Excellent food and service! Prices are reasonable. Food selection is great. Bartenders are great too! Very experienced staff. Atmosphere is great and the restaurant looks amazing! Definitely recommend this restaurant. read more

I've overpaid for a bad meal before, but this is beyond anything I've ever experienced. I was invited to join friends for an Easter buffet here. Nothing prepared me for what happened. No signage mentioned any pricing, but I was completely blindsided by the charge. Even half would have been too much for what was offered. Probably half the food was breakfast stuff (at 5pm), arguably because pancakes and waffles are cheap and the other half was probably Golden Corral-level food in chaffing trays. No carving station. Ham, a pasta dish, and very dry bony chicken were the main courses. When I got the bill--attached, for $65-before tip! I almost fell over. Flemming's prices, not quite Golden Corral quality and selection. I get it was a holiday, but come on now! I've paid less for high end buffets at casinos. I can't imagine ever going back but if I can save one person from being gouged and exploited like this, I'll be happy. read more

See all

I have been coming to Big Bear Lodge since they first opened, and it remains one of my absolute favorite spots. The "Up North" cabin atmosphere is always cozy and welcoming. Over the years, I've tried many things on the menu, but I consistently go back for their ribs, wood-fired pizza, and filet mignon--all are top-tier and cooked to perfection. If you are looking for a place for holiday celebrations, their Easter and Mother's Day brunches are truly top-notch and a family tradition for us. Pro tip: Definitely join their rewards program. One of the best perks is getting your age as a percentage off your meal for your birthday, which is easily one of the best deals around. Highly recommend! read more

See all

I had the filet mignon, it was very small and had no taste. I will not be back and neither will anyone else in my party.

This was not our first visit to BBL but it will definitely be our last. The service from our waitress Rachel was non-existent. The food took about an hour to show up. She brought out food for the table next to us when we had arrived well before them. When my husband simply inquired about the status of our food she responded very defensively and never answered the question. There was no check in about the delay, she essentially disappeared into the kitchen for about 30 minutes having come only to bring us drinks and take our order. We watched her serve other tables that arrived after us. The bread basket was not consistent with the number of people in our party. One basket was brought out for 6 people. No check ins at all. Additionally when bringing out our bill I was floored when she left our credit card sitting unattended in the serving tray as she walked tables away to hand others their plates. It could have easily been stolen without her knowing. Luckily we had our eyes on it but that shouldn't have to be our job. Additionally the table napkins smelled SO BAD like motor oil. We joked that they were mistakenly mixed up with shop towels at the cleaners. Definitely not a good experience and we have decided not to come back. read more

Let me just start out by saying wow - the moment I entered this cozy cabin I was in love with the atmosphere and decor. The seating was nice and spread out and the staff was super nice. The food was great too and lots of options. Great place to relax on Friday night with hubby. Always a pleasant surprise to find a new quality restaurant downriver. read more

Big Bear Lodge - Foyer - Bars Near Me - Brownstown Charter Township, Michigan

This classic wooden cabin restaurant gives up north lodge vibes and is a real treat to visit. The food was excellent. My sangria had tonic water on top, which I didn't like and our server swiftly switched it out for one with sprite which I appreciated! Don't miss this authentic stop when downriver! read more

See all

Delicious food, great ambience and service! Lots to look at with all their cabin decorations inside. Will definitely go back!

Always love the food here. It's on the pricey side but it's good portions and service has always been good. Weekends are busy here as well

Amazing food and the aroma of BBQ when you first walk in the door. Loved the ribs and chicken. The ribs came right off the bone. Wow bring on some more. read more

See all

Food was good. The napkins smelled bad, like rancid oil. They need to give a little more attention to cleaning. I saw cigarette butts on the floor. read more

Getting around to using my birthday discount meal from the E-Club. You get the percent of your age discounted off of your entree. IMO, the best birthday deal around town. I had a well-seasoned, perfectly cooked filet along with a great baked potato, basket of rolls, and a salad. Outstanding! read more

Big Bear Lodge - Perfectly cooked filet mignon and a great baked potato! - Bars Near Me - Brownstown Charter Township, Michigan

See all

We came here with a small group for a birthday dinner. As always the food was quite good. I had the apple almond chicken and it was nice and moist. Someone else in my party had the minute chicken. The chicken in that dish was also moist but there was a decent amount of oil in it which was a bit overwhelming. The places is really a lot of fun as far as the decor goes. Thinking over the top hunting lodge and you pretty much get the idea. It's a bit questionable for vegetarians, but that's probably not their desired market. The service wasn't great. Our server didn't come by to check on us at all and it took a lot of effort to get drink refills. Perhaps an off night. If you want a decent meaty meal in a pretty interesting setting give it a try. read more

See all

This place is known for great steaks and prime rib. First of all, our server was terrifi. I ordered my prime rib medium rare. My meal took 5 minutes longer than the rest of my party of 3 and they ordered other items that needed actual cooking. My prime rib came and it was medium and was also the end of the roast which is generally more well done. I sent it back and after another ar least 5 minutes, the manager brought back my same piece of meat and told me it was medium rare according to her kitchen manager!!! I've never heard of something so ridiculous!!! I asked for another piece of meat and the manager said there weren't any that were "less done." What if I had ordered it rare?!!! That's just not acceptable. What I think is that I got the last piece. Away, terrible management. I won't go back on a Sunday, if at all read more

A roomy yet charming rustic style restaurant. Great service. Huge menu with additional seasonal picks and specials. Fresh, tasty food. Nothing too out there, but solid. We got seated right away. Drinks and a steaming basket of tasty bread were to us in a flash. Our waiter was excellent. Luckily, we had scanned the menu online beforehand because there is a lot to choose from. I picked the artichoke and spinach stuffed chicken breast. It was served over angel hair pasta with a delicious creamy sauce. The chicken was crispy outside, juicy inside. The pasta had fresh pieces of spinach and delicious pieces of artichokes as well. I devoured it happily. My husband misread the menu and thought the crabcakes were a dinner. No worries, he still got them. Hearty and generous, they made a great spring meal. He also loved both sauces. To round it out, he added the marshmallow topped sweet potatoes. I was afraid they would be cloying and way too sweet. Somehow, they managed to avoid that and were fantastic. We ate desserts because we were way too tempted. The Almond Joy bread pudding that was on special was incredible. Coconuty with just the right amount of chocolate, it was decadent with the creme anglaise. My husband had the hot fudge cream puff, which just the sight of made other diners inquire about. One bite took me right back to my Detroit childhood. We will be back. read more

I went back-and-forth on posting this review, but the more I think about it, the more consistently inconsistent this establishment is. we've gone several times in the last year, and every time it seems like either the kitchen is off, or the wait staff is off. More times than not, it's the waitstaff. Last night we were there to celebrate my dad's birthday, and it was a Wednesday evening, so it wasn't overly packed. We were seated, and the waitress was prompt in taking our drink orders, but then it took her a while to bring them back to the table. We had seen them sitting on the end of the bar for quite some time. Then my mom said she needed a minute or two to look at the menu, and the waitress disappeared for 15 more minutes. She was apparently dealing with another table that weren't happy, but when she did come back, she took our order and we asked for bread. She told us it was coming out of the oven soon. 10 minutes later, we ask again, and she's like oh I'll go get it. What she served us did not just come out of the oven. It was ice cold. Then we're having a conversation amongst our table and we're waiting on our food, and she asks us if we saw when the other table left. We're like no. Then she proceeds to go on about how they shorted her on the check, and while I understand, that's crummy, she then proceeds to talk about how that's ridiculous, they were a problem, they didn't leave a tip, but short the means that she's gonna have to pay for it now and we were all just like ok? Then the food came and my dad asked for water three times before my mom finally gave him hers. Then we asked for to go boxes, and it took her a while to remember those. Then we asked for two desserts to go, and she put one in a to go case and gave us the other one at the table with a bunch of forks. When we said that we wanted that to go, she says we can give you a box. The problem is is that it was a bread pudding which came with a topping, and when my husband asked if we could get another topping to go, she says you can, but that will be an additional charge. He didn't wanna argue because it had taken her long enough to get us everything, so we just took everything and left. While, that seems to be an out of normal experience, I'm afraid it's not. Once in a blue moon, we get a server who is on top of everything and we don't have to wait for anything, but more times than not we have someone who has issues, we had another waiter that was clearly high, and I had said something to another server And she was like yeah no he's just like that. So while the food is pretty good, the service is something you'll need to have patience with. read more

Hands down, without any doubt the best Sirloin I have ever had. The 10oz sirloin is unbelievable. The server was absolutely amazing. On top of her game all night. The Ambience is incredible with the rustic feel, and the smells of a wood fire burning. It's so good. This place copied on my side of town in Macomb would need its own bank because it would print money. If I had to say one negative thing, it would be the hostesses. They lacked any sort of personality or hospitality. read more

Been coming here for a long time and always look forward to their Veggie burger & hot fries. Great choices for unique salads that you Don't get at other restaurants. I like the seasonal selections of desserts. I live north of Lake Orion and always look forward to meeting up with friends to eat dinner. They always like their choices and find this Restaurant as a hidden gem. Everyone enjoys the "up north" Michigan vibe. The wooden, log cabin decor is very unique and the Artifacts make for fun conversation. Michigan residents will totally understand....Petosky stones (fireplace) and all. read more

When we got here this place really looked and felt we were in the U.P. Because it gives off that up north vibe. We put our names at the desk and they said it was a 25 minute wait but within 5-10 mins they had a table for us, for that time being before getting our seats we went to the bar and ordered drinks, this is where I realized I don't like Mules, any kind of Moscow mule concoction. We got to our seats and it was definitely log cabin seating with lots of wood, the atmosphere is amazing! So we sat down, ordered food and waited for all of it to come, I ordered the Lakeside Whitefish with a side salad and a baked potato. The wife ordered The Lodge House Grilled Sirloin Steak, we both had a baked potato as our side item and we also got the Crispy Brussel Sprouts as an appetizer. Our side salads came first and I had a crispy Caesar salad, it was fresh, crispy, crunchy and delicious, the croutons were HUGE! Next came out our Brussel Sprouts and let me tell ya when they said they were crispy they weren't lieing, they were crispy and delicious. The sauce they were glazed in tasted caramel glazed and it was just soaking in it which made them so flavorful. Definitely worth the taste. Next, our main course came to us, the Lake side White fish looked amazing and the added pasta really made it fulfilling. It was very delicious and it wasn't very fishy, the sauce had a creamy taste and the tomatoes were nice and juicy. The wife had the Lodge House Grilled Sirloin Steak and she asked for it Medium Rae but they brought it out way overcooked, it was more like well done. It wasn't that good and had a bit of a leathery taste. I know if we come back I won't be ordering steaks because I hope that's not medium rare to them. By the time we were done eating and drinking we had no more room for the Baked Potato and dessert so we took those to go. All in all the service was great, the food was amazing (as long as you're not getting a steak) and the atmosphere was really cool. This is a place I would love to come back and try the other fish they had on the menu. read more

See all

Been coming here for a long time, very good food, especially the pork loin and artichoke dip. Also love how everything is wood inside, gives it a cottage feel. Very nice. read more

Super cozy, cool decor, and the food was great! Our waitress was very nice as well and the service was great. Would definitely return!

We went to the restaurant on Christmas Eve day to do a take out order. We were told to go to the bar area and there we could put our order in. We went to the bar (no one was there) so we sat at a booth to look at the menu. We had just sat down and a young lady walked up to the table and said we could not sit there we explained to her that we just wanted to order a take out order at that point she rolled her eyes and huffed. We asked if she could take the order and she said no. We got up and left. The girl was very disrespectful!!!!!!! read more

My husband and I went to Big Bear to celebrate his 62nd birthday. The restaurant was crowded-a good sign. We were seated and given a nice corner booth. We ordered stuffed mushrooms, buffalo meatloaf, and split a huge slab of blueberry lemon cake. We enjoyed our meal and hope to come back! read more

See all

I have eaten here since it opened in 2001 since I worked 16 years just west of it and lived in a city about 10 miles south. The service and the quality of the food kept me and all of my coworkers coming back again and again. Even my picky ex husband could find a few things to eat. EBS laughed when I used this place as a bribe to get Tom to do something to help me out while EBS were dating. Too bad EBS never got to enjoy it also. My dinning Meetup group told me that the food, service, and the decor was worth the drive thru lots of road work from northern Detroit suburbs. Most had a hard time deciding on what to order and what they ordered were enjoyed. The service was great even with the place packed. Being packed it was a little loud but that is not the norm. For those who are not familiar with Metro Detroit residents love affair with the "up North" of Michigan might not under that the decor reflections the old decor of cabins in the woods. It seems anyone born before 1970 seemed to wish they lived up there and many even retired up there. That notion has always been loss on me, but I do enjoy seeing it anyway. Glad I could finally get back and hope it will not be another 5 years for the next visit. read more

See all

Big Bear Lodge is my favorite place to eat when visiting family in Brownstown Twp, Michigan! I always order the same entree, Honey Maple Salmon. As its name suggests, the decor is a rustic country log cabin lodge. The service is always courteous and efficient. If ordering/picking up carry-out, there is a corner of the bar area with a sign designating the area to do so. If dining in, I highly recommend making a reservation in advance as this place is popular and for good reason in my opinion. read more

Big Bear is one of our favorites. Good food and service. The ambiance of a woodsy lodge. The filet is amazing and my husband's favorite along with the pork loin or white fish. You won't be disappointed. read more

We definitely want to go back. The service was great. They were helpful with suggestions for us as first time visitors. The ambiance is great, very cozy. Only drawback is the hours. We wanted to take friends there for lunch on Saturday and found out the my open up at 3p. read more

We haven't been to Big Bear Lodge, in a while, and I have to say, I was disappointed. This has nothing to do with service, the hostess and wait staff were great, this has everything to do with portion size. First off, if you want bread, you have to ask for it, it's no longer a staple for the table. The food tasted ok, but you got very little for the cost. I ordered the 16oz Ribeye steak, with a baked potato for $44. The steak was a very thin cut, MAYBE a half inch thick, and in no way weighed 16oz maybe 8 at the most. Also, they no longer include the daily vegetable with your dinner, that's extra. Also, the menus are a sheet of paper rather than an actual menu and not in the best of shape. In my opinion, this restaurant has cut back on everything except the prices. It wasn't worth the almost $200 I paid for 3, for dinner. read more

Went there for birthday dinner and to say I am truly disappointed is a understatement . Over a hour wait to receive food and all table around us received their food . Mgmt is a huge joke . There was an issue in the kitchen . No apologies no offer for discount due to problems . She seem not interested. Ruined entire experience. Need to go to mgmt training in taking care of customer . Again disappointing to write this review but you ruined a persons dinner and that wasn't even done right and didn't want to send back because how long would that take . Side note the waitress said see doesn't know what is going on in the kitchen . She was great . Mgmt response horrible !!! read more

My family and I came for a birthday dinner. It was great service and food was soooo delicious. I had a Caesar salad for appetizer. The bread was amazing entrée. I had the prime rib with jumbo shrimp. Madison was so wonderful. Will definitely come back again read more

We had dinner there yesterday (2/23/23). We ordered one Whitefish dinner and the deep fried Northern Pike. Both were excellent, cooked to perfection. The service was great and very professional, we received our food and drinks in minutes. The decor and atmosphere of this place is fantastic. You actually feel like you're up north! We will be going back soon. read more

Food was great! Prices reasonable and atmosphere was fun. Would recommend for sure. We all had side salads with our dinner and they were the best we have had. read more

Immaculate eatery that takes you from Trenton Michigan to the ambience of wild Alaska. Absolutely stunning. The food is excellent although a bit pricey. Very good service. read more

See all

The atmosphere of this higher level restaurant reflects the Upper Peninsula and lakes of Mi. We love the food and atmosphere. The place our family gravitates to for celebrations and gatherings. read more

First time coming here was passing through and we found this place. Glad we did it had an awesome ambience with camping, wildlife, rustic items all over. Very cool lodge feel for a being close to a city. I went with a couple friends and we all got something slightly different but everything we ate was delicious. If I'm back on this side of town would definitely come back. They also had a good drink specials. read more

See all

I'll just give the highlights - More Bad than Good unfortunately Good - Atmosphere, nice menu choices. Most meals were OK or good. Bad - Spinach appetizer had a nice taste but was barely warm. Would have good if it was hot. A salad with chicken was ordered and the chicken was literally Pink on the inside -not done at all which can make you ill. The person who ordered it was afraid to eat it as it looked way undercooked. They ate the salad and left the chicken. Was too embarrassed to say anything because an elderly couple was paying for and would have been embarrassed after picking this place. A drink that comes in a martini glass was ordered - It was just over half full. Not even 2/3's. I didn't expect it to be to the rim but barely over half full - wow. especially for the price. Our server was just going through the motions but we felt like we were bothering her just ordering and being there. My parents who are elderly and I haven't seen in a while and they were very excited to have me with them for my birthday. They exclaimed to the server that it was my birthday and she looked at me without smiling and said 'OK'. My parents were not fishing for any freebies but simply very happy to have me with them and speaking their minds out loud! It would have been nice to have a smile and have them say something like 'Happy birthday' or 'thanks for being here on your birthday'. I come from a customer service background so these things go through my mind! My family is looking for a place to celebrate a birthday & holiday party and we had high hopes for place but wont go back. read more

This is one of the best chicken dishes I have ever had! The fried Mac and cheese bites were a great sized and very hole made tasting. The service was excellent. 100% going back. I read more

Big Bear Lodge - Stuffed spinach, and artichoke chicken - Bars Near Me - Brownstown Charter Township, Michigan

It was a happy occasion that brought us here; our daughter gave birth to a healthy baby boy at the nearby hospital, so since we'd been up several hours, it was time to re-charge. Big Bear Lodge is a themed, non-chain restaurant in the downriver area that makes you feel like you're at Disney World. The Wilderness Lodge, to be specific. And, I'm perfectly okay with that. Let's go through the Big 3: Food Quality: I have a feeling that everything on the menu is satisfying. My pasta dish was nicely prepared, featuring a large portion size. I was pleasantly surprised. Ambience: As I mentioned, prepare for a themed experience. Even the plates have the Big Bear Lodge logo on them. That's a nice touch. T-shirts and other gear are available for purchase. Service: Our server was an experienced, delightful woman who never disappeared and didn't let my glass run dry. The only thing keeping this review from being four or five stars was a fairly significant mistake she made. We were assured that the bun on our son's bison burger had no sesame seeds (he has a severe food allergy to sesame seeds). When his food arrived, there couldn't have been any more sesame seeds on the bun - as if the bun itself was made from them instead of flour and yeast. We caught it in time, but a glaring error like that can result in the deployment of an Epinephrine Auto-Injector (epipen), which we didn't have with us, followed by what would have been a trip to the emergency room. They had no substitutes, other then plain bread, so he ate it as a meat-only type of thing. So anyway, great food. Nice atmosphere. Just that one potentially life-threatening mistake. read more

Big Bear Lodge - Grilled chicken fettuccine alfredo - Bars Near Me - Brownstown Charter Township, Michigan

See all

Let me start off with this, as soon as I got to the restaurant it was very cute and nice. It was very clean and organized. They had a great amount of tables, the food was great and how I exactly wanted it. I ordered a medium well sirloin steak with mashed potatoes and it was perfect, I completely recommend it. The service was very amazing too, very nice, respectable and organized. It's a very nice place and I really recommend it. read more

Big Bear Lodge - medium well, sirloin steak - Bars Near Me - Brownstown Charter Township, Michigan

We've been fans of BBL for years, but our last visit has encouraged us to find a new go-to place. We walked in at 6 pm on a Monday to see plenty of open tables, but were told there would be a wait. Okay, no idea why there would be a wait, but we are hungry and I'm craving buffalo meatloaf, so we sit at the bar on the right side since there was no room on the left (next to where the waitstaff gets the drinks. I had waved at the bartender to let her know we were sitting on the right side of the bar. She walks past us to grab things, and goes back to the other side a couple times. After about ten minutes she comes to take our drink order, it takes another ten minutes to bring the drinks to us. Meanwhile, the folks sitting on the left side of the bar, her comfort zone apparently, cash out and leave. The other two people, who came in after us, are sitting there are eating. I flag her down again to come take our food order and she says, "oh yeah, be right there." She continues to putz around doing god knows what else. After sitting there for 40 minutes, she hasn't come back to take our order, my husband is mad and we're still starving, so we left. I know businesses will say they are shorthanded or whatever to cover up poor service, but this was not from understaffing. It's a shame, we've always enjoyed the cozy atmosphere in the restaurant, but we can deal with carry out if I ever have a buffalo meatloaf craving. read more