Great location, friendly staff, clean and cute. Food was ok. Kids had chicken tenders and said they were ok but didn't like fried. I had pork nachos they were good. Hubby had a BLT which he liked but none of it was great. Place gets busy but there is public docks and we waited on our boat. read more

Dockside - Torch Lake - a dock with a boat and a restaurant - American Near Me - Bellaire, Michigan

We timed it right and got a shaded seat outside on 7/14/19. Service was friendly & efficient! They have plenty of staff running food and clearing plates- love this! I HATE when plates aren't cleared. I enjoyed my salad eventhough I found a hair at the bottom of it- it happens but still. Not worth mentioning to our server after eating 95% of the salad. My husband liked his pulled pork sandwich and beer. Our toddler had chicken nuggets that my husband said tasted similar to McDonald's- he finished what she didn't. Yes, I'd return and I'd hope we time it right to sit outside to enjoy the beautiful water. read more

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We had great salad. Sunset salad. Full of nuts and I like the dressing. Friend also liked her chicken wrap. We sat on the patio... great view. Wait staff was great food came quickly... I would come back more often if I lived closer. read more

Food was decent and the restaurant was clean and had good ambience. The service was good but slow from the waiters/waitresses however the hostess was very rude. She seemed like asking for a table was a huge inconvenience, she walked fast to the table and did not wait for my grandparents and rolled her eyes when we asked to be seated inside. She gave us a table with a chair missing and walked away, this seemed to be a common theme as I watched her take other people to tables. I thought the hostess was supposed to wait for their customers and walk them to their table. All of the other staff were very friendly and approachable. read more

Went here with the family after a great day on the lake. Sadly, our dinner didn't end on a high note. The biggest issue was honestly just the food. The service could have been better but overall not the worst place I've been. However, basically everybody didn't like what they ordered. I ordered the kickin' chicken sandwich and I was sadly disappointed when my first bite was full of a pungent curry flavor and not even a hint of Cajun seasoning to be savored. The fries were crinkle cut and reminded me of middle school cafeteria fries. I will say the pretzel bun was good. To keep this review short I'll summarize the other complaints from family members which included dry chicken, orders coming out wrong and flavors being bad/off. Overall would not return. The rental business that's right next door though, different story. read more

Dockside is a must visit if in the area or on the boat on Torch Lake. Patio is great to watch boats go by. Bloody Mary's are yummy! It gets very busy so be prepared on the weekend if it's nice. Food- I had a taco salad one night it was good. Turkey avocado wrap another night with sweet potato fries. I probably wouldn't order that again. It was ok. Fries didn't really have much taste. read more

Very good, great service and views. The food could be better but it's not bad, I'm definitely coming back.

Dockside is the place for beautiful views and drinks. The food was average but decent options. It's a fun place to enjoy the torch lake sunset views while enjoying a cold beer or wine read more

Absolute worst service I have ever had. Took 10-15 minutes to even acknowledge us sitting at the bar. Had to ask someone to please take our order 20 minutes after that and wait another half hour after we were done eating to even get one of the 5 people behind the bar to make eye contact with us to get our check. Mediocre food at best. read more

The service at dockside is poor and slow. If you want to wait a long time for drinks apps and food come here.

I've grown up on torch my whole life and i come down here for lunch to wait for twenty minutes for our drink order with no water brought to our table (thank god actually because their waters always tasted like copper) but once we get our drink my glass comes with old fryer bread crumb residue in the glass. we also brought out dog and the manager on today was very rude and not clear on what to do with our dog at all. over all this place has gone downhill and we left after the drink arrived. had to cancel to food order. sad to say but new owners i guess i can blame. also they had two depressing songs play back to back, fly by sugar ray and jumper by third eye blind at 4:30 pm wtf read more

We ordered carryout lunch during a boat day. The service was quick. We loved the cheese curds and our sandwiches. Yummersville!

Our first time ever at Torch Lake and we checked out this restaurant. My husband, daughter and I really enjoyed everything we ordered. My daughter and I are both vegetarians and had no issues with finding options. We got a couple appetizers, I got a salad, and hubby got fish and chips basket. It was basic yet satisfying. Also, this was the only restaurant right on the lake that I could find. They had a patio right on the water. It was perfect for what we were looking for. Very casual. Boats on the water could dock there. I would recommend if you are visiting Torch Lake. read more

Cute decor inside (with game stations!) and there's lovely outdoor seating area so you can soak up the sun and Torch Lake views! In addition, the service was lovely and the food was tasty & very reasonably priced! I thoroughly enjoyed my time here! What we ordered: Recommended: - Fish Tacos (wild caught European perch with asian slaw, a homemade aioli, and topped with fresh cilantro) w/. French Fries: Tacos has a interesting slaw, not your usual mayo coleslaw! What an interesting flavor! - Butterfly Shrimp (butterfly cut shrimp with a light and crispy oriental breading) w/. Onion Rings: shrimp and onion rings never fail! I like that the onion rings were a lot crispier than the fries! Haha - Cod Tenders (flavorful white cod fillets) w/. French Fries: My favourite out of all the baskets we ordered! The cod was juicy and tender with a bit of a crunch on the outside! Simply delicious! + The waffle fries here are amazing! They brought out the order with French Fries instead of waffle fries but were quick to bring us some waffle fries on the side! TOO MUCH POTATO! Other things we ordered: - Clam Strips (sliced and breaded surf clams served with tartar or cocktail sauce) w/. French Fries: I didn't really like the clam strips - too much breading versus the actual clam! Tips: - definitely get lemon with water (it usually does come with the water when they bring it up), because the water here tastes a little funky haha - if you're sharing, make sure you change out the French Fries in the baskets for other alternatives like sweet potato fries or waffle fries or onion rings! Our mistake was we had like 3/4 orders French Fries and on top of that they brought out the waffle fries separately so we were really potatoed out!! Anyhow, this is a place that is so conveniently located by the lake and with some delicious food, it's a must try place!! read more

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Dockside. I have been coming to Dockside since I was probably 10. It's one of my favorite traditions during my family's yearly vacation Up North. This place is near and dear to my heart for so many reasons! But I can't be biased. So I'm not going to be. First of all. WHERE ARE THE CHEESE TEEZERS?! Why in the world would those delicious cheese filled tots get put out?! Haven't seem them since the early 2000s! Now that's out of the way, let's get started. Dockside is a wonderful divy place right on the corner of where Torch Lake meets the Grass River. If you're lucky enough, you can boat to the restaurant and dock there. "Going to Dockside" to my family is putting aside a day where we all hop on the pontoon and cruise down the Grass River from Lake Bellaire. Wonderful! But that's only if you're lucky enough to be on the lake. Worth it tho!! The outside patio is right on the water. It's big with equal parts sun and shade so you can have an option. The inside is also available and big! There are arcade type games for the kids to enjoy. And a beach! If there's a wild wait time, wear your bathing suits and swim a while! I appreciate Dockside being more of a beach restaurant so bathing suits and flip-flops are popular attire. The food tho. Heavy sigh. It's declined a bit. I want to rant and rave about it.... but it's just okay. I get the olive burger on a bed of lettuce and my only side options are tortilla chips with salsa. Very little gluten free options. The burger was good, nothing special. My wife ordered the mushroom burger and fries. She mentioned the fries tasting like they've been frozen. She didn't have any complaints about the burger, but also nothing important to say about it. The cocktails are fun! Festive and yummy! They are also gorgeous! I definitely recommend getting drinks here! I highly recommend tying out Dockside! It's beautiful by the water and screams "IT'S SUMMER TIMEEEEEE!!!" Torch is one of the bluest lakes in THE WORLD. It's stunning. The food isn't the most spectacular (unless they'd bring back cheese teezers) but everything else is wonderful! And bring the kids! read more

Dockside - Torch Lake - Blueberry lemonade and Wave Runner! Delicious! - American Near Me - Bellaire, Michigan

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Sitting on the water here is just lovely. The Dockside is only open seasonally, so the patio is where it's at here! I'm not sure I would come here if the weather weren't nice- the inside isn't facing the water at all, unfortuntely. The food is good and they have lots of mixed drink options though! All of us were happy with everything we ordered, and we will definitely be back. read more

We visited while on a trip up north. This was one of the only restaurants open this time of year but i'm glad they were because we may not have found it otherwise. Delicious food, socially distanced, cheerful, polite and helpful waitstaff. read more

If I could give this place 10 stars I so would. My wife and I are here on vacation for our one year anniversary. Very friendly staff. Food came out pretty quickly. Drinks were great. Our server was Amanda, she was on top of it. Very tentative and personable. I wished I lived in the area because this would be my spot. Highly recommended! read more

Dockside - Torch Lake - Fire cracker shrimp is a must! Nachos were mediocre-the fajita chicken probably would have been better with it! - American Near Me - Bellaire, Michigan

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This turned out to be a very nice find. The inside is basically a sports bar. However they have a very nice deck area for eating with a great view of the beautiful Torch Lake! We ordered a bbq pulled pork sandwich with Chipotle bbq sauce on it and a California Club. The pulled pork sandwich was excellent. Lots of meat with a good sauce. Also had sweet potato fries that were very good. The Club was said to be very tasty and would deffinetly order it again. As a side note when they bring out ketchup they bring out these little paper cups to pour it in. They are larger than most paper cups and were just a very nice touch. As we were finishing a large storm rolled in and everyone was forced to go inside. I was very pleased to see a strong training in how well the staff handled it. Also the staff was very friendly. We were trapped inside while it monsooned outside. Even though we had already ate and already paid the staff still periodically checked on us even though they were slammed. Overall I give 4 1/2 stars but due to the superb training and atmosphere I'm rounding up to 5 stars. I will be back! read more

Dockside - Torch Lake - Storm rolling in, viewed from the deck - American Near Me - Bellaire, Michigan

For the most part the food was excellent, but I got a grilled chicken salad that was made with plain old iceberg lettuce. It would have been much better had it had mixed greens or spinach. And to top it off, there was 3 big core pieces that weren't edible. The server was ok. He Wasn't terribly attentive. read more

Really enjoyed this restaurant and the food. Staff was attentive as well. It was raining the day we went so we didn't get to sit outside but I'm sure it would be beautiful. read more

Beware stay away know case of Covid As others have stated they do not care about COVID and there customers. Well the worst did happen to the place over the Fourth of July holiday. There was a guy in there with COVID, they shut down for 1 day that's it. So it's a mystery of which employees have COVID in there. It's a shame they choose money over customers lives. read more

I've been a customer at dockside for years, and this was my first absolutely horrible experience. The food was good, but our waitress Gill was extremely inattentive and not interested in her customers. It felt like an inconvenience to be in her section, and she did the bare minimum. My friend was questioning her on an item that she didn't mention was an up charge and she walked away mid conversation. Extremely rude and felt like we were being treated differently because of our younger age in comparison to her older tables. Multiple different waiters and bus boys in sections near her were extremely nice and came to attend to us when she was no where to be seen. There were multiple open tables in her section, and when my friend went to the bathroom she was seen on her phone when she had only been to our table once. Extremely disappointed :( read more

Easily worst restaurant in torch lake area. Do not go here unless you want your taste buds to commit suicide. I ordered their signature dockside burger and it was abysmal. The bun was stale and the Pattie's were small. The fries tasted like they came right out of the microwave. The ranch was so watery that it might as well be a soup to go with your meal. My friends ordered other menu items and the portions they give you wouldn't be able to save a starved squirrel. The nachos tasted like left over microwaved Taco Bell. They even have the audacity to sell you overpriced dockside clothing and merchandise so you can display to the world that you ate shit for lunch. The only reason this place gets one star is that the waitress was cute and she got my order right. Take my advice and stay home. read more

We had a great time yesterday at the Dockside! The food was good. I had the perch sandwich with fries (which were eerily reminiscent of Ore Ida crinkle fries...), hubby enjoyed a wrap sandwich, and the kids barely made a dent in their grilled cheese and hot dog (not the Dockside's fault - they were already worn out from the boat ride!). As others have stated, it was all about hanging out on the deck in the sun to eat. The staff were all festively attired in red, white and blue too. Luckily I didn't have to change a diaper at this stop, but the women's rest room door did indicate the availability of a changing table. IMHO, they should get one in the men's too, so mama can get a break sometimes ;) read more

We came here by boat since they have a dock. That in itself is pretty cool. The place was decently packed and I was pretty excited looking at the menu. I got the fish tacos and guacamole with chips, and all of it was just okay. The guacamole was a little stale and tasteless, and the chips were like the ones you get at a baseball game. The fish tacos were grilled and came with a nice sauce, but it wasn't enough to make up for how average the tacos were. The drinks were decent and our waitress was nice. I'd be willing to try this place again with something else from the menu. read more

Great service, good beer, good food, beautiful location, plenty of parking, outdoor or indoor seating, fun t-shirts, all around pleasant afternoon there! read more

Love this place!! So happy that this place is still open. This best place to come and relax, either if you drive in, dock your boat, or off the beach. This has become a year tradition to come here. And the service is still amazing year after year. read more

Dockside - Torch Lake - American Near Me - Bellaire, Michigan

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One of our favorite places on Torch Lake! Beautiful views and great outdoor seating. The colors this fall are amazing!!!! Great pub food and friendly service and locals. read more

The Dockside is almost always busy - so you might have to wait for an outside table. BUT, it is run like a Swiss watch. Once you're seated the drinks, food and wait staff are timely. I hate having to wait for a table, but hey, its a popular place. The food is good. We've eaten here quite a bit over the past 20 years or so and never been disappointed with the experience. Great burgers (appear to be hand pattied) clam basket is solid, wraps, beer and cocktails are all good too. The ambiance is hard to compete with having a view of Torch Lake and watching boats come and go from the dock. It does get busy, but they will accommodate you once its your turn to be seated. Plenty of parking, clean bathrooms and some arcade games for the kids if you have to wait for a table. read more

This place was very nice, waitress was very friendly and helpful. She was always there when we needed anything. Food was awesome. Will be back. read more

A fun place to stop while on the lake. Service was pretty good. Food was average to below average. Really can't complain too much. Would stop again! read more

excellent service. terrible food. Do not get the frozen fish and chips. Fish came out like rubber. Wife had the sunset salad with pecans. Dried up tiny piece of chicken on top. There are other choices in the area. great staff and drinks on the lake. Food not so much anymore and i've been coming here for 35 years. read more

Great drinks and location! The food was pretty good but the drinks made it epic. I could have had five Torch Lake Lemonades!! Fun spot - recommend for a casual meal on the water! read more

In the area for 4 months and I have been trying out all types of restaurants, found this as I wanted to sit outside and enjoy the view. Didn't get a view seat but was outside... breeze was nice! I had fish and chips was not a fan and it's one of my favorites. My sister had wings they were amazing! Drinks weren't bad, I'm a gin and tonic girl with extra lime. I don't believe I got the gin I asked for as I primarily drink only one, also missed my lime. Service was spotty not sure if he was just busy, we waited for food, drinks and bill. Not sure if I will try it again. Best part of the visit was the little beach area next to it, the sun was setting when we left and it was the best part of the visit! read more

You come here for the view. Kitchen faces torch lake making the best views from the deck. Burgers are priced fair, but adding veg costs extra. Good variety regarding beer selection, but did not try the mixed drinks. It's more or less a dive bar mixed with an iconic tourist stop. read more

The best part about this restaurant is the location--right on the lake, with the boat access to Clam Lake directly to the side. Boats are coming and going while you eat. There's a patio with a combination of bench and picnic table-style seating outside bordering the Clam Lake waterway, and a large bar and seating area inside. Unfortunately, besides the view and party atmosphere, there's not much else going for the restaurant. It's basically just average American bar food with a few Mexican dishes thrown in--nothing special--and it's overpriced in my opinion. There's only a couple seafood dishes, and they're all fried. A few examples of my peeves with the menu: fries are $5, burgers don't come with any sides, lettuce, tomato, and cheese are all extra cost, and the soft drinks are in a can (no free refills). And finally, the restroom situation is a disaster. Just a small restroom that snugly accommodates two people for each gender for the hundred or so drunk people in the place, and they're tucked right next to reach other behind the bar with almost no hallway for waiting, right next to the bar staff's access to the bar. So if you want an easy meal near water and lots of happy people, and you aren't a food snob, then go ahead and go for Dockside. It's a good place to hang if food isn't your focus. If you're looking for something above average, then you might be disappointed. read more

You have to go to this place at least once. The food is mediocre but the views of torch and water/boat access make is a unique place to visit. The outdoor seating is very relaxing. Pull up your boat, hop out and get a post sandbar meal and brew, highly recommend. read more

You don't come here for the food. You come here for the water, or via the water. It just isn't a Memorial Day or a Labor Day if it is not spent at Dockside at some point. The food quality is always absorbent enough to soak up some of the day's booze, and prices are super fair considering the great setting and being such a destination. Service is always super attentive, as there are plenty of staff buzzing around. Sitting outside is the entire point, but if weather or space is an issue on the deck, Dockside is still great to spend your stay indoors. read more

Dockside - Torch Lake - I asked for a refreshing surprise, packed with hooch and this done did it. - American Near Me - Bellaire, Michigan

Solid food and drinks. The atmosphere is great.. love the open air dining room. When pulling in dockside, remember there are lots of boat renters who don't know how to drive a boat trying to dock for the first time (it's me...please be patient) read more