My first time eaten at The Manitou. Look online at their menu and thought the food sounded good! Most meals starting @ $25-$35, I expected a nicer restaurant. Just has more of a cafe vibe with cloth table cloth, yet paper placemats, mismatched silverware (not all place settings complete @ our table, dirty glassware), plastic water glasses, paper napkins. Waitress never asked if we wanted anything to drink. I’m not sure if she was waiting on all the tables in the room we were seated in (straight back from the front door), but she’s the only server we seen in the area and definitely didn’t have time to wait on us properly. I had the scallops and I’ve never had scallops that are hard to eat because they are so chewy. Someone else had the teriyaki flavored steak that was horrible. They were out of the Ribeye, one of the main reasons we picked this restaurant, because they have Ribeye. All five of our meals were horrible and we all literally left hungry after paying $238 for the bill and $45 tip!! We still tipped well ONLY because I am in the service industry and feel they were understaffed and most likely was not the servers fault….i mean she didn’t cook our underwhelming food. To recap —> a restaurant’s decor/dinnerware should match the price and taste of the meals they serve!! Almost $300 to leave hungry is ridiculous. Not to mention I hadn’t been back to Northern MI in over a year and this was meant to be a special dinner/night out with my parents, son, and husband whom I haven’t seen in so long. Unfortunately, sadly our experience @ The Manitou was not special, to say the least. If you want somewhere amazing to go that is 10/10 for food, service, atmosphere, go to Apache Trout Grill in Traverse City!! You get what you pay for there. That was my choice for the evening but my mother talked me into trying The Manitou. Sad that she felt she had to apologize profusely for going with her suggestion.
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 1
Service: 2
Courteney Anderson
My wife and i came here for our 1-year wedding anniversary tonight. We absolutely loved it! She had the nutty trout and I, the seasonal perch, battered and fried. This place is really in the middle of nowhere - 30-45 from TC, but if you're staying at one if the resorts, campgrounds or B&Bs nearby, the Manitou is a must-visit. The food is outstanding, the service wonderful and the ambience cozy.
We loved the coziness and appreciated the great service. We're very impressed and will definitely return next time we're in the area! ❤️
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Randy Pasko
Great fish perch dinner was awesome great service
Shawn Thomas
Truly a hidden jem! Food and atmosphere were/are top notch. I would argue its the best steak in Northern Michigan
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
David R. Hough
The best of Up North eating!! Energetic and fun atmosphere and fabulous food, all served with the warmth of a family owned restaurant. Fabulous fish and steaks!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Ron Reed
Great out-of-the-way dining. Great service, excellent food. If you enjoy freshwater fish, try the perch…just perfectly prepared…
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 5
Glen Benson
Don't let the cars parked on the road scare you the place has plenty of seating.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 4
Service: 4
Jim VanDyke
Many of the fish entrees are fried or sauteed. Hoped to avoid those calories. I didn't ask about broiled or baked options, perhaps should have. Otherwise, the food was good but a bit pricey for the area. The wine list was very good with lots of options and quality wines. The service was paced well, we didn't feel rushed.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 4
Service: 4
Jamie Hoffpauir
Classic north woods dining at its finest.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Rebecca Wallace
My God. What a hidden GEM !! The best rainbow trout in the state of Michigan
Walleye was available, but not on the menu. It never hurts to ask before you order.
Tanner \u0026 Rachel Hartman
We were in pursuit of a very last minute dinner reservation and they were able to get us in and accommodate us even with all the busyness of the Labor Day weekend. Besides the food, the people made our experience superior. We were seated at the bar and Levi, the bartender, treated us so well. HUGE shoutout to Levi for his steadfast positive attitude even when it was super busy and for serving not just good drinks, but great jokes as well!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Grey “T-Bok” White
Good food and good service. But reservations are a “must” on weekends, and you would be better off doing it a few days ahead of time.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
DMP
Being curious, I read some the negative reviews. I had to laugh. This is probably the best place we’ve ever run across. We’ve been going there for over 30 years. Consistently good food and great atmosphere. Negative reviews reflect on the reviewers not the Restaurant. I’m glad you’re there. Thank you so much.
My first time eaten at The Manitou. Look online at their menu and thought the food sounded good! Most meals starting @ $25-$35, I expected a nicer restaurant. Just has more of a cafe vibe with cloth table cloth, yet paper placemats, mismatched silverware (not all place settings complete @ our table, dirty glassware), plastic water glasses, paper napkins. Waitress never asked if we wanted anything to drink. I’m not sure if she was waiting on all the tables in the room we were seated in (straight back from the front door), but she’s the only server we seen in the area and definitely didn’t have time to wait on us properly. I had the scallops and I’ve never had scallops that are hard to eat because they are so chewy. Someone else had the teriyaki flavored steak that was horrible. They were out of the Ribeye, one of the main reasons we picked this restaurant, because they have Ribeye. All five of our meals were horrible and we all literally left hungry after paying $238 for the bill and $45 tip!! We still tipped well ONLY because I am in the service industry and feel they were understaffed and most likely was not the servers fault….i mean she didn’t cook our underwhelming food. To recap —> a restaurant’s decor/dinnerware should match the price and taste of the meals they serve!! Almost $300 to leave hungry is ridiculous. Not to mention I hadn’t been back to Northern MI in over a year and this was meant to be a special dinner/night out with my parents, son, and husband whom I haven’t seen in so long. Unfortunately, sadly our experience @ The Manitou was not special, to say the least. If you want somewhere amazing to go that is 10/10 for food, service, atmosphere, go to Apache Trout Grill in Traverse City!! You get what you pay for there. That was my choice for the evening but my mother talked me into trying The Manitou. Sad that she felt she had to apologize profusely for going with her suggestion.
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 1
Service: 2
My wife and i came here for our 1-year wedding anniversary tonight. We absolutely loved it! She had the nutty trout and I, the seasonal perch, battered and fried. This place is really in the middle of nowhere - 30-45 from TC, but if you're staying at one if the resorts, campgrounds or B&Bs nearby, the Manitou is a must-visit. The food is outstanding, the service wonderful and the ambience cozy.
We loved the coziness and appreciated the great service. We're very impressed and will definitely return next time we're in the area! ❤️
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Great fish perch dinner was awesome great service
Truly a hidden jem! Food and atmosphere were/are top notch. I would argue its the best steak in Northern Michigan
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
The best of Up North eating!! Energetic and fun atmosphere and fabulous food, all served with the warmth of a family owned restaurant. Fabulous fish and steaks!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Great out-of-the-way dining. Great service, excellent food. If you enjoy freshwater fish, try the perch…just perfectly prepared…
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 5
Don't let the cars parked on the road scare you the place has plenty of seating.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 4
Service: 4
Many of the fish entrees are fried or sauteed. Hoped to avoid those calories. I didn't ask about broiled or baked options, perhaps should have. Otherwise, the food was good but a bit pricey for the area. The wine list was very good with lots of options and quality wines. The service was paced well, we didn't feel rushed.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 4
Service: 4
Classic north woods dining at its finest.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
My God. What a hidden GEM !! The best rainbow trout in the state of Michigan
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Restaurantji Recommends
Walleye was available, but not on the menu. It never hurts to ask before you order.
We were in pursuit of a very last minute dinner reservation and they were able to get us in and accommodate us even with all the busyness of the Labor Day weekend. Besides the food, the people made our experience superior. We were seated at the bar and Levi, the bartender, treated us so well. HUGE shoutout to Levi for his steadfast positive attitude even when it was super busy and for serving not just good drinks, but great jokes as well!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Good food and good service. But reservations are a “must” on weekends, and you would be better off doing it a few days ahead of time.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Being curious, I read some the negative reviews. I had to laugh. This is probably the best place we’ve ever run across.
We’ve been going there for over 30 years.
Consistently good food and great atmosphere.
Negative reviews reflect on the reviewers not the Restaurant. I’m glad you’re there. Thank you so much.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Lousy staff lousy patrons
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