Made a reservation months in advance and delighted that we took the time. We were greeted by one of the owners (Susan) as soon as we entered the restaurant. Her warmth and friendliness was matched by the staff who made our dining experience so comfortable. We were promptly seated and received outstanding service. Portions were large and meals come with bread and a house antipasto salad. Our meals were exceptional. My wife had Chicken Saltimbocca and I tried Linguine with Salmon. Chicken was flavorful; salmon was perfect; the pasta was 4 star. The food was so good that we even ventured into a dessert (rare for us). We tried a lemon cake with glaze and VERY fresh strawberries; it was wonderful. A small restaurant that is a gem and well worth it. An outstanding dining experience. Exceptional food; the service and atmosphere were amazing. read more

I was able to eat here on a Monday since my flight that was supposed to leave got canceled so I had an extra day to spend in Michigan since my friend's family managed to add me to their reservation. This restaurant is definitely on the smaller side but it has such the cutest charm! I ordered the Salmon Piccata with a side of Caesar salad, and pasta with oil, garlic, and butter. The Salmon Piccata was perfectly cooked; however, I wish it had a tad more seasoning (maybe a tad more salt or simply lemon juice) since I truly had to rely on the capers for any acidity. The Caesar salad has to be one of the best I've ever had--it honestly had the punch of lemony boquerones. If you truly love anchovies, I highly recommend ordering it with some extra anchovies! Lastly, the pasta was just as expected, but it was still delicious! Pro tip if you order the salmon piccata: dip the pasta in the lemon and white wine sauce--you'll thank me later! read more

Trattoria Funistrada - Salmon Piccata - Italian Near Me - Maple City, Michigan

What a special place in what feels like the middle of no where. A house on a street that is inside a cozy, lovely restaurant. Even in the middle of winter, reservations were needed. Upon entering they will take your coats ( if you have them) service was great The ambience is low key, an intimate feeling. Selection of dishes check boxes for classic Italian. I love how you can choose your side pasta and kind of sauce with the entrée. That is a special touch worth going just for that. You are charged for sharing but they offer side and salad with the extra charge. Not unreasonable in my opinion. The bread brought out was delicious. Felt the marinara was a little salty for the eggplant But certainly not inedible. A nearby table had ordered mussels and the smell did carry over to us so a sensitivity to that could be an issue . Dessert The Tiramisu was fabulous. I actually liked the texture as you could taste every component. Usually soggy lady fingers which can taste great but here they kept their structure I felt making it stand out . Wonderful flavors. Parking is one way and could be icy in the lot. Well lit though. Worth the drive! read more

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From start to finish the meal was absolutely fabulous. Our server made recommendations and knew the menu and recipes by heart. She did an amazing job. The restaurant was small, quaint, and had an incredible charm to it. The restaurant is the type of restaurant you would drive a long distance to come to it's well worth it and we highly recommend. read more

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The food here is delicious. Ordered the veal saltimbocca and it was super tasty and high quality. The portions are huge and come with bread, salad, and a side of pasta. I will note that the desserts are average - not bad but nothing special. The place is small and requires a reservation months in advance. Great seeing a local business doing so well. read more

Much better the second time outside of the noise. It's so so loud in there... the food was amazing - we stayed away from the steak. The service was top notch and our waitress was a gem. Will be back! read more

Make reservations in advance! At least a week, more if you can manage it, especially during the summer! It'll be worth it. This is traditional Italian fare, done well! Special of the day: strawberry butter lettuce and spinach salad with a lemon vinaigrette - this was SO good! Amazing blend of flavors. The bright variety of fruit flavors were delightful! I would eat this again any day. Special of the day: NY strip steak with truffle butter & roasted asparagus & root veggies - flawless medium rare cook, amazing flavor, perfect tenderness. Lasagna - this is just decadent. Baked to perfection, flavorful meat sauce, oozing cheese, perfect pasta. Hits the comfort spot! Lots of ricotta. Veal Saltimbocca - perfection on a plate! My partner says it's a nostalgic meal he always wants to return to. The flavors are on point, everything is cooked perfectly, the prosciutto is delightfully salty and wonderfully crispy, the mushrooms provide a soft umami flavor, the melty cheese complients the super thinly pounded out veal. I dont normally care for veal, myself, but this dish is so good. I'm a convert! If you're thinking about it, don't skip it! Tiramisu - light and creamy, just the right amount of sweetness. The lady fingers are so soft and spongy! What a wonderful texture. So tasty. Very cozy place, parking lot all around the building, but plenty along the road as well. All staff is kind, informative and very good at their jobs. Great recommendations, of you are having a hard time making a choice. Taryn was so sweet throughout our meal and we can't thank her enough! Mike & Susan are such great people, so welcoming and generous, and clearly put a lot of heart into their restaurant. We look forward to every meal here! read more

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It's a cute restaurant. Very small. The food is less than desirable. The shrimp were frozen quality and tasted like it in the shrimp scampi appetizer. I had the pasta with goat cheese and pesto. The pasta was overcooked. If there was goat cheese I didn't taste it. It tasted one note and boring. My Mom had the pasta carsino. Which she had to add the rosemary and olive oil on the table to make it taste like something. My son had the shrimp scampi that was served with uncooked cherry tomatoes. He had to add seasoning to make it taste good. My husband had the spicy sausage with pasta. The pasta was overcooked. My Dad's lasagna bolognese was salty and not good. In my opinion: a jar of Rao's with store bought pasta was better than this place. Service. Our server was fine. We were seated next to the kitchen. Not sure what occurred but we saw a wait staff crying. So not a good experience. read more

Finally got to this place while on our annual Traverse City trip. Charming little restaurant nestled in the woods off the beaten path. We had heard from several locals that they do amazing things with veal. The husband had the Anniversary Chicken and I had the Veal Saltimbocca. It was probably some of the best veal I have ever had. Outstanding! Both of us really enjoyed our meals. Ended it with Affogato and some Spumoni ice cream with Brandy on top! Great place. We can't wait to visit again! read more

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Funistrata has consistently delicious Italian/American cuisine. This is where Glen Arbor Empire like to dine. The service is friendly, professional, and attentive. The wine list is great. We highly recommend Funistrata. read more

This is a very lovely little dining restaurant. It seems like it's an old house on Glenn Lake. It has a lot of ambience as you both inside and out. It's summertime is season so good luck on getting a reservation less than five days out. We were visiting relatives on the lake and they told us Funistrada was the best, so we made a reservation. We wanted the reservation for Friday, but the only one they had open was Tuesday. By reading the reviews, the customers raved about the veal saltimbocca, so I ordered it. My wife ordered the lemon chicken with artichokes. Both of the dishes were wonderful. Not the best we've ever had but definitely good. Both entrées come with salad and pasta. Our servers name was Andrea and she was cheerful and helpful. She told us about different items on the menu and made sure we had pretty much what we needed. We ordered a bottle of Chianti with the help of our server and we had a relatively good evening.Funistrada is clearly a very good restaurant if you're ever in the Glen Arbor area. read more

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Absolutely tremendous dinner, very promptly seated (with reservation) and began with outstanding service from "Taylor" - we had the shrimp appetizer, it was outstanding, then we enjoyed our salads, the house was delicious, simple and dressed properly with dressing, the caesar with anchovie was top notch. Both our meals were some of the best Italian we've every had and we dine in Little Italy other local greats back home. Overall this little gem with a very worthwhile stop on any journey out toward Sleeping Bear Dunes! Not to be missed! read more

We came here as part of a group of 6 on an "up north" getaway weekend. It was one of the best meals and all around experiences I have had in a while! We had a reservation for 7 PM and we were seated promptly, which signaled organized and efficient service. That proved to be true throughout the meal. The serving staff is highly experienced, knows the menu well, and makes great recommendations. At the same time, they are super friendly without being intrusive. Service is 6 on a 5 point scale. The food was also terrific. Wrapped asparagus appetizers, followed by mains: veal saltimbocca, lemon chicken pasta, salmon puttenesca, and pasta with a middle eastern duck sausage special. All were really great. A lot of oohing and aahing going on around the table. Desert was panna cotta and cannolis. All fantastic. The decor is nice and the seating is tight enough to make sure the atmosphere is convivial. So yeah, this is a place you definitely want to go! If you are in northwestern Michigan, Funistrada is worth a trip! read more

Our best meal on vacation so far. We really enjoyed everything about our meal and service.

If you enjoy fine dining and Italian food, this restaurant is beyond par. I strongly recommend Trattora, a local restaurant locally owned with world-class food. read more

We had a wonderful meal at Funistrada on a winter evening. The food was delicious and the service was wonderful. We also enjoyed the atmosphere. Great food and service means we will be back often! read more

This place was very nice!! Cozy atmosphere, very warm service, very nice foods, and choice of local wine to enjoy. All the vegetables I had were very tasty and fresh, and think they are coming from farms nearby. This place definitely helped to make my trip to Michigan a lovely experience, and I highly recommend this place! read more

Trattoria Funistrada - Veal Saltimbocca - Italian Near Me - Maple City, Michigan

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Host was extremely rude. Place seems mismanaged. Could not seat a party of two when there were 6 tables open.

One of our very favorite special places. Trying to get a table is half the fun! And totally worth the wait.

Place was overhyped to me, both with quality and with scare of "you need reservations!" Caesar salad was ok, shrimp fettuccine was kinda thin tasting, cod dish was good, tiramisu was also thin tasting . So, turned out to be a base hit, right down the center. Plus, open tables at 8:00 pm on a Friday. ‍ More impressed with quirky Little Traverse Inn in Maple City and Riverside Inn in Leland at this price point read more

Always a delightful experience. Great personalized service. Delicious food, no matter what is ordered - a beautiful presentation. We loved the lemon artichoke chicken and salmon piccata. Fresh salads, included with the meal, which is almost a rarity these days of higher prices. And speaking of that, minimal increases in cost since our last visit in September. Unusual in today's world! Can't make a trip to Traverse City without adding this lovely dinner to our itinerary - and so close to Empire to add a beautiful sunset. read more

Trattoria Funistrada - Salmon Piccata - Italian Near Me - Maple City, Michigan

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The food and service was exceptional. The NY Strip Steak and Lasagna Bolognese were GREAT! read more

Trattoria Funistrada - NY Strip Steak with roasted veggies - Italian Near Me - Maple City, Michigan

The food was not only delicious, it is unique and beautifully presented. Our waitress was knowledgeable, and efficient and just someone nice to meet. She took excellent care of us. We make it a point to have dinner at Funistrada every time we visit the area and we have never been disappointed. The restaurant is cozy and very comfortable. We will be back! read more

Late review, ate there in Nov-2021. The best restaurant visit in my 30+ years in USA. The food, ambience, and staff were all great. And I felt good also 12h and 24h later. read more

Delicious meal at Funistrada. Huntsman Tortellini with smoked duck breast, mushrooms, peas, and cream - so rich and savory. A nice antipasto side salad and warm bread - crusty with soft inside, with olive oil and spices for dipping. And good tiramisu. Overall delightful. read more

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Always great food and phenomenal staff !!! Tough to get in in summer...virtually no walk-ins.....make reservations. read more

We have gone to Funastrata for years and have always loved it, but this year was beyond! The Chef cooked everything to perfection and our server Jody was great! We have a couple more reservations for this summer and can't wait to go back! read more

Trattoria Funistrada - Salmon Piccata. So delicious! - Italian Near Me - Maple City, Michigan

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This is a great place for a date night! Very good food and the atmosphere is casual but very nice. Make reservations well in advance.

Funistrada is a quaint, up north experience that everyone will enjoy. The food is top notch and the service is extraordinary. Jodi goes above and beyond to make sure your dining experience is fun and relaxed. Everyone works in tandem and makes it such a fun place to dine at. read more

Only take out but solid Funistrada came recommenced by a couple people in the area. It was our last day in Glen Arbor and we were craving Italian. Funistrada definitely delivered - actually, we picked up as they are pick up only during Covid. The person who took our order explained the process, gave us a time to pick up in 45 minutes and emailed us a summary. The whole process was very easy and straight forward, even with various allergies. We waited a couple minutes in the parking lot for our order and we were off. Tortellini, chicken piccata, anniversary chicken and a side of vegetables all came delicious and tasty (no pictures as we were hungry after a day on the water). Salads and side pasta hit the stop as well. We even ordered a bottle of wine for the meal which was affordable and a perfect compliment to the meal. Glad that the team at Funistrada made things so easy in this trying environment. I am sure that they will be open when we visit the area again so we can enjoy on premises dining. Definitely recommended. read more

Another excellent meal with exemplary service. A fresh salad, delicious appetizer and perfectly prepared Veal Saltimbocco . This place definitely is worth the wait. read more

Trattoria Funistrada - Veal Saltimbocca - Italian Near Me - Maple City, Michigan

I love this place excellent service and surroundings. Food is always consistently good and a value. .

Another excellent meal with exemplary service. A fresh salad, delicious appetizer and perfectly prepared Veal Saltimbocco . This place definitely a must when in the area. read more

Well, this was an interesting stop...we stopped in here without a reservation because who knew it was needed. The parking lot was empty and the restaurant was completely empty. When we approached host stand, the host asked if we had a reservation and we said we didn't. It was empty, and the host said, "we'll, it looks like you're out of luck. Better luck next time. Today we have no tables left." It was bizarre, his tone was very condescending and we thought for sure he was looking down on us for either being Asian or looking like we just came from beach. Both of those were true, but it was strange when the whole place was deserted. When we left we did see tips that reservations are usually needed, but it was still super strange in how he spoke to us. If the host wasn't so rude, I would have just left a tip on yelp, but the interaction that we had left us with the unresolved answer of whether the restaurant was busy or not resulted in the single star (because I can't leave no star) that it earned. read more

Trattoria Funistrada - Italian Near Me - Maple City, Michigan

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Always excellent food and the best wait staff. The restaurant is small and noisy, some noise reduction would go along way to making a more enjoyable dining experience read more

Always good and great service! Can't go wrong with anything on the menu, along with a great atmosphere!

Absolutely amazing experience at Funistrada. I have been wanting to try this place for years. I live several hours away, but my friends who live in the TC/Leelanau area rave about the place. It was as good as I had heard and more. Service was impeccable, the restaurant is small and cozy, and packed. Som reviews had said it was loud, but I completely disagree. It was very intimate. The complimentary prosciutto wrapped asparagus was perfectly cooked and seasoned. Our server Sarah was exceptional. very relaxed and knowledgeable. I asked for her recommendation, and she said the veal saltimbocca was their specialty so I ordered that. I am not exaggerating when I say it was one of the best things I have ever eaten. My girlfriend ordered the pesto/chicken/goat cheese entree and it was exceptionally good too. We were the last reservation at 8:00 on a Saturday night, and the staff was completely warm and accommodating and we didn't feel rushed in the least bit. This will be an absolute must on every trip we make coming up this way. read more

This was formerly Bev and my restaurant known as the Glen Lake Inn. If you are in the area; you can do a lot worse than visiting. Here is the information from their web site: Trattoria Funistrada was started in 2000 by Tom and Holly Reay after they located the perfect property for an Italian restaurant in Burdickville. Tom and Holly, long-time residents of the Leelanau Peninsula, ventured into their own business after noticing a distinct lack of quality Italian restaurants catering to tourists. -- Incidentally, Tom was a former bartender at Art's Bar in Glen Arbor for 10 years (where you can occasionally catch him slurping a few brews) while Holly was the manager of Dave's Place in Empire. Chef Tom soon took Funistrada to fantastic heights, winning the "Best New Restaurant in the North" award in July 2001 by the local acclaimed publication, Traverse Magazine. Funistrada is known for its excellent, authentic cuisine using the freshest ingredients that even mamma in Italy would be proud of. read more

Trattoria Funistrada - Italian Near Me - Maple City, Michigan

This has been a favorite of ours for years, until tonight. Some in the party look forward to their veal chop -- a specialty -- for a year. We made sure to tell the restaurant a week in advance we wanted two veal chops that night. However, when we arrived, we discovered they only had one left. Additionally, the restaurant owner showed very little regret and did very little to accommodate the mistake. On top of this extreme disappointment, we felt overall the meal was lackluster. The dishes were nothing special or innovating. In fact, I felt my veal piccatta (not to be mistaken for a veal chop, which is quite different) was disappointing. None of the dishes are remarkable. While the meal is not bad and the service is not horrible, we certainly will not return again. read more

Amazing Italian! We got the anniversary chicken, lasagna Bolognese, and spaghetti and meatballs. All exceeded expectations and service was great! read more

Trattoria Funistrada - Left to right: anniversary chicken, lasagna, spaghetti and meatballs - Italian Near Me - Maple City, Michigan