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    Dam Site Inn

    4.1 (124 reviews)
    ModerateSeafood, American
    Closed 5:00 pm - 9:00 PM

    Dam Site Inn Photos

    Business Info

    DAM SITE INN ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Casual
    Moderate noise
    Good for kids
    Good for groups

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    Recommended Reviews - Dam Site Inn

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    Clam Chowder soup
    Alice K.

    Great local establishment offering great food. The Clam Chowder soup was delicious and was a great value.

    Pan Fried Chicken
    Chris H.

    The atmosphere here is an upscale house feel. Warm and inviting on the inside. However since they removed the Dam years ago the outside view is a little, blah. We ordered the all you can eat Pan Fried Chicken Dinner ($30). This consists of a Salad or Cole slaw, Assorted crackers with butter, Buttermilk biscuits with honey, Buttered Noodles, Buttered Peas, Creamy whipped potatoes, Golden chicken gravy, and of course platter of chicken. Lets start with this warning there is a lot of butter on everything. Lets now go with the positives: the Salad was excellent and the French dressing was perfect. The mashed potatoes were extraordinary, in fact my favorite thing. The noodles were good. The biscuits were good and honey was excellent, I would have preferred yeast rolls, but still above average. Now for the bad: The Chicken was ehh. Supposedly the best chicken in Northern Michigan and made a bunch of lists. However, it was kinda dry and the coating was bland. I've had some truly delicious fried chicken in Frankenmuth and South Haven and this chicken doesn't come even remotely close. Also the crackers and butter is just strange. I don't like peas so I have no opinion on them. The person I was with had an even lesser opinion of the meal. The mashed potatoes and salad should not be the best part of the meal. That all being said the value was excellent. The service was very friendly and happy, just not efficient. The waitress kept forgetting things and maybe waitressing isn't for her. She was very pleasant though. Overall a 3 star review. Would I return? No! Not worth the drive for average chicken.

    Family style chicken dinner, mashed potatoes, noodles, peas and fresh bisquits.
    Michael R.

    If you want a nostalgic walk back in time, Dam Site Inn hits all the marks. The interior gives sets a retro theme reminiscent of a simpler time of family dining in a nice country setting. The chicken is amazing, lightly coated and crispy. All the sides are freshly prepared. Served family style with all you can eat portions. Service is good and servers are very attentive. One of our favorites and we go every year for dinner.

    Baby girl ordered their Tom Collins, which is special from my memories of drinking.
    Charlie E.

    Though we did not have our entire family here tonight, this place is nothing but good. The feeling you get from the second you walk in is you are taken back in time to when things were nice, and people cared about the little things. Every year the owners mother carves about 100 pumpkins, she's in the beginning phase, but the pumpkins are spectacular as you will see in my postings. The highlight of the evening I must say was our server Tom. Tom started out here as a busboy, and was promoted to server back in 2020. His brother has worked here, as well as his mother when she was younger. This is a true example of people that care about service, and are proud of what they do, as they should be as they are at the top of their class. The owner is a genuinely warm man and cares so much about his customers, and the people and his operation. Trust me when you go here it's not just a meal it's a memory that will last forever.

    Onion Ring Appetizer
    Drew S.

    We have been coming here for fifty years nows. The current owners are the third generation and know how to operate a winning formula. While you can't go wrong with their chicken (delicious), don't be afraid to try the rest. Especially the seafood. The whitefish, perch and walleye are always fresh and fantastic. Strangely, they have some of the BEST fried shrimp you will ever taste. Noodles & biscuits made from scratch. It's the most requested restaurant visit at our cottage by both family and guests!

    Retro bar

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    Page 4 of 4

    Ask the Community - Dam Site Inn

    Should we give them a heads up for large party?

    I personally get reservations for parties of six or more.

    Does it have outdoor seating?

    No, very large separate dining rooms in the restaurant. (They also offer carryout at least in 2020)

    View All 3 Questions

    Verify this business for free

    People searched for Seafood 182 times last month within 15 miles of this business.

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    Nancy Kelly's Restaurant

    Nancy Kelly's Restaurant

    5.0
    (5 reviews)
    1.6 mi
    $$$

    Absolutely delicious! This is a really nice restaurant. We are just visiting this week and only…read morepacked traveling clothes. I was a little concerned that we would be under dressed but we dressed similar to the other patrons. We made a reservation and were greeted and seated promptly. Everything we had was superb. I highly recommend the beet salad, Caesar salad, walleye, shrimp with fettucini, filet of beef, and strawberry shortcake. Nancy Kelly the chef came to our table to check on our experience. She is a super nice lady and I wish her all the best.

    I had been to the market several time for fancy cheese and an occasional lunch. However, over the…read morewinter I learned that the place had become a fine dining restaurant called Nancy Kelly's. Kelly operated the market and ran the former lunchroom. I was very excited to try the restaurant at dinnertime and I was not disappointed. The dining room has maybe 15 tables. Its an attractive room, but dark. You do not come here for the view. While I loathe the term, the best description for the dining room is shabby chic. The menu features an assortment of special cocktails, 4 or 5 appetizers, and 6 or 7 entrees. I am always wary of places with menus that go on page after page. So I was okay with the smaller menu. They have a full bar. At my table we ordered a shrimp appetizer, that was paired with burrata, watermelon and corn. It looked beautiful and the burrata--hard to find up here--was great. We also had the crab cake appetizer which was also served with corn. It was great, with lots of crab. For entrees, I had the duck with a tasty Asian BBQ sauce. The duck breast was cooked just the way I liked it. While duck is not a rarity in the north woods, the pairing with the lighter Asian sauce was a nice touch. Also at the table was a rack of lamb. Frankly, that is what I hope to have next time. I stole a chop and it was out of this world. Tender and well flavored. Seriously, it was some of the finest lamb i have ever had, I only got to steal one chop. For dessert we had a chocolate delice, which was a frozen combination of chocolate and almond cookie. It was also great. I thought the prices were very cheap for fine dining up north. Put this restaurant in downtown Petoskey and each of the entrees would have been ten dollars more--at least. They do take reservations. It really filled up when we were there. I highly recommend you give this joint a try. I also recommend that you park on the side. Backing out onto 31 is not that fun.

    Hack-Ma-Tack Inn & Restaurant

    Hack-Ma-Tack Inn & Restaurant

    3.9
    (57 reviews)
    14.5 mi
    $$$

    We're repeat guests here...we come every time we visit the north from Grand Rapids. We usually…read morecruise our boat up to the dock but today we drove from Indian River. It's a nice drive. Shar was our server as she has been several other times we've dined here. She is attentive, friendly, and knows her stuff. As always, the food was amazing. My husband ordered the feature rainbow trout almandine and loved it. I ordered the feature 12 oz NY Strip with my shrooms. VERY flavorful and tender. My baked sweet potato side was amazing. The building is iconic northern Michigan and a must see. The interior, though interesting and full of character, is tired, dark, and even grungy. It needs a serious re-do and freshen-up. We will continue to dine here every chance we can and hope to see an upgrade on the decor.

    We loved the ambiance of the place; super cool trip back in time. beautiful views out the big…read morewindows and the bar area was very beautiful. Our server, Ron, was great. Downside- prices were very high for the quality of the food ( we have some great steak restaurants in chicago so that's our comparison). I had the 6oz filet and my husband had the prime rib. Both were fine - not the best or worst we've had- but for $50 plus per entree I expect a nice piece of meat. The entree came with broccoli- overcooked mush- and choice of potato. I love baked sweet potatoes so that's what I ordered. It was tiny, maybe two inches, and when I cut it open it shrunk to half its size, like the turkey in National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation! The dinner salads are extra and $14 for the wedge. Not unusual for a steak house, but the wedge was an 8th of a head of lettuce. I had a vodka soda and my husband had coke. My husband ordered the strawberry shortcake for dessert and loved it but it was $24. The kitchen/chef needs to up their game. We have no problem spending over $200 on a great meal, but not the quality that we got. Sides/vegetables are not expensive and pretty easy to get right. Not sure why they are cutting corners. Glad we experienced it but would not go back. The place is worth seeing but just have a drink at the bar and skip the food. Not worth it.

    Photos
    Menu
    Menu
    Interior of lodge style seating on the Cheboygan River.
    Interior of lodge style seating on the Cheboygan River.
    Bar and tables at the end of the evening 10/10/2020

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    Bar and tables at the end of the evening 10/10/2020

    Dam Site Inn - seafood - Updated July 2026

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