The Weathervane is a Charlevoix staple! Located on the channel, built in an old grist mill designed by Earl Young, this place has so much amazing history and is absolutely beautiful! The service here is fantastic and follows the tradition of striving for the absolute best. Whether you order one of their specials or go with a classic like the oak planked whitefish or their prime rib, you will leave completely satisfied! Next time you're looking for a great summer vacation and stumble upon Charlevoix the Beautiful, you need to stop by the Weathervane! read more

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Enjoyed fish and chips and the chowder! Running up against time until close and no reservation available, we were unknowingly part of a Friday evening rush and still managed to have great service in the bar. A lot of grumpy, hungry people but our waiter still managed to give everyone attention, refills (which is RARE these days). Service was excellent. read more

Lovely outdoor seating with amazing service. Emma was great and patient with us. We enjoyed the bread service. The bread is fantastic with butter or oil and balsamic. The white fish is very light and the sauce for it is a great balance. The potatoes are buttery and flaky. The walleye was delicious as well with risotto and asparagus. Pricy but quality meal. First time here. read more

Weathervane Restaurant - Whitefish - American Near Me - Charlevoix, Michigan

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I am completely shocked at the low rating on Yelp. Amazing view, right on the inlet with a nice view of the drawbridge. Very peaceful ! Dine in one of Earl Young's masterpieces! So much history! The food was delicious! Everything was delicious but, Be sure to try the clam chowder! read more

This place is the most recommended restaurant on Google in Charlevoix so decided to check it out. It's a MASSIVE restaurant. On a Friday at around 5pm, we were seated instantly with a nice view of the lake. Ordered the Walleye, Chicken Wellington, and Bibb Salad. Walleye was cooked well; nicely breaded. First time eating a Wellington which I learned about because it's Gordon Ramsey's signature dish, so I'm not sure what it's supposed to taste like but this tasted amazing! It had a bit of cranberry in it so it was savory and sweet. The outside was oh so flakey. I liked the broccolini and carrots that these dishes came with; a light buttery flavor and soft texture. Bibb salad was good but the dressing was okay, almost tasted like the Go-Gurt I had as a kid. The piece of bread it came with was good though, I wish I could get more of it! Our waitress was nice and checked on us frequently. read more

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My mom, sister, and I had such a great time at the Weathervane. The drinks were great and so was the food! The portions were perfect and we all enjoyed our dishes. While I do wish there were more options, we all found something we loved. The service was great, but the food did take a long time to come out. With a good feel/ambiance of the restaurant, we didn't mind too much. Overall, we would love to be back! If you dine here, prepared for a nice meal (it's not cheap!) and a good view! read more

Weathervane Restaurant - American Near Me - Charlevoix, Michigan

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Beautiful day. Patio closed. Reasons given (after we walked there): 1. "It rained in the morning, there might be a slip hazard." 2. "The weather is variable in northern Michigan so you never know; it might rain again!" (Which begs the question, why have a patio in northern Michigan at all? ) 3. "We sent the staff home because of the rain. We can't staff the patio." Well, which answer is it? None of the excuses applied to the competition. read more

Weathervane Restaurant - Beautiful day. - American Near Me - Charlevoix, Michigan

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We had Brussels sprouts ad calamari for appetizers and then the chili with venison, all the food was very good. Also chocolate mousse- was great. The service was great and we loved the atmosphere read more

So disappointed in our dinner. The menu changed so much. Very, very few options. Our server treated us like we were dining at a Coney Island. She rushed us. Didn't communicate anything. There was no bread service. Waters sat empty. After we ordered, we decided to add Caesar salads to start. We quickly flagged the server down and ordered the salads. Took one bite of the salads and she dropped both of our short rib entrees at the end of the table. I think the entrees came out in 10 minutes from when we ordered. We must have looked at her shocked. She said, I can't hold this food in the back it comes out in a few minutes. Really? By the time I got into my entree it was cold. Tried to eat that and the salad at the same time. Ridiculous. We will not be retuning. We are also going elsewhere for Thanksgiving. This was a staple of ours forever. The loving feeling is gone. read more

I used to come up north every summer with my grandparents growing up and we always had a meal at The Weathervane. We were up north last month for a wedding and decided to give it a try. If you want indoor seating I would recommend getting a reservation because they fill up quick. Decided to sit outside and it was the perfect setting for a meal with family we hadn't seen in forever. Staff was great and you wouldn't want anything more from them. The food was beyond delicious. A few of us got the skirt steak and it was beyond flavorful. The seafood looked amazing from others at the table and loved their meals as well. Can't wait to come back next time we are up north. read more

Weathervane Restaurant - A view right next to the restaurant. - American Near Me - Charlevoix, Michigan

Our server was quick and attentive. My husband ordered the filet and it was cooked to his liking. I ordered the crab cakes and a garden salad and everything tasted good. We also order a bread appetizer. The view is beautiful and we loved the huge fireplace inside. read more

Visited on Tuesday for lunch, nice atmosphere, pleasant server. Ordered the whitefish sandwich, tasty but a small piece of whitefish, others also ordered the whitefish sandwich, same results. Might go back sometime for a cocktail and the view of the channel! read more

Rehearsal Dinner June 2025- Everything was great! We were in the main dining area (construction not completed in the private room downstairs; which i knew it might not be when I booked the event). They put up a room divider for privacy. Jill Harrell & Paul the General Manager were very helpful. Guests had great choices to choose from and the food was delicious, hot and delivered to everyone very quickly. The servers were pleasant and helpful. Great cocktails & very clean restaurant! I would recommend this restaurant to anyone, whether it is an important event or just dining out! read more

The Weathervane used to be a top restaurant in Charlevoix. We went there last week because we have had good experiences in the past. The view of the canal leading to Lake Michigan is great. But the food offering was a disappointment. Yes the food we ate was good. But the menu has really gone down the tubes. They don't have one decent steak on the menu. They did have steak frites which i was told was a thin slice of steak. I was looking for new york strip or filet mignon. I would have settled for ribeye or sirloin but its not really what i like. In their defense i couldn't find a place to eat in Charlevoix that had steak on the menu. Service was okay. Nothing to write home about. Next trip in Michigan i will find a steak place north or south of Charlevoix and skip Weathervane. I gave them 3 stars for the food and view. A good steak would have raised their score. read more

In all the years I've come to Charlevoix I've never been to the Weathervane. I've admired the architecture and I've meant to go, but in the end it just didn't happen. This year I made it a priority to go. The atmosphere is cozy. It is mostly one long room with lots of windows overlooking the channel. There is an overflow room to the side and a patio for those who are more weather adventurous. I ordered the Chicken Wellington ($28), which is a chicken breast stuffed in a pastry puff with Brie cheese, cranberry pear filling, and a sherry butter. It also came with diced red potatoes and vegetables (carrots/asparagus). This was excellent the chicken was juicy and sauces were a perfect compliment. I didn't really taste the puff pastry though. The potatoes and vegetables were very good and a perfect compliment. I also ordered a Raspberry Lemonade ($4ish), side note there are no refills so it is a per glass price. That being said it's worth it. It was probably the best Raspberry Lemonade I've ever had. The Person I was with had the Planked Whitefish ($34.50), with Duchess potatoes, vegetables, remoulade, and lemon. The meal was stated to be excellent. The service was top notch. Very efficient and super friendly. Overall a 5 star review. Would I return? Yes, I'm already planning next years vacation and Weathervane will be included. read more

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Our last meal in Charlevoix, the atmosphere and the view were so good! The service was nice, we really like our waitress and the host. They are dog friendly restaurant! I almost got salad and whitefish egg roll, but changed my mind last minute and got their feature menu: Salmon and Hazelnut instead. The first couple bites I was like, I don't know what it is but then...it's very good! The tomato stuffs on top was very refreshing! Mashed potatoes was good as well. My husband got bacon jam burger and fries, he said everything's perfect, usually he doesn't like the egg with his burger but it was very good this time. We were happy with our choice tonight! read more

Weathervane Restaurant - Salmond and Hazelnut - American Near Me - Charlevoix, Michigan

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Tenderloin Mac and cheese and the Pork Chop were both so good! Sat right by the window and had a lovely view of the water for dinner. Beyond the food and atmosphere our server Larry was great! Thanks for a great evening out. read more

Weathervane Restaurant - Pork chop - American Near Me - Charlevoix, Michigan

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The food definitely lives up to expectations. The cheeseburger was delicious. We also ordered the calamari and a fish sandwich. Everything was wonderful. The waitress was nice and friendly. The food wasn't as warm as I had expected. It wasn't cold, but it wasn't very warm either. My biggest issue was that the vibe in the place was off. The people at the hostess station weren't the friendliest but weren't welcoming. Just odd vibes all around. read more

Weathervane Restaurant - Weathervane restaurant - American Near Me - Charlevoix, Michigan

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Good food, friendly service. Could have been a little quicker. It is in a great spot next to the bridge. But definitely on the pricey side if you're just going there for lunch! I would recommend checking it out! read more

My parents used to have a place on Walloon Lake for many years and we would eat at the Weathervane a lot. This was my first trip back to the area in 12 years and we wanted to hit our favorite places. It was such a disappointment. I understand the place has changed hands recently and it really needs a makeover. The service was just okay. The food was not good. Dad said his planked whitefish was really dry and over done, the worst he's ever had anywhere. My Steak Frites were tough, and the Cajun Steak Fries were just okay. The Caesar Salad lacked flavor, and the Fish soup was bland as well, we think they used canned potatoes. Anyway.... Unless there are some big changes I don't expect to eat there again. read more

Great location! Located on the water Downtown Charlevoix. We arrived at 4:30, hoping to sit outdoors on a gorgeous afternoon. The host said there would be an hour wait for the patio, although we saw several vacant tables outdoors. We were happy; however, to be seated near the window with a gorgeous view! We had wine, cocktails, seafood chowder, french onion soup, walleye and perch. The kale rice served with the walleye entree had no kale and tasted hard and old as though it had been sitting all day. It was also served lukewarm (which we did mention to the waiter, he said he would notify the Chef). Both soups were delicious as well as the fish. Overall, the prices were a little inflated, the atmosphere felt a little old school, and the decor was definitely dated, but the food was good, service was great and we enjoyed our experience, so I would recommend for a special night on the town! read more

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This place was right across from our hotel and the adorable original 60's neon sign lured us to check it out. The hostess wasn't friendly at all, always a disappointment from the outset. The expansive dining rooms and floor plan feel like a dinner outing in the 1960s - I really liked the atmosphere. I ordered the French dip and it was good but wow, what a small portion. French fries were fresh and good. I would love to return to try out their cherry cold soup in season! read more

Food was great and so was staff! Celebrated my birthday there! Shout out to the chefs! Our party had trout and pork, top rated in Michigan. The only detraction from the ambiance and excellent meal was the overly-needy clientele surrounding us. They strained the servers with extraneous requests fueled by their self-absorbed needs for attention in a dining atmosphere. I will return and recommend this place to others who are looking for quality food and top-notch service. read more

Weathervane Restaurant - American Near Me - Charlevoix, Michigan

I found the food, service, and ambience average. Not a place I'd go to a second time. It's not terrible, but it's not great.

Surprised to see this only has 3.5 stars, we had a great experience! We got the chilled cherry soup, salmon blt, beyond burger, and Italian chicken sandwich. Everything was super tasty and the service was quick. The view from outside was also great, we got to see the draw bridge open and close several times during our lunch. read more

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We live in Charlevoix year round and have enjoyed the Weathervane for many years. My husband and I even had our small wedding reception there because it was one of our favorite local restaurants & the staff was always accommodating to locals. However, in the last year or so, the establishment has been under new management, which has been our main source of dissapointment. We went down to have dinner last night and wanted to sit in the bar area as we have for several years, mainly because we love the low key dining atmosphere. Typically, this is not an issue since we can usually find an open table and get service right away. However, not last night. No sooner did we sit down at a table when the manager came rushing over, asking if we had a reservation. When we told him no, he asked if we were planning to eat in the bar, to which we said yes. We were then told that they no longer allow food service in the bar area until after 7:30pm. The bartender explained that the reason for this was so that they could allow the people with reservations to be seated & order. We sat there, contemplating our next move. Did we want to stay for 30 minutes & wait out the "reservation rush"? Or, find some place else? We stood up & started walking towards the door & I glanced toward the indoor dining seating area. More than 3/4 of the tables were empty. The manager quickly shouted, "we can seat you inside the dining area right now if you'd rather eat now". So, let me get this straight...you're willing to serve me 30 minutes earlier if I sit 30 feet from the bar?? No thanks. Besides this unfortunate service change, the menu itself has also changed. The quality of their steak is poor (extremely tough & fatty) & some of the old favorites are no longer on the menu. We tried to give them another chance, even with the overall decline in food quality, but our visit last night will be our last until Stafford's makes a change in management & brings back the high quality standards that they base their reputation on. To me, their current manager is too out of touch with Stafford's loyal customer base. read more

Lovely ambiance for an early dinner. Gives you a slight feel of cape cod when you walk in. Came here around 4:30 on a Saturday in mid April. Very quiet and not crowded. Started to pickup when we left at 6. I wouldn't call this a casual-dress restaurant; it should be a classy or dressy attire. Not your casual jeans & tshirt. A bit disappointed in the menu for their appetizer options but I'm hoping that's because it's their off-season. I did appreciate the gluten free options very much. Our waitress wasn't very attentive either. Super pleasant when she did come around. Recommend the planked whitefish but not the Caesar salad...the lettuce tasted bad. Fabulous drinks though! read more

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A Stafford's standard. An Earl Young building , fabulous fireplace, on the channel. Watch the bridge raise and lower, boats passing by. So interesting but the food tops it all. Classic dishes, excellent preparation, seasonal offerings. Attention to detail, professional service and presentation. Great service and a great rewards program for frequent diners. read more

Weathervane Restaurant - Summer Fun. - American Near Me - Charlevoix, Michigan

Second star is for the view, which is awesome. The interior holds one of the coolest fireplaces, built of giant boulders. So, why two stars? Unfortunately the food and service are not great. Colossal pretzel was a nice appetizer. Walleye dinner was not good. My spouse had a lobster roll special, which was a risky call in Michigan and it was, maybe not surprisingly, a miss. We took pictures of the view and likely won't return. read more

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Beautiful setting overlooking the canal but it feels tired and needs some love. Ordered the Walley and it was frozen crumbed dry tasteless rubbish. Rice was decent but the garnish of corn something just lacking in originality and flavor. You're ON the lakes. FRESH fish is a MUST. Your chef is lazy. Why are you buying McDonald's quality pre frozen garbage? Server was very attentive and friendly. All the stars are for her....the rest... put it to bed. Shut down or do better!! read more

Weathervane Restaurant - American Near Me - Charlevoix, Michigan

What is going on??? The restaurant with one of the best locations on earth has crashed! Why??? I've been going here for 50 years. It's been on the decline for the last couple years, but I was hoping the new owners would come to the rescue. Did. Not.happen. It's actually worse. I went for dinner and very few customers were there, but 1.5 hour wait for - very bad food. Thought I'd try lunch instead but, again, very bad food. I don't know who came up with the menu, but it's very odd. The very good, traditional menu of the past is gone. The very few waitstaff are good, but overwhelmed. Only about a quarter of the tables are full because they have no employees. Somebody, please save this beautiful restaurant. read more

The worst $300 meal I have ever had. Oh wait, $309 because we were charged $9 to use a credit card . They charged us $5 for extra toasts with our $20 whitefish pate and didn't even mention there was a charge. The BBQ chicken must have been BBQed for 3 hours it was so dry. Yuck. The place is really sad and dated looking. I had a feeling when I walked in that I was going to be disappointed, but I had no idea I would pay $309 for that level of disappointment... read more

The food was ok... did not come to our table hot. no salad no bread no extras. my husband ordered prime rib, it was cold..and extra charge for fries that were also cold. The wait for food was extra long as well. Manager did apologize but no other action. would no recommend. read more

The building itself is very neat and it a good location. It has attached parking which was nice. Mainly a nautical theme and on the water, which was pretty if you were lucky enough to be sat by the water. There was a live orchestra band playing when we arrived which made it very noisy. This did not effect us where we sat but I did see a few patrons asking to be moved because of it. The server was very friendly with us and made several recommendations; however I did over hear our server and 2 other staff speak disparaging to two different tables. One was a 4 top of older adults that had switched tables because of the band. He had indicated he hadn't wiped off the table because of this and when the woman pointed out a dirty seat- he told her he couldn't do two things at once. When she attempted to say she didn't know if he saw it, he told her she reminded him of his grandmother. The second was another table where a much older lady was eating with her grandson. She asked if they could move to a table by window to see water. The waiter told her that table has dishes on it still and he'd see if he could get a busboy. A busboy came out and the lady was trying to speak to him thanking him and he completely ignored her. She then said they'd move over and he told her no you won't, the problem is there's a 5-person coming in. She did say I guess seniority doesn't count and he "schooled her" on how she didn't have to wait at all to get seated. The kitchen was very backed up and we waited over an hour for the food. Other tables were complaining about their food not coming out timely. I will say the portions were generous in size. As far as the food, it was good- nothing to write home about. I had the chowder which was a twist on clam chowder, but with whitefish. I had the whitefish which was on a cedar plank, which was good. It came with whipped potatoes which looked better than they were. I had the Mac and cheese which was outstanding- highly recommend/ it was the star of the show. My eating companions had the French onion soup- which the both said was not good. One said it was too sweet and the other said it was more sour. I did have a bite and whether it was sweet/sour- the moral of story is it was off. One companion had the steak Caesar salad which she said was very good, the other had the fish and chips which he also said was good , but didn't wow. read more

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We LOVE dining outside on the big patio overlooking the harbor in the summer. There's a direct view of boats coming in from the lake, going under the drawbridge and into Charlevoix. It's so entertaining to watch the bridge move completely up to let huge boats on through. The food is always super delicious here too. I love getting the Caesar salad or burger. It always comes out great and our service here was amazing last time too. When we're not in a pandemic, there's two levels of indoor seating too, both with huge windows that overlook the water as well. We come every year! read more

Neat setting and the service was great BUT the prices for mediocre food is not worth the view! read more

Food was sub par. Had two prime ribs- no flavor, brussel sprouts were burnt and dry. ( I got sick after- vomiting up sprouts and I never vomit). Waitress was uninterested in serving us. Kids running around back and forth between both ends of restaurant. Not one server or manager including parents told them to stop. AVOID this place. It was a waste $93.00 + for us, plus the inconvenience of getting sick from the food. Cold atmosphere. We were here on 6/13/2024. read more

After an awful experience, awful food and awful service at The Weathervane Restaurant in Charlevoix, MI, I stumbled upon it in Yelp reviews today for some reason. I got such a laugh at the 5 star reviews! Does the restaurant think people are stupid? All the 5 stars even contain professional photos taken directly from their menu! HEY WEATHERVANE! STOP TAKING TIME PUTTING FAKE 5 STAR REVIEWS TO HELP YOUR OVERALL SCORE AND TAKE THAT TIME IMPROVING! Anyone reading this review check out what I am saying, if not a laugh you will be aware of fake positive Yelp reviews! read more

I got the French toast with an Arnold Palmer (great), The service was quick i got about 5 arnold palmers all delivered super fast. 10/10 would recommend! read more

Disappointed. Have been coming here for 30 years... They have a great view and it's gone so far away from the things that made it great before that this will be the last time we come here. The morel "bisque" soup is a frozen mushroom base reheated with some morel pieces thrown in. Canned soup from a super market is easily better. It was the consistency of condensed soup with just a touch of milk. Served barely warm. The bread... why bother serving this? It was like they bought it packaged from a supermarket and somehow added what may have been a touch of rosemary to the bottom and spread some butter on top to make it look homemade. The Bibb salad was whatever...not bad, just not good either. Nothing noteworthy there. The service was well, slow. Yes, there's a labor shortage. At the prices they charge, they should be able to attract an adequate staff. Their competitors have and there's no issue with staffing there. Confusing to us all, was that they stopped serving all the things that used to be wonderful and what made us want to return. No perch on the menu. This restaurant sits on the channel that links Lake Michigan to Lake Charlevoix and there's no perch. No smoked whitefish pate (what we came here). They used to have a fantastic bread assortment - it USED TO BE incredible. Not today. No more. The waiter told us that they hired a new chef who made changes to the menu. I guess he was fed up with having happy customers. Will not return. Not recommended. I'm not here to push their competitors, who do offer a better experience. Message me if you're interested in my opinion of better alternatives. I added a photo of this awful soup. read more