This place is gonna be really cool. Not quite there -- after two weeks. First, the good stuff. Decor is great. Clean and open. Great bar. Two deck areas, one nearly on top of the Lake Walloon. Top-notch sunset views. However . . . service needs work. Staff treated me like a scofflaw for not paying my bar bill -- though I left the money on the bar. Took 40 minutes to get some nachos chips -- though they came out of a bag. Waitress didn't know how to work salt- shaker, finally dumping a huge tablespoon of salt on the chips. Took forever to get our bill. On the other hand, food was delicious -- we tried the whitefish sandwich and the grilled chicken club. Both excellent. As I said, this place is gonna be great . . . as soon as the folks fix the service issues, read more

We have now returned to the Barrelback in the winter, once for lunch and once for dinner. Both visits rate 5 stars. The pulled pork sliders are amazing and not tiny. So big, I could only eat 2 and took one home. The problems we experienced in the summer with hostesses under or over estimating wait times have apparently been resolved. While we did not have a wait for lunch, we were told there would be a short wait for dinner of 10 minutes, and sure enough we were seated in just under 10 minutes on a busy weekend night. The food is consistently good and they really have top notch wait staff. The view of frozen Walloon Lake in the winter is spectacular and the roaring fire in the center of the room is great. Make sure to watch the ice skaters on the rink just outside the window. read more

Went yesterday while having girls week end in Boyne. The aesthetics of the restaurant are nice, but the chairs are really uncomfortable. Drinks were slow to come, but my Bloody Mary was perfect. There was some confusion about who was supposed be our server. My girlfriend had to ask for water 3 times. We had the smoked chicken dip, which all really enjoyed. The table had a steak sandwich that my friend said wasn't as good as it was last time, a Cobb salad which was good with nice fresh ingredients, but was $16!!!!!! We also had a burger which was "ok", and the smoked pork black bean quesadilla. It was a great concept but was really lacking flavor. I only ate a quarter of it. Overall it has a nice menu and a great view, but it's pricey and I think with all the choices in the area I can't say I would recommend it. read more

Well, where do I begin. Yesterday my family which consisted of 10 people arrived at the restaurant and there were no tables available we had to be accommodated and sit outside. It was a very gusty windy day. The waitresses were very nice and pleasant so was the manager. After a few moments it was too windy outside so I asked them to bring down dysplastic awning to shield some of the wind away from us. We proceeded to place our order with the waitress. We waited 45 minutes for the simple dishes that we ordered. We found the food to be very planned. The description of food on the menu did not match what was served to us. Not likely that I will return back to this eatery. read more

Food was excellent and so was the service. My only complaint was we asked to close one of the windows because my elderly mother could not tolerate the wind. They refused to close and made a 1st time experience for my mother a poor one. read more

A great restaurant nestled right on the foot of Walloon Lake. People there are very service oriented. They have an inside and adjoining patio bar to serve customers on either side. A wide variety of food offerings from breakfast to Dinner. read more

Mediocre food. Rigatoni with sausage over cooked. Hugh sausage chunks. Grey sauce color. Told waitress not happy with meal. Would not come. I guess you go there for the beautiful lake view. read more

I was really disappointed. Ordered the caprese salad, which was 11 dollars. I assumed, which I guess was my problem, that it would be a decently sized salad, with fresh mozzarella, tomato and basil on it. I got three slices of tomato and four small slices of cheese, with wilted, shredded basil on it. The server was perfectly nice, but told me that all she could do was show me the menu where it listed the ingredients, or give me a menu so I could order a second meal, but I would need to pay for the caprese, since it came as described in the menu. It tasted pretty good, but definitely was overpriced and disappointing. I left hungry. read more

Barrel Back is a consistently good breakfast, lunch and dinner spot. I have been enjoying it since it opened and the best thing about it is the atmosphere and the incredible view of Lake Walloon. Just beautiful. The wings are unique in that they are smoked and are super moist. The pizzas are very good and the burger is awesome! read more

I'm going to keep this short and sweet. If you like BBQ and you're anywhere near Walloon Lake, you'd be a fool not to go here. The BBQ is outstanding. I recommend the brisket sandwich with an egg on top. The view of the lake is spectacular. You can thank me after you hit this place up. Highly recommended! read more

Awful. This place has really gone downhill. I used to like this place, but not anymore. There is no longer wifi. And I absolutely abhor restaurants with no free wifi. The wait staff sucks, and service is, well let's just say, non-existent. read more

Just excellent food. Clean plates all around for our group! The pizza was excellent! The shrimp kabobs were so tasty!

Love this place, right on the water, almost anything can be made gluten free. The wings are amazing, and so is the burger, steak sandwich, and pork sliders. read more

We loved the food....was holiday weekend and they were packed. Server was super and food was very good. Will definitely go back. We ordered the wings and they were delicious. One prefer a burger and he thought it was one of the best. I ordered the pasta with brisket and it was super good! read more

I had really high hopes for barrel back. It has a great atmosphere. I have tried BB three times with my girlfriend and we have left feeling disappointed every time. The Angus Burger was not worth the price, the Margarita pizza was tasteless and had way to much dough, and the fettuccine was mediocre at best. We are giving it two stars for the appetizers, which were generously portioned and tasty. We have officially written off barrel back due to their overly priced, sub-par food. read more

Food great! Service sucked....including the flippant server Melissa who felt offended that we had to ask twice for someone to bring us salsa with our Mexican dish. Nice job Melissa read more

Surprise! Another hidden gem near Boyne! Great views and tempting menu.

Ambience exceptional. Seated quickly on Saturday night. The sandwiches ordered were awful. Meat was tough and had no flavor for "brisket" and cheese was unmelted on a "melt" with hardly any sauce as described in description. Will not dine again. A big disappointment. read more

We love this place for off season breakfast and dinner. Quiet, pretty and reliably good. Lovely staff and good food.

Awesome location with gorgeous views. Great beer and cocktail selection, so an awesome place for a drink. I've only had a appetizer to eat here, so I can't speak to the food. I will definitely go back! read more

Could you find a better place to watch the sunset? I think not!! Great menu but more fantastic views. Love the open air dining area. Surrounding shops make it even more fun to be there. Drink menu is extensive and delish, service is friendly. One of my favorite places to eat in the summer. read more

Always a bit of a let down.. Great location and staff, but the food is always inconsistent. It's either been sitting out too long and arrives to the table lukewarm, or the portions are different every time. We go for the convenience of this restaurant (as there are very few dining options around the area), but not for the food. The menu could use an update!! The bar is great for a drink, but the lighting is very dark in the dining room, leaving little ambience to enjoy your meal. read more

Note: The online menu is from July 2017. When I called (3/30/18 1:30 PM) to get more current entree's, the very cold and abrupt attitude of the girl answering the phone was a real turn-off from wanting to go to dinner there. I appreciate that the menu is changed often. But, her attitude definitely makes me wonder how the rest of the customer service would be at this restaurant. read more

Wow. Loved it here. So yummy. I had the fish and chips and they were great. Just wish they gave you a little more fish. The tarter was tasty. The beers were cold and the service was on point. They quoted us 30-40 minute wait for a table but ended up seating us after only waiting 16 minutes. The server was so nice and very attentive, the food came out super fast, hot and delicious. Hope to come back when we visit Northern Michigan again. read more

Not worth the wait ! Food is not very good or consistent . Not a fan of Liquid Smoke flavoring.

This place is super solid. You literally cannot beat the location, or the view, especially when the sun is going down. While it often takes a while to get in, once you do the service is very attentive. I love their beer list, and the menu is a great combination of accessible "small bite" kind of stuff, along with more substantial things like ribs. read more

An odd place with an entrance through a small clothes shop. However the decor is nice and modem with garage doors acting as windows that open up the place on nice days. Excellent beer selection with over 15 craft beers on tap. They use local ingredients from local suppliers. Had the pulled pork Reuben which was excellent. The chopped salad was also a nice healthy option before the reuben. read more

Great location with the deck overlooking Wallon lake. They have a key at the bottom of the menu distinguishing vegetarian and gluten free! As a vegetarian I had the black bean quesadilla.The portion size is quite large. read more

Overall great dinner - the Bloody Mary is just okay. For an app we got the Brie flatbread which was just okay. My caprese salad was spectacular! For dinner I got the steak - it was very fatty and overcooked, but the fries were great! My husband liked the brisket. Got the creme brûlée for dessert, which was amazing. Service was top notch! Will be coming back. read more

Great lunch, well trained servers and prompt delivery of good very reasonably priced food. One of the best Cuban sandwiches ever! Steak fries disappointing, over cooked. Spectacular view of the lake from our second floor table. Will definitely return. read more

Comfortable place with great comfort food and good service. Our server was a real treat and made the meal all the better. Food was good - steak sandwich and caesar salad with anchovies. Even though it was a rainy, overcast day the view of the lake were quite nice. Locals couldn't tell us enough about why we should have a meal here and we were not disappointed. read more

This place USED TO BE great. When they first opened the food was awesome, consistent, and top notch service. Twice now a member of my family has gotten food poisoning from their chicken. When you order your favorite menu item, you never know what you are going to get, how big will it be? What will even be on it? Who knows, high staff turn over and poor management. My son got food poisoning, the manager returned my call to say sorry and he hopes our next experience is better. Lol. You and me both. We eat here a ton. Since we live on the lake it's easy to just take a boat ride in. If we get in the car to head out to dinner- this isn't even an option. If it wasn't on the lake where we live, we would never go here again. Really enjoyed my soggy nachos last night (eye roll). The second star is for the great bartenders. Service is always good- the food is the problem. read more

Never disappointed in this place! Fresh, quality food--delicious and satisfying. The atmosphere is awesome any time of year. If you like carrot cake, save room for their amazing huge slice of heaven--the best I have ever had. Great Michigan beer selection, I always find a new favorite each visit. This is our favorite place in the area read more

Excellent atmosphere and great prices. We ate here twice and really enjoyed the food. Everyone enjoyed the whitefish sandwich and the chopped salad. read more

Went to Barrel Back last night with my hubs and friends. Amazing ambiance, gorgeous view, and good food to boot! Our server was prompt, fun, and gave great recommendations. A great Northern Michigan find that will become a regular stop when we are in the neck of the woods. read more

Gem of a place directly on Walloon Lake. Food is casual, (I was surprised to see so many sandwiches on the dinner menu), but delicious and perfectly executed. Cocktails are perfect. Be sure to stop at the yoga/swim/ surf shop downstairs. read more

My husband and I were in the area for our anniversary last year. Our dinner here was so memorable--the view, service and food made for a very relaxing and enjoyable evening. My husband had the pork belly sandwich and I had the salmon. The pork belly was a better choice maybe for lunch but not dinner--my husband felt it was too rich for him and he wanted some of my salmon! I love salmon, and this was cooked perfectly. I was going to write a review back then, but I forgot. We are planning another trip to the area this summer, and we want to go back! So, I looked it up on Yelp and realized I forgot to put my review in! read more

Love this place . The brisket is great and is a generous portion. The wings are wonderful . Bloody Mary's are a speciality . The cree brulee dessert it amazing. The space and the view is great . Only downside is that there is often a wait all summer for sinner and they do not take reservations read more

We happened upon this place exploring the area. I'm so sad we don't have a place like this near Torch Lake, this restaurant knocks it out of the park! Delicious, creative food, fantastic ambiance, well designed, breathtaking views and such a cool vibe! read more

We were lucky enough to stop in midweek and during a slow day. Even though it was slow, there was definitely a nice romantic atmosphere! We sat overlooking Walloon lake and the docks. There was a live singer who I WISH I had gotten more info from as she was someone I would have liked to listen to again. We had nachos as an appetizer and the BBQ pork sliders and Barrel-back Cuban as entrées. Everything came as described and delicious. The staff was also very friendly and helpful. Our server recommended a really lovely light house beer. Prices were also really fair. I'd definitely enjoy coming back when I'm in the area. read more