Wow, there seems to be some heat from the locals about this place! I am sure that if you had been there many times it would be just another place in TC. The 3 times I have been here have all been great! Yes, they are expensive but I am always on vacation so it doesnt matter. Yes, I have ONLY sat on the patio overlooking the bay so I can't comment on the inside. Yes, the parking is retched. All that being said, it is surely no Rainforest Cafe tourist trap. It is a pretty good local restaurant with a great view of the bay, decent food and a small problem with price inflation. Still worth trying, even if just for the views on a summer night. read more

I asked a few locals where to eat and they told me to try here. My experience was average...but I love to be outside and the weather was terrific so that was a plus for me. I loved the outdoor seating and the food was good. It looked like people were starting to just pour in as we sat down...but our service didn't suffer any at all. I enjoyed myself and would probably visit again. read more

It's the view, man. You could serve cardboard and I'd still come for the view. Fortunately, the food is tasty, though not terribly creative. That said, it's well prepared and relatively quick to the table. The fish tacos are tasty, and the salads are enormous enough to feed a family of four. Service is good, although they have to be nudged to seat 2 ppl at a 4-top, and there are only 4-tops closest to the view. In fair weather, the door windows open to let the breezes in and you can sit out on the terrace to take in the bright blues and torquoise of the water. Lovely. read more

Terrible. Outside of the service staff and the lakeside location (the only two reasons I could stomach giving this place a 1* instead of 0*) I'm not too sure this place has many redeemable qualities. We went two nights prior and were told it was a 2.5 hour wait, we passed but presumed the food would be good given the wait time. We went back around 2:30pm on a Tuesday and found there to be only a 10 minute wait. We picked up a few drinks from the bar as we began our short wait. After we were seated we began with the calamari, which I would not recommend ordering. The rings were fine but the tentacles were fatty and not prepared properly for consumption. For our meals we had the seafood linguini and "fresh never frozen" scallops - our waiter seemed to mention the fresh never frozen line about 5 times when explaining the meal. We still had high hopes as we waited for our entrees, writing off the starter as a one off (given the other reviews). Needless to say we were once again disappointed. Too salty were both our mains. The linguini more a soup than a pasta dish. The risotto (which accompanied the fresh never frozen scallops) may have had an entire wheel of cheese dumped into it given how stuck together and stringy it was. I wouldn't recommend this restaurant to my greatest enemy or my greatest friend because I couldn't subject anyone to this torture. You'd enjoy yourself more at the McDonald's or Culver's about ~10 minutes away. read more

Nice view, ho hum food. Slow service many nights. I'd suggest drinks on the patio, and find another place for dinner.

The wait for the shoreline seats can be insanely long, but the first come first served seats in the bar still gets you some great good. Had fresh fish basket. Very knowledgeable waiter. Great for kids. read more

Awesome place for lunch or dinner! Right on the bay so great views as well. Service is always good, a definite favorite!

After hiking the sand dunes, what a wonderful time it was to finish the day at apache. Extremely friendly staff, and stunning food. As a chef myself I have to say very impressed by the fish. One thing I would say is maybe the cheese on the children's menu maybe slightly to much for what our kids were used to. But overall very impressed read more

We had a large party of nine for lunch and enjoyed a cocktail outside while waiting for our table and enjoyed sitting by the water. Once seated, the ambiance was nice and the food was good but our server was borderline rude...the only time she smiled is when she brought the check. It was an overall good experience but Apache should not hire servers who don't like to work with people...it left a bad taste in our mouths. read more

From the hostess to the bartender at the tiki bar and our server, Andy -- the staff here is professional, friendly and helpful. The food was some of the best we have had. Nice wine list. Great views of the bay too! read more

I love this place. I love it when there is music outside. Food is very good, take your time and enjoy the views. Love the cheddar Mashed potatoes. We went there this trip to Traverse City after eating twice at The Boat House. What a difference, the food was cooked just right, the staff was friendly, the prices were reasonable and the atmosphere was great not super loud like the Boat House. I highly recommend you check this place out. it was about 1/5 the price of the Boat House and the View is actually BETTER! read more

On Friday, June 24th we visited for the second time, but the first time with our family. We were a party of ten and we requested a table near the open doorway leading to the view of Traverse Bay. There were no tables available but a large party was getting ready to leave so we waited. Moments later, the manager helped clear the table and accommodated us. All our meals were extremely satisfying and delicious and our server, Kate was outstanding! We look forward to our next vacation to the Traverse City area and dining at Apache Trout Grill and we will definitely request Kate as our server. Thank you very much! read more

Apache Grill was busy when we went but there is great outside patio with a small bar. Drinks were great and there was also live music. The wait seemed short with the music and great view. The food also didn't disappoint! Best fish I have had in a long time. If you are looking for a nice dinner while in Traverse City we would recommend! read more

I ate here with friends for birthday - partially because of the good reviews and also because of the great setting. It's a very nice place and the main dining room has a great view of the bay. Our service was great and all four of us enjoyed our meal. The roasted brie & goat cheese dip was good but definitely more goat cheese in flavor. The avocado eggrolls are delicious! read more

This place, in my opinion, was just a tad underwhelming. My spouse really liked it though. I had the shrimp tacos. They were a little too saucy, and they were filled with too many unnecessary toppings I thought. K had the Lake Superior Whitefish Sandwich. It was HUGE. It looked pretty good. We also had the shrimp cocktail, which was pretty good - but as long as it's cold and fresh, it seems like that would be hard to mess up. I think I would have liked this place a lot better if I felt like my dish wasn't so thrown together. I would give it another shot. The service was great, and the view was outstanding. read more

High quality food. Everyone at our table of 6 was impressed with the food. Very tender fish dishes. I had the macaroni and cheese with chicken; billed as the best I'll ever eat. They were close - I'd call it the 2nd best I've ever eaten (and I've eaten this dish a lot!). Almost like a macaroni and cheese goulash or even stew with all the other items added to the dish. K.N. had the goat cheese salad and was very impressed with the quaility of the goat cheese. Great view, clean dining room, and the wait wasn't too long. Based on our visit, I'm suprised their overall rating isn't higher. read more

So it's been a few years since I visited the Apache Trout Grill and I feel like things have changed. This was the first place I stopped at when I last visited TC. I walked away completely disappointed. The food prices have gone up and the quality and quantity has gone down. For example the salad used to come with a little mini muffin - not anymore! The place seems stuffier too. What was once a casual environment is now filled with people who look like they are ready to board their yacht after lunch. Not the fault of the establishment obviously but to me this was a totally different vibe than in years past and something I did not enjoy. Higher prices, smaller quantities and dining with people dressed like Caddyshack villains - I'll pass from now on. read more

I've been twice and just find it to be a local version of Chili's/TGIF/Bennigan's whatever. If they would strip the restaurant of all the kitsch it would be much more welcoming and relaxing. The food is ok nothing to write home about. I've had the burger and the white fish sandwich. The white fish was very tasty. Otherwise kinda forgettable. read more

This place is always packed and consistently serves wonderful food! My husband loves their macaroni and cheese it's definitely not to be missed. I loved their meatloaf and their short ribs too! Their Sunday brunch is also divine! read more

We ate lunch here while touring the area. Outstanding, friendly service and great menu choices from healthy salads (I had the spinach salad with grilled salmon) to hamburgers and fried fish. The iced tea was freshly brewed and plentiful. We would definitely return if in the area. They have outside seating options, weather permitting. read more

This has been a family favorite for years... It's solidly good food and a great view... It's not going to be the best food you've ever had, but it is great. I've always stuck to the fish... read more

Great service from the front of the house to the back. Tasty food and decent patio. Cheers!

Twin Charred Filets AMAZING!! Ahi Tuna and Calamari- not so much!! Wonderful service! Great place! Get here early!!!

It may take a few trips around the parking lot before you find a place to park and there will be a bit of a wait but it is worth it . We had the Lobster Bisque since everyone seemed to comment on it and it was every bit as good as claimed ,as was the walleye. If you like seafood you can't go wrong here. read more

The food was delicious. The bartender/server (Nick) did an excellent job. Great customer service. It's a very busy place. I'm not sure if they take reservations or if they have call ahead seating. You may want to call ahead and find out. There was an hour wait, so we sat at the bar and ate. The atmosphere was still great. read more

I will never understand the popularity of this place. Yes, they're on the bay and their outdoor seating in the summertime is fun, but the food is totally underwhelming. I haven't ever had a memorable meal here and I've been many times in the 10+ years I've lived in Traverse City. Yet . . . people park all over the place to eat here in the summer. Their menu selection is very limited . . . steaks are tough, fish has little to no flavor . . . yes, the sweet potatoes are good, but I go out to dinner for more than sweet potatoes. I'm sorry, folks, this just isn't the place for me. Don't waste your money or your time when there are so many more great restaurants in Traverse City. read more

This has long been a favorite place for my family, we spend a good portion of the summer in TC and have for 30 years. We have actually not even tried to go here for several years because there is usually a significant wait. The view is second to none and the food is always fantastic. Prices are on the higher end, but portion sizes are as well. From age 2 - 90 we all always leave happy. Went early (5:00) on a Saturday and only had to wait about 15 min and that was well worth it. read more

Great food. Best butternut squash soup.

The brunch is so good here. It's expensive but absolutely worth it. The loaded mac & cheese is one of the best things on the buffet, and the carving station has perfect prime rib every time I go there. The service is top notch and the people are friendly. read more

The best part was the view. Waitress was not good,soup was cold,steak was rare not medium,pasta was under cooked and sauce was thin and runny. Key lime pie was not the usual top quality. Wont be.going back ever. read more

Amazing place! The food was the best around and seafood very fresh! Adam and Fred were the best servers with great personalities!

Fantastic! Easily my favorite local hang out. Crowds up with fudgies, on weekends. We usually take boat over, and have a few free beers on the doc while we wait on a table. Get the brie for an appetizer. read more

Great food and decor by the bay. A little pricey but very tasty. The parking lot is small and hard to maneuver with all the patrons.

First time dining here while visiting the area. Wonderful Rib dinner. We were a party of four. Each one of us agreed on a rating of 4 out of 5. Our server was excellent. Great view of the bay with an open feeling but still under a roof. Outdoor seating was available. read more

Over priced, rude waitress, uppity attitude...not worth the hassle, food was ok, but lukewarm...atmosphere was B-, food B-, service, C-, price--too much for the rest of the restaurant...better places close by! read more

We had a wonderful dinner. My wife had the cherry almond trout, and I had the prime rib. We both got the lobster and shrimp bisque soup. All of the dishes were prepared and served quite well. I don't go to a restaurant for WiFi so I can't judge that aspect, but I can tell you their staff is terrific! We felt like long term customers even at on our first visit. It was crowded for 4pm on a Friday. I'm sure there is a waiting list all weekend which should be expected. If you have only one place to eat in Traverse City, the Apache Trout Grill would be the place I would go! read more

We have dined here every time we come to Traverse City. The experience has always be pleasurable. The food (Grilled Salmon) has always been amazing. They do not takes reservations so if your not prepared to wait come early! But it's worth the wait, at least 30-minutes, which is my personal limit. read more

Always a good sign to pull in and find a full parking lot. Helpful bar staff with nice waiting area (winter visit) to enjoy your drinks before your table is ready. The food was excellent. Portion sizes are large so either bring a big appetite or be ready to take home a late night snack. Servers were professional. read more

This was our second visit to Apache with a few family members in tow. The service was excellent and the waiter went out of his way to get us delicious bread and pesto that they generally serve at dinner. The lobster/shrimp bisque was delicious and they serve Coca Cola products which is less and less common in the TC area. Excellent lake walleye and rib sliders too! read more

Good food , service, and atmosphere. I am a local who eats at Apache once a year or so. It is a little pricey for the portions you get. I always get a delicious meal. View is lovely. Get there early or have a long wait! read more