50 Best American Restaurants in Traverse City

“The food was amazing! We really enjoyed talking to the owner /chef, all around great experience!“

“Amazing! Went in to enjoy breakfast with my girls and couldn’t have been more impressed. The food is to die for!! The atmosphere is perfect. The staff is great!. I would highly recommend going in, you WILL NOT be disappointed“

“I grew up in this town but left in 1985. I’ve lived in California since and have eaten at a lot of great restaurants including the Laundry, Chez Panisse, Slanted Door and Mr Chows to name a few. This without a doubt rank's right there. I honestly never thought I’d have a decent thing to eat in this town other than bar food but now I know exactly where it is. If you’re hungry for something exceptional look no further. I have never liked mushrooms, but the mushroom toast was my favorite dish. I can’t believe I’m saying it. Thank you Jen and to the staff for a great evening Looking forward to going back.“

“My kids say the pancakes and potatoes are out of this world! Perfectly cooked bacon, fresh squeezed OJ. For those with a more diverse palate don’t pass up on the stuffed pepper. Kimmy took great care of us!“

“Good food, perfect breakfast spot, and great service! Thanks, Sarah, for the friendly smile!“

“A definite hidden gem in TC! Had wonderful breakfast this past Saturday and hopefully the restaurant will be there for years to come.“

“I was a little apprehensive that a food truck at a campground would be good. it was amazing! so glad I had it my last night or I would be eating here every night! note: I had the great northern burger.“

“True diamond in the rough, food is excellent. Can’t wait to go back again. Thank you Peegeo’s!!“

“Amazing food, great vibe! Much needed option on OMP.“

“The food was delicious here. We ordered the pot roast dinner and then lava cake for dessert. The restaurant was clean and the service was great. Lori was our waitress and she was very friendly and helpful. Definitely will eat here again.“

“Slabtown is one of our must go to stops,everytime we are in TC..the staff are best I've seen ..quality of food top notch ..hot fast ..filling.. no better burger In TC..WISH I HAD A SLABTOWN BY ME...LOL“

“Culver’s is a great place to eat no matter where you find them. This Culver’s had an amazing friendly staff !! We will be back next year when we visit again from Florida.“

“Outstanding ambiance, service best in town and meal absolutely best in the area , highly recommend“

“my friends and family love Mulligans thanks for the consistent quality!“

“One of my favorite restaurants - it has excellent options for meat lovers (the braised short ribs are delightful) and vegetarians (the quinoa masa cakes are so good)! Don't forget dessert here either.“

“Sleder’s went out of their way to accommodate our large party. Food was delicious and delivered quite quickly!!“

“Just went to Dons for the first time in 20 years, and it’s as great as I remember! It was my girlfriend’s first time and she’s lived in TC her whole life! Wow!“

“Fish tacos are the best! Awesome spot for a boat cruise to grab a beer and a bite.“

“Wonderful customer service!!“

“awesome playlist, friendly staff, food pretty good“

“Great little place in Traverse City! They have a good variety of tasty beers and the pizza was delicious!“

“I will always recommend J&S to anyone. I love the atmosphere and the friendly staff. The food is excellent and fairly priced. Great portions as well. The family who owns it gives back to the community 10 fold. A million stars all around. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️“

“I forgot to take the other pictures of the other meals but we had the chicken pita, country fried steak x2, and the country breakfast. The waitress was awesome and was very attentive. The food came out in ~15minutes and was delicious. We will be back.“

“We stopped into Identity Brewing Company after the Cherry Festival. The beers were good and the food was excellent. I had the cuban biscuit sandwich. It had great flavors and was a good spin on the cuban sandwiches I have had in the past. My husband had the chicken shawarma tacos. He said the only thing he would change about them is to order more.“

“The best chicken soup you can get in TC!!!!“

“Delicious calamari !! The best I have ever had ! Great service provided Comfortable chairs and atmosphere we love the fires burning outside on the patio Nice date night dinner with my husband“

“Just had the blueberry lemon ricotta pancakes. Wowzers! And she had the corned beef hash and scrambled eggs. Spot on breakfast food, top notch service only means we will be back again very soon! Keep up the hard work!“

“The food and views were great. We believe the fries were done in duck fat which lended a splendid flavor. Fish and chips tasted great. The rooftop sunset views were wonderful. A rating of 4 only for the fact that you order at the register and then drinks are ordered at the bar which is slightly cumbersome, it works just fine as long as you aren't in the mood for a full service place.“

“Just had the blueberry lemon ricotta pancakes. Wowzers! And she had the corned beef hash and scrambled eggs. Spot on breakfast food, top notch service only means we will be back again very soon! Keep up the hard work!“

“This place was great! The bloody mary was delicious. We had the spinach dip with pita chips and tortilla chips. Tasted great. The wedge salad was so good. My husband had the chicken tenders and waffle fries which he thought were delicious. The wait staff were so friendly too. We will definitely be back!“

“An absolute gem just a few blocks from our hotel. Even with limited seating that evening due to unexpected staffing shortages, the team handled everything with professionalism and care. The back-of-house staff truly went above and beyond to ensure guests still had an outstanding experience, and it absolutely showed. The food was phenomenal — every dish was flavorful, fresh, and beautifully prepared. The cocktails were equally impressive, unique, and expertly crafted. What stood out most was the level of attentiveness and hospitality from start to finish despite the challenges they were facing. Experiences like this are what make dining in Traverse City so memorable. We will absolutely be back on our next visit!“

“I had a wonderful experience. 10/10.
I also wanted to shout out to Tim the general manager, who is an absolute rockstar. There were two ladies with their kids that just gave the entire restaurant hell. It wasn't even the kids that were the issue!!
These women complained that a medium rare steak was pink and i know she ordered it because the server explained thats what she ordered and how it comes everywhere and the kids food was cold, and this was already 15 minutes probably of her and their kids eating it. On the second or third time asking for the manager and their server, (i think in total asking for them 6 times) God bless the server too, they complained that their sauteed onions were too wet and soft and there was something wrong with their drinks. They started complaining about the cooks and the entire establishment.
Tim comped parts of their meal the first time he was brought over and apologized again for her not liking the food each time he was brought again and then finally by the grace of God working through Tim, they got out of there.
The rest of my time was a 100/10. The entire atmosphere went back to being enjoyable.
Food was amazing. I recommend the irresistabowls. It was delicious. What a show. Go Tim!“

“Best burger and fries in Traverse City!“

“Great food! Great Service!“

“We enjoyed breakfast yesterday and wanted to give a big shout out to Rae!! She was super cool, and she did a great job on a busy Saturday morning!“

“I was disappointed today when dining at Reflect Bistro for our 49th anniversary. We made a reservation and mentioned our anniversary. The person taking the reservation said he would note about the anniversary. We ordered an appetizer, I had a salad & the Pepperdelle, husband had seafood pot pie. The calamari appetizer was totally different than when we ordered it in the past. It had a spicy sauce drizzled all over it and a pile of arugula on top. The salad was good, but probably 1/2 the size it used to be & not enough dressing. Couldn’t get the server’s attention to ask for more dressing. The pot pie was1/2 the size it used to be, had just a small triangular piece of crust on top of a soup of gravy, peas & corn with 2 scallops, 2 shrimp & a small piece of lobster. The price was $5 more than last time. So you get the picture, 1/2 size of previous portion, fillers of greens to make it look larger & Increased prices. My Pepperdelle had fresh spinach leaves piled on one side of the bowl, the bowl was about 1/2 the size it used to be & the seafood in it was much less than before & the price was raised. Unfortunately we will be writing this restaurant off of our list of favorites from now on.“

“everything exelent to me and wife, lobster and clam chowder soup roles , coffee“

“Best Burger in Traverse City!!! I had the Lumberjack burger yesterday for lunch. It was juicy. Mouth watering. Big burger for the price . No frozen meat patty. It was all Fresh!!!“

“Amazing server and food!!“

“We took our daughter snow tubing for her 12th birthday 🎂 the girls had a blast! The fire pit was perfect for adults. The hike down is a little sketchy, but we made it. THANK YOU to the amazing employees! You guys are the best“

“Have been buying Asiago Roasted Garlic bread for years. Great Bread toasted loaded with real garlic cloves. However the last loaf lacked any Garlic at all. Very disappointed is this the new norm to be expected or was this an aberration? The latter I would hope otherwise we will be opting for a new bakery. Have a nice day ?☀️“

“This place is awesome!got us in last minute the start of restaurant week!!3 course was absolutely fantastic!the BBQ chicken pizza delicious!???? cheesecake on point.would give more stars if possible.???????“

“Great food and comfortable atmosphere“

“I was staying there do to my significant other in the hospital for a motorcycle accident. There was a few housekeepers there I talked to personally and I want to tell everyone what a amazing job they did to make sure all of our needs were met, as of fresh towels, blankets, and what ever else we needed.. thanks again and God bless each and everyone of you..“

“We wanted to leave a review thanking the bartender with the glasses, who controlled the music. We didn’t catch his name, but his service was above and beyond. He consistently made sure we were comfortable with the men who sat down next to us at the bar, which may not sound like the biggest deal, but as women it’s a luxury to be able to enjoy ourselves while knowing there was someone looking out for us. To that bartender, thank you for being the kind of man women can feel safe around. And you have GREAT taste in music and make a mean vodka soda.“

“They take pride in their product. Their dough is made fresh daily. Awesome Grinders.and pizza 🍕 can't go wrong with whatever you order.“

“Great , quick meal. Very pleasant staff.“

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

“This is a good brewery restaurant in a fantastic location. The drive up is beautiful and the sunset over the bay is spectacular. It’s worth coming just for the location.

For food mushroom pizza was delicious—chewy, fluffy crust, bechamel sauce, and mushrooms. The nachos were so so—chips with a big pile meat and cheese just in the middle.

The beer is great. I tried La Roja, which is a barrel aged sour amber ale. It’s different from most other beer and worth trying if you’re open to wild fermented, sour beer.

The service was fine but busy. My waitress served like barely had time to take my order, but she was friendly.“

“Enjoyed our meal and the service was great!“