15 Best American Restaurants near Suttons Bay

“Truly a special meal. This was BETTER than the photos. Every single thing we ate (baked mozzarella, parfait, salmon Benedict, apple pancake) was so incredibly delicious. Honestly the best meal of the trip. Service was also wonderful. So glad we made the trip out here.“

“Great food at a great location!“

“The food was delicious“

“Amazing service and flavors“

“Only come here if you want to drink great beer and cocktails in the middle of a romantic forest. It’s a must do. We came in October and it was perfect. Leaves changing, pumpkin beer, rosé mimosa (we came early). Stop in for a snack, a drink and a bonfire.“

“Went for Steak night on Thursday night and it was delicious! Love how they offer so many "great" specials. Will be going back again for sure!“

“Great food and service! Sheila was fantastic!“

“We celebrated our anniversary at The Riverside. Every course was excellent. The onion focaccia, rack of lamb and pistachio olive oil cake were our favorites from the fall menu. Excellent service too! Thank you Ginny.“

“Anne Popa is very welcoming, and has respectable and excellent customer service! my boyfriend and I have gotten pizza here and we most certainly 110% can taste the secret ingredient which is LOVE. Thank you, BOB for going above and beyond you truly are apart of what makes this community wholesome ❤️‍?“

“We stopped in for an after lunch, early dinner. We weren't looking for a spot necessarily but definitely glad we did. Very cozy feel, definitely family friendly. Good drink options and appetizers as well. We had a fish sandwich and a Reuben and both were excellent. Service is super fast and the staff is really friendly.“

“Love the atmosphere! Staff is amazing. If you are in Traverse City, it’s a must!“

“To be completely honest and transparent, I really wasn't expecting much when my family and I decided to dine here while staying at the hotel where this place is located.

I was honestly just expecting to pretty much make our rounds dining and munching around town while we were out exploring, and I didn't even think we would need to utilize eating where we were staying. That being said, I am very glad we did.

When you look around the place it's very unassuming, so we were honestly just expecting okay bar food that was edible but nothing to really write home (or a review) about, and at the time that was okay with us because we had been out all day with the kids, and just snagging a meal and then being able to go crash in our room upstairs sounded amazing.
Little did we know that we were in route for some of the most simple, yet absolutely delicious food that we ate during the entirety of our trip.

The staff here is also friendly, professional, efficient, and they do a great job overall. We actually ended up eating here twice during our stay, and I would absolutely advise on getting there as early as possible to when you'd like to eat because depending on the day and time, it gets busy pretty quickly. I didn't really anticipate a bunch of people coming here to eat that weren't staying at the hotel, but it turns out that this is a place that people from all over town come to for drinks/dinner. We found that the later it gets the busier it gets, but they close much earlier than your average bar/restaurant so you probably need to plan accordingly for the best outcome.

If you stop in when it's nice out, I highly recommend sitting outside. It's beautiful and as long as it isn't too hot or too cold, you will absolutely enjoy it.

The food here is just plain good. Nothing is overly complicated or fancy, but everything is done well. The burgers here are fantastic, and I also opted for the smoked wings. Who doesn't love a smoked wing? Smoke 'em if you got 'em, and if you smoke 'em I'll eat 'em. Every. Single. Time.

They also have a fully stocked bar. Beer, Wine, and all the Liquor drinks you drunken heart desires. A lot of them probably pair well with things but I'm a simple man, so an ice cold beer (or three) to wash down my fare tickled my fancy. Pop works too, and they also have that.

In my personal and semi-professional opinion, everything here is very reasonably priced as well. There are other places we visited during our trip where we received considerably less bang for our buck. So while it's certainly not priced like your local Denny's, you're much less likely to spend your evening on the toilet after dining here, and you wallet will only be a little sad.

When all was said and done, I would have eaten here ten more times during our stay if time allowed it, but it didn't so I'll have to settle for stopping in the next time we're in town and staying at the hotel.

Cheers!“

“This was our second visit. No wait for a table and the waiter was very quick. Our food was delicious. The bar area got a bit crowded. Alot of people drinking and standing around the bar. It was a large beer bus group. Looking forward to visiting again third time!“

“Would I recommend? Hmm. Our server was great ( I wish I got her name) but she was overwhelmed and they were under staffed. The food? Not great. Everything was overdone. The cornbread was dry. I ordered the seared tune salad and the tuna was more medium well. The music could have been a little more upbeat for a weekend. While we all ( a party of 6) ate our food, it wasn’t the greatest. It may have just been an off night, every restaurant has some. I felt bad for our server. She was such a sweetheart. She can’t control the cooking staff or management. Management needs to learn that they need to take better care of their staff to make sure that patrons experience is above satisfied. Will I come back? Maybe. But it might be a long while? Will I recommend? If someone asks me about I will be honest. Will I come out and say you have to go there? No. But I won’t discourage anyone from trying it.“

“In matters of taste, sentimentality is a dangerous thing — yet there are moments when even the most disciplined critic must surrender.

At Knot Just a Bar, perched humbly on the edge of Omena Bay, I was served the Famous Fish Kone, filled with beautifully fried pike-perch any trace of skepticism vanished with the first bite.
The fish arrived hot, crisp, and unapologetically golden, its flaky interior reminding me that simplicity, when treated with respect, can be profound. The malt vinegar — sharp, bracing, and utterly necessary — cut through the richness like a well-placed critique, elevating the dish rather than distracting from it.

This was not food that begged for attention. It earned it. No foam, no pretense, no needless reinvention — just expertly fried local fish, served in a cone, beside the water that likely knew it first.

I came expecting “just a bar.”
I left reminded that greatness often hides in paper cones, deck chairs, and a splash of vinegar.
Final verdict: A rare triumph where comfort food and quiet excellence meet. I will return — and next time, I won’t pretend it’s for research.“