Great neighborhood drinking bar for locals off the main strip that is more than happy to have…read moretourists wander in. Very friendly and attentive bartender and great drink prices. Lots of basic fried bar food options good for snacking while you drink but not so much a place to go for food only.

Dive bar. Youngish 20-something crowd. Very good drink prices. Blackout Wednesday = loud, crowded,…read moreand lively. We had fun and this is a popular place for the locals. Street parking is a hassle and I'm sure the neighbors hate it but if you want social time and cheap drinks, you've found it.

The bar is small inside. Saw max occupancy sign for approx 78 people. There is a pool table. It's a…read moreneat little bar. The service was good. The food was your standard bar food. It was hot and good. I enjoyed the pictures in the bathroom. Price was reasonable as well.

I was in town and needed some dinner, and the Friday Fish Fry sounded like a winner. They have…read morespecials most days, and they all sounded great. It's a cozy space, with a very lively crowd at the bar. Service was on point, which was impressive since there appeared to be only two servers. The fish was plentiful, with a nice crispy breading. The slaw was also really good and seemed like it was made in house. I do wish I got the perch, it's several dollars more, but the piled high plates that went past us looked delicious.

We have come here every time we visit relatives and the food is always delicious. This place has…read morebeen around since long before I was born. I'm glad it has stayed in business. You don't come here to be fancy, you come here for eclectic decor and delicious food. The service has always been great as well.

Walking into this place, you understand that is completely a local's bar. It's the kind of place…read morefor people bring a deck of cards, or talk union business at the bar. I had barely set foot in the door when the two bartenders at the bar greeted me warmly and welcomed me in and told me I could sit anywhere I wanted. I sat at the bar and as recommended by a local, I ordered the pepper jack crab soup, which was delicious. One thing to be aware of: don't expect real crab in the soup. Imitation only. But it's plentiful and delicious on a frigid winter day. The bartender recommended the roasted chicken or the perch, and living near another great lake and always having ready access to perch, I decided on the broasted chicken. I was not disappointed. It came with four pieces, choice, potato, and a choice of another side. It was way too its food, but I ate more than I thought they would because it was that good. I will definitely return to the painted lady!

Reviewed this back in '24 when they opened and it's gotten better and better. Let me just say this:…read more The Backyard burger is the best burger I've ever had. Period. And I grew up in the 80's eating at 'up north' bars, which previously had the best burgers of my life. This tops it. In addition to great pinball, a nice space, and great vibes, The Outsider is currently winning Manistee.

pros: great burger, pinball, tons of outside seating, they have soft pretzels w cheese, seems like…read morea cool spot cons: $40+ for 2 people, you get about 8 onion rings for $6, didn't get chips bc i also ordered onion rings so that felt like a rip off lol, service was kinda slow but that's fine, AI signs

As per usual, I forgot to snap a quick picture of lunch at TJ's today, so I'm hoping a good…read moredescriptive review will suffice! While looking for TJs in the downtown Manistee area, I commented how cool the historic exterior of the corner building was. Much to my pleasure, it turned out to be where we were heading. Walking up, several stories of crisp bricks greet you from the clean, quaint street. Walking in, you're hit with the casual, historic feel of an old building, with good smells wafting out of the back. The service was fast and friendly - we were seated within a minute, despite a pretty busy late lunch crowd. Our waitress checked on us multiple times through the meal, without being intrusive. A+ for this! We ordered chicken alfredo and the smoked Mac and cheese. Both came out of the over piping hot and fresh, loaded with cheese and sauce,and garnished with some fresh toasted baguette slices. The mac was topped with real bacon bits - none of the fake grocery store stuff. Portions were just right - I definitely could have eaten more, but I'm glad it wasn't there for me to gorge. TJ's is a great spot for lunch!

Cozy little place, menu pretty typical of quality bar and grill operations. That included a…read moresouthwest-style chicken salad, which is a favorite of mine, and TJ's is a bit unique. It had the standard toppings--avocado, corn, black bean, tomato, tortilla chips. But the cheese was melted on top, like a kind of crunchy/chewey plate--it really looked like it was topped with a mini pizza. Not sure that enhanced the salad, but overall it was fine. Instead of dressing, it came with tubs of sour cream and salsa to mix in. I do that at home sometimes, so can't complain. The lettuce was fresh and crispy. Decent beer selection, including a quite a few bottled ones, which I hadn't noticed until after I ordered my pint of Two Hearted. Be sure to ask for a bottle menu. I sat at the bar and the server regularly looked in on me. Wasn't too noisy, in spite of the tight space that was full when I stopped in on a Sunday night. Nice little spot to check out in Manistee.

Enjoyed a fabulous dinner here. It was Saturday evening, so we had a reservation and were glad we…read moredid. Had wonderful service from Sienna. She was knowledgeable about the menu, friendly and very attentive. We were seated at a very busy table, pathway through to the kitchen. So I wish I would've asked to be relocated when we first sat down. But now we know. The Shawarma Platter was divine. Pickled veg the perfect accompaniment to the meat. The pork ribeye was also delectable. Lots of options, pizza, pasta, Mediterranean, Greek, Italian. It was hard to choose. The type of place I would definitely want to come back. Cocktails were incredible. And the decor is charming, with little stags in coats hanging up all over the place.

We absolutely enjoyed our meal at the Golden Stag. I was able to make a reservation, which I love…read moreand parking was very easy to find. We were seated pretty immediately and our waitress was fairly attentive. While I don't remember the cocktail name, it was delicious! We split the Gondala, which was a giant pasta bread bowl, which got better with every bite. Finished the night with a berry tiramisu. Absolutely delicious meal!

Ok, TLB is brewery #263 for me. This was my second brewery for today before heading off to my hotel…read moreand it was definitely a great stop. I always try to review a brewery based on beers alone but sometimes it's hard. Sometimes I stop in and the vibe is just not good, or the service sucks, but neither was the case here. Great vibe, friendly staff and patrons. And as I will get to in a moment, the beer was great too. This is a small brewery with a one barrel system and a small tasting room. It's size belies it's impact though. The beers were really good, although I will not review them in depth individually. Sorry but I ended up chatting with Jameson, the owner, as well as a couple of patrons at the bar. The beer highlights for me were the blueberry and the barrel aged red. SWPFTD would enjoy the barrel aged red. In fact it might have made her PD if you know what I mean. You probably don't but if you don't take the time to figure it out you never will. Your loss... Of course your loss could be your time in figuring it out. This is going to be a short but enthusiastic review. I would definitely recommend stopping in at Third Life Brewing if you are in the area. Of course it would be really hard to stop in if you aren't in the area. In fact I'm hoping to stop in again since I missed picking up a TLB sticker for my RV fridge which is covered in brewery stickers. Maybe Jameson will read this and reach out to offer up a sticker. (Awesome name by the way...) If anyone is a glutton for punishment, please, follow my brewery, and distillery, reviews from across the U.S. and beyond! https://www.yelp.com/collection/-8iscFkpiiCI563-FDfwGg and if anyone is wondering who SWPFTD is you will have to check out my review of Black Market Brewing Co in Temecula, CA to understand. Yes, you will need to read into it a little to get the joke but I have confidence in you! I hope my confidence is not misplaced.

Brewery #266 Third…read moreLife Brewing is a true microbrewery: a small brewery doing good craft beer with no food and no frills. Third Life is located in the former office of an old warehouse that I believe was an old Iron Ore company ( if memory serves me right). The brewery even has the old safe still in wall. I got my usual flight that consisted of Cat Jammin'-Raspberry (Raspberry Wheat), Tomtoberfest (Marzen), S.S. Dankowiak (DIPA) and the Duke of Witch Tree (Hazy IPA). All of them were really good but the S.S. Dankowiak was the star of my flight board. Cool atmosphere with lots of table and board games. Good music playing and a cool brewery sticker. Who doesn't love a bear in a canoe?

When we first walked in, we were greeted by a very pleasant young lady. We decided to sit at the…read morebar. They had a selection of 12 brews: a great selection. We asked for a menu. The selection of food looked great. We chose to have nachos that were fabulous. Lauren, the general manager, was very pleasant to speak to and gracious. I highly recommend this establishment.

What a great experience at this restaurant! My burger was cooked perfectly to a true medium, just…read morelike I asked something that's surprisingly hard to find. The hand-cut French fries were absolutely amazing, and the nacho appetizer was out of this world. Everyone at our table loved their meal. We'll definitely be back! If you're in the area, do yourself a favor and check this place out. If you don't, you're really missing out!

Best fish fry in town, delicious burgers and friendly staff - always our go-to on a Friday night!read more

My husband and I came in for a beer then decided on getting just a small bite to eat. The only…read morething going for this place was the very cold beer and it was in a can at that. My husband ordered chili and we saw the cook walk behind the bar to the cooler and walk back to the kitchen with it, that should've been a sign right there. I ordered mac & cheese bites. The mac & cheese bites were the size of a large kidney bean and there were 5 of them for $8 dollars!!! The chili was too salty and more like a soup so my husband sent it back. We got our bill and she charged us for the chili and we asked about that and she said she could comp us a drink and was unpleasant about it. We left without finishing our drinks and won't go back.

We arrived in the evening and the patio was already closed. Would have loved to sit out there, but…read moreinside was pleasant as well. Food was great! We weren't extremely hungry so we ordered à la cart and it was the perfect amount. The spicy jalapeño margarita was very good although pricey at $15.99. Chips and salsa were $3.99. They do not come with your meal. Waiter was friendly and attentive.

As a Mexican food lover , I have to say that the foods at this place tasted VERY BAD! I never had…read moreFajitas tasted Awful SWEET! I asked the server and she said they did put some sweet like pine apple /mango sweet stuff into the food and that tasted SOO weard! So bad! It's maybe American BBQ style of Mexican , NOT authentic Mexican food (NOT EVEN CLose!)