Great service and nice people. Menu is solid and easily shareable. Great marina views too!

I suggested to my family we have an early birthday dinner for my husband at this restaurant. The restaurant was not busy at all. We ordered our drinks, then our food. Three of us ordered soup and entrees. After waiting quite awhile for the soup, we finally saw the waitress who had disappeared and asked about the soup. She said she'd check. After another wait, she came out with our entrees. We asked about the soup again. She finally came out with the soup! Now this is not entirely her fault, but she also never came back to ask if everything was okay. On the drive home, I realized the cornbread was missing from my meal. Beautiful view from the restaurant, but kitchen and wait staff can do better. read more

Always a treat! In the many years that we have visited the barrel back, we've always had a very good meal. Staff is attentive. Drinks are good and you can't beat the views. The brisket can feed more than just myself and I am a healthy eater. The wings aren't my favorite, but they're good if that makes any sense. read more

Enjoyed lunch with 6 girlfriends on a beautiful, sunny summer afternoon. Atmosphere was great as we enjoyed a lake breeze and views of beautiful Walloon Lake. Our server was great and food was served promptly and was excellent. The girls ordered wings for the table and those who ate them, raved about them. I enjoyed a summer salad with chicken breast and days later, I want to go back for another one! Super fresh, flavorful and perfect amount the smoked flavor on the chicken. Others ordered the Mediterranean pizza with chicken and it too was excellent. read more

Barrel Back Restaurant - New American Near Me - Walloon Lake, Michigan

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Delicious food and great views. The bruschetta is delicious and I really enjoyed my pasta. The kids pizza is huge and also really good. Must stop if you are in the area. read more

Whenever I find myself within a 40 minute drive of Barrel Back, I make my way over. I'm a BIG fan of all of there food and haven't had a bad meal there. Staff is super friendly and I had the opportunity to chat with FOH manager and he was great. The variety of options are always a highlight and I adore their rotating flavors of creme brulee (espresso is my favorite)! I'd recommend this establishment to a friend without hesitation. read more

Ate on the patio. We were so grateful to have a place to sit and eat, even if it was a little chilly when the wind blew. The drinks we had were good, especially the spiked hot chocolate. Great gluten free options, which is key for my family. We enjoyed the food and the accommodating staff. Also, it is super fun to walk through a store with some great products on the way in. Looking forward to being back sometime when we can sit around their cozy looking fireplace. read more

Came here for Friday Night Fish n Chips. It was my 5th visit, all rather unremarkable. But this time, my mom wanted to treat us to fish n chips during Lent. 3 - $24 metal buckets of 'where's the fish' and Cajun fries that were dry & rock hard as if 3 days old. Terrible. My mom immediately complained, and credit goes to our server who brought out a nice size piece of fish for her on a plate. That was nice, but unfortunately the verdict is in - we will not return. read more

HUGE PORTIONS!!! I give this restaurant and experience 3 stars. 5 stars for the ambiance. 3 stars for my food - salmon and salad okay) and the specialty drinks no stars. My first drink- A simple lemon drop martini was dark cloudy lemon juice with vodka. Send back and second one was same less lemon juice. Google a martini recipe please. I finally got a glass of wine 35 minutes after all drinks had been served. Next up food. Two side salads. One came out early. Second one didn't come Until dinner. I ordered Brussel sprouts for my side and They were forgotten and came after we were finished with dinner. I told the server, twice, if they were not place not to bring them. They came 20 minutes later. Truthfully the food would be good if they remembered all orders. Sent out side salads together before dinner and not leave out a side dish. Quality was pretty good. The execution was not. Now for the pro's. My friend got the brisket. It was absolutely amazing. The Brussel sprouts are amazing. Mine didn't come but I had some of my dinner mates. The grilled romaine salad is off the charts. Creme Brûlée gorgeous. read more

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5 stars on food alone. Excellent setting right on Walloon Lake. Warm, welcoming indoor fire pit. Try the nachos and wings! Definitely going to return for another trip to explore more on the menu. read more

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My husband enjoyed the burger and kettle chips that he ordered while I enjoyed the tender pulled pork sliders with the kettle chips. The service was very good and the view from our table was overlooking Wallon lake. It looks like when warm weather hits, the garage type glass doors around the restaurant open up letting the breeze off the lake flow in. Our visit this time was in January and the warmth from the open fireplact / pit kept us plenty warm. read more

Barrel Back Restaurant - View from our table - New American Near Me - Walloon Lake, Michigan

Everything was excellent. My only comment would be that the stroganoff tasted more like Alfredo sauce.

Great location but very mediocre food. The appetizers seem to be the best thing on the menu. The pasta was the most boring/bland pasta my family has ever eaten. I got the steak which was okay but wasn't a $50 dollar steak by any means. The food all looks good but could use some revamping on the spices/seasonings. read more

Wonderful service, live music and incredible food. I highly recommend the black bean quesadilla. Thank you to Phil for the recommendation. The wait is a little longer but worth every minute. Coastal dining brought to Michigan! read more

Barrel Back Restaurant - Black Bean Quesadilla - New American Near Me - Walloon Lake, Michigan

Our family stopped here for an appetizer while visiting Walloon Lake and my husband and I enjoyed a drink too. We shared the nachos, it was enough for the 4 of us to enjoy but still a little pricey for what you got. The view and the breeze off the lake was great! Overall, we enjoyed our short visit to the Barrel Back and I would return for another visit. read more

Barrel Back Restaurant - Black Bean Nachos - New American Near Me - Walloon Lake, Michigan

So cold inside and staff was just as chilly! The ambiance was very loud and busy. The service was timely but rude. We ordered the grilled romaine salad and every bite was gritty. We complained to wait staff and host. The hostess said "we don't wash the romaine and you just got a really bad one" Shocking ... all lettuce should be washed and romaine usually grows in sandy soil conditions. It's too bad because we really depended on this restaurant because we were staying next door at the Wallon Inn. read more

Great upscale casual restaurant on Walloon lake with awesome views and patio. They had an extensive beer selection, and the food was good! Lots of options on the menu. We started with the smoked wings with bourbon BBQ sauce and they were huge & delicious! We ordered the chopped salad, brie, apple & pecan flat bread (more like a dessert than an appetizer), the orecchiette pasta with smoked brisket (yummy, but definitely a heavy dish, cream based) and the cajun chicken sandwich (which was a bit disappointing). Amazing view of the water and friendly service. read more

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They have fantastic views and the place has a nice vibe. The food is not very good at all

Went with 2 huge cups of brisket chili - was very good, just enough spice, kind of thick - enjoyed it. Could of ordered only one. Added in 12 chicken wings, 6 Korean rubbed, 6 buffalo- both were really good also. Although shared ,Over ordered on this also. Must have thought I was hungry- lol. $35 with tip. read more

My husband and I split a smoked brisket pizza and an order of Jambalaya. The pizza was topped with brisket, pickled red onion, capers, arugula, roasted mushrooms, and mozzarella cheese. The flavor was great, but the whole thing would have been better had the crust not been so dried out and hard and even better yet if the cheese covered more then just a circle in the middle. There was absolutely no cheese on either end (it was oval shaped). The brisket left a bit to be desired too, most of it was either dried up or a mass of fat. I got a big mouth full of fat that I had to spit into a tissue as their napkins were cloth. I guess I liked the capers, onions, mushrooms, and arugula. The Jambalaya was a little spicy but good. I would eat here again, I just wouldn't get pizza. read more

We stumbled upon this gem in northern Michigan. Great food, service, atmosphere and spectacular view of Walloon Lake read more

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Was at the restaurant a couple years ago and food was pretty good. Went to the restaurant this past weekend over Thanksgiving weekend and food was just not good. Both women didn't finish there 2 different salads. One looked like it came out of a bag and a little brown. The fish sandwich was ok, but very greasy. The good news is that the staff was very friendly :-) Hopefully in a couple more years the food will be back on track, as it's a great location. read more

My parents brought us here for dinner. I grew up vacationing on Walloon Lake before moving to Lake Charlevoix in Boyne City. I am town in visiting now from New York and this place is worth a great Yelp review. The atmosphere is great for a water front on an inland lake. Sort of industrial but still comfortable for my older parents. They offer an elevator and two sets of stairs to make your way to the restaurant on the second floor. We had the whitefish sandwich, black bean quesadilla, and barbecue chicken flatbread pizza. All were very tasty. The waitstaff, Felicia, was efficient and friendly. I would definitely steer people this way. read more

Still a nice fun place to eat with awesome atmosphere on the lake, good service. The big change this year is the menu continues to shrink. Flexible in the it's good for families or the bar stuff. The food is good and consistent, but the choices are slim. We continue to dine here but wish for a higher bar for them to reach for variety given the high price. I recommend the Cuban sandwich or the wings. read more

One of our favorites. My favorite is the bbq sliders. They always seem to be very busy but waits are usually short. The restaurant is located at the foot of Walloon Lake and have a great view from inside because of the large window doors that are open in good weather and their second story deck or the lake level bar read more

The food at the Barrel Back Restaurant was absolutely top-notch. The setting was lovely, overlooking Walloon Lake. The service was only okay. One of our party asked to have his burger served cut in half and was told the server would bring him a knife. That's just not acceptable. However, the other servers seemed on the ball and we had a good time bantering with them on what was a not-very-busy night. The star of the show was the maple crusted beef brisket, which was to die for. The corn bread was pretty darn good, too. The pasta was decent, but nothing to write home about. The jambalaya was not jambalaya but was okay. read more

Can't bring your inside drink outside. So I go outside to get another $15 drink and me and a party of 2 get served after a party of 6 boaters show up after us. 8/10/23 8pm read more

Meat is dry and hostess are rude and pleasant. Atmosphere is good but please select another restaurant.

Gave it a fourth try but I'm sorry, food is simply not good. Service is fine, ambiance dull. But on a Monday in northern Michigan, pickens are slim. read more

Great atmosphere and we go every year when we are boating on Walloon. I appreciate the unique menu items, and gf options. Mixed drinks are always good too. Nice beer selection. Good staff. We had Buffalo chicken dip(kinda skimpy) but good. We all had different sandwiches from fish to Cubans- so good. Wish you guys would just add fries to entrees, instead of chips.. read more

Was not all that it was cracked up to be, will not go back. Chicken wings were a big disappointment for 6 little wings $20, come on, waitress said they were big but I think she meant price. Mediterranean pizza was also disappointing. On a positive note the service was good. Value 1 to 2 stars... read more

Well, decided to try it again last Tuesday. I met a friend there hoping to get breakfast. We walked in at 11.03 am and asked if we could still get breakfast. There was not one other customer in the restaurant. The waitress said they stopped serving it at 11:00. We said it is only 3 minutes after and we would really like breakfast. She said no. So, we looked at the lunch menu and asked what the soup was. She said she didn't know since the soups are not out yet! We said we can't get breakfast and the soups for lunch are not out? We left. There were 4 waitresses and a cook there with not one customer and they would not accommodate breakfast 3 minutes past the time. We won't be going back any time soon. read more

"Fancy" restaurant but in my opinion still Overpriced. I mean it's Walloon what do you expect? They charge the prices they charge because they can with all the rich people coming to and fro into Walloon. read more

This is one of my favorite summer and winter restaurants in the area. The views are amazing and the atmosphere is very cozy regardless of the season. In the winter they have a great happy hour. My salad was great and all entrees came out in huge proportions! You really can't go wrong with this place. The menu has an extensive list of GF/vegan options and really puts in the effort to cater to all dietary restrictions. read more

Barrel Back Restaurant - New American Near Me - Walloon Lake, Michigan

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We have been here over an hour and have not received our food. All of the people in the bar area who arrived 15. - 20 minutes after we arrived have received their orders. read more

Service could not have been better, especially during such crazy times trying to find staff. The view and beers were great along with the Buffalo chicken dip not disappointing. Only reason it's a 4 and not a 5 is due to the shrimp po boy. There were legit only 4 chewy shrimp on a dry bun. Not worth the $20 it cost. read more

Barrel Back Restaurant - Shrimp po boy - New American Near Me - Walloon Lake, Michigan

Great find. We had the smoked wings, delicious and pulled pork sliders, so good. This is a spot you must visit if you are in the area.

Went the weekend before July 4th for lunch. I wanted fish, but the only had it in a sandwich so i got it. Nice big piece of beer battered fish, I'm not a fish sandwich lover so I didn't eat the bun, but it looked like a good one (brioche). Anyway- we got the smoked wings too. I can't believe how much they cost! I didn't know it at the time, someone just told me today. I don't like chicken wings typically, but these looked pretty good so I had one; delicious! A little crispy... not all saucy and messy, great taste! Our waiter was new, but did a great job. Nice to sit outside and enjoy the view. When did chicken wings get so expensive everywhere?! Even so, I'd get them here again. read more

This spot is great for cocktails, apps, and watching a beautiful N. Michigan sunset. Sit on the deck for optimal experience. Really nice atmosphere. read more

Solid place. The salmon was amazing as were the wings. We had to escape the bland Boyne resort restaurants and were so happy to find this place. Right on the water with a beautiful view read more