This place has always been in TC but I didn't realize how good it was until I just recently went after not going for years. We sat at a high top by the bar and the service was amazing and the food was so delicious! I got crispy sweet potato fries, blondie sundae, fried pickle appetizers, and pulled pork mac n cheese! All amazing, especially the pulled pork. Loved this place and will be coming in more often now! read more

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Excellent BBQ place! Good atmosphere, great service, and wonderful food! We had the ribs and pork mac and cheese, and both were excellent. I feared the pork would be too salty like many other places, but it turned out just right. The ribs are flavorful and my favorite part is the fries! I have not encountered fries, which excited me, in a while. read more

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We entered through the rear and were directed to the front to the hostess stand to be seated. My friend enjoyed the pulled pork burrito with tortilla chips. My entree was the four-meat BBQ sampler with seasoned fries and coleslaw. I also ordered a side of three cheese macaroni and cheese. Each sample size was a generous portion. I enjoyed all the meats and ranked them in the following order: Brisket- lean, dark bark, smoked well. Pulled pork- smoked well and tender. Chicken- smoked very well. It didn't even need sauce. Ribs-It was a bit chewy and needed work to get it off the bone. Two cornbreads were a nice touch, and we used them for dessert. The seasoned fries were good and plentiful. The coleslaw was average. The macaroni and cheese was not hot, watery, and flat. I would not get that again. I'm not a fan of the 3% inflation fee, but at least they don't charge a credit card fee on top of it. patio, high, low top, booth, and bar seating exist. Craft beer and mixed drinks are available. Excellent service provided. The place is clean, but it is expensive and a bit loud. I would recommend it. read more

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We had a group of 90 women that Adam customized a special menu for that also was accompanied by a bourbon flight! It was magnificent. Three types of meat and Mac and cheese and vegetables. Delicious. And great service! read more

Blue Tractor Barbeque - Cocktails and bourbon tastes - American Near Me - Traverse City, Michigan

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The atmosphere here is eclectic maybe to the extreme. It looks like they went to every antique shop in Traverse City and bought them out. The walls are decked out in a little bit of everything. The eclectic goes to the extremes when it comes to the lighting. I don't think there's 2 lights that are the same, except they at least look old and are cool looking. The eclectic works, creating a fun and welcoming space with a sense of history. I ordered the Three Meats Bbq Platter ($30) with Ribs, Pulled Pork, and Bourbon Chipotle Chicken. Served with french fries and coleslaw. The meats were all excellent. The bourbon Chipotle sauce on the chicken was wonderful. The fries were good, but nothing special. The coleslaw was okay. My biggest disappointment was they don't have Bbq baked beans, a bbq place without beans boooo. The person I was with ordered the Brisket sandwich ($18). She stated it was excellent. The service was excellent. Overall a 1 star because of no beans. Lol, just joking. It's a solid 5 star review. Would I return? Absolutely, Traverse City is lucky to have such a good bbq restaurant. read more

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Do not waste your money, the food is dry and lacks any real flavor. The Mac and cheese had barely any cheese read more

The food was good. The service was good. It was affordable. I have no complaints. The reviews on here don't do it justice.

Positives: - Atmosphere was super cool, would be a great place to get drinks with friends... that is it. Negatives: - Jalapeño/queso app was one of the worst things I have had, and it was recommended by the waitress... no flavor, no spice, AVOID AT ALL COSTS - Split 4 meat platter with another person, meat came out to us COLD, tough, and slathered in bbq. Can definitely tell the meats were underdone/quickly smoked as they were lackluster in taste. No smoke ring, definitely trying to cover up lack of flavor with a mediocre sauce. When we said something to the waitress about cold meat, the solution was to bring more mediocre, room temp food rather than having a manager come over to rectify this issue. Don't waste $40 on this platter - Mac n Cheese had no seasoning, very bland - one in our group order a salad, and legitimately had 20+ pickles in her salad... more pickles than lettuce Overall, I have not been this disappointed in a bbq place in a long time. Went 45 mins out of way to spend $150+ on lackluster food I could make at home in my oven. AVOID AT ALL COSTS. I WILL NEVER GO BACK, EVEN IF IT IS FREE read more

Not great unfortunately. We stepped to the hostess stand at 8:14... waited about 5-6 minutes- no hostess. Finally flagged down a waiter or bartender who said she would be there in a minute and perhaps was in the restroom. Waited longer. After seating waited again. Restaurant was not busy- Thursday night. Eventually ordered. Brisket and sides was pretty disappointing- sides were cold. Brisket itself was ok but sauce was not great. Waiter never returned to check on us. We get it- close is 9pm, but man. We arrived at 8:15, and there is no excuse for that quality of food and service. We won't return, and we will continue to search for decent barbecue in Northwest Michigan. :( read more

Blue Tractor Barbeque - American Near Me - Traverse City, Michigan

We really wanted to love this place but it did fall short. Positives: - queso and Jalapeno dip appetizer was very good. - favorful Brisket. ( A little bit tough and dry) - The kid's chicken tenders meal was good. Negatives: - the Mac and cheese had no flavor and was dry. Hardly no cheese. - The waitress was nice but hardly came by to check on us. It took a while to find her to flag her down. ( The restaurant wasn't that busy) - $$$ not really worth the price tag. read more

First time ever done that had decent Yelp ratings let me down. Food was just ok. Maybe not even that good. Ribs were tough. Brisket was a small portions ($26) and honestly expensive for what you get. Four of us agreed so it wasn't just me chicken and waffles with the burned side of the waffle placed down on my plate so I would not notice. Go to taproot instead. That place was very good. read more

If you consider the perfect Monday night a fire, a delicious hard cider on tap & an amazing chowder, then you NEED to eat here. This is our go-to comfort food place every time we're in TC. It's not a successful trip without a cup of smoked chicken corn chowder & a pulled pork sandwich. With its rustic decor, local drink offerings & delicious smoked meats, Blue Tractor is a great spot in TC to relax & grab a drink with friends. Flavors are always on point. It's always service with a smile! read more

The Blue Tractor combines fine cooking with the friendly familiarity of an old-bar feel. Try their Whole Hog Quesadilla. This isn't the slapdash affair the average bar throws together. The Tractor's kitchen takes pride in this creation, from the pulled pork to the side of corn relish. If you're fond of IPAs, pair the quesadilla with an Odd Side. The flavors won't run together as they would with an ale. And Odd Side's IPA isn't so fruity that it'll neutralize the quesadilla's flavors. Instead, you'll get fresh tastes of them both with every sip and bite. One more thing: the service was excellent. We'd have expected less, seeing as we visited the Tractor during the Traverse City Cherry Festival, which is among the Tractor's busiest weeks. But though the house was full and we were seated at the bar, the bartender and server were as prompt, thoughtful, and friendly as they could be. As a result, the Blue Tractor did more than just serve exceptional food; it offered a classic good bar experience. read more

it was alright. the food was good, but there wasn't really anything we wanted so we just ordered appetizers. our waitress was very nice. the ambiance was... depressing, to be honest. even the hostess seemed bored. also they serve powerade which is kinda funny read more

Blue Tractor Barbeque - Powerade - American Near Me - Traverse City, Michigan

Another trip to Traverse City and another stop at Blue Tractor BBQ! The salad with pulled pork is indescribably delicious! The portions are sufficient. I love it. The croutons are also unique and tasty. read more

Being from Texas when I saw the Brisket BBQ joint in the Downtown District I said We should try it. When you order a Brisket sandwich at a barbecue restaurant Moist and Juicy come to mind not Dried Out. MAC and Cheese well I can say there was the MAC but NO Cheese. The Owners need to come down to Houston to see how it done read more

Service was fine, no complaints there Food was just ok, brisket and ribs were dry. Pulled pork and smoked chicken were pretty good. Ambiance was fine, it was your typical bar/ bbq joint Overall, $100 for mediocre bbq and two kids meals just wasn't worth it. Save your time and money read more

Our review might be slightly biased based upon the circumstances of our visit... Saturday Michigan vs. Michigan State football game. Cold day, good game (even though we don't really cheer for either team), nice people (not too crowded), good service, tasty food, and a decent beer list. Great building, on the site of one of the original taverns in Traverse City, roomy enough for a small crowd but intimate enough for visiting with friends. Highly recommend the corn chowder, salads, homemade chips, and almost any of the sandwiches. We all left full, partially courteous of a generous portion of dessert shared among the three of us. Go check it out for yourself! We will be back in future visits to the area. P.S. the only negative of our visit was that the cookies in the ice cream sandwich were hard and crunchy. In our collective opinion, this dessert would have hit it out of the park had the cookies been warm and chewy. read more

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We are from Texas and so saying the bbq Mac is amazing is saying a lot! The drinks are also delicious read more

Blue Tractor Barbeque - American Near Me - Traverse City, Michigan

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We had high hopes for this bbq joint in Traverse City but weren't blown away. The hubs and I came in on a Monday evening after traveling to town and ordered the macaroni and cheese entree and Big Squealer (pulled pork) sandwich with apple slaw added on. Nothing was worth writing home about besides the delicious bbq sauce and bbq kettle chips. The mac and cheese was bland - though, props for using cavatappi noodles, those were cool! For the price ($13 for mac and cheese and $11 for the sandwich) we wished it was more satisfying. Love that they serve local Michigan beers! read more

Blue Tractor Barbeque - Mac and cheese - American Near Me - Traverse City, Michigan

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Really good BBQ!! If you like BBQ, this place is definitely worth a try. It has a great ambiance, perfect for a date night or a family dinner. While their brisket is not the most tender I've had, it has really good flavor. And their pulled pork is delicious! read more

Our group of six came here after a day of winery-hopping so we were VERY glad to get some yummy food! Being that we were from out of town, we're relying on online reviews or recommendations from friends. A friend of a person in our group made it a point to check this place out and I'm glad we did! First of all, the restaurant smells WONDERFUL as soon as you walk in! We were able to get seated pretty quickly, and wasted no time checking out the offerings. I particularly liked the option where you could order two different bbq meats and add on some sides, that was perfect because I wanted to sample everything! I had smoked chicken, pulled pork, coleslaw and some of the most perfect French fries I've ever had...and I've had a lot! Ooh, I also shared some pulled pork mac and cheese with my friend and we were practically fighting over who got to finish it. read more

Blue Tractor Barbeque - 2 Meat BBQ Platter, chicken and pork - American Near Me - Traverse City, Michigan

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I'm sorry to say my family and I were so disappointed by the service. We used to love this place. First, my mother made a reservation earlier in the week. Needless to say, it was for five people, so we understood if there would still be a wait. They made us wait until the reservation time, which I can get, but then came the high-top. I'm not sure how the hostess saw my elderly family members and me, using a cane instead of a wheelchair for more mobility, and decided that was acceptable. She was unapologetic and argumentative, stating that they don't know who will come in and figured the hightop would be fine. It was a very upsetting display of ableism, even if it was unintentional. It completely overlooked anyone who is physically disabled, elderly, or has any injuries. It would be one thing if they were very busy. But they weren't and should have asked us when we checked in if a hightop table would be okay. Had to wait another 15 minutes for a booth, which was fine but a bit crowded. The only reason this is 2 stars and not 1 is because of the kind, fantastic waiter and the quality of (most of) the food. The whole hog quesadilla had about 1/3 of the pulled pork just being fat and gristle. Aside from that, everyone else's food was good. Please do better for the sake of all your customers. We won't be coming back if this is how they treat the physically disabled. read more

Their server tj stated my friends ID was fake & said they wouldn't give it back without calling the cops so we asked them to call the cops because it is a real ID. They had the manager come to the table and tell us that again they weren't giving his ID back & when asked why they he had no response. He said he could call the cops so we told him we would wait for them to arrive & he proceeded to walk right back to the table and hand him his ID back. We got up to leave afterwards and the table behind us left for the same exact reason. read more

Holy Moly this place is awesome! We sat at the bar and had a great dinner. Chicken corn chowder was amazing! Pulled Pork Mac & Cheese was outstanding (make sure you pull up a little bit of the pasta from the bottom because the cheese sauce settles in the bottom of the bowl and it might appear like it's dry and has no cheese but it's there!) My husband had a brisket sandwich and he loved it. Even the Blondie we had for dessert was awesome! Next time we come to TC we're definitely coming back! read more

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Definitely not as good as it used to be, but I'll still always slide in for a side of that pulled pork mac w/ the pulled pork burrito. Definitely the best items on the menu. read more

A lot of Traverse City locals recommended this place, which bought me here on a Thursday evening for dinner. It was an early dinner for me and at 6:30 pm, the restaurant was moderately busy. I was seated right away. Thanks to fellow yelpers, I knew exactly what to order. I got the Fried Dill Pickles for snacks, which were absolutely delicious. I had them without the sauce that it came with, just too delicious by itself. The Pork Mac n' Cheese is a must try but one can't finish it all by themselves (unless you are hungover). It's a perfect hangover dish and delicious too! I also got the Pulled Pork which comes with mashed potatoes and fresh vegetables. For fresh vegetables, I got corn on my plate, which I wasn't too happy out. I was hoping for some greens, so that was a bit disappointing. Service was excellent and the ambiance is really nice at this place. Food is slightly on the expensive end though. read more

Blue Tractor Barbeque - Pork Mac n' Cheese ($14) - American Near Me - Traverse City, Michigan

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We chose this place based on their online menu for vegan entrees for my wife. She ordered the mushroom burger only to find out it's filled with dairy products which she had an intolerance to. My meal was good, but she couldn't eat hers and she had to watch me fill up while she starved. Too bad more restaurants didn't take a good look at what they actually offer to vegans. Most of the time we find it's usually a bean burger or less. read more

My wife and I just ate here for the first time. We had a great dinner. Really nothing to complain about. I love brisket and smoke my own regularly. I have to say this place has some of the best brisket you will find. We will definitely stop here again. Also top notch service. read more

Great service tonight, have another star. I didn't catch our server's name but, she was super nice and great at her job. Intuitively there as needed. My parents and I visited for restaurant week. We just don't recommend a table to the left of the front door in winter, we kept getting cold blasts of air. Lol. Ordered: Apps: 2 Chips and smoky salsa, for mom & Dad I had the fried green beans w/ horseradish sauce. I don't usually like horseradish, but the green beans were extra tasty. Entrees: 2- Two meat combo's- Mom had chicken and pork, I had x2 chicken. BBQ was delicious. We both brought some home. Coleslaw and fries, both really good. 1- Bacon wrapped meatloaf for dad, it disappeared. He had charred veggies, mom and I liked them, he's "allergic." Desserts: 1- Waffle turtle sundae, Mom seemed to enjoy it. 2- Pecan blondies- outside a bit hard, inside was chewy goodness though. Enjoyed the pecans and ice cream best. read more

Amy is an amazing server! On top of the food being great, there was amazing service with a lot of humor. She took care of all of our needs +more. read more

My wife and I have eaten here regularly for the past twenty years. Tonight I enjoyed a beverage while waiting for a take out order. The bill was presented and they wanted to charge me an additional 3% for using a gift card. I spoke to the manager and he said it was "out of his control." This seems like a blatant price gauging tactic. It is likely the purchaser of the gift card paid for it with a credit card and was charged an additional 3% also. The manager did adjust my bill to remove the ridiculous additional charge. read more

I have been to this restaurant quite a few times, and the last couple I've been stuck with the same waiter. The food was good as usual, but the service was absolutely horrible. Our latest visit started with the same waiter throwing the drink coasters at us while he counted the 6 out. It took him a long time to come back over to take our drink order and even longer to take our food order. We ordered another couple beers and both were not what we were drinking. We tried to get his attention so we could rectify the mistake, but he showed no interest, and when he finally did come back over to the table insisted that that's what we were drinking even though the beers look different and tasted different. When our order came, we were missing some fries. Once again we tried to hail him down to get the missing fries and he didn't seem real concerned with getting them to us. In the end we didn't get the fries until we were packing up to go. Like last time I did tip him and considered not tipping him this time but I didn't tip on the horrible service I received. I feel by tipping him, it just condoned his poor attitude, poor service, and general lack of attention. read more

The food was very tasty and the service was great. The atmosphere at the restaurant was also very nice

My son had the burger cooked medium with fries and was very happy with it. Said the burger was great. Salad was good. Sweet potato fries were very good. read more

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We ate there last week. I had a taste for baby back ribs, and based on reviews, this was the place to go. Love the decor, staff and service was great. The ribs, however, were mediocre. I like the sauce, but ribs were not nearly fall-off-the-bone. It took quite an effort to get the meat off and chew it. I didn't send them back because I didn't feel that the next batch would be any better. My wife makes better ribs, I'll just stay home next time. read more

Trying to support great BBQ here but I asked for a call back on catering and I've yet to hear from them. I'm sure things are chaotic with all the curve balls being thrown to restaurants these days. Still, give them a try ! read more

Service was great, they also have good spot with a parking garage right behind their location. I had a meet up with a co-worker here and I took the recommendation of the pork mac&cheese which was ok but lackluster considering the recommendation and menu description. I will try them again and gave them them 4 stars but it was more 3.5 read more

Blue Tractor Barbeque - Pork Mac & cheese - Smoked pork shoulder, tangy BBQ sauce, smoked gouda bechamel sauce - American Near Me - Traverse City, Michigan

Food was less than average. Service was rude, and ambiance wasn't great. I wouldn't recommend this. There are far better places in the city to eat at! However, their Mac and cheese was pretty good! read more

First there is no place to wait to be seated. Next, the individuals taking reservations completely ignored our group and sat other same sized groups before ours. They were completely out everything we wanted to eat and didn't offer us any other options. My daughter spent many years in hospitality and in her opinion it was the absolute worst she's ever seen. read more