I am so sorry to give a poor review of anything in the Grand Hotel. The hotel is a unique and special experience that I recommend despite their dining services, but people need to know what to expect. The food is good, and sometimes very good. It is also presented well from the kitchen. Also, the host and hostesses were very nice as we entered the restaurant. The waiter service we experienced was chaos. In the mornings it was hit or miss whether anyone would pay attention to us, or remember to bring our food after we ordered it. For dinner we both experienced and saw other diners have the wrong food delivered or be forgotten, or both. Food was delivered cold and courses were out of order. Once a waiter knocked over my wife's drink without apology. The wine we ordered was incorrect upon delivery. This is a wonderful hotel, and the atmosphere of the dining area is wonderful. The service is the only flaw. Strangely, at the Woods and Jockey Club restaurants, both owned by the Grand Hotel, the service was among the best we have ever experienced. I am sure that so many diners at once is a big challenge, but given the cost of this hotel, we deserve professional, or at least proficient, service while eating.
Tarik El-Naggar
Always a great experienceWalkability: It's Mackinaw, that's all you do
Service: 5
Debra H.
Our stay at this NOT "GRAND" Hotel has been horrendous. Over priced for LOW quality. Wait staff was fluffing her long hair directly over the coffee and plates for guests. Hair easily falls out. Disgusting. This grooming should be done in a restroom prior to waiting on customers. Especially directly over clean plates and coffee to be used for guests. I ordered eggs Benedict which was the worst I have ever eaten. Eggs Benedict is prepared with Canadian ham, but not at the "GRAND" Hotel where you get thinly sliced lunch meat on stale bread. The entire experience at this hotel has been horrendous. SAVE YOUR MONEY and try one of the smaller boutique hotels where they actually care about their guests. There is NOTHING GRAND about this hotel other than their inflated prices and lack of quality.
Eric B.
There is no romance, it's just a cattle call to get your table. The tables are so close together the waitstaff kept knocking our chairs, once spilling the waters. The food is beyond mediocre, the seared vegetables came out cold, the salad was just some greens with cilantro thrown on top, no dressing. The entree was passible. The waitstaff could not be bothered with the clientele. The main restaurant at Grand Hotel is overpriced, underwhelming and an unfortunate victim of its new ownership. This historic hotel is one to avoid.
Dale B.
Everything has to be five star quality...right? The facility is beautiful. You can just imagine the gala parties of the early 1900's here. The dinning room is nicely decorated and very elegant. That tables and linens are very attractive. The seating and host operations make you feel welcome immediately. We came for the $75 lunch buffet. The $10 facility entry process was easy and fast to navigate. This gives the opportunity to wander the facility and admire the incredible structure and upkeep. The dinning room is a long walk upstairs. The dinning room hostess competes the balance is the the transactions. Note that they credit your $10 entrance fee to the meal cost. The $75 fee includes the tip and a non-alcoholic/soda pop drink. Again this process was very easy. The food..no matter what you pick...is excellent, for the purpose of this review I will give you my favorite selections. The deviled eggs were very creamy, beautifully swirled and delicious. The yolk filling was very plain with a traditional taste. The egg and tuna salads had a predictable classic taste. No heavy on mayo bit a good blend that allows the egg and tuna to emerge. The shrimp are absolutely incredible. Fresh, large and a crisp seafood flavor. Their is plenty of cocktail sauce and horseradish if you want to kick up the zip. The clams and oysters were also fresh and tasty! Nice touch for a buffet. I found the short ribs to be absolutely incredible. Very moist and tender. Spoon up some extra sauce to further bathe the rib. The sauce helps accent the beef taste just a bit more. The maple BBQ chicken breast was nice. The chicken was throughly cooked. The BBQ glaze had a mild BBQ taste to the slightly dry breast. There were lots of desserts to choose from. The classic pecan rolls were okay. Ice cream soaked in a mild milk chocolate sauce. I thought there could be more pecans to balance out the ice cream and healthy amount of chocolate sauce. The small cakes were tasty as well. I will admit that I was very disappointed in the service of our attendant. There were plenty of people to serve all the tables. Our lady had about four small tables. I was surprised that dirty dishes sat on the table for about two trips to the buffet. We had to constantly ask for refills. She was not very friendly or welcoming.
Rachel R.
How could anyone find anything at all to complain about this experience, which is nothing short of heavenly every single time. Five stars for food, service, and ambiance again and again!!
Hark Bohara
Best historical Hotel in Mackinac island USA ??
Service: 5
Joan O.
The Grand Hotel isn't so Grand anymore . . . our dinner was included with our package. Was SO disappointed with the service and the food. Our dinner took 2hrs and 15 minutes. Slowest service ever! Never got a refill of water (finally went up to the water station and brought back our own pitcher). Ordered a medium rare Prime Rib; they served me an end cut that even their steak knife couldn't cut it was so tough. Terrible experience!!
Kim M.
I called the Grand Hotel to inquire about making a reservation. A young man answered the phone and I told him we were not guests, but would like to dine in the main dining room and would like a reservation. He was very rude and short on the phone and said no reservations are required and hung up on me.
Had dinner here as part of a travel tour so it was included in the price of the tour. Honestly, I'm from New York so I am used to good food. I would have to say the food here was a cross between cafeteria and wedding food. Adequate, but not good. The best thing I had was the cream brûlée and honestly I have never had bad cream brûlée anywhere. For my entree I had the beef tenderloin. It was tough, not cooked well and cold when I received it. I had a butter knife to cut it. The restaurant is huge and noisy. The wait staff were very pleasant but had an impossible job. I would not recommend eating here if it was not part of a tour group.
Lisa A.
Loved everything about it... Ambiance, service, food, cocktails and deserts...! Definitely returning...!
Carol M.
Very expensive poor quality food. Had heard wonderful things about the hotel so we planned to go for dinner. Description of food was so hard to understand. Ordered an appetizer that was a potato dish, came out with 3 thumbnail slices potatoes & octopus!!??! My cold peach soup was the only good dish. My salad was forgettable Main entree came out lukewarm Cherry sauce on my black Forrest cake was good but cake was subpar. Don't waste your money. However, our waiter was Duane delightful.
Lars F.
The food was really good. The service was excellent. The atmosphere was awesome. I really like the five courses. I had the black forest cherry cake. It was super delicious. I would go back there again.
Jennifer Lynne
Beautiful nostalgic hotel on the islandWe come every year for their special.The new pool area is fantastic!They also have putt putt now and many activities to do on site.Unfortunately I guess there are new owners and our meal package wasn’t included this TimeWhich was disappointing. The staff wasn’t helpful in that aspect.
I am so sorry to give a poor review of anything in the Grand Hotel. The hotel is a unique and special experience that I recommend despite their dining services, but people need to know what to expect. The food is good, and sometimes very good. It is also presented well from the kitchen. Also, the host and hostesses were very nice as we entered the restaurant. The waiter service we experienced was chaos. In the mornings it was hit or miss whether anyone would pay attention to us, or remember to bring our food after we ordered it. For dinner we both experienced and saw other diners have the wrong food delivered or be forgotten, or both. Food was delivered cold and courses were out of order. Once a waiter knocked over my wife's drink without apology. The wine we ordered was incorrect upon delivery. This is a wonderful hotel, and the atmosphere of the dining area is wonderful. The service is the only flaw. Strangely, at the Woods and Jockey Club restaurants, both owned by the Grand Hotel, the service was among the best we have ever experienced. I am sure that so many diners at once is a big challenge, but given the cost of this hotel, we deserve professional, or at least proficient, service while eating.
Always a great experienceWalkability: It's Mackinaw, that's all you do
Service: 5
Our stay at this NOT "GRAND" Hotel has been horrendous. Over priced for LOW quality. Wait staff was fluffing her long hair directly over the coffee and plates for guests. Hair easily falls out. Disgusting. This grooming should be done in a restroom prior to waiting on customers. Especially directly over clean plates and coffee to be used for guests. I ordered eggs Benedict which was the worst I have ever eaten. Eggs Benedict is prepared with Canadian ham, but not at the "GRAND" Hotel where you get thinly sliced lunch meat on stale bread. The entire experience at this hotel has been horrendous. SAVE YOUR MONEY and try one of the smaller boutique hotels where they actually care about their guests. There is NOTHING GRAND about this hotel other than their inflated prices and lack of quality.
There is no romance, it's just a cattle call to get your table. The tables are so close together the waitstaff kept knocking our chairs, once spilling the waters. The food is beyond mediocre, the seared vegetables came out cold, the salad was just some greens with cilantro thrown on top, no dressing. The entree was passible. The waitstaff could not be bothered with the clientele. The main restaurant at Grand Hotel is overpriced, underwhelming and an unfortunate victim of its new ownership. This historic hotel is one to avoid.
Everything has to be five star quality...right? The facility is beautiful. You can just imagine the gala parties of the early 1900's here. The dinning room is nicely decorated and very elegant. That tables and linens are very attractive. The seating and host operations make you feel welcome immediately. We came for the $75 lunch buffet. The $10 facility entry process was easy and fast to navigate. This gives the opportunity to wander the facility and admire the incredible structure and upkeep. The dinning room is a long walk upstairs. The dinning room hostess competes the balance is the the transactions. Note that they credit your $10 entrance fee to the meal cost. The $75 fee includes the tip and a non-alcoholic/soda pop drink. Again this process was very easy. The food..no matter what you pick...is excellent, for the purpose of this review I will give you my favorite selections. The deviled eggs were very creamy, beautifully swirled and delicious. The yolk filling was very plain with a traditional taste. The egg and tuna salads had a predictable classic taste. No heavy on mayo bit a good blend that allows the egg and tuna to emerge. The shrimp are absolutely incredible. Fresh, large and a crisp seafood flavor. Their is plenty of cocktail sauce and horseradish if you want to kick up the zip. The clams and oysters were also fresh and tasty! Nice touch for a buffet. I found the short ribs to be absolutely incredible. Very moist and tender. Spoon up some extra sauce to further bathe the rib. The sauce helps accent the beef taste just a bit more. The maple BBQ chicken breast was nice. The chicken was throughly cooked. The BBQ glaze had a mild BBQ taste to the slightly dry breast. There were lots of desserts to choose from. The classic pecan rolls were okay. Ice cream soaked in a mild milk chocolate sauce. I thought there could be more pecans to balance out the ice cream and healthy amount of chocolate sauce. The small cakes were tasty as well. I will admit that I was very disappointed in the service of our attendant. There were plenty of people to serve all the tables. Our lady had about four small tables. I was surprised that dirty dishes sat on the table for about two trips to the buffet. We had to constantly ask for refills. She was not very friendly or welcoming.
How could anyone find anything at all to complain about this experience, which is nothing short of heavenly every single time. Five stars for food, service, and ambiance again and again!!
Best historical Hotel in Mackinac island USA ??
Service: 5
The Grand Hotel isn't so Grand anymore . . . our dinner was included with our package. Was SO disappointed with the service and the food. Our dinner took 2hrs and 15 minutes. Slowest service ever! Never got a refill of water (finally went up to the water station and brought back our own pitcher). Ordered a medium rare Prime Rib; they served me an end cut that even their steak knife couldn't cut it was so tough. Terrible experience!!
I called the Grand Hotel to inquire about making a reservation. A young man answered the phone and I told him we were not guests, but would like to dine in the main dining room and would like a reservation. He was very rude and short on the phone and said no reservations are required and hung up on me.
Excellent ???
Service: 5
Restaurantji Recommends
Had dinner here as part of a travel tour so it was included in the price of the tour. Honestly, I'm from New York so I am used to good food. I would have to say the food here was a cross between cafeteria and wedding food. Adequate, but not good. The best thing I had was the cream brûlée and honestly I have never had bad cream brûlée anywhere. For my entree I had the beef tenderloin. It was tough, not cooked well and cold when I received it. I had a butter knife to cut it. The restaurant is huge and noisy. The wait staff were very pleasant but had an impossible job. I would not recommend eating here if it was not part of a tour group.
Loved everything about it... Ambiance, service, food, cocktails and deserts...! Definitely returning...!
Very expensive poor quality food. Had heard wonderful things about the hotel so we planned to go for dinner. Description of food was so hard to understand. Ordered an appetizer that was a potato dish, came out with 3 thumbnail slices potatoes & octopus!!??! My cold peach soup was the only good dish. My salad was forgettable Main entree came out lukewarm Cherry sauce on my black Forrest cake was good but cake was subpar. Don't waste your money. However, our waiter was Duane delightful.
The food was really good. The service was excellent. The atmosphere was awesome. I really like the five courses. I had the black forest cherry cake. It was super delicious. I would go back there again.
Beautiful nostalgic hotel on the islandWe come every year for their special.The new pool area is fantastic!They also have putt putt now and many activities to do on site.Unfortunately I guess there are new owners and our meal package wasn’t included this TimeWhich was disappointing. The staff wasn’t helpful in that aspect.