Quaint bar vibe, with ample bar seating to enjoy a beer on tap. The Alaskan brown ale is cold and perfect accomplice to chase down the burgers. Burgers are delicious hand patties and cooked to your specifications. These are "notorious" as they claim. Service was quick, friendly and there if you need them. They have soups still and offer up specials. read more

See all

My mom and dad chose this place for lunch during our first day traveling. I got the bbq pulled pork sandwich with house chips. I usually have really bad food anxiety and can't finish my food, but I was able to finish my entire sandwich because it was so good. Everyone enjoyed their food and had a good time here overall. Staff were also friendly and added to the positive experience. If you are in Pentwater, Brown Bear is a great place to stop. read more

See all

The hamburgers here are to die for. So juicy and well seasoned. They were absolutely delicious. Chelsea, our waitress was so friendly and accommodating. read more

See all

Honestly just get the bear size or whatever it's called. Totally worth it. Quick attentive service. We weren't even too hungry a we split a burger and went with the suggestion of upgrading to a bear size. Holy cow it's big... black and blue burger. Cooked pretty damn good. On a quality bun. read more

The Brown Bear - Black and blue burger - Beer Bar Near Me - Pentwater, Michigan

See all

20 years of Brown Bear, Shelby & Pentwater, and today, transcended PERFECT! My fiancé consulted with waitress, Isabelle. They contrived a "pulled pork, barbecue concoction, on waffle fries with bacon bits. Served with buttermilk ranch dressing. TO DIE 4! I went with 1 of my go 2s. Jalapeños Whimpy burger , blu cheese , onion and a slice of pineapple ! Onion rings on the side! Wow! Literally, a must do! A place that never disappoints, remarkable food and great staff! read more

So, we went for the second time and it was even better than the first. The burgers, they've done something here to maintain the size but not cook them to death. Well done and well done, still had flavor and wasn't dry at all. Excellent chips made for a great side. Give it a try!!! read more

Amazing burger, best I've had in years. Highly recommend this place! It's a little small so we had to sit at the bar but well worth it.

Got here after a long drive into town, greeted by friendly staff, the food was amazing they have a 1lb burger on the menu had to try it, it hit my burger cravings. read more

See all

Food was excellent and service was great! Best burger I have had at a restaurant in a LONG time!!

Get the macaroni and do yourself a favor. Large portions too. The waitress was friendly and helpful.

Food was excellent and service was fast. It was our first time there the only feedback I would recommend is making it clearer that you have to put your own name on the list which is a white board on the wall. Given it was our first time we had no idea if we had to seat ourselves or wait, we eventually did ask and the staff member then pointed us to the white board. read more

The Brown Bear - Italian club sub - Beer Bar Near Me - Pentwater, Michigan

Staff were very nice but flies all over. We only had a beer here and thankful we did, bartender turned the fans on and they were covered in dust. Would only recommend a cocktail/beer here. read more

The service was so quick and the servers were pretty nice. The food was very good. The bbq sandwich was a 10/10 and the cub bear burger add pickles was perfection. The meals come with a lot of fries and the water didn't taste chlorinated. There was a baseball game on the tvs and it was the perfect ambiance. read more

Staff was awesome! Food was fantastic! Wonderful atmosphere. Quality drinks. We will definitely be back. read more

The Brown Bear - Bar - Beer Bar Near Me - Pentwater, Michigan

Great staff, great wings Menu wasn't to my specific needs but looked good for others read more

Working in Pentwater for the day. You know what it's like when it's your birthday and you have a Facebook. It's fun and you have a lot of greetings coming in. So when I sat at the corner of the crowded bar by myself at lunchtime, I ordered a club soda and asked for the Wi-Fi password. "It's private", I was told. What. The. Hell? That's your version of hospitality? Pretty shitty. read more

Fun atmosphere, great staff, good drinks! Nice out door upper deck but has limited seat seating with 3 high tops and 3 tables. Food was good! They are known for their burgers which were good however one was missing a key topping! The prime rib dip was good and Cuban was good and sweet potatoe fries were good! This place is a solid restaurant! read more

I've been here a few times and we always get great service and great burgers at a reasonable price. Always look forward to coming back. The olive burger and wings are my favorites. read more

My girlfriend and I were hungry for lunch and stopped into Brown Bear. The prices were exceptional, but the food tasted like it was grilled by a suburban father of three. Overall, we would go here again. The burger I got was advertised to have a little bit of a kick, but was actually quite sweet which disappointed me. My girlfriend got the chicken fingers, and they were mediocre. Good for the price, I guess. read more

Fantastic Hamburgers! I have been disappointed many times by restaurants overcooking my hamburger. I order medium rare at the Brown Bear and they cook it perfectly every time. Great flavor served on a fresh bakery bun. I had the waffle fries and they were also very good. read more

We had our first experience at The Brown Bear! The food was simple bar food, but great. The portions were large. I would certainly recommend. We will be back. read more

First time here and we weren't disappointed!!! Waitress was great as was the burgers and potato soup!! Definitely coming back

We had our grand kids visiting, so we thought we would go to The Brown Bear in Pentwater Mi. We had the bear burger, 1 grand daughter got the chicken tenders that were too dry to eat, the other grand daughter had burnt mini corn dogs brought to her, the worst was the the club sub my grandson received, after eating a few bites he started to feel uneasy. Well he wound up in the ER in Ludington Mi . after leaving the restaurant with stomach cramps and shaking. I don't know if it was a new cook or what but the food has fallen off badly. read more

We go to the Brown Bear whenever we are passing by Shelby. This particular visit they were super busy but service was great. We no sooner sat down and they were taking our drink order. The kitchen is always quick and the food is always as you expect. read more

Haven't been here in years so the whole family road tripped from Grand Rapids for a mid winter break and it was awesome!! The burgers are as good as they always have been and it was nice to get there off peak so no trouble getting a table and little wait for food and drinks. read more

Great great staff. Efficient and patient. Never a bad experience. It's bar food. But good bar food.

arrived this morning at 1030AM at the McAllen Brown Bear , restaurant half empty. Maitre tells me I can be seated right away but the food cant be served for at least 35-40 minutes! What a total waste of time if they dont have a cook?! All I wanted was pancakes! Never again, GO ELSEWHERE these folks dont know how to run a restaruant read more

Popped in here on a Sunday driving into town to catch the sunset at the beach. Seems like a super laid back atmosphere where just about anything goes! The decor is very much of a wood feel, like you are in the woods I suppose. I guess to me it is what I think of when I think of a bar in the UP. There was a random chandelier over the bar on the main level that just seemed really out of place. I did not go upstairs but apparently, there is the same type of seating as below, plus some outdoor seating. Something cute that they do offer is ordering a burger in Cub size or wimpy size. Cub size is a half a pound and wimpy size is a quarter! I went with the wimpy so I guess I am considered a wimp ha This place was open later on a sunday so that made it nice to be able to pop into and grab something to go. We probably had to wait about 10 minutes for our meals to come out which is totally fine! read more

See all

Went to the Brown Bear tonight with guests from Delaware. My name is Larry Zahner and I live in Pentwater for over 20 years . Ordered drinks for my friends (4) the first time with no issues . The next time I ordered with Wyatt he decided to serve my friends but not me. I have a speech impediment and could not remember Vo an water so he decided I was drunk and would not serve me. Wow, a speech impediment makes me drunk. I suggest anyone eating there to assure you tell the waiter that you have a speech impediment before you order as this guy must believe he is above all others. My friends ate and I PAID THE BILL OVER $100 BUCKS BUT WILL never suggest someone in my town goes there again as people are defined and drunk without a clue of there ability to speak. Wyatt must be all knowing without a clue. read more

Good food and great service ! Simple bar menu but everything tasted good. Would recommend

Food was good. Felt the burger was under seasoned. Staff were friendly. Though busy, place was not noisy.

YUM! Came here with a couple of friends to tackle some of brown bear's burgers. Now I kept on contemplating if I should get the bear burger (1 lb) or not and I decided against it. Instead I ordered the spicy jack burger cooked medium with a side of sweet potato fries. It was delicious and the sweet potato fries were perfect. 4 stars because the 'Spicy Jack Burger' was not spicy. My friend ordered the Blazin' Saddles Burger and THAT was spicy. I was a little disappointed and wish my burger had more of a kick to it. Overall our waitress was super friendly and the food came out relatively fast. We did however have about a 30min wait for our party of 6 on a Saturday night around 7pm. read more

The Brown Bear - The menu for summer 2017 - Beer Bar Near Me - Pentwater, Michigan

See all

This place was super busy but our wait was only 15min. Service was quick & on point. Food was very impressive & I believe it's a must stop. Everything I tried was very good. Came with a group of 7 so I was able to enjoy a couple different meals. read more

Best burgers for MILES We looked around at reviews while on vacation here and The Brown Bear looked good for lunch. Due to the rain, we found the place packed. The staff did a great job of handling the crowd and were extremely friendly and accommodating. We both ordered the Dixie burger but added pineapple. The guy next to us did that and we strongly recommend it. The beer is great and the atmosphere is appropriate for the community. I'd go back for sure. read more

The Brown Bear is home to the "Notorious Bear Burger" which got me thinking - how exactly does a particular menu item from a restaurant become "notorious" or a restaurant become "world famous"? Who gets to make that distinction? ...well marketing departments, I suppose. I just HAD TO, of course, pick a burger when I came here to eat on my vacation. And, I will say, the burgers are large and the price is reasonable - I had more than enough to eat. But, beyond that, there's nothing that I found to merit any additional fame or notoriety to the food. Nothing was bad and I dug the authentic rustic / up north / village pub feel and setup of the joint. But, really, nothing that I would write home about. However, in a town of 900, with only a few other venues like it within 30 miles...if you are in Pentwater, MI and find yourself hungry for a big burger - I definitely recommend it. read more

The Brown Bear - Taco Soup - Beer Bar Near Me - Pentwater, Michigan

See all

Every time I've gone here this place is packed, the only drawback is the hours of operation, I wish they were open more! Even when busy the service is good once you get a seat, and don't sit outside in the summer there isn't much shade on the deck. I'm personally not a fan of deep fried veggies normally but their mushrooms and cauliflower are awesome! Sadly they took the chili burger off the menu, but you can still order it, it just wont be quite as heavily covered as it used to be. Don't miss out on this place if you are in town and looking for food. read more

I loved the charming interior of the place but wasn't a huge fan of how stuffy it was inside. There wasn't any place to wait for a table without constantly being in the way, or being bumped into. The only IPA they had at all was founders all day, lame. The 3 others in my party all had burgers, and while huge and cooked properly got soggy pretty quickly on the terrible bun. I had the cheese steak with onion rings and was decently satisfied. Overall the experience was so-so. I wouldn't make a point of returning. My husband's parents who live nearby mentioned the quality going down hill. read more

5 STARS! The food sizing was perfect giving you enough to even maybe take home. We had plenty to order from the boneless wings to the bone in wings to the burger to the grilled chicken and the appetizers were so good. The onion rings are awesome l, make sure to order those. We ate upstairs during Covid and had plenty of space in between where it was safe and the atmosphere was nice the staff is very nice. Enjoy! read more

Awesome burgers. Great view. Watch the sun set from the balcony! Super service!! I'll come back often!! read more

The Brown Bear - Brown Bear - Beer Bar Near Me - Pentwater, Michigan

We eat here every time we are in Pentwater! They took some of my favorites off the menu :( but we still love the Brown Bear!!