We had purchased a gift certificate for Aroboreal at Restaurant.com. It was worth it! Looking from the outside, we had no idea what to expect and were very under-dressed! We split the Combo (4-oz black angus filet mignon with crab meat and bernaise sauce AND Thai salmon), which included a side salad, bread service, wild rice/baked potato, and asparagus. Quite a portion even at $31! Cheescake wasn't anything to write home about, but hit the spot nonetheless. They have an Early Bird Special going on between 5:00-6:00. Two entrees and dessert for around $25. Beautiful restaurant inside. Waitress offered to let us sit by the fire and she was extremely knowledgable of the menu. Bar was a little small, but intimate. read more

Posted this on their Facebook, although I doubt they use it: Horrible restaurant: 1st time there, ordered mussels, half of them were still frozen. Decided to try the restaurant again a year later, turned away at the door by the bartender with no one at the bar and ample seating in the dining room because we didn't have a reservation. Will never go back, sorry. read more

Glad the Arboreal is open again. Mixed grill special was very good. Really liked the Lamb Chops. Many will like that the old favorite Fillets Oscar is still on the menu. read more

The food was good but the waitress was just average. We expected more from the wait staff when eating at high end steakhouse. It was our 10 year anniversary and the waitress didn't even know, we had called ahead and told them. The bathrooms were like going to a big boys. read more

We visited Arboreal Inn last night for dinner and it was fantastic! The food, service and atmosphere was second to none. Kudos to the new owners and entire staff! read more

Amazing Restaurant!! Went here for my Birthday dinner. Great atmosphere, amazing food and drinks and the desserts are to die for!! This a the place to go when you want to indulge and treat yourself to good quality food. I can't wait to eat here again. read more

My wife and I just went to the Arboreal Inn and I'm not sure I could be more disappointed. I'd heard good things about it, but it sure didn't live up. A few comments from the the night to give you an idea of how it went - My wife: "I wonder if Gordon Ramsey is interested in taking this place on". Me: "What's the opposite of fine? Coarse?" The lady at the table next to us after we left: "We're going to get Chinese". Now on to the specifics. When you walk in the place, no one is there to greet you. As it was our first (and probably last) time there, we just stood there waiting to be directed/seated. It probably wasn't more than 2-3 minutes, but it sure feels like a long time when you're standing there. They really need to invest in a host(ess) or at least a sign that says check in at the bar. That was the first sign that maybe we should go elsewhere. Next, I asked if they had anything on tap, and the waitress replied that they had bottles. "Do you have a list?" I asked. "I'll go check to see what we have...Bud, Bud Light, Miller Lite, and Honey Brown." UGH! Seriously, that is your beer selection? "Honey Brown, I guess" Sign number 2 My wife ordered a Captain and Coke and I watch the bartender pour the drink, and he opens a two-liter. "That's weird." On to the food. I actually highly recommend what I ordered (thus the two stars - not one). I had the chicken. It was well prepared and the champagne sauce was pretty nice. I don't recommend it if you don't like salt though. My wife got the Tournadoes/Salmon combo and it was not impressive. Both the steak and the salmon were overdone and when told about it, the waitress said something about having more customers than they expected. Hmm. Finally the bill came. Luckily we had a restaurant.com gift certificate. My two beers were $4.25 each. For Honey Brown? The ticket called them "imports". Ha! To sum it up, even with the gift certificate, it was way too expensive. The service was mediocre at best, and their beer selection was a bunch of the suckiest sucks that ever sucked. read more

Very disappointed with this restaurant. My daughter and her friends had dinner there for their snow coming dance. The waitresses kept staring at them and following the girls into the bathroom. At the end of their meal the waitress accused them of drinking and being drunk. The waitress said that they saw the girls go into the bathroom with a bag. (Only one girl had a small bag for her tampons, and the girls always travel in groups of 2 or 3). Very frustrated that the service thought they were drinking but in reality they were just being goofy kids. The kids should have never tipped the waitress because of how rude she was about it. I will never eat at this restaurant and will certainly never send my kid there again. read more

Had the worst filet mignon! Tougher than stew meat. Waitress just smiled when I mentioned it, gave me a dry piece of cake to make up. The table next to us also told us their steaks were awful, and wouldn't come back. Prices are high, too much for the stodgy decor, no views.. read more

This place is great! Food, service, and atmosphere first rate! They are under new ownership and what a difference. The menu has been upgraded and offers a great selection. I had a veal chop that was cooked to perfection. My wife had a filet that was top quality and again cooked to perfection. The new owners are there and greet you when you arrive. They redone the interior and the place is beautiful. If you have not been to Arboreal in a while please give this place a chance! We went on Monday and they had a 50% special on wine, what a deal! We went back last night and sat at the bar for drinks. Nice warm atmosphere and again talked with Justin and Gillian the new owners. We heard some comments from some folks about their pricing and that it had increased from the former owners. Given the quality of the food they are serving the pricing is right on in my book. You get what you pay for and I believe this is one of the nicest fine dining experiences in Spring Lake and Grand Haven. read more

I'm the lady at the next table who was referenced in Jonathan W.'s review as saying we were going to get Chinese. I had to laugh as I don't even know Jonathan, nor did I know he was going to do a review, but he inspired me. What a shame. I really think this place has some potential as it is quite quaint, however my, and my husband's recent experience makes us think that it isn't going to be around long. First, let me preface this review by saying I have never reviewed a restaurant before. I say that so you know that I'm not one of those people who are just never pleased. Quite the contrary. It usually doesn't take much to make me happy. If I get a night off of cooking, I'm happy. However, we were rather disappointed. Upon entering there was no one to greet us and we just awkwardly stood there until the bartender asked if he could help us. When we told him we didn't have a reservation, he sighed and shook his head giving the impression that that there was no way that we could be served that night, when all of a sudden he saw an empty table right behind us and told us to have a seat there in the bar area. We thought that was fine...our punishment for not making a reservation. We got to sit there in the cold bar, shivering as the breeze whipped past us as others (with reservations) shuffled inside and were swept into the other room and seated in front of the warm fireplace with tables lined in white linens. Like the other review, we were disappointed in the beer selection...and even more disappointed when they ran out of the beer we did choose ...honey brown--Jonathan, couldn't you have had a Miller Lite instead? I ordered a whitefish with crab (fishy, mushy, eww) and my husband ordered filet mignon (tough..beef jerky style). I also ordered a baked potato but got red skins. I didn't bother telling the waitress because it wouldn't really matter...the Chinese food was on my mind at this point and I was just ready to get this experience over with. So the bill for 3 beers, a $7 appetizer, and two poor dinners was $80 (which included a 15%) tip. A 15% tip in and of itself makes a statement. I have known my husband for 10 years. This is the only time I have ever seen him give only a 15% tip. I don't like to say much negative about wait staff as I know it isn't a easy job.....I'll just leave at 15%...enough said. In addition to our review, my brother and sister-in-law just informed us of there recent visit here. It isn't good either. I really do wish this place well. Again..there is potential. I hope it can be tapped into before it is too late. read more

This is the first time we've been back to the Arboreal Inn under it's new ownership (Jan 2013) and management. We were very pleased with the overall experience - very good (and friendly) service, great food, a nice wine selection, and for me, an outstanding selection of craft beers! What a treat - we'll be back! read more

Our party of five had the pleasure of dinning at the restaurant on a Tuesday evening. We thoroughly enjoyed the food and the service was outstanding. I had the rack of Lamb and it was perfectly done as I requested. Everyone else said the same thing about their order. We will definitely return. The new ownership has returned the food and wine to the quality reputation it had once enjoyed. It is wonderful to have an excellent restaurant in this area once again. read more

Outstanding ambiance. Delicious food in every way. This restaurant is worth the drive and truly a gem. I highly recommend it!

What is this marvelous restaurant doing in this semi-rural, semi-industrial area out in the country? The summer visitors from all over must sustain them in the summer; how do they survive in the winter? Anyway, if you're looking for the best food in the area, by all means, go to this restaurant. Or, if you don't have time to fly to Chicago or Detroit, stop in at the Arboreal. Keep this place going. Wine list modest, as is menu, but all is executed well. With more patrons, they could probably do something more ambitious. Let's keep going there. read more

We had a family come into town for a funeral. At first the party was 11, then 12, 15, 16...19. I called Jason numerous times and each time he was so helpful giving us a private room, arranging the tables so we could visit better. Just numerous little touches that made the evening really wonderful. The food was perfect, the wait staff great. We all ordered off the menu so everyone got exactly what they wanted. Everyone loved the food and atmosphere. I highly recommend this for any occasion! read more

The sweet swedishly dressed bartender (poor girl) greeted us enthusiastically as we walked in and we were quickly escorted into the dining room by the wait staff. Unfortunately, the atmosphere to us felt as if we were sitting in the lobby of a poorly decorated 80's hotel. The waitress was nice and very attentive bringing the food and wine at the perfect time. We found the food mediocre at best especially for the high price tag. The bummer part about this is ...it's a mile from my house...it's set on beautiful property...and with some new decor, outdoor dining, and a slightly more modern upgrade in the food...this place could be smokin! Hope the owners take this into consideration. I would love to frequent this place! read more

Arrogant "executive" chef; overcooked fish; pasty looking and tasting roasted potatoes; tasteless/bland pork chop; mediocre service; poor wine choices; low grade on "presentation." What's to like? read more

Been trying to make a reservation. Called many days in succession and no one answers the phone. Sent an e-mail to make a reservation - bounced back to me saying their e-mail box was full. I am concluding that they are no longer in business or, at the very least, are not interested in having customers read more

This restaurant has closed before we could use the Groupon that I purchased. We had tried to make a reservation in January 2012, and left a message on the answering machine when no one answered the phone. We never got a return phone call. Then I called the listed phone number multiple times and could never get an answer to make a reservation. read more

This restaurant could be really great! The outside is beautiful, and with a little redecorating, the inside could be quaint and elegant. However, the restaurant looks as though it hasn't been updated in 20 plus years. Fake flowers, tacky decorations, and unfortunate window treatments. The smell when we walked in reminded me of a nursing home. However, the real disappointment was the food. For the price of each dish, I was expecting something fantastic. I order the veal. When it arrived, it was four, soggy medallions covered in a flavorless "piccata" sauce on top of boxed pasta. The presentation was appalling, and the taste was worse. It had a slight fishy taste. The people I was with both got the white fish. It definitely was a better choice, however, the breading on top wasn't crispy and both people found small bones in the fish. I also find it interesting that a restaurant of this caliber doesn't create sides which accompany the dish. Every dish is served with the same potato "au gratin". There is a definite lack of creativity. I will not be rushing back... read more

We were there on Saturday evening as a group of four and sat at a high top in the bar area. The food was actually quite good, but the service was, well, awkward at best. Our server seemed to have a horrible sense of timing in terms of when to approach the table. Glasses were left unfilled. She had very little actual interaction with us and seemed rather bored with the entire thing. It took a long time to get our bills and even longer to get her to take our credit cards. Another issue was parking--they need to paint lines on their parking lot as this would give them many more parking spaces than the random mess that was happening in their lot that night. Another issue was that there was a wedding reception happening in the banquet room, which is adjacent to the bar area. The bar area quickly became the "lobby" for the reception, which made the area quite noisy and disruptive. Overall, for the price that is charged for food (which is a bit on the high side), the service made the entire experience rather "meh." read more