Greatest combination of Family and Fine dining. Hidden in the woods is a plus. All staff was remarkable
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Antenna Man
Classic dining Indian atmosphere that is clean and airy and frozen in time. The damn side in is a restaurant from the good old days with good food served in a fine environment. Service is good to acceptable but not great. This probably has to do with the availability of the labor at the end of the season. This place is a must for us at least once a year. Fantastic decorations at Halloween.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 4
Recommended dishes: Relish Tray, All You Can Eat Chicken Dinner, Halloween Table Setting
Lori H
We live nearby and dine here at least once a year when it's not too crowded with tourists. Love to visit in the fall and view the pumpkins. Broiled whitefish is lovely as is the chicken of course. Excellent service and such a nice iconic restaurant.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Chris Hoekstra
The atmosphere here is an upscale house feel. Warm and inviting on the inside. However since they removed the Dam years ago the outside view is a little, blah.
We ordered the all you can eat Pan Fried Chicken Dinner ($30). This consists of a Salad or Cole slaw, Assorted crackers with butter, Buttermilk biscuits with honey, Buttered Noodles, Buttered Peas, Creamy whipped potatoes, Golden chicken gravy, and of course platter of chicken. Lets start with this warning there is a lot of butter on everything. Lets now go with the positives: the Salad was excellent and the French dressing was perfect. The mashed potatoes were extraordinary, in fact my favorite thing. The noodles were good. The biscuits were good and honey was excellent, I would have preferred yeast rolls, but still above average. Now for the bad: The Chicken was ehh. Supposedly the best chicken in Northern Michigan and made a bunch of lists. However, it was kinda dry and the coating was bland. I've had some truly delicious fried chicken in Frankenmuth and South Haven and this chicken doesn't come even remotely close. Also the crackers and butter is just strange. I don't like peas so I have no opinion on them. The person I was with had an even lesser opinion of the meal. The mashed potatoes and salad should not be the best part of the meal. That all being said the value was excellent.
The service was very friendly and happy, just not efficient. The waitress kept forgetting things and maybe waitressing isn't for her. She was very pleasant though.
Overall a 3 star review. Would I return? No! Not worth the drive for average chicken.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 3
Service: 4
Recommended dishes: All You Can Eat Chicken Dinner
Nicole Chimner
Dinner was delicious as usual. Our server George was fantastic!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Relish Tray, All You Can Eat Chicken Dinner
MrToad TreeBark
Disappointing meal with friends. I had the chicken dinner (for $30). The chicken was inferior to that which can be bought at any of the local groceries. We had tepid mashed potatoes, some peas from a freezer bag, and a small salad. My drink was small, mostly crushed ice, and expensive. The men’s room smelled of urine, the windows are dirty, and the decor tired. I don’t mind paying for a quality meal and dining experience. But - personally- I can make MUCH better at home. Frankly, I feel ripped off.
Atmosphere: 2
Food: 2
Service: 2
Brian Gabourie
Classic... Get there and see for yourself
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
William Hogrebe
Not the quality I expect for the money. Advertised as fine dining but serves instant whipped potatoes instead of homemade. Peas were cold. Chicken was good but needed a little seasoning but good quality.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 4
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: All You Can Eat Chicken Dinner, Fried Perch
TAB
Not just my favorite restaurant in northern Michigan, it’s my favorite restaurant anywhere and ever
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: All You Can Eat Chicken Dinner, Fried Perch
Scott Kaminski
Other than it's Kitsche appeal , I don't understand the attraction, high brow pricing in a very non upscale place . I'll pass
Recommended dishes: All You Can Eat Chicken Dinner, Seafood Platter with Lobster Tail
Cathey Olsen
My absolute favorite restaurant and right here in northern Michigan! The food and atmosphere are genuinely special.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Katrina Ladyga
A step back in time but not in service or quality of the food!! You may have a wait but well worth the time.
Great service. I had the all you can eat fish... Family style? Everything was fabulous!! Loved the peas and I don't like peas! :)
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Fried Perch
Tamra Hull Fromm
Four of us just got back from dinner at the Dam Site Inn. Walking into the restaurant, I felt like we were stepping back in time. A real retro experience with wood paneling, swivel chairs, white tablecloths, and even mints. Our server was excellent and attentive to anything we needed. While I was extremely pleased with my fish and chips (and have had enough in the UK to judge), a friend felt his chicken was just 'meh'. Worth a visit mostly for the sense of how fine dining was done 50-60 years or more ago.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 4
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Fish and Chips
SouthDakota Hiker
I'm trying to be as objective as possible with this review. I took the family here after seeing the television show "Under the Radar Michigan" and their positive review as well as the other reviews here on Google. I will say our server was very friendly and helpful but the food here just wasn't good. For $26 the English fish and chips were overpriced for the amount you received; the French fries tasted like they were frozen and not fresh (you would expect fresh with a restaurant that advertises it is "fine dining"). The salads that came with dinner was just iceberg lettuce and cherry tomatoes; just not worth the price charged nor the quality expected. They're known for their chicken dinners and again it wasn't good; for being fried chicken it was dry and had no seasoning; in fact everything served was bland. I just expected better for $30 per dinner. Even the gravy was bland; it was just a thick broth poured on the chicken to add moisture to it. I was going to say something to the manager but after having been there for over 1 1/2 hours at this point we just wanted to get out of there. People were getting loud and boisterous after pounding down a few mixed drinks and it just wasn't worth the effort. I paid my bill and did tip the waitress well because she did her best. I know others have rated this establishment 5 stars but I just don't see how; I understand the kitsche appeal but this restaurant is in serious need of maintenance; the heater where we sat was falling apart, we had ants on our table and they need to update the chairs (talk about uncomfortable).
Greatest combination of Family and Fine dining. Hidden in the woods is a plus. All staff was remarkable
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Classic dining Indian atmosphere that is clean and airy and frozen in time. The damn side in is a restaurant from the good old days with good food served in a fine environment. Service is good to acceptable but not great. This probably has to do with the availability of the labor at the end of the season. This place is a must for us at least once a year. Fantastic decorations at Halloween.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 4
Recommended dishes: Relish Tray, All You Can Eat Chicken Dinner, Halloween Table Setting
We live nearby and dine here at least once a year when it's not too crowded with tourists. Love to visit in the fall and view the pumpkins. Broiled whitefish is lovely as is the chicken of course. Excellent service and such a nice iconic restaurant.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
The atmosphere here is an upscale house feel. Warm and inviting on the inside. However since they removed the Dam years ago the outside view is a little, blah.
We ordered the all you can eat Pan Fried Chicken Dinner ($30). This consists of a Salad or Cole slaw, Assorted crackers with butter, Buttermilk biscuits with honey, Buttered Noodles, Buttered Peas, Creamy whipped potatoes, Golden chicken gravy, and of course platter of chicken. Lets start with this warning there is a lot of butter on everything. Lets now go with the positives: the Salad was excellent and the French dressing was perfect. The mashed potatoes were extraordinary, in fact my favorite thing. The noodles were good. The biscuits were good and honey was excellent, I would have preferred yeast rolls, but still above average. Now for the bad: The Chicken was ehh. Supposedly the best chicken in Northern Michigan and made a bunch of lists. However, it was kinda dry and the coating was bland. I've had some truly delicious fried chicken in Frankenmuth and South Haven and this chicken doesn't come even remotely close. Also the crackers and butter is just strange. I don't like peas so I have no opinion on them. The person I was with had an even lesser opinion of the meal. The mashed potatoes and salad should not be the best part of the meal. That all being said the value was excellent.
The service was very friendly and happy, just not efficient. The waitress kept forgetting things and maybe waitressing isn't for her. She was very pleasant though.
Overall a 3 star review. Would I return? No! Not worth the drive for average chicken.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 3
Service: 4
Recommended dishes: All You Can Eat Chicken Dinner
Dinner was delicious as usual. Our server George was fantastic!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Relish Tray, All You Can Eat Chicken Dinner
Disappointing meal with friends. I had the chicken dinner (for $30). The chicken was inferior to that which can be bought at any of the local groceries. We had tepid mashed potatoes, some peas from a freezer bag, and a small salad. My drink was small, mostly crushed ice, and expensive. The men’s room smelled of urine, the windows are dirty, and the decor tired. I don’t mind paying for a quality meal and dining experience. But - personally- I can make MUCH better at home. Frankly, I feel ripped off.
Atmosphere: 2
Food: 2
Service: 2
Classic... Get there and see for yourself
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Not the quality I expect for the money. Advertised as fine dining but serves instant whipped potatoes instead of homemade. Peas were cold. Chicken was good but needed a little seasoning but good quality.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 4
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: All You Can Eat Chicken Dinner, Fried Perch
Not just my favorite restaurant in northern Michigan, it’s my favorite restaurant anywhere and ever
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: All You Can Eat Chicken Dinner, Fried Perch
Other than it's Kitsche appeal , I don't understand the attraction, high brow pricing in a very non upscale place . I'll pass
Atmosphere: 1
Restaurantji Recommends
Great place to eat
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: All You Can Eat Chicken Dinner, Seafood Platter with Lobster Tail
My absolute favorite restaurant and right here in northern Michigan! The food and atmosphere are genuinely special.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
A step back in time but not in service or quality of the food!!
You may have a wait but well worth the time.
Great service. I had the all you can eat fish... Family style? Everything was fabulous!! Loved the peas and I don't like peas! :)
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Fried Perch
Four of us just got back from dinner at the Dam Site Inn. Walking into the restaurant, I felt like we were stepping back in time. A real retro experience with wood paneling, swivel chairs, white tablecloths, and even mints. Our server was excellent and attentive to anything we needed. While I was extremely pleased with my fish and chips (and have had enough in the UK to judge), a friend felt his chicken was just 'meh'. Worth a visit mostly for the sense of how fine dining was done 50-60 years or more ago.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 4
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Fish and Chips
I'm trying to be as objective as possible with this review. I took the family here after seeing the television show "Under the Radar Michigan" and their positive review as well as the other reviews here on Google. I will say our server was very friendly and helpful but the food here just wasn't good. For $26 the English fish and chips were overpriced for the amount you received; the French fries tasted like they were frozen and not fresh (you would expect fresh with a restaurant that advertises it is "fine dining"). The salads that came with dinner was just iceberg lettuce and cherry tomatoes; just not worth the price charged nor the quality expected. They're known for their chicken dinners and again it wasn't good; for being fried chicken it was dry and had no seasoning; in fact everything served was bland. I just expected better for $30 per dinner. Even the gravy was bland; it was just a thick broth poured on the chicken to add moisture to it. I was going to say something to the manager but after having been there for over 1 1/2 hours at this point we just wanted to get out of there. People were getting loud and boisterous after pounding down a few mixed drinks and it just wasn't worth the effort. I paid my bill and did tip the waitress well because she did her best. I know others have rated this establishment 5 stars but I just don't see how; I understand the kitsche appeal but this restaurant is in serious need of maintenance; the heater where we sat was falling apart, we had ants on our table and they need to update the chairs (talk about uncomfortable).
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 1
Service: 4
Loading...