Reviews of Michael's Tavern & Steakhouse (Restaurant)

elaine kenzie

Our second time at Michael's Tavern & Steakhouse. Both times.our meals were outstanding. From appetizer through coffee. Every item is noteworthy. Worth the drive from Harbor Springs.

Denise Fordanich

Awesome food and service BUT, the deep fried Oreos are oh so amazing. A fun night. Thanks Michael - it was nice to meet you. We are glad you are here.

Invader Doc

The food was amazing. Steaks were cooked spot on. I really appreciate that. Staff was friendly and offered excellent suggestions. I would have been slightly more impressed had our server not needed to refer to her notes for specials, but the info was correct, and she admitted she was new to the staff. There was a small delay in our entree presentation, but she took responsibility for whatever the reason may have been. I will definitely come back and refer friends or anyone else whom may inquire. There are few prestigious steakhouses in our area, and am glad to see another in another portion of our fabulous inland waterway.

Kimberly Morton

Very nice place. Was concerned going to a steakhouse being the only vegetarian in the group, but was so pleased with their selection of vegetarian options! My meat eating friends throughly enjoyed their meals aswell!

John DeCarli

Baked Whitefish the best I have ever had. The salad and dessert were excellent too. So nice to have superb service and great food close to home.

Skip Radel

Nice place a little pricey

Fire Hire

Good food, good atmosphere. I loved the staff, not a single unfriendly person there. Food took reasonable time to get out. And it tasted delicious. 10 outta 10 would recommend again.

Darrin Hoffman

Good food!!! Great service

Theresa Klein

Loved Michael's tavern. Great bartender cheryl..love maggie and michael My burger was cooked perfect as ordered and loved the aioli sauce for the French fries! The outdoor space is decorated so nice and cozy. Cant wait to visit again on our next trip.

Bryan Wilkinson

I liked it but the prices seemed a little high for what you get. A suggestion might be to build in the price for the sauces into the entree so you aren't charging for every picking little thing. Otherwise food tasted great!!!

Rick Clark

The service was slow. Really I don't think they were prepared for the number of people they had. The menu, limited. They could put more thought into their starters, no local fish (walleye or perch) and no pasta. The meat was undercooked, the wine selection was dismal. Not complaining just the truth constructively. It was just another meal, at that price level it should have been excellent. Not there yet.

Lois Hultgren

Food was excellent, steaks cooked perfectly. Beet salad was very good too.

Eliot Hermanson

Went to Michael's with my wife and friends last night. We started with the cauliflower app which was perfectly cooked and seasoned, a definite must try. Washed down with a great Martini and wine for the friends. At the table we had the short ribs, salmon, sliders, along with the chopped salad. Everything was cooked perfect. My slides were excellent, pork belly and chicken. However as good as they were last night they were outstanding this morning for breakfast. Onto the service, engaging , friendly, and timely which seems to be a rareity these days. As good as the food and service was the restrooms were outstanding. Clean and fresh smelling, however the hand towels must be costing them a fortune. Heavy duty and soft, sorry but I took a couple of extra. A great atmosphere, great service, and top notch food. I even got to see the owners, the chef and the general manager, his wife talking with tables, great touch. Highly recommend and I understand the live entertainment during the week is excellent.

Shawn Kent

Michael and magey are great food is excellent and service is perfect

Deb Ozmemt

Yum! Go on Tuesdays when tavern menu is half off!!!

Mary Zahrt

Just what the areas needs. There are 2 menus to choose from. The tavern menu is less expensive and has sandwiches and appetizers. The other is the Steak house menu. There is something for everyone. The service was prompt and attentive. Our server Mandy was very good. The manager Maggie was super helpful. I bought a gift card and promptly lost it. She replaced it and mailed it to me in Royal Oak. We sat outside on the spacious patio. There's an inside dining room and tavern. I highly recommend! Keep up the good work.

Duke Dog

One of the best meals I've had in a long time! Super beautiful new restaurant, extremely clean and tastefully appointed. Highly recommended by me...

Joseph Matievich

Wow, very impressed. Top notch Restaurant. My bone in ribeye was phenomenal. Our appetizers were great. We were a party of six and everyone enjoyed their entrées very much.

Jackie Lowry

Dinner and service were excellent

Miss Missy

Service and food was fab!

Earle Davie

Nice atmosphere , little chilly in back. Great food excellent service.

aj

This was my first trying this restaurant and was very disappointed I would not recommend dinning here. Food is over priced. Food portions very small. I ordered salmon very small piece for $33 and your dinner does not come “à la carte”. The salmon tasted as though it could have been frozen one piece would be hot the next cold.

Josh Saur

Great food and experience!

evelyn williams

Great dinning experience added to Indian river but plates are sparce for the price. Service is good.

rachrdh

We had Kris as our server and she was wonderful. She had an awesome personality and made sure we were comfortable, as well as any other staff member that talked with us. The environment was great and the food was just as amazing. I definitely see us coming back there in the future.

Alexander Rakoczy

A total gem in northern Michigan. Delicious and perfectly cooked steaks with a solid cocktail program.

Ronald Petteys

Great food , great people

Patrick Allen

Amazing food and service!!

Mike Hurchick

Very nice new restaurant in a nice old log building. Good menu. Very happy staff.

LeAnn Kieft

Incredible food and wait staff! Order the cauliflower appetizer. Steak was amazing. Mac and cheese outstanding. Service is IMPECCABLE. Will come again. Best in Indian River by far.

C V

Server was great, food fantastic, great tunes

Robert Young

Loved the log structure and ambience. Nicely updated. Ordered steak. Strip steak done exceptionally well. A new wait staff snafus, but they acknowledged issue, and were friendly. Certainly a place to go in Northern Michigan.

Mike M

Delicious tacos on appetizer menu (had as my meal) nice drink selection and great service. Check out the bathrooms as well, cool fun photos on walls.

Pam Tockstein

Excellent food! Great place for dinner !

Darla House

Made reservations, first time, log cabin restaurant, rustic and charming. Shared appetizers with husband, seared cauliflower, delicious and scallops, best I have ever had. Steak perfectly prepared with bacon, crab, and blue cheese crust; my whitefish tender and great tasting. Bourbon ice cream better than here in Kentucky.

Candice Wendling

This place has finally come into its own after many owners. Very good steaks. The whitefish is just unusual enough to make it interesting and flavorful. The diningroom has been broken up with dividers and booths so it is much more intimate and cozy. Great atmosphere.

Stephanie Hobbs

Great ambiance. Amazing food. You can cut the filet with a butter knife. Love this place. Dine and catch entertainment here often.

Jon Holden

Excellent service, great food, and a beautiful setting! Don't miss the Oreo Stuffed Donuts with the Michigan Cherry sauce, they are incredible!!

fred c

Would have to remortgage the house. Saw prices and walked out. Went to hoppies landing and had a great steak for half the price

Rick Marshall

Good atmosphere,good food, good service. Great nite!

Jaye Hartman

Great food and service.

Joe Murdock

What a breath of fresh air in Indian River! Great steaks and apps if your in the mood and affordable tavern options as well! My filet was fantastic and the mac n cheese is to die for! Support local entrepreneurs!

Janemarie Provo-weick

Fabulous meal. Can't wait to return.

linda sims

We went there for dinner tonight. Our waiter, Eric was excellent. He was kind, friendly and helped me with special food orders. The food was great! We will definitely be back!

Ricky ricky Rule

To pricey

Kenneth Donnay

the place was ezcellent The food and service was outstanding prices were moderate

Melissa Brown

Went here on vacation and was not disappointed. The food was amazing! Note you may need reservations unless you are okay with sitting at the bar, so call ahead.

Mia Ciccoretti

Everything was delicious! Service was great, kept drinks full and table clear. I was there with a big group and everything went smoothly and was timely. Portions we're a little on the small side.

Chris Zelezney

It's great to see this beautiful place come alive again. Visited Michael's for dinner one evening and they did a fantastic job at the decor. The service was excellent and the menu selections were adequate. I am really hoping that they do succeed with the demographic up there. I say this because the a la carte pricing for their steaks makes the meals far too expensive for the quantities being served. I am not sure the market in this area will go for that in the long run. I observed most all the people in the establishment ordering from the cheaper tavern menu. The portions are indeed small and (in my opinion- use of balsamic dressing on everything is so yesterday's news, lol). I didn't really enjoy my meal for the price- very small portions, somewhat bland in flavor and the fingerling potatoes were burnt up! But I hope they do succeed- I am just not sure the pricing levels for what they offer are worth it based on the competition in the immediate area and what other nearby restaurants offer for much less. Best of luck however- just offering my unbiased review of my experience.

Ron Miller

Bluecheese crusted ribeye. Enough said. Add mushrooms if you must. Definitly will return.

Ernest Wood

Clean and wonderful food and service

Allison Gorman

Delicious meal. Super cute atmosphere. Wonderful server. We will come back and tell everyone we know to as well.

Fref Reynolds

The wife had the short ribs,said they were wonderful,very tender and flavorful! I Had a wedge salad and the tacos "very nice" loved the lime&cilantro!!

David Gusman

We went there for dinner on July 5th with 7 people. We had a reservation. We placed our order for drinks and appetizers at 8:00, and were served around 830. It was at that time that we had to ask the waitress if we could please place the orders for our entrees. At that time we were informed that the kitchen was backed up. At 9:30 we asked for an ETA on our food, and we were told 5 minutes. When we asked again at 9:45 we were told it wasn't the waitress's fault, but the kitchen's fault. When we said we just wanted our food, their response was to offer us a free drink, with no explanation other than they were busy. At that point, we gave up and c anceled our orders without getting our food. There were so many mistakes by the restaurant staff that I can't mention them all, but the most egregious were: 1. Not taking our entree orders when we sat down. 2. Not telling us they were backed up when we placed our appetizer orders. 3. Offering a round of drinks to a table that had been sitting there for an hour and fourty five minutes and we're getting angrier by the minute instead of offering to comp the meal. We told them at that point to just cancel the orders and give us our bill. We left after not getting served after almost 2 hours and seeing people that came in after us get served and finish their meals and leave before we were were served. I can't tell you if the entrees were any good, because we we never got them. I can assure you that we will NEVER go back there again.

Larry Larson

Great steak, very nice a little expensive but worth the price.

B M

One of the best meals I've ever had. I will drive 4 hours again just to visit this restaurant!

Morse Brown

Food easy excellent. I had Prime Steak it was cooked perfectly. The really big hit was the asparagus. Large stalks and an ample amount in balsamic sauce was tender and tasty. Excellent food!

Joan Mills

Stopped here when we couldn't get seated at The Thirsty Sturgeon in Wolverine. What fabulous serendipity. Our meal was phenomenal from start to finish. The salads were fresh and crisp, the steaks perfectly prepared, the sides delicious, and our server Eric even brought out piping hot filled doughnuts with a birthday candle as we were celebrating my husband's birthday. We are locals and will be back often. My highest recommendation! Eric, you were attentive and friendly. Thanks for a great experience!

Ian Jaeger

TLDR: Absolutely go here! Great food, Great Bar, Great conversations. The long version: In the area for business for a few days and found this gem as we were driving back to Mackinaw City. Sat inside at the bar with Cheryl as our server and she was amazing. Gave us a bunch of history of the restaurant and the area as well as a ton of ideas for what to do with our free time the following day. The restaurant itself is a recently refinished place that's originally over 100 years old. Some of the interior is saved from the original building, the rest has been beautifully redone by the new owners in September / October 2018. The food was amazing too. Between my colleague and I we had the mushroom soup, baked white fish, wings, empanadas, Oreo beignets, and the cheesecake, and I honestly can't tell you which we liked the best. It was all amazing! The cream of mushroom soup had a ton of flavor and just a hint of parmesan cheese on top. The Baked whitefish was flaky and delicious on top of large couscous and with an amazing balsamic reduction over the top. The wings are never frozen and smoked for a long time on site before being flash fried and dipped in their wing sauce; the meat just dropped off the bones. The empanadas were flaky golden brown pastries that resembled French culinary delights more than the typical Spanish or South American pie crust that you're used to. The filling and remoulade were perfectly balanced to go with them. And then there was dessert. The Oreo beignets are not something I'd normally get, but Cheryl absolutely sold us on them and Im glad she did. The light beignet dough encased the DoubleStuff Oreo that had essentially melted inside when it was cooked. They were lightly sugar coated and had an amazing sour cherry reduction to pour over the top. The Cheesecake was not a typical NY style cream cheese, but rather a fluffy and light cream cheese with sauce that made it taste like a Tiramisu. Amazing! All in all, I'd absolutely go here again. And if we come back here, I'm definitely stopping in! Sorry I forgot to take pics of the food, was so hungry after a day of paddling that I totally dived in before stopping to admire the amazing presentation.

Brian Dawson

A little pricey but food was good.

Craig Waldron

We have been there a number of times and tried most everything on the menu. All our meals have been fantastic. Michael's is a great addition to Indian River and we are happy to have them here.

Rick Wolfgram

Dinner was great! The bread is amazing! My steak was perfect, seasoned well and tempted correctly. My wife's steak was a bit undercooked but she was still very pleased. Overall the only criticism that I would offer is that the music is loud for a dinner environment and the service felt very rushed. The restaurant was not exceptionally busy but it felt as though all of the servers were racing. Overall is was a good experience.

Jimmy Boston

Delicious

Timothy Harris

The environment was great, the service was fair,waitress did not stop by our table to see if we needed anything. The steak is way over priced for the quality of the meat. The cook did prepare the steak as requested.

Lyn Muells

Very fancy little escape up north. The interior was beautiful, calm, and perfect for a date night. I would not suggest bringing kids here. The plate prices were more than we usually go for, but the food was SO good. We got the crab cakes to start with, 72 hour ribs & whitefish for our meals, then finished with creme brulee & tiramisu cheesecake. It was SO good!! I think the price for that type of restaurant was probably spot on and worth it! Ohh, and the bread was amazing!!!

Gale Golding

Had New Year's Eve dinner here and each course was perfect and delicious! The best restaurant in the area hands down!

Linda Friend

Best birthday meal

Kathy Grundey

Thank you! Delicious Dinner!!

April Nadolny

It was a lovely evening to sit outside. They had live music which was at the perfect volume that you could still talk to the people at your table. The food was well prepared, however the menu is VERY limited if you have children with you. The service was fairly slow and our waitress had a tendency to forget people at our table of 8. I would look at consolidating the number of plates sent out since sides are ala carte and the table can get very crowded with all the serving ware. We will probably go back the next time we are in Indian River.

Chuck Rogers

Great Food and Awesome Service!

jim nihls

Pricey but great service and wonderful food.

Doctor of Medicine

Great food!

Judy Schneiderbauer

Enjoyed a wonderful evening on the patio with family and friends... Party of 5 and service was impeccable from beginning to end. Had the caprese salad, seared cauliflower, wings and beet salad for shared appetizers; presentation and food quality: excellent. The entrees that followed were simply delicious. Attentive, friendly staff. Overall an excellent experience. Highly recommend! Great place just off I-75.

tom durfee

This was our first time at Michaels since they opened. I was very impressed with the newly renovated interior. The color scheme and design worked well with the existing log motif. Tables were spaced to accommodate conversation and with several half booths to create a cozy feel. Our food from appetizer to salad to entree to desert was all excellent. There were several creative dishes that we tried and we were very pleasantly rewarded for our choices. Service at new restaurants can be hit or miss but our service was exceptional throughout the meal. We will definitely be back and are personally thrilled that Indian River has such a gem of a restaurant.

Marty Spaulding

Service was slow but acceptable. The "24 ounce ribeye" was 12 ounces of bone and was WAY overpriced.