I absolutely loved this place!! Found this place by accident and it has instantly became a summer must!! The sevice was only outdone by the food!! I'll be back.. a lot read more

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awful service. we waited for two hours before we had food on our table. every server was mainly focused on the customers outside instead of the people eating inside. one server in particular was running around stomping his feet disturbing our dining experience. when the food arrived it was bland and no flavor for multiple people at our table. the fish tacos had no flavor whatsoever besides the little amount of spice as well as the mac and cheese. we will not be coming back. read more

Lovely local business on Clifford Lake. We had a lunch there for Valentine's Day. The Tuna on the shareable menu is very good. We also liked the corned beef and dill pickle appetizer wrapped in a egg roll looking presentation. Sandwiches are tasty and ample. Prices were very fair. Great views of the lake. Service was very attentive. read more

Unfortunately, I will not be returning to Clifford Lake Inn. I brought friends for what I hoped would be a wonderful evening. They had never been there before, and since my past experiences were enjoyable, I thought it would be a great choice. Our server struggled throughout the meal, but the real issue came at the end. My husband has a serious egg allergy, and at first, the waitress didn't seem to take it very seriously until I emphasized it. Then, when the bill arrived, there was a $10 charge for a half Caesar salad I never ordered. I assumed it was included with my meal since it was placed in front of me. When I questioned it, the waitress claimed she thought my husband had ordered it--he had not. I explained that I shouldn't have to pay for something I didn't order. She took the bill but never removed the charge, never apologized, and never addressed it again. This was frustrating for two reasons: I had ordered a large entrée that normally comes with a salad, so it wasn't unreasonable to assume it was part of my meal. And if she thought it was for my husband but he never ordered it, that was her mistake. Between the allergy being brushed off and being charged for food we didn't order, the experience was disappointing. Sadly, after this visit, I can't recommend Clifford Lake Inn. read more

The Cajun chicken tortellini was overly spicy and grainy, like someone dumped too much cayenne pepper in the sauce and the andouille sausage was cold. The torched raviolis were cool and didn't even look torched, like they were hanging out on a counter for too long. Their famous mushrooms were bland, needs salt, and the crab Rangoon dip was overly sweet. The dining area had a mysterious cold draft and the ambiance was very loud. The waitstaff was pleasant. read more

Slow service. Food was poor for the price. We had reservations which they clearly were not prepared for our arrival. No silverware and napkins supplied when we we were sat. Food took almost 2 hours to come. Mushrooms were banal and had very little flavor. Brussel Sprouts app was good. Steak was way over cooked. The Best Mac and Cheese in MI. Not so much. read more

We end up at Clifford Lake Inn about once a year in the summer, so I figured it was time to update my review. We went on a Wednesday evening in the summer and were surprised to see a group of people flying remote-controlled floatplanes on the lake. It was really cool and fun to watch from the deck. (Not affiliated with the restaurant at all, we just happened to catch a local group outing that day.) They also had live music on the deck which was at a reasonable volume and entertaining. I was happy to see a bluegill basket option on the menu, and we also ordered the calamari and mushrooms to share. Nate got the PB&J burger. You start with complimentary bread which is a nice touch - it was fluffy and soft and I really liked it. Our server was busy with lots of tables, but we were enjoying the evening and luckily had a table in the shade. The calamari was pretty tasty with crispy breading and a nice lemon aioli. The fries in my bluegill basket were thicker cut and crispy on the outside, nicely seasoned. The bluegill was pretty thickly battered which isn't my favorite, and I noticed that the fish was a bit overcooked for my liking. But I can't really complain too much because it's not a fish you see on many menus. I had some of Nate's burger and it was definitely overcooked. Definitely a popular spot in the summer, so call for a reservation or go at an off time - it was slowing down a bit by 7 pm. read more

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We typically love our special visits to Clifford Lake Inn, but our most recent stop was certainly not a favorite. Our food was good, although lower in quality in comparison to previous years. Our waitress and the live music were excellent. But the hostess and floor manager seriously left something to be desired. When we arrived we asked for a table in some shade or with an umbrella-- of which I counted at least five open. But we were seated in direct sun and told "this will get shady soon". Spoiler-- it did not. They were definitely using those shady tables because they seated the next several guests there. To be clear-- we would have waited in order to get a shady table if they had given us that option. The table next to us clearly felt badly for our kids because they graciously angled their umbrella to give shade to both of our tables. However, after they left, the floor manager turned it back, and we were in direct sun again. Further, while they offered our kids children's menus, they said they were out of any writing utensils for the puzzles on it. The hostess kept stopping by to tell us we could go hangout somewhere else in order to get some shade. Our kids are well behaved and we were all expecting a fun night having dinner and conversation together, but this felt like they didn't even want us there. It was wild. I have never experienced such weird inhospitality at a restaurant before. We will be re-thinking our annual vacation visit for sure. read more

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First off, our waitress was the best part of the night after we had traveled an hour to join a group of friends for dinner. We had heard about the delicious mushroom appetizer. It was flavorless. Everyone is our party was disappointed with their meals. My French dip sandwich had very little meat and the dip was also without flavor. I did enjoy the Brussel sprouts. The couple that invited us even said that something was off. Maybe it was just a bad night in the kitchen. read more

Food was overpriced, service very slow, shrimp Alfredo had no sauce on pasta, prime rib Au jus had no Au jus. Understaffed. Wrong drink served. Left feeling taken advantage of. Ran out of silverware. read more

Wonderful atmosphere, and great dinner. Taya is a great server, still recommend this place after all these years. read more

Clifford Lake Inn - New York Strip - American Near Me - Stanton, Michigan

Although my wife and I have to travel about 30 minutes to the Clifford Lake Inn, the trip is always worth the ride. Last night was no different. We enjoyed great food, great service, and even great live music as we dined on the deck. We try to visit Clifford Lake Inn at least once a month and we're never disappointed. It is our favorite place to dine. read more

Kj is awesome!! Food was very good and everyone was very nice and friendly! We come here often and will definitely be coming back!

Came here with my wife for dinner while staying nearby on Lake Montcalm. I was very impressed to find a place this nice while being out in the middle of nowhere. Came here on a Friday night, and it was pretty bust. But we were able to get a table pretty quickly. The staff was very friendly and efficient. It was a nice night so we were able to sit outside on the patio, with a beautiful view of the lake. My wife had the grilled salmon, and was satisfied with her choice. I had the Krabby Patty, a burger topper with their crab rangoon dip, which was unique and delicious. Very glad we stumbled on this place, and would be more than open to return if in the area. read more

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My favorite restaurant in central Michigan. Well prepared from casual to upscale dining. The setting is awesome overlooking Clifford Lake.

Im am dissatisfied about my experience here first of all we had to wait an hour an a half for are food second of all are food was cold I ordered a chicken tender basket only only got 2 small chicken tenders with some fries which was cold and we received the wrong order which tasted terrible and also we ordered beans and fish and the beans where uncooked and fish also tasted terrible and there was no paper towel in the bathroom, but the waiting service was good read more

Great location about 30 miles north and east of Rockford situated in a beautiful lake setting . It's an old Inn about 100 years old with a great indoor bar side along with nice dining room . In the summer outside on the deck is where it's at .... Overlooking the all sports lake it's a great setting. The food is excellent from bar food to prime rib on the weekends , excellent cocktails and a beach upscale crowd who made the drive or live on one of the many nearby lakes . Definitely worth the drive ! read more

I'm sure there will be multiple negative reviews from Friday August 9. We had a reservation for 14 people. A 90 th birthday celebration. We had a wonderful waitress however .... We were not served our meals for over 3 hours after we ordered !!!! The food then arrived cold in many cases and undercooked in some meals. There was no compensation made for the wait The owner / manager was not apologetic at all. Excuses about Google overbooking was the explanation We have been coming to this restaurant for over 40 years every year at this time Never have we had such a horrible experience. Will never return to this restaurant under this management read more

So thrilled to be able to come back and update my review! Tonight my husband and I came for a little date night dinner because I was secretly hoping they would still have the apple crisp and THEY DO!! Seriously if you haven't had this get your butt in here before it's too late!! As if that's not awesome enough we show up to find out they are National Lampoon's Vacation themed! This place is so cute with a few clumsy decorations interspersed among the crazy Christmas theme. On Friday they're even having an Uncle Eddie's sing a long karaoke. The special touch management puts into this is unmatched! Just for this I'm giving ambiance 5 stars. Tonight we started with Katie's sweet and tangy chicken wings. Then I enjoyed the blackened salmon and my husband had the pappardelle steak Alfredo. Of course we finished with the apple crisp which I already raved about. Tonight the flavor of the pappardelle has room for improvement. My husband added salt but it was really missing some garlic. This could be a fluke. Otherwise it was fresh and the steak was cooked to a perfect temperature. My salmon had a bit of heat which is great for me but something to consider if you aren't a fan of spice. They also have an alternative Asian salmon if you'd prefer. The asparagus was cooked to perfection as was the salmon. Food freshness, quality, and creativity gets 4.5 stars. Service was very good, my biggest pet peeve when eating out is when plates pile up on the table and ours did just that. My suggestion here would be to ensure appetizer plates and untouched bread rolls are removed before the entree comes out, then the entree dishes are removed before dessert. However, she was pleasant and attentive aside from that so I'm still giving her 4.5 stars. Cleanliness of the facility gets 5 stars. Enough said. That brings the overall to 5 stars!! Great job guys!! Keep up the great work, creativity, and fun!! read more

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me and my wife dined at Clifford Lake further first time on Saturday night. The ambience was nice to wait for us was nice. Our meals came out. I ordered lasagna and my wife ordered chicken . My lasagna was black burned on half of it and my wife's green beans and potatoes were either mush or barely crispy. The chicken was over done and when I ask the waiter us about this she said the owner is the cook and he said he will make sure it does not happen to anyone else. The owner apparently did not have time to come out and address these issues himself with new customers like us.. After which me and my wife both woke up at five in the morning with food poisoning and have been sick for an entire day. Avoid this restaurant at all costs read more

The best part of the evening was our server who was very sweet and friendly, but that is the only positive thing about the entire experience. We arrived at our reservation time and were seated in a back area of the restaurant. Felt like we were in the no server zone as no one came to our table. However, the table behind us which was seated after us had been seen by a server. After waiting 20 minutes, I asked the hostess where our server was, the response was "We are very busy, and someone will be there soon". I understand being busy, but to have been seated and not even be served water is not a good start. Drinks took about 30 minutes to arrive after being ordered, and our appetizer took even longer. Food showed up after we were there for over 2 hours. Some of it over cooked to the point of being almost inedible and the rice was undercooked. The ribs were so tough you almost needed a steak knife to cut and the salmon and mahi were both dried out from being over cooked. We should have left as we all were thinking because of the excessively long wait times for everything but had hoped the food would at least be worth the wait. It definitely was not! If the staff cannot handle the volume of customers than they should not be seated or at a minimum compensated with something for the long wait. Not even an apology was given, only a poor excuse for bad service. Not sure how this restaurant has the good reviews other than it is one of the few in the area so there aren't many choices. read more

I brought a group of friends to our local lake restaurant and they did not disappoint. We started with their naked cheese curds that were delicious and from there we all had something different. Everyone left full and happy. Great food and service. read more

What a unique place. The Inn itself is well over 100 years old and is a designated MI historic site. We like to go here in the summer and eat outside on the dockside deck. Last night right at the dock edge at a table set up on the grass. Food and drinks are always good here. I had shrimp tacos prepared tequila lime style and a refreshing Amarillo Sky. My date enjoyed the Pulled pork with smoked Gouda. So nice to get a slight breeze off the lake while watching boaters come and go. You may also see an airplane fly in for a landing on the lake. Give it a try! PS- The inside is charming and historic. Apparently there's been paranormal activity noted as well. read more

Clifford Lake Inn - Sorry, ate two out of three tacos before taking the pic. And drank my lakeside beverage too. - American Near Me - Stanton, Michigan

I have to say, I was VERY pleasantly surprised by our dinner here. I wasn't expecting much, but dang... I can't wait to come back. I haven't been here in years, so this was my first visit with the "new owners". The inside is decorated SO cute. The deck is awesome and was open when we visited (late October) so I assume weather permitting. Service was very nice and on top of things. We didn't wait long for anything and drinks were refilled quickly. The mushroom appetizer was heaven. I would drive all the way there for the dang mushrooms! Calamari was.. meh. I've had better. Only thing i wasn't impressed with. I had the salmon special and it was amazing. The Asian friend rice veggies were delicious! All around the table, everyone was very happy with their meals. I look forward to visiting again! read more

Clifford Lake Inn - Salmon Special - October 2017 - American Near Me - Stanton, Michigan

Love this restaurant! It's a hidden gem. Warm summer days and nights makes for sitting out on the patio extra nice. The food is wonderful! They incorporate seasonal items making unique delicious dishes. The staff and management are also wonderful! You can tell they are doing their best when it's busy ... so worth the wait!!! Highly recommend! read more

The food was very good. I had the chicken cordon bleu and my wife had the pear and arugula salad. We went with four friends. The service was great (very friendly) and everyone enjoyed their meals. The prices are reasonable and the atmosphere is great. Really a nice spot! My wife loved reminiscing on the boardwalk. We will be back when we come back to Michigan! read more

Just finished dinner at Clifford Lake Inn. Beautiful view and nice to have live music. We were seated outside right away. After 10 minutes of no one stopping at our table a manager (?) stopped and asked them got someone over. Unfortunately our food took an hour and 15 minutes, my husband's vegetables were under cooked (otherwise was good), my tacos were good but had a hair in them (as did the side of the bread basket my husband told me after we left), and although they took my meal off the bill, they charged us for the "free" bread they gave us because our food took so long. By then we were done so paid the bill as is (including tip) and left. Hopefully our experience was an anomaly. read more

Historical building -- it's been a while since we've been there (living in Florida) -- but we always had a great experience and a great meal

Fish and chips were good. Burger was good. Salad was nice but overpriced. Risottto was the worst I have ever had (rice was tasteless; onions were not cooked; mushrooms were watery and undercooked). Staff was nice. read more

Great! Very cozy great views and even more friendly service . Loved it! Romantic and cute

Food is really good. I really want to be able to give this place more stars. It's a lovely historic building and awesome deck. My issues lay more with the owners. When the place is closing up and you are getting a carry out, it remains to be seen why the female owner cannot be bothered to ring up the order which was ready. She also acted like you the guest must be stupid for not seeing that the "broom closet" looking female bathroom is the bathroom. Most bathrooms in my five decades on this planet have the symbol usually affixed to the door itself. Not shoved off to the side on an already crowded small wall space next to trim, etc. I was commanded to wait about 10 minutes at the bar while she stood by the deck door watching staff clean up and encourage guests lingering to leave. The bar had no one, restaurant was empty. There were a few guests left on the deck. You almost had to wonder if she had no knowledge of how to take a payment what with being the owner. The busy bartender doing double duty was apologetic for the lady. It was rather strange behavior being accustomed to busy restaurant owners doing it all back in the cities I have lived in read more

Beautiful lakeside setting. Our sever Audrey is excellent. She is knowledgeable about the menu cheerful and efficient. We ordered the Rubens, potato soup and onion rings. All were perfectly prepared. Well worth the trip. ., read more

Great setting to enjoy some fabulous food. We use this as a destination for motorcycle rides after work in the summer. The French dip is amazing. The staff works hard to make your visit enjoyable. The multi level deck is a great place to sit back and enjoy a bite to eat while enjoying the sights and sounds of the lake. read more

Clifford Lake Inn - Empty deck tonight. - American Near Me - Stanton, Michigan

Varied menu, full bar. Wonderful warm fresh yeast rolls with melted butter and poppy seeds. Soup very good as were sandwiches. Somewhat out of the way, older building, nice atmosphere, on the lake, service on deck. Will definitely go back. read more

I have been going to the Clifford Lake Inn all my life. The mushrooms are a favorite for everyone. The Brick fired pizzas here are awesome too. They are as good as any others in West Michigan. Great atmosphere. Sit on the patio, nice dining room, or at the bar. Good food, good drinks, friendly people. read more

Great food and drink just expensive. Very accommodating to vegans and pescatarians too.

The food was fine. The spinach dip was room temp and short on chips. The bus boy asked if we were finished with it and we said we could use more chips. He returned w/o them and apologized that he couldn't give us more. The service: Our waitress never came back after bringing our food out. We eventually flagged down the hostess who brought the check. Eventually, our waitress returned with the check and explained she had the incorrect change. Our option was to get short changed or excess change, or wait longer for the correct change. ?? Not what I expected for a $100 dinner. read more

Easily the worst atmosphere in a long history of coming to CLI. I was worried about getting cold sitting on the deck. I opted to eat inside. No one bothered to tell us that a painting class was being held in the event venue just off the dining room. Maybe could have offered to sit us on the other side. It must have been held for the hard of hearing group or maybe some people in Edmore. Volume of microphone was VERY loud. It was so disruptive. Asked to get it turned down to no avail. After the meal mentioned to a server about the disruption and was met with a vacant slack jawed stare. She must have been part of the hard of hearing group. She acted like she didn't even notice. Otherwise, food was good like always. We'll be on the deck from now on. read more

The location and atmosphere are stunning, but the food is just...not good? We had the mushrooms and they were flavorless and many of them were dried out & gummy. The street corn was not good. The shrimp tacos were good in theory, but kind of bizarre in execution. The rice side just doesn't go with the theme of the dish and it all seems thrown together instead of constructed in a meaningful way. I really didn't enjoy anything I had to eat there - I think cutting down on menu items and reworking their recipes would be smart. I used to love eating here. read more

Quaint restaurant in what used to be an inn on Clifford Lake, 15 minutes from Greenville, Mi. A lovely, big deck overlooking the lake. I had whitefish drizzled with horseradish, mustard sauce which had a nice zip to it. The fish was moist and cooked just right. It came with fresh veggies cooked al dente and some wild rice. We ordered the chocolate creme Brule which was decadently delicious. The only reason I didn't give 5 stars is because the wait staff was that of a mediocre restaurant. Just not fine tuned. read more

Clifford Lake Inn - Chocolate creme brulee - American Near Me - Stanton, Michigan