you can just back in out front or park at one of the many lots or meters down the road. Inside is really cool! There's merch for sale too. Self serve water- tons of beer options. The food is all so good! Staff is nice and food comes out quickly.

Madison D.

Great energy from this brewery. Nice selection of crafted beer. We tried their 1/2 nachos and were not disappointed. The bartenders were kind. Would love to try this place again when in TC.

Andrea P.

I think these pictures speak for themselves! The food here was absolutely amazing. Service was on point as well. The restaurant is huge inside, but it was such a beautiful day we decided to eat outside. If you're in the area I highly recommend checking this place out!

Beer menu
Frances B.

We wish we lived nearby to make this our weekly neighborhood bar because it was perfection. They had no opening when we arrived but would text us when a table was ready so we walked along the river for a short bit until we received the text. We were seated in a spacious booth. We were here in summer and tried the blood orange and chief coconut brown beers and loved them. I could drink the coconut brown beer nightly I think. A perfect stout with just a hint of sweetness but lots of creaminess. We started with the salad which surprised us with its size and freshness. Rather than a sad slice of tomato, the salad comes with a delightfully flavorful roasted tomato. And then we got the fried buffalo chicken sub sandwiches. We were worried the buffalo sauce might be too spicy so I got mine on the side. The chicken was juicy with a well seasoned batter. The made in house buffalo sauce was tangy and perfectly spiced without being blow your mind spicy, and worked well with the blue cheese on the sandwich. Service was on point. Our server was knowledgeable and efficient and seemed pleased at how much we loved the beer and sandwiches.

Brent M.

One of the best things about traveling anywhere outside of your backyard (or front piece of grass if you live in a New York high-rise), is trying all the food possible. And since most of my life is based on food, anytime I travel I try to eat all of it. The food. All of the food. Even when I travel within my state and have been to places I've been to often, 11/10 my goal is food consumption. With that being said, let's dive right in. First, I want to get off my chest the fact that I have dined here before, but forgot what I ordered as well as forgot to leave a review. So if the jury could please disregard that piece of evidence, I would like to try again. So before any meal, you have to always order an appetizer. How else are you supposed to be full and hate yourself BEFORE your meal arrives? Luckily for us, we ordered the pretzel sticks, complete with a beer cheese and the kind of mustard that has the seeds? Or the chunks? It's not smooth mustard. Stone ground? I don't know. It was the not normal yellow hotdog mustard. I'm always never a huge pretzel fan, but sometimes they sound good. And when they're done right *chef's kiss*. These pretzels were top shelf. Pretzel experience 10/10. Moving on to the main course. Maybe it was the mood I was in, or perhaps my brain and stomach were battling it out, but nothing sounded particularly enticing. Not in a negative way, but more of an indecisive, wasn't feeling it vibe. Because of that, I settled on an oldie but goodie menu choice. The Chicken Sandwhichâ„¢. The ingredients were your basic lettuce and tomato, but also a cilantro sauce and garlic aioli. I'm a sauce man not only by trade but by nature. So those were my selling point. I did 86 the avocado because I respect myself. The dish came out and it looked great. Fries were shining like long, golden trophies of potato. Sandwich was built and stacked like an immovable jenga tower. I was excited. I was pumped. I was put into this booth for a reason. And then it happened. Did you ever wish for one thing for your birthday? Just the one thing? And then you get socks. Not even new, but hand me downs. That's how I felt with this sandwhich. Let me clarify, the flavor of this sandwhich was wonderful. Everything worked together. However, the chicken breast was just a little thicker than college ruled lined paper. With a sandwich flavor profile like this, you need to accentuate it with more CPB (chicken-per-bite). Grilled Chicken Sandwich Enjoyment 8/10.

Beer and menu
John O.

Solid beers and solid food. Cocktails and wine for those who don't realize how awesome craft beer is. Inside and outside seating. Friendly and attentive staff.

Kerri E.

Cute little brew pub close to downtown. You have to pay for parking and back into the spot. Server was so awesome. They had an extensive beer menu and two ciders. We got pretzels and I had the cherry chicken salad. Highly recommend this place

Phil E.

Great brewpub Super service and amazing server Food was completely delicious Grandkids had the Mac cheese and can't wait to come back for more. We split some pretzels (yum) I had the beet salad (and would definitely order it again) Wife had a salad that came with Gargonzola cheese (and to our surprise that is a Bleu cheese) so waitstaff took care of that for us (thank you). Next time we are here in Traverse City we will come for a meal.

Coconut brown
Brandon M.

We stopped by here just a few minutes after 10 p.m. on a Friday night just for a flight. The host immediately notified us that they stopped serving food at 10 p.m.; the last call was at 10:30 p.m. and closed promptly at 11:00 p.m. We were directed to sit at the bar even though high-tops and booth seating were available. They offer a 4-sample flight with no substitutions, exceptions, or flight board. So, if you're not an IPA fan, tough luck. I decided to have a full pour of coconut brown, which was true to the description but underwhelming. There were patios, high- and low-tops, booths, and bar seating. The bar seats were super uncomfortable. The service was okay. The environment was loud, and I felt unwelcome. I probably would not return.

IPA
Julia P.

The Rare Bird is an awesome brewpub! The Pub burger and pork belly sandwich on ciabatta were yum yum, and the double IPA beer was so good! . Food, service, and atmosphere were all amazing and I love the name and merch too. Can't wait to come back!

Rose the Riveter

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1 month ago

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8 months ago

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7 months ago

Great spot. Friendly service and good crowd. We came in after a long day and had appetizers and a drink. I would return here. Tasty!

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6 months ago

The food and beer are exceptional. Loved being able to bring a can home to enjoy. We had burgers and a beer flight to try their fare.

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3 years ago

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8 months ago

Great food wonderful service fantastic drinks. All was fantastic just filling delicious.

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7 months ago

Food was excellent, but hostess on entering was not a good start. No smile, not happy to be h there

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6 months ago

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2 years ago

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9 months ago

Our go-to when visiting TC..ate there our first night visiting 4 years ago and now return every year. Cute outdoor patio. Good eats!

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3 months ago

Beers are great! Food was fresh and tasty. Hannah and Tyler were awesome hosts at the bar. I'm looking forward to coming back soon.

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9 months ago

It was ok. Tacos were ok and not filled at all. Chips were salty. Worst cosmo o have ever had.

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Ask the Community - Rare Bird Brewpub

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Hands down best meal and service I've experienced in Traverse City! Fresh, thoughtful, and…read moredelicious. Yummy cocktails. Ordered 5 dishes between the two of us it was the perfect amount of food. Can't wait to go back!

Modern Bird is a very difficult restaurant to review due to a very inconsistent experience. There…read morewas one aspect that entire group felt clear on: the high noise level made the experience uncomfortable. There were six of us in our group at a table, and you could only hear the person directly next to you. Our group had a reservation and were seated immediately. The restaurant is small, and the tables are very close together and felt packed in. They do have a small roped off 'patio' area on the side walk with a couple of tables. I thought the service was fine, others in the group felt it was poor (probably because no one could hear her and we had to repeat ourselves). The server did recommend that we share several dishes as a table as they are small plates. We ordered the bread and the three vegetable appetizers to start. Here is where it is hard to review: all of the appetizers were fantastic, interesting and fresh preparations. From the light courses section, we had the bougie corn dog and the duck pasta. I'm not a fan of corn dogs, I thought it was fine, but pretentious and not worth ordering, others liked it. I did like the duck pasta. The mushroom tart was boring, dry, and forgettable (side note that if you are in Detroit, Le Supreme's is absolutely fantastic, so this can be memorable). The other stand out was the walleye main, their use of curry made it an interesting, as well as delicious, dish. We all thought the halibut was awful, it arrived with a fishy smell, but was then somehow flavorless. If we were not all splitting it, it would be a send back dish. Overall, the dishes ranged from flavorful and interesting, to terrible. No member of our group felt they would return, and I would recommend against it due to the noise level, it really was that bad. Every sound echoed off of every hard surface. As a result, it just was not an enjoyable experience.

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I can't believe I've never reviewed this spot after all our years of going here! Slabtown is an…read moreabsolute 'must' for any burger lovers visiting TC; especially in the summertime when you can sit outside on their porch or surrounding patio. It's an old house that has been transformed into a burger destination. The inside is cramped, especially in the order area when they're busy, and indoor seating is tough to come by at peak times. The service has never been anything short of excellent on our visits. The staff is welcoming, helpful, patient, and friendly. Service is quick, even when they're slammed. Phenomenal burgers, O-rings, tots, and sweet potato fries. The Northwood's DRAFT (not fountain) root beer is a perfect pairing with their burgers. Slabtown's menu of specialty burgers is enormous and the BYO options include different protein choices and excellent GF buns. I've tried many of their burgers, but have to say that the Slabby Patty on a pretzel bun and the Pungi's Pepper Patty really stood out as a couple of my favorites. For a really sinful (and unhealthy) treat, ask for the gravy tots. Oh brother...insanely good but definitely a guilty pleasure. We've sent tons of our friends and family here, and I can tell you that every one of them has thanked us for the recommendation and raved about their burgers. So what are you waiting for? Get yourself to Slabtown!

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Date of visit: 12/16/25 Came here for lunch while we were…read moreon a quick trip up North. I haven't been here for years, and was so happy to see that the menu still had my favorite Monte Cristo and beer cheese soup! Prices are high because it's Traverse City, so that doesn't bother me and you get the soup for 5 bucks when you add it to a meal! Nice! We started with the calamari - small portion, but it was hot and fresh and plenty for 2 people to share. I also had a small house salad, and added white cheddar for $1 (that was a good suggestion from our server Kylie!). The pesto ranch was great too. I love their main IPA, they do a great job, and it is always on the menu (versus seasonal). I love how this place is laid out, there are lots of wooden booths that feel quiet and private. The only reason for taking off a star is the parking. It's incredible that for a large restaurant, they share a small lot with multiple businesses. Everything else is great and you will appreciate the consistency and the spaciousness of this restaurant!

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Rare Bird Brewpub - bars - Updated May 2026

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