First of all the burgers are amazing, juicy, cooked perfectly The staff is very friendly and helpful! Malt vinegar can n the tables, which I love read more

Fantastic stop for a lunch and a couple of beers. This bar caters to every generation and has great food and served by a delightfully spunky gal who has a huge heart to match her shooting stars ink. Chicken spicy sub was really good but not overly spicy and served with waffle fries. Atmosphere is an experience that each generation of customer should experience and remember for its quaint old town touch. A definite must stop before camping at Silver Lake SP. Ask for the spunky server. Five stars for her. read more

See all

Absofrickinglutely PERFECT! Always a treat! Remarkable staff, food & surroundings! Today, a pulled pork barbecued concoction on waffle fries, a special request that Isabelle got made by the chef! read more

The Brown Bear - Waitress Isabelle helped Lester design a concoction of barbecued pulled pork, bacon bits and buttermilk ranch dipping sauce. ! - Burgers Near Me - Shelby, Michigan

Burgers have changed! sub-standard! Expensive and unimpressive! Not sure what happened to the "Notorious Brown Bear Burger"!?!!! Save your money! read more

Bartenders are great, portions are huge, and there is always a game to watch on one of the many TVs. You will not leave here hungry. read more

The Brown Bear - French Dip with fries - Burgers Near Me - Shelby, Michigan

Our food was amazing! The service was good and fast. We had the potato skins and fried mushrooms as appetizers and they were delicious! Highly recommend! I highly recommend the Dixie Burger! Absolutely delicious! I love Carolina Gold BBQ and on a burger...delicious! Give it a try! Chill vibe and bar like feel. Great burgers! Highly recommend! read more

See all

A busy place on a Saturday evening and although a typical bar set up it was full of families and seemed to be a place locals visit. Food was good nothing too special but taste like expected. Worth a visit if you are in the area. read more

See all

I found The Brown Bear by playing Yelp roulette. I was out in the middle of nowhere playing disc golf at Flip City, which is 10 miles outside of Shelby. I needed a quick lunch and The Brown Bear was one of the closest restaurants to me. When I looked at the photos on Yelp, it looked they had a good burger. But The Brown Bear surpassed my expecations! It is in the old downtown section of Shelby and from the outside, it looks like a total dive. But when you enter, it is a well-taken care of sports bar. There is a dining room and a bar with several TVs and sports memorabilia hanging up. I was sat promptly at the bar. The hostess asked a name for my tab and I told her, "Roll Tide!" She took it and the manager who I paid to finish off my tab had a good laugh about it too! Major points from me for taking Roll Tide and not giving me those awful glances. The burger that caught my eye was the Dixie Burger. It comes with pulled pork, Carolina Gold BBQ sauce, and cole slaw. While at the bar, I noticed they had won some awards for best burger in Michigan and local areas. I know why! This was a fresh-made burger that seemed like it would come from home. The burger itself was at least a quarter pound and the bun was a large sesame seed. The pork on top was delicious but I wish I would have asked for extra sauce on it since I am a sauce-aholic. The burger comes with homemade chips made in house. But I am more of a fry person, even if they are not made in house. I was given 3 choices for fries - regular, waffle, and sweet potato. I went with the waffle and it was what I expected. There were other burgers I wanted to try and I don't know if I will ever be back in the area, but if I am, I will be coming to get my fill of sports and burgers from The Brown Bear. read more

The Brown Bear - Dixie Burger with fries - Burgers Near Me - Shelby, Michigan

Who wouldn't drive 78 miles each way for a great burger? On a nice sunny day we decided make the drive as we both were having burger cravings. Brown Bear in Shelby is basically a tavern with a pretty darn good kitchen. On many previous trips north, we've eaten at the Brown Bear and now feel it's somewhat of a "destination" place for us in that we've never been let down. Our favorites are the burgers (prepared with many different options) and the soups. Soups are made daily and are outstanding. We both enjoyed the daily soup which was chili. Back to the burgers. They are not frozen "portion pack" but instead hand formed and always cooked to our preferred medium rare. They have NEVER gotten it wrong. As a burger aficionado, I cannot think of a place that's gotten it right every single time. We both prefer a pretty basic burger in that I'd prefer to taste the meat instead of the dozens toppings one can order . My wife gets cheese and I get bacon. Pretty simple. Their onion rings are tasty and the perfect accompaniment. The servers are friendly and attentive. When you're specific in you order I alway appreciate my server checking back to see that it's right. Drinks are never empty and refills kept coming. In short, Brown Bear is a friendly, comfortable place that we always enjoy coming to. If you add the cost of driving 156 miles to your bill, I'd still say it was worth it. read more

The Brown Bear - Burgers Near Me - Shelby, Michigan

We stopped in Shelby to visit the gem place and decided to grab lunch at the Brown Bear. It looks a bit sketchy from the outside but you could tell that it was a local hang on main. The service was prompt, we ordered up a couple cold ones and split a cuban with extra crispy waffle fries. The food was average. The featured item here are the burgers. The mismatch chandeliers are a nice touch. read more

See all

Nice local place. We stopped at around 2 in the afternoon on our way through to Manistee. The bartender was friendly and told us to seat ourselves. Seating is tight. Our table was between to other tables and I could barley get into my seat...and the guy sitting behind me wasn't about to move. If you want a beer it's easiest to just order whatever they had on tap. The bartender was also our server and he didn't offer what beers they had and said they might have a beer menu, but he didn't know where it was. Brown Bear is known for their burgers....this is what you should probably order. We ordered the Cuban sandwich and waffle fries. Not terrible, but nothing special. The establishment and an interesting interior. It had the feeling of a dive bar mixed with a sports bar, yet it had amazing chandeliers. I'm sure we'll stop by again if we ever drive through Shelby....we still need to try the burgers! read more

The Brown Bear - Burgers Near Me - Shelby, Michigan

I love this place. We used to go here when snowmobiling. Friendly staff and the food is great. I recently took a ride north to look at the colors changing and stopped for lunch. Still amazing! read more

This is a tightly packed space. They cram in as many people as possible. It is a very nice place though. All wood paneling with beautiful chandeliers. I ordered the Notorious 1Ib Brown Bear Burger. The burger was as big as my hand. It was cooked perfectly. It was moist and delicious. Perfect flavoring. While I'm not going to say it was the best burger I've ever had, it was none the less excellent. Top 10 burger for sure! Was not impressed with the fries, but considering it's a pound of beef, I'm good. The service was hectic, but good. Overall a 4 1/2 star review, which I'm rounding up to 5. Would I return? For sure. $15 for a massive burger. Yum. read more

See all

We visited the Brown Bear after a long day at Michigan's Adventure amusement park. We rented a place nearby and not knowing the area quickly realized there's not much in the way of food around. Especially at 10:30pm. I called the BB and they said they were open until 11pm so we headed over from New Era. Upon arrival I was a little concerned, it looked to me more of a dive bar than a restaurant. We had 12 in our party 7 of which were children. But they welcomed us in and took our order. As the menu indicated the burgers are what they are famous for so most of us had a variation of the BB burger. Once delivered we all shared notes on how they were, turns out they were great! Everyone's was cooked to perfection and they tasted amazing. A couple of us got some of the odder toppings and they too were great. Even the kids that got chicken strips or quesadillas were happy. All in all we couldn't have asked for better food. They were also very quick and super friendly. I really expected to get some attitude about all the kids and ordering late at night but they thanked us repeatedly for stopping in and offered us anything else we might want. I would highly recommend the Brown Bear, great burgers and kind folks. read more

The Brown Bear - The Notorious Bear Burger - Burgers Near Me - Shelby, Michigan

Service was good. The burger was huge and husband loved it. I could only eat a third. I saw one bathroom and door lock was a bit iffy. It's a really old building so don't expect updates. read more

One of my favorite places to eat as a kid and even as 20 year old adult, I love this place very much for a single reason The Wings: they come in 8 pieces and a choice of fries as add on which is 2.49 from I last remember So you're roughly playing around 15 dollars for a 8 pieces with fries It can be a little expensive to many, but for our local town and restaurant This is actually a pretty good price Cauliflower and Cheese Sticks aren't crazy or outta this world however they are a pretty decent appetizer I always have a good service inside and takeout, they offer a really understanding staff and I appreciate that a lot and I feel like the staff matches the vibe in both restaurant, Pentwater and Shelby A Must try for the Wings, However the other options might vary person to person but I do recommend trying som Cajun Bbq wings as they definitely taste like bbq with a kick which is nice for any heat lovers out there Btw: I know for the Shelby location atleast, they actually do Apple Pay even though Yelp says otherwise read more

Local Bar restaurant. Food is great and reasonable priced. Bear burger (beef) is 1 pound meat for $17. Chicken salad $12. Service was very good also. Recommend to anyone passing through. read more

Goodish food waitress was not very good waited 10 minutes for a bottle of ketchup bad service owner was way better then the server kinda reccomend tho the food is good. No flavor to the burgers tho everything else what good. read more

After a white-knuckle drive to Shelby in a snowstorm we needed to relax and eat. Brown Bear was just the thing. We were greeted warmly and ordered the Brown Bear Burger to split with fried green beans on the side. When the burger came out it was a perfect medium and tasted great. The bun didn't quite hold up to the burger but that is just a testament as to how juicy it was. The green bean fries were ok I expected an up charge but was disappointed to see on the bill we were charged full price for the burger and the green beans (the burger was supposed to come with chips), but still a great visit over all. read more

See all

All three in our party had burgers and we all enjoyed. Beef seemed high quality and was perfect at medium rare. Sweet potato fries were excellent. They serve Henry Weinhard's root beer and orange cream soda so they know what they're doing. Our server was great- fast, friendly. This is a bar, so don't go expecting fancy (tho check out the stained glass ceiling fans in front section!). But do go expecting local ambiance, happy people, and tasty eats. read more

The Brown Bear - Front entrance - Burgers Near Me - Shelby, Michigan

Food was great. service was fast friendly and atmosphere was the best. we are not from area but we will be back. Burgers are the best we had. read more

It's looks rough from the outside, but the inside is better. The burgers are great and servers/bartenders were wonderful. It is a busy place for locals. We were on vacation and felt lucky to find it. read more

We stopped here on our way home from a road trip. I found this from a review on Yelp. This is a small town bar/restaurant on the main road through town. It is very rustic and older both inside and out, but the service and food was great. The prices were also very reasonable. We will definitely stop in again. read more

Disgusting burger - asked for medium well, it was medium rare and not even warm. Awful. Brought another one, not any better

I would like to be able to write a review of this establishment, we drove up from NW IN to wander around and check out any fall foliage colors. I Yelped around the area last night to check out reviews and see what was open and this one fit the bill. Until I pulled up in front at 2pm on a Monday. Hand-written sign on the door that they will be closed on Mondays and Tuesdays. I hope the next time I'm in the area, I will be able to eat here, it looks like a winner! I only posted the stars because I couldn't write anything without a few stars! read more

My family and I swing into this place every once in a while on our way home from our cabin up north. We are never disappointed! The staff is very welcoming and make us feel as if we were locals. The cook even came out to ask us how our food was. Our last trip my dad and I split their 1lb peno burger and it was to die for. I am still in awe at how perfectly cooked (med rare) the burger was for being so large! We will defiantly be back! read more

The Brown Bear - Burgers Near Me - Shelby, Michigan

See all

Quaint restaurant with a good menu. Lots of burgers to choose from and they were great! Quick and kind service as well.

Food was Excellent as always. waiter was not so Friendly. maybe just a bad day, He called my wife dude. i will still be back. hopefully he will be in a better mood. and having a better day. read more

This is one of two downtown bars in sleepy little Shelby, Michigan. They do burgers very well, and have a full bar menu, including steaks, soup, other sandwiches and a full bar. Its really a small town bar, with several TV's on which Detroit sports are shown. read more

Let me save you the reading if you're cruising Yelp looking for good in the area... just go! This is probably more a 4.5 star but I can't give half a star and I don't pass out 5 stars super easily. While wandering around in western Michigan with my kids on a play it by ear trip, we ended up in the area at Double JJ Ranch (I will also review that) and didn't want to pay $800 for a frozen patty burger so I searched yelp. Looked through every restaurant within a 15 mile radius and finally settled on this. We were not disappointed. I know it says "bar" and once you get into Wisconsin and Michigan, a local bar can get pretty specific, dark wood and localy with a cast of who know what often hovering around a can of something giving visitors the eye but that is definitely not Brown Bear. It's open and airy, pleasant and rustic decorations but in a good way and even though there were random people seemingly just hanging out on porches in the surrounding neighborhood, inside was family friendly and anything but odd. Burgers were fat, pretty tasty right out of the kitchen, food came quickly, service was friendly. I had the pina-peno burger, Kids got a wimpy bear, a dog and some burger with pepper jack. All well satisfied! We also got the something mambo app sampler which was delicious albeit a carb filled wonderland. I'd venture to guess nearly everything on the menu would be satisfying and solid tasting if not venturing into the outright delicious. If you're looking for some place to hit up, this is a great choice. As far as price, it didnt seem super out of line. With soft drinks, main dishes, apps, and tip for 3 Kids and 2 adults I was out $85. read more

I will never walk through your doors again and I will recommend the same to everybody i speak with. It's worth the drive to go to Kristy's Pour House in Hart or anywhere else. You may have good burgers, but with shit service, I'm never gonna find out. read more

The Brown Bear has phenomenal service. Their menu items are absolutely delicious. My absolute favorite is their burger and waffle fries. We will continue to eat at the Bear on a regular basis with our family and recommend it to anyone out there looking for absolutely outstanding items, service and staff! read more

Great burgers and the Irish potato skins are amazing!!! Downtown Shelby may not be terribly exciting, but this is a great place to stop for dinner! Service is great too! read more

On my way to Silverlake Sand dunes with my girlfriend and we heard we had to stop at this little place in Shelby MI. Upon driving past the front we thought a minute before entering and actually waited until we saw a family go in because we thought maybe it was "for locals only" type place. We would have really missed out. It was super friendly and much larger inside than the outside lead on. It is not all pretty and fancy but the food is good and the prices are not bad at all. The waitress made us feel right at home. The fries were hand cut and fresh, cooked to perfection along with the best burger I have had in a while. I will go out of my way to stop here again. Family friendly. read more

Take out has been great! The burgers and wings are amazing! Some of my favorites. The food is always hot, fresh and on time. I like that you can still dine in and they follow COVID-19 guidelines. You can also have some drinks as well. read more

A very eclectic restaurant/bar, with great food! My son got a burger that was massive and very tasty. All of our food was delicious and pretty quick with a 5 of us to our party. read more

Been here a couple times and it was great each time. If I lived closer I'd be here a lot more. The only thing better than the food is the wait staff, such friendly people each time. read more

Very good place to eat, waitress was good and the Dixie burger was awesome. Real onion rings too, not those processed things.

At first the place looks like a local bar, but it's really a great place to have a VERY GOOD burger. Onion rings and service were great too. read more

Won't regret it great food and wit good taste stop by you'll love it. Located your in down town Shelby mi