Came on a Saturday night and had about a 20 minute wait for a table. There is open seating outside and on the rooftop, but all of those were already taken. I got one of their burgers and it was good - nothing special. The onion rings are MASSIVE! read more

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

See all

Came in a little later on a Saturday night. Told us 20-25minute wait but it may have only been 15 minutes so that is good. Our server was pretty awesome she was very quick with refilling the drinks and was very quick to place our order. I got the whole hog quesadilla listed on the appetizer menu and just ate that as my meal as it was a larger portion. I loved it. There was a ton of flavor and the pork was delicious. I did get a side of sweet potato fries that seemed a little in the soggy side , but they were still edible and good. The ambience and decor of the restaurant was pretty cool. I look forward to returning. read more

Blue Tractor Barbeque - Whole Hog quesadilla - American Near Me - Traverse City, Michigan

First time at Blue Tractor BBQ. The Little Squealer (BBQ pulled pork on a pretzel bun) was a great appetizer, but it could have been a full meal if you ordered two or three. hopefully you are blessed enough to have Amber as your waitress. She was great, and we tipped well. FYI happy hour Monday through Friday: 3:00 TO 6:00 P.M. read more

We visited this place in our last night in town. We had a great server while sitting at the bar and having a couple drinks. We knew we wanted to order way too much food to bring back to our Airbnb for a late night snack and the server had great recommendations. Food was delicious and service was great. Would come back next time we're in the area. read more

Terrific BBQ joint! Accommodated my group of 55 flawlessly. Even found a way to manage the 15 last minute adds. Service was excellent and the manager beyond helpful. Brisket was delicious and a generous portion. Didn't have a single negative comment from anyone in my squad. Pizza was spot on and the tap line inspired. I recommend this place to anyone of any group size. Thank you Blue Tractor for a great event! read more

Ordered the brisket... not so great. Chewy and not fun to eat. Also waitress asking if we needed to go containers and the check mid meal. Check sitting with us while we dine. read more

Had late night drinks on June 2nd. Fantastic bartenders. Great drinks. Great atmosphere

Delicious food and great service! We sat on the patio which has a limited menu, but still good choices. I've been 3 times in total and never have been disappointed for the price and taste! read more

Blue Tractor has steadily improved in recent years with the quality of their food. It is shaping up to become one of my favorite T.C. places. The dry rub wings are a must order as well as the pork belly sliders. read more

Meh. We stopped by for lunch with family and we were maybe one of four parties there. I'm a sucker for jalapeño poppers so we decided to order some. They were not great. Personally I could make some better myself. Not worth ordering. I ordered a chicken salad (chipotle I believe). It was okay. My husband was also under whelmed by his food too. I also felt like the service was just okay. We had to remind our server multiple times for refills and it seemed to take a while for our food to come even though the restaurant wasn't busy. read more

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

See all

Chicken corn chowder didn't have much flavor. I'd recommend using pieces of the BBQ chicken and more bacon to add flavor. Also, Brisket was really tough. I asked for a side of BBQ to help flavor it because the dry rub didn't really come through. Staff was nice but didn't engage a whole lot of a slower Wednesday. Mashed potatoes were the best part! Don't change that recipe! read more

This was recommended to our group by someone who lives in the area and I am glad that we took his recommendation. The 30 minute wait was less than 20 minutes, on a busy Saturday evening. Deep fried pickles were ordered as the appetizer and everyone loved them (well, not me as I don't like deep fried pickles) and ate them up. My friend and I ordered a barbeque chicken pizza that was drop dead amazing. I would have that again in a heart beat (and I can because they have a location in Ann Arbor so I won't have to drive 180 miles north!). The Acoustic Cherry Mead that I ordered was great - I will be looking for that locally. Very tasty, very nice place to eat at. read more

Diners beware. I have been very sick through the night and all day today after eating dinner (chipotle chicken bowl) here yesterday. I called to talk to the manager today and he said he would make note of it but unless they hear from anyone else there was nothing they would/could do about it. It is literally the only meal I had yesterday. Horrible customer service and just overall a disappointing experience. I will not spend another penny there. Luckily we have tons of great and safe options in TC. read more

We stopped in yesterday(Valentine's Day). We were told there was a wait but when we got there we sat at the bar. It was not at all busy considering it was a Friday and a holiday. Bartenders were slow and not very helpful. We ordered deep fried pickles and those were very good. My husband ordered bbq(pulled pork and brisket). The brisket was tough and cold and so was the pork. I ordered deep fried whitefish. As soon as I cut into it I could tell the fish was bad. I cut into the second piece and the same thing. I only ate the coleslaw. Not once was I asked why I didn't eat the fish. We were very disappointed considering the reviews. I would not recommend this place to anyone. read more

I have to say first and foremost the food was great! I had the bleu cheese burger and it was quite good. Not the best I've had but it was closer to the top of the list as apposed to the bottom. In saying that I have traveled the U.S. experiencing most all the food cultures. I've had Memphis BBQ, New Orleans Creole/Cajun, Wyoming Steaks and Gulf Coast Fresh Seafood. I know this is taboo on here but the service was subpar. And that's putting it nicely. A bigger bald gent from the bar served us and chewed myself and my fellow friends and family out for trying to move two tables together as we had a large group...and the place only had 5 other diners at the time. You would have thought his paycheck depended on the tables staying put. Very rude the entire time...ruined what I was expecting to be a great experience. read more

Our first night in Traverse City we were recommended to try the Blue Tractor for dinner by the lady who worked at the hotel we were staying at. We had just finished driving four and a half hours, it was getting late and we wanted something good to eat that also offered the Tigers game that was on that night. The place is a little jam packed, but not to the point you cannot move around at all. They have a nice list of Michigan based beers to choose from so I sampled a few before deciding to get a boot, yes a boot like in the movie Beerfest of a local brewery's Octoberfest. So good! As an appetizer we got the Whole Hog Quesadilla and it was amazing! They give you this Smoked Tomato Mayo to dip it in which sounds a little unusual. When you think Quesadilla you think Sour Cream, Guacamole or Salsa to accompany it so this Mayo sounded a bit strange. It was strange, but so so good. It made my taste buds dance with happiness. I wish I could buy some of this stuff in bulk and put it on everything. For our main entrees my wife and I both got the Beef Brisket. She said it was the best she ever had, even better then Famous Dave's and other smokehouses. For me, it was very good, but the bark was a little salty. Nothing too crazy, still eatable and if you didn't care for it you could pull it off and set it aside. No biggie. I opted to sub out the seasonal veg which turned out to be Squash for a side of their Ham, Peas, Smoked Gouda and Crispy Onion Mac and Cheese. I was told the up charge for this would be $2.00 which seemed reasonable, but when I got the check it was $6.00 that they actually charged me for it. That was a bit of a shocker that a little side bowl of Mac and Cheese cost me that much when a full order is only a few dollars more. I would have complained about it, but at that time I already had a boot and two bottles of beer in me and I was just happy to be on vacation with my beautiful wife. read more

I REALLY wanted to give more than three stars, alas everything was just okay. Well, actually there was one stellar item, but it was my beer, which I can get lots of places (the Atwater vanilla java porter). I had the Tractor burger with cheese and added a side of the pulled pork/smoked gouda mac n' cheese. I could only eat half of each they were so rich, but I'm not sure I would consider this a good thing. The burger was cooked properly, but I really disliked their secret sauce - it had almost no flavor and just seemed like it added grease... almost like a flavorless mayo. No thanks. The mac was pretty good, but not spectacular. I'm a big mac connoisseur and this just seemed heavy without a lot of good flavor I expected from BBQ/smoked gouda. The hubs got the beer can chicken, which he thought was okay, but also not great. I think we'll be back, but seeing as there are so many great places we already really like and a ton of others to try, I think it'll be a while... read more

I was here over ten years ago when it was Dill's. Loved it then, but love it even more now. We had a nice casual Saturday lunch. Excellent food. I had the Cuban burger, which was a pleasant surprise. The homemade chips are flavorful and so much better than fries. The management was very friendly and helpful. The waitress? Not so much, but I'll give her the benefit of the doubt and assume she was just having a rotten day. I only wish we'd have come here the night before for dinner, as our Friday night restaurant selection was a severe disappointment. read more

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

I wanted to like this place just based on the decor. I'm sad to report that the food was not all that great. I ordered the brisket and had to send it back. In short, it was both extremely over salted and was so tough, I could have used it to resole a shoe. I spoke with the manager who apologized as if the bad meat was my fault... "I'm sorry you feel that way about the brisket." No, I'm sorry that you think it's my fault that the brisket is awful, and I'm sorry that you don't understand the reason people go out to eat: good food and a good experience. There are better places in TC. read more

I've now learned why Michigander's cherish their Mac & Cheese! The variety was vast and I ended up with the Italian sausage Mac special AND one FREE specialty BEER! I found myself impressed and pranced out of the door belly-happy, with a slight teeter in my walk. Just the way I enjoy life. read more

They have the most delicious salads and sweet potato fries!! The waiters and waitresses are super nice to. Me and my friends love to come here on a Friday night after a week of school. read more

We visited Blue Tractor on our last night in Traverse City and after eating big meals previous nights, I opted for a chicken Ceaser salad. Be sure to ask for it grilled or it comes blackened which isn't my favorite. David got the crunch burger which was homemade potato chips and some sort of "cheese-wiz" product which sounds bad but was darn good! The kids tried the meat loaf on a plank and mac and cheese and they both raved. And the chicken tenders were completely gone which means it was excellent coming from my picky little eater. Excellent service, clean, relaxed atmosphere. Oh, and David found that they serve Stroh's in a can and had to have one for nostalgia. read more

This was our second visit and this time - it was very disappointing. I had the fish and chips and the breading was apart from the actual "meat" - which told me it was cooked improperly. The coleslaw had no taste whatsoever and the mac n cheese which is supposed to be a specialty - especially at $12 or so - had WATER at the bottom of it. Hello - just warmed up and not made from scratch!? Add to it that our server kept vanishing - and it was our last visit. We spent about 90 minutes there for two simple meals. Ugh. Stay away. Too many other places in TC to spend $30 for dinner and get better value. read more

If you like Reuben sandwiches the one here is great. Sometimes I have to ask for extra dressing. It's not sweet like some Reuben sandwiches I have had. The servers I have encountered have all been pleasant and attentive. I cannot comment on their other dishes. I order the Reuben every visit and have yet to find a better one anywhere. read more

Wouldn't take my coupon for a $3.95 burger special. "Sorry, we discontinued that." If I've got the damn coupon, honor the damn coupon. read more

Blue Tractor Barbeque - Wouldn't take my coupon. "Sorry, we discontinued that." Guess what? If I've got the coupon, honor the damn coupon. - American Near Me - Traverse City, Michigan

My family was on vacation this summer and went here to grab a bite. When we got there it was busy but a waitress brought us to a table ASAP. When we got there we ordered our drinks and it wasn't very boring of a wait for the food and beverages due to all of the decorations on the wall such as entire canoes and TVs. I ordered perch caught in the lake the town Traverse City is on. read more

I came here after a day of meetings for a late work lunch. I could tell immediately, from the name and decor, it's one of those themed restaurants with social bar (every time I go to a place like this, I think of Chili's). I had the pulled pork sandwich with chips for lunch. The pork was decent, not great. I have very high standards for pulled pork - I make my own numerous times every year, straight from the hog. I'd be willing to give this place a try again but, would try something different on the menu. hint: we sat at a high-top in the bar area, the service was quick and it does have a nice ambiance. read more

The Colossus burger was amazing. The atmosphere was great, and the shed felt like home read more

Blue Tractor Barbeque - Tasty little morsel - American Near Me - Traverse City, Michigan

This is one of TC's great bar atmosphere restaurants including a very unique outdoor bar on the roof. The rooftop bar is subject to weather conditions however so don't expect it to be open at all times. The food selection offers many very unique items including macaroni and cheese dish combinations you wouldn't believe. The general tone of the menu is "slightly" southern with many BBQ inspired dishes and offerings. The price range is moderate and the portions are typically generous. Check out The Tractor and I think you'll have a great meal at a reasonable price. read more

Had our first visit on our July summer vacation; definetly coming back next year. Family friendly and a big enough menu to please everyone, but not so big that its mediocre. Ordered: 2 had the all you can eat fish special. They were very happy with theirs. Gouda Mac & Cheese with Pork-All of their mac&cheeses sounded delicious and this was the one recommneded by the waitress. Pork was cooked perfectly and noodles with the right amount of sauce. It tasted even better the next day! Kid's Meal Mac&Cheese-18 month old loved it and did his best to try to eat the whole thing; we intervened. Reuben-Not the world's best, but a good meal nonetheless. Service was attentive and we were happy to get a table quickly on a Friday night. Ther is parking behind the restaurant. read more

Awesome meal again here... I got pizza classic and my man Noah scored the best meal at the table with the chicken and waffles, amazing! read more

Blue Tractor Barbeque - Chicken and waffles.... Yum! - American Near Me - Traverse City, Michigan

We came in late Friday and it was surprisingly quiet, I wasn't sure if it was a good sign but being traverse city in off season I think that's normal. We got the "tractor twists" because of an insanely cheese filled pick someone else on Yelp provided - just to ease your mind they are just as cheesy and delicious in person. The garlic butter mix on tops the cake. I could easily just eat them alone and be content. It also came with an almost dil tasting ranch. The chicken sandwich was amazing (and don't get me started on the fries!!) as was the Mac n cheese. I'm really wondering if anything here could even "eh" as everything we had was amazing. Service is friendly. Next time we will *try* to save room for dessert! read more

Came here a couple nights back on a Saturday with a party of 10 (reservations were made ahead of time). I had been here a couple years prior but didn't really remember the food- This time I will. As a barbecue place- you can expect a fair amount of that but as a pizza monster I had to get the BBQ pork pizza and it was AWESOME. Crust was crunchy on the outside with that nice chewiness a lot of pizza lacks. The pulled park was really tender and juicy- not dried out at all- and the sauce was also very good. Our service was top notch and attentive without being over the top- Next time I might go with the BBQ plate which a few other people really enjoyed. read more

Worst Service of my life: The first time in my life I actually left no tip at all....... The food was good, it was recommended to us by a friend. But the service was the worst I've ever experienced. Half way through our order the server became irritated and stopped listening. We didn't see him for over 30 minutes, finally our food came out by another server. We tried to tell her they forgot two items.... half way through telling her about the first item she walked away (before we could tell her about the second item we were missing). We finally catch the eye of our server, when we tell him he gets extremely irritated with us and goes back to the kitchen (we were trying to also tell him our drinks had been empty for 20 minutes, but he walked away before we could). When he returned with our other missing item (by this time we've had our food getting cold while waiting on him) he finally brought us drinks.... only he brought us the wrong drinks. I guess that's what happens when you don't come back to your table, you forget what the ordered, and what they were drinking. I debated walking into the back and tipping the chef, because the food was actually pretty good, but I was worried he'd share it with the server. So for the first time in my life.... the only tip I could bring myself to leave was: try harder next time. We won't be back. read more

Had dinner at the Blue Tractor after touring the old State Hospital (The Commons) and deciding to not pay an arm and a leg at one of the trendy restaurants on site. This, I have to say, was a brilliant decision that ended in full tummies and watering mouths! From the hostess to our waitress, service was great. She was prompt with drinks and food, and very friendly. We had the tractor twists as an appetizer, which I highly recommend. They're rolls of bread that are perfectly crispy yet chewy and filled with gooey cheese and topped with parmesan and garlic. The marinara that it came with to dip was great, as well. I'm definitely a sauce snob (hey, my dad is 100% born and bred Italian), and this was sauce I'd eat again. Next time I'm there, we'll definitely be trying the pizza. For my entree I ordered the Pulled Pork Mac & Cheese and my boyf ordered the sandwich that was called something like the Porker or the Hog or something... it had bacon, pork, and ham on it, and the Pulled Pork Mac & Cheese for his side. First of all, the Mac & Cheese was downright delicious! Perfectly creamy and cheesy, and paired with the pulled pork - ugh, I'm drooling just thinking about it!! Definitely will be back to order it again. The BBQ sauce cut the creamy cheese just right and the pork was tender and plentiful. The portion was giant - I had plenty for lunch (well, breakfast) the next day! The sandwich was good, as well, but once the boyf had his very generous side helping of the mac & cheese side, he was done for. It completely out-shadowed the sandwich. It was really just that good! My one and only complaint was that the bathroom wasn't super clean but, it was 7pm on a Saturday night and there was a wedding reception going on in the private room. Five stars for food and service, and we will definitely be back! read more

When my wife and I lived in Traverse City the Blue Tractor was a staple for us. We would go there about once a month. It has very interesting decor, tractor style. Plus a multitude of TV's with games on them. However, we moved to Grand Rapids in April of '09 and hadn't eaten there until last month. It used to be that when we went to The Blue Tractor we always greatly enjoyed the food; it was some of the best we have had. They have many interesting burger choices, plus chicken, pork, and even a large salad selection. The only draw back was the POOR service. We learned to live with it because the food was SO GOOD and it defiantly made up for it! One tip is to order two drinks when you give your drink order, like a water and a coke or water and a beer or whatever it is you like! Sadly, we found out, that it has changed and, in our opinion, not in a good way. On our way to spend an Easter weekend with my family we stopped in Traverse to have dinner with a friend and to enjoy some very missed Blue Tractor. Now our favorite foods were the bbq turkey sandwich and the honey chicken breast, both were no longer on the menu! :( Luckily the cheese fries were still there, but still sad! I ordered a club sandwich of some sort, and my wife had a chicken salad. Our friend had a burger, which she halved for her significant other. We were all satisfied, but it was not what we had remembered, well except for the cheesy fries, those were good as always! I would say try this place! Remember to order two drinks ;) read more

Just got done with dinner and I was able to get the colossus burger as a single. It was just as good as the double. Thank you!

We were in Traverse City for the weekend. The Blue Tractor was recommended to us by one of the wineries we visited. The food: I ordered the BBQ beer can chicken. The chicken was excellent. Very tender and moist - good BBQ flavor, a little spicy and a little sweet. Mashed potatoes were also great. Boyfriend ordered the baby back ribs with French fries. Ribs were soft, fall off the bone - very good. The service: We were seated right away and drinks came pretty quickly. After that, our waitress seemed to disappear. We only saw her again when she dropped off our food and then brought the check. She never asked about drink refills. We were seated in a booth near the bar area. We were amused at the male waiters who were hanging out behind the bar lining up to give the female bar tender a back massage. Funny for a minute, but really unprofessional. Overall - the food was excellent, service - lacking. read more

Great food and service! I have been to the location in Ann Arbor as well and thought the experience at this location was better. Waitress was very friendly and efficient. Food was all fresh and tasty. Highly recommend the salads! read more

What can i say !!! AMAZING, The service was fantastic.... The food was great, so delicious.... my favorite place to eat. The price was good too..... no complaints here. read more