We loved the vegan options on the vegan menu! The servers were amazing and the chef makes delicious meals! It a bar feeling, which is not my speed, but for the flavors and options, I would go back again!
Allison Maxim Carlson
Awesome beer, great service, but . . . Fox News on the TV, really!?!? Booooooo to that.
Allen Cavanaugh
Great beer, very good food and good music.
Kelly Hill
Alyssa is the bomb! Great service, awesome attitude with great conversation! Would definitely recommend, food and local brews also delish!!
Nicholas Natzke
When I first came here, I had a horrible experience. I was with a party of eight, and our orders all came out VERY staggered (first person got this food immediately, then there would be 15-25 mins before the next person). Unfortunately, my burger never came out, despite already paying and tipping. However, once I told the staff, they promptly made the burger and gave me a $20 gift card, as my entire party had finished eating already.
I came back again today to use the gift card and while they usually do not allow take out food (I had a bus I needed to take), a tattooed male employee made an exception. Because I was paying with the gift card, I did not tip, and I felt VERY bad. So, if you are reading this tattooed man, I promise I tipped the first time around and didn’t know if it was appropriate to tip the second time around too!
Anyway, I hope this 5-star review makes up for it a bit !!
Neal Bakshi
Rare Bird is a a rare bird indeed! Tons of space and the place was poppin’!
The drink selection is vast, with great non-alcoholic options, and the food is delicious and very filling.
We ordered 2 starters and 2 mains for 2 people and walked away with leftovers for another small meal.
The blackened mahi mahi tacos were good, but the Buddha Bowl with Falafel was better in our view. The real star of the show was the soft pretzel sticks with cheese and mustard dipping sauce.
The fries were quite heavy and enough for 3-4 people to probably share.
They also have some pretty cool apparel you can get too. We decided to eat outside as inside it can get quite cold, but either way you can’t go wrong with rare bird!
Big BOY
There was a twenty minute wait so make a reservation. We sat outside on a picnic table are order did take a little bit to come out so I would recommend an appetizers. The burgers were normal nothing crazy but the nachos were delicious and I would definitely recommend them. The gluten free menu was a decent size so if you are gluten free this place is good for you.
Amy Kilgren
My family really enjoyed this place the vibe on the patio mixed with the yummy food hit just right on an evening after a beautiful summer day!
Brad Johnson
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!
Michelle Milnar
Pork belly nachos were good but hardly any meat on them. Same with the Banh Mi sandwich. Lamb burger was bland and neither the burger nor fries had any salt in them and there wasn’t any salt/pepper on the tables. Beet salad had very few beets; mostly just lettuce. Has the potential to be very good but definitely needs tweaking. Beer was good!
We had a wonderful meal on our first evening in Traverse City. We sat at a high top table next to the fireplace…warm and cozy on a cold winter night! We started off with their craft beers (Blood Orange, Sloths on Horseback and La Alemana….all were delicious) and some of their cheese curds (enough to feed all four of us). For our meals we had cheeseburgers (good bar burgers), chicken wings coated in homemade BBQ sauce, and the highlight was the buffalo chicken sandwich (it was huge and came with a substantial amount of fries) Also worth noting were the Dirty Bird Fries which were very good. Overall we highly recommend this establishment for an evening out while visiting Traverse City.
Service was great. Food was good. Drinks were good. Will definitely come back when in the area and I recommend this place if you want to have a nice sit down with friends and family.
My wife and I visited Rare Bird during our anniversary in Traverse City, and we couldn’t have asked for a better experience with Eric and Zendra taking care of us. From start to finish, their service was simply exceptional! They were incredibly friendly, making us feel welcome from the moment we walked in. They went above and beyond to be responsive, making sure we had everything we needed. It’s rare to find a place where you feel so genuinely cared for, and Eric and Zendra truly made our experience memorable. Their warmth and attention to detail added such a personal touch that made our visit memorable. If you're looking for a place with not only fantastic offerings but also an outstanding team, Rare Bird with Eric and Zendra is where you should be. Highly recommend!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Lamb Burger
Brian Gabourie
Pork belly nachos for happy hour are killer. Thursday night they do play ramen dish which is really good. Dirty Bird fries sorry no brainer. Very good beers. I do recommend.
We loved the vegan options on the vegan menu! The servers were amazing and the chef makes delicious meals! It a bar feeling, which is not my speed, but for the flavors and options, I would go back again!
Awesome beer, great service, but . . . Fox News on the TV, really!?!? Booooooo to that.
Great beer, very good food and good music.
Alyssa is the bomb! Great service, awesome attitude with great conversation! Would definitely recommend, food and local brews also delish!!
When I first came here, I had a horrible experience. I was with a party of eight, and our orders all came out VERY staggered (first person got this food immediately, then there would be 15-25 mins before the next person). Unfortunately, my burger never came out, despite already paying and tipping. However, once I told the staff, they promptly made the burger and gave me a $20 gift card, as my entire party had finished eating already.
I came back again today to use the gift card and while they usually do not allow take out food (I had a bus I needed to take), a tattooed male employee made an exception. Because I was paying with the gift card, I did not tip, and I felt VERY bad. So, if you are reading this tattooed man, I promise I tipped the first time around and didn’t know if it was appropriate to tip the second time around too!
Anyway, I hope this 5-star review makes up for it a bit !!
Rare Bird is a a rare bird indeed! Tons of space and the place was poppin’!
The drink selection is vast, with great non-alcoholic options, and the food is delicious and very filling.
We ordered 2 starters and 2 mains for 2 people and walked away with leftovers for another small meal.
The blackened mahi mahi tacos were good, but the Buddha Bowl with Falafel was better in our view. The real star of the show was the soft pretzel sticks with cheese and mustard dipping sauce.
The fries were quite heavy and enough for 3-4 people to probably share.
They also have some pretty cool apparel you can get too. We decided to eat outside as inside it can get quite cold, but either way you can’t go wrong with rare bird!
There was a twenty minute wait so make a reservation. We sat outside on a picnic table are order did take a little bit to come out so I would recommend an appetizers. The burgers were normal nothing crazy but the nachos were delicious and I would definitely recommend them. The gluten free menu was a decent size so if you are gluten free this place is good for you.
My family really enjoyed this place the vibe on the patio mixed with the yummy food hit just right on an evening after a beautiful summer day!
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!
Pork belly nachos were good but hardly any meat on them. Same with the Banh Mi sandwich. Lamb burger was bland and neither the burger nor fries had any salt in them and there wasn’t any salt/pepper on the tables. Beet salad had very few beets; mostly just lettuce. Has the potential to be very good but definitely needs tweaking. Beer was good!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 3
Service: 4
Recommended dishes: Nachos
Restaurantji Recommends
We had a wonderful meal on our first evening in Traverse City. We sat at a high top table next to the fireplace…warm and cozy on a cold winter night!
We started off with their craft beers (Blood Orange, Sloths on Horseback and La Alemana….all were delicious) and some of their cheese curds (enough to feed all four of us). For our meals we had cheeseburgers (good bar burgers), chicken wings coated in homemade BBQ sauce, and the highlight was the buffalo chicken sandwich (it was huge and came with a substantial amount of fries)
Also worth noting were the Dirty Bird Fries which were very good.
Overall we highly recommend this establishment for an evening out while visiting Traverse City.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Cheese Curds, Burgers, Chicken Wings, Craft Beer, Buffalo Chicken Sandwich
Service was great. Food was good. Drinks were good. Will definitely come back when in the area and I recommend this place if you want to have a nice sit down with friends and family.
Kid-friendliness: Yes
Wheelchair accessibility: Yes
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Pork Belly Nachos
Love it here!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Pretzel Sticks, Pecorino, Cheese Curds, Fried Cheese Curds, Chicken Wings, Curry Chicken Sandwich, Nachos
My wife and I visited Rare Bird during our anniversary in Traverse City, and we couldn’t have asked for a better experience with Eric and Zendra taking care of us. From start to finish, their service was simply exceptional! They were incredibly friendly, making us feel welcome from the moment we walked in. They went above and beyond to be responsive, making sure we had everything we needed. It’s rare to find a place where you feel so genuinely cared for, and Eric and Zendra truly made our experience memorable. Their warmth and attention to detail added such a personal touch that made our visit memorable. If you're looking for a place with not only fantastic offerings but also an outstanding team, Rare Bird with Eric and Zendra is where you should be. Highly recommend!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Lamb Burger
Pork belly nachos for happy hour are killer. Thursday night they do play ramen dish which is really good. Dirty Bird fries sorry no brainer. Very good beers. I do recommend.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 5
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