30 Best Bars in Traverse City

“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“

“We loved taproot!! Food was amazing.! Great for gluten free and vegan. Even had a small dog menu! Our pup had a burger for dinner and our waitress was fantastic and welcoming to us and our dog! Thanks for a great experience! We will be back“

“Good location fun can bring dog“

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

“Best burger and fries in Traverse City!“

“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!“

“Such a fun welcoming place to bring our dog. He loves running around the big yard and playing with other dogs. We love relaxing & enjoying the beverages. :) You can sit inside on cold days & still watch your dog through the big windows. And everything is impeccably clean! Can’t recommend K&A enough.“

“My husband and I were visiting the area and decided to embark on the brunch cruise. It was AMAZING!! The food was outstanding ! An eclectic menu ( for us) and was absolutely delicious!! The crew is wonderful! So friendly & knowledgeable and awesome interaction with customers. I 💯 would recommend to anyone in the area!“

“Fun atmosphere and always a good time with your friends no matter what the event. 😎“

“We stopped in at the end of our Friday night while visiting. The drinks were great and they had live music. It ended up being a small but lively crowd! The bartenders were incredible behind the bar and very personable. Worth it for the view!“

“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!“

“I absolutely love this bar. You can bring your dog and pack of smokes. High viz is always welcome. They have pool tables, live music and an awesome authentic atmosphere. The crowd is definitely the blue collar type which I truly appreciate. Everyone is welcoming and down to Earth.“

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

“Shared the short rib Benny. So good. Definitely can share. Portions are huge. Best Bloody Mary I have ever had. Definitely will come here again.“

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

“As a Traverse City local and a regular at North Bar, I can't recommend this spot enough! The rotating seasonal cocktails are always a highlight, keeping things fresh and exciting with every visit. The staff here is simply amazing—friendly, knowledgeable, and always making you feel welcome. Whether I'm popping in for a casual drink or meeting up with friends, the atmosphere is always spot-on, offering just the right vibe for any occasion. North Bar has become my go-to, and I’m always looking forward to the next visit. If you're in TC, you absolutely need to check it out!“

“Edited: The management reached out to me and generated a refund to cover the cost of the additional charges. Appreciate them going out of their way to make this right.

Went here for trivia night, two individuals at our table ordered red wine. The house Cab over the Merlot. Come to find out the server gave us the $17/glass cab instead of the house cab, admitted the mistake but wouldn’t refund us the price difference. Do not go here unless you want to run the risk of being overcharged and paying for their mistake.“

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

“Great food! Great Service!“

“Had great service tonight. Waiter gave my indecisive wife multiple samples. We split the lamb burger and banh mi. The lamb burger is excellent, the bahn mi’s sodium content was off the charts and super gross. They can’t all be zingers! Still love this place, check it out!“

“Great food and atmosphere!“

“Teagan was amazing! Very friendly and attentive to our needs. She was always coming to our table to checkup on us. Best waitress I ever had ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️! We had such a good time that we came back the next night. The food was great too!“

“A local told us we needed to visit here while in town and we are SO glad we came. If you are a fan of sour beers, they have a great Jolly Pumpkin brand selection.

The vibe of this building is second to none. Spooky yet cozy at the same time. Service was top tier. Our server, Penashe, was always on time and personable. She helped curate the Jolly Pumpkin experience.

We got truffle fires as an appetizer and they were some of the best truffle fries I’ve had. Fresh, truffle, Parmesan cheese coated goodness. The pepperoni pizza we got was AMAZING. I love good pizza, and this was GOOD pizza. Crust was perfect, dough was house made, perfect ration of pepperoni. We finished our meal off with the Pumpkin Cake and it was 10/10.

Overall, this place is a local legend. If you’re in the area, you MUST come here.“

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

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

“WOW! What a wonderful place.. I was in Traverse city over the holiday and needed to unwind from family and came to SideTraxx.
It is so refreshing to have a safe place for the LGB community where people arent treating it like a sideshow event. No shrill screaming. No obnoxious "WOOO" girls, no large parties glaring sideways at people because they are different. Just good vibes and a great atmosphere in a place that felt like a haven against the real world.
Thank you SideTraxx! I'll be back fo sure.“

“I went to Minerva’s at the Park Place Hotel recently, and honestly, I had a nice time. The atmosphere is cozy and welcoming, and the service was great—everyone was friendly and attentive, which made the whole experience feel good.

The food itself wasn’t bad, but I did feel like it could’ve used a little more seasoning to really make it pop. Nothing was wrong with it, just a little on the plain side for my taste.

Overall though, between the vibe and the service, I’d go back. It felt like a good spot to enjoy a meal and relax.“

“I almost didn't come here due to the rating and reviews... maybe I just came on an off day, but my fam and I had a nice dinner here. Food was priced fine, we were seated immediately (630 on a Friday, fam of 4).

May was our server and she was awesome. Food was pretty solid as well (I had prime rib). My wife had pasta which she seemed to like. Our kids were hopped up on sugar so who knows.

Either way, management needs to focus on rebuilding their trust (encouraging people to leave reviews more) because while some of these reviews are recent, many seem to be from a time of when it was really bad I guess.“

“We stopped here on a whim because my husband loves (non-vegan)tacos and they had vegan options for me. It ended up being my favorite meal in a while! I had the El Jefe's Selection vegan bowl (vegan chorizo) and it was SO flavorful! Their standard salsa was also incredible. I'm generally not a salsa fan because it just tastes like spicy tomatoes, but this one had lots of seasonings and was delicious. We bought a pint of it to go! And the homemade chips were salty and crisp..... seriously, everything was so good. We will absolutely be back.“

“Cool atmosphere and good service - always for me.“