50 Best American Restaurants in Traverse City

“One word, AMAZING! Absolutely everything we had was delicious! Fun atmosphere, friendly staff, and incredible food/drinks! Highly recommend!“

“It’s become my favorite place for cocktails and dinner in TC. Wonderful staff, service, innovative cocktails and excellent food. Arthur is the best waiter! Fun, helpful and pleasant every single time! I’ve never had a disappointing meal or cocktail. Highly recommend!“

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

“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.“

“I ate a short rib bánh mì sandwich here last week and it changed my life.“

“Easily the best brunch in town. Staff is always accommodating as I often get half orders. Top notch drinks and the food is always delicious. Highly recommended!“

“I posted this on Google as well: Rounds was amazing! We were traveling (from Canada and Chicago) and were meeting up for lunch. We chose Rounds and so glad we did! We had a party of 5 and they were really busy when we came in. They quickly cleaned off a table and sat us. I had to ask about the name and thought maybe it was because of the counter in the middle of the restaurant. Our waitress was awesome and super attentive. She explained that the restaurant used to be a circle before the expansions and even brought over a picture of what it used to look like! The food came out quick and was delicious. As we were leaving we noticed we were the only ppl left in the restaurant and realized they closed at 2pm and it was 3! The entire staff were very friendly even though they must’ve been annoyed we kept them over an hour but not one of them mentioned to us they were closing! Amazing. It was the best dining out experience any of us have had in a while! Thank you so much for your hospitality. We will definitely come back to visit and highly recommend Rounds!“

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

“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.“

“Love the food! Always amazing“

“best Culver's ive ever been to in my life, staff is so friendly and their food is always the best around! always get a smile whether dining in, taking out, or going through the drive thru! butterburgers + frozen custard = yum <3“

“FOOD IS GREAT. SHANNON WAS MY SERVER. SHE DID A WONDERFUL JOB SERVING ME AND WAS VERY PUNCTUAL WITH MY FOOD. CHECKED ON ME CONSTANTLY MADE SURE I WAS SATISFIED. SHES ONE OF THE GREATEST SERVERS IVE HAD THERE. VERY FRIENDLY AND ENJOYS HER JOB TO MAKE THE CUSTOMER HAPPY. FOOD WAS MADE JUST HOW I WANTED! IT DOESN'T GET ANY BETTER!!! FOOD WAS ON TIME. DEFINITELY REFER THE COTTAGE FOR ANYONE WHO WANTS TO EAT FRESH FOOD!! I LOVE EATING AT THE COTTAGE!!! :)“

“The food is FABULOUS !!!!!! Drinks are great, wonderful environment and great staff“

“Very friendly, fast and smiling staff. Food is excellent and tasty.“

“Great food, great atmosphere and we smooched the moose! AAA+“

“They don't take reservations and it can be hard to get a parking spot here but it's worth it. Great service (thank you Ashley), the food is excellent, we had the halibut and the seared scallops. Both were served with a creamy rich delicious risotto. Also had the lobster bisque - outstanding! We'll be back next time we're up this way.“

“We had a wedding last Saturday and we received catering through them. Phenomenal and delicious are a perfect summary. Our guests were blown away with how good the food was. My husband and I couldn't agree more. Some of the best Mac and cheese I've ever had. Every bite was pure bliss. We had nothing but positive praise from our guests. Besides the food being perfect, they were kind, attentive, helpful, and went with our flow and timeline perfectly. Henry was a huge help. Catering anywhere was high priced. Henry worked with us to make our budget achievable without missing out on some amazing food. We're also not cake people, the brownie bar was to die for. We are so thankful for them and they're pure professionalism. Book with them and I promise you won't regret it.“

“Visited on a Saturday evening. Despite being busy, staff was friendly and patient and the food came out quickly. The orders were all correct and service was wonderful.
I ordered a vanilla dish with hot fudge and 2 buffalo tenders with ranch. They were great.
The bathrooms are clean.
No complaints at all!“

“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“

“Relaxed atmosphere. Food was good and service was very good. Margarita special was nice ($1). But all the prices were very reasonable. You can actually get a whole meal here for about $20, unlike most comparable competitors. I'll be visiting more often.“

“Love soo much about H&L roof top bar at Hotel Indigo. Solid menu, lots of great drink options, and best of all the amazing views of West Bay. Absolutely beautiful!! ? But the last few times has been a total vibe killer with the country music. And the tables need wiped down more frequently. ?“

“Had an excellent meal served quickly.“

“For my very first time here I really enjoyed the food I got I had two pork chops,mashed potatoes with gravy on top,corn & coleslaw with coffee to drink it was all great I didn't eat much of the coleslaw bc I'm not big fan of it but everything else was good and our server was really sweet definitely recommend“

“We traveled from Terre Haute, IN to the water park and stopped here for lunch on our second day. The atmosphere, food and staff were so amazing that we ended up going several times with our kids for lunch during our week stay. Don's Drive In was our absolute favorite place to eat, thank you so much! ❤️“

“My Mom had the chili & black bean burger. She loved both! I had the French dip and I was great- the chips seemed homemade. A very quaint space too, but small so while we only waited about ten minutes, I would recommend reservations. Though there is plenty of shopping to keep you busy should you need to wait longer.“

“While searching for a place to grab a quick bite before I had to be to the school to get my son, I found Identity. And I'm so glad I did! When I walked in, I wasn't bombarded with questions, I was able to walk over to the cooler and look at their selection. I didn't see anything in there that I wanted, however it looked fresh and yummy. But I didn't want a sandwich. When I approached the counter I was met with a happy male employee. He showed me where the daily specials were and handed me a menu too. I was able to quickly glance over the menu with ease. It was big bold letter with prices attached. I ordered the quesadilla after being told it would take less than 5 minutes to make. This was important, I had to get to the school. He quickly went to the back and made my dilla and it's delicious!! I added black beans to it and the cost was still under my price point!

Vegetarian options: Every option you can get without the meat and it would be just as good. However they do have a black bean substitute. They had at least one vegetarian option in every section. This was needed as I am also a vegetarian.

Kid-friendliness: They have a children's menu. The menu is roughly 5 items long. Long enough to give options but not too long that children are flustered. (:“

“Lindsay was the best waitress ever! Food was excellent!“

“Great breakfast and very clean inside“

“Great beer selection, really enjoyed the Lazerface beer. My doner kabob was tasty but I think my favorite thing was the sweet potato fries with the mustard sauce. The wait staff was very helpful and nice, I was very impressed here! I'd definitely visit here again in the future.“

“came in with a walk-in party of 5 families at 5pm on a saturday march 9th. they were friendly, welcoming and and prepared. the food was a hit! we had 13 kids with us, they brought playdoh to the kids and the speed at which they crank out pizza was perfect for the group to get in and out. beers were on point and service was FANTASTIC! kuddos team at the Filling Station!“

“friendly service. great food. overall amazing experience!!“

“Mt. Holiday has activities for everyone! Such a fun place to visit during all seasons!“

“awesome playlist, friendly staff, food pretty good“

“I love big boy I love eating there. They have the best food every“

“Awesome service, awesome food! First time here today and it won’t be my last. Chicken and cheese enchiladas were wonderful, so were the beans, rice and salad. Wash it down with a bottle of Coca-Cola!“

“Great place for karaoke!!!“

“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 ?☀️“

“I stopped in for breakfast this past Saturday, May 18 and was so impressed with my server Nikki and the terrific Popeye omelet and cherry pancakes, I came back Sunday morning May 19 and had an equally terrific experience, courtesy of Rae, who served me an equally tasty Albuquerque omelet. Both Nikki and Rae were positive, professional, prompt and refreshingly upbeat. In an economy that is all too often focused on commodities, the service your team provided made the food, that much better. I'll definitely be back, the next time I'm in Traverse City and of course, recommend the Flap Jack Shack to people who are traveling there. Please pass my appreciation on to Nikki and Rae, as well as their manager, who has obviously been instrumental in creating a service-first team! ps. I asked Nikki for some chocolate syrup for my Cherry Pancakes and she cheerfully obliged. You should put it on the menu, it's the bomb!“

“Great breakfast and very clean inside“

“Cannot say enough good things about Rare Bird. The beer selection is great, and they even have an impressive NA selection, too!! Burgers, black bean burgers, impossible burgers. This place has it all. And our kids are EVERYTHING. Thanks for a great dinner while we visited TC.“

“This place has top notch home cooked food! Definitely recommend if you are in the area. Very family friendly and better than any chain food restaurant.“

“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..“

“Enjoyed our meal and the service was great!“

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

“The sweet bar tender was the most enjoying feature, personality, kindness and respectful . I got so drunk I can't remember her name, but I'll always know that blonde sweet soul, my buddy Alex and I enjoyed it. I believe her name was Kim? But a sweet lady.... Thank You For My First LONG ISLAND ICETEA. 5☆“

“This place has become a must visit, when I travel thru town on our yearly fall trips.
We always get the perch, which in my opion is prolly the best in town. The place is usually always busy but all the guys at the bar take good care of you, always super friendly and will make good conversations with you.“

“Great food and atmosphere!“

“My husband and I had a great meal at Jolly Pumpkin last night! Super-fast service, our waiter Andrew was amazing! Highly recommend!

Dietary restrictions: I love that Jolly Pumpkin offers gluten free options! I also love that there are cocktail options.“