We were pretty disappointed in our visit as someone told us it was one of their favorite places. We decided to try it. We put our name on the waitlist and after about 20 minutes another couple came up to put their name on the list. They were seated right away. We got the next table about 15 minutes later right next to them. Pretty sure the host knew them as she stood by their table for most of our meal talking to them and snacking off their plates. The food was sub par. I had the "Avocado Salad". Description was "Grilled Zucchini, Roasted Corn, Tomato, Goat Cheese, Lemon Basil Dressing". Seriously misleading as it was basically a half a bag of mixed greens topped with 2 slices of avocado, 5 grape tomatoes (halved), some frozen corn and steamed zucchini. The goat cheese was as expected. Sorry, I cannot recommend Firefly. read more

The best part of the meal was the service. The food was okay, but nothing exciting. Was pretty underwhelmed.

Gorgeous interior. Great location of outdoor seating as well along the river. Waitress was wonderful; very kind and attentive without being overbearing. Food was outstanding!! All the food came out hot, had great flavor, and was well worth the price! read more

Firefly Restaurant - Flank steak with truffle fries (bottom, center). Da Yooper burger (top, center). Spinach and artichoke dip with house made pita chips. - Tapas/Small Plates Near Me - Traverse City, Michigan

We were in Traverse City on a Friday night and this restaurant had one of the shortest waits so we decided to try it. It's a nice open space with lots of tables. The food was okay. The sushi was good, but nothing special. The sesame chicken and rice tasted similar to frozen store bought versions. I did, however, really enjoy the flank steak, truffle fries, and garlic aioli. Overall, I thought this restaurant was a little too pricey for the quality of the food. read more

See all

Love their small plates and the service is so accommodating. The ambiance provides for a casual, slow and relaxing time with family and friends. read more

With so many places to choose from here in the main part of downtown Traverse City, it is overwhelming to try to narrow down the choices. I found the place that checked all the boxes! They have a wide selection of food with something for everyone. We ordered their spicy tuna sushi. I didn't have exceedingly high hopes but I was pleasantly surprised when we enjoyed that sushi! Had some fresh, slightly crunchy something in it which made it so good! Our server, Chione, approached our table and I knew we were in for a delightful evening. She was SO pleasant and warm. Very welcoming! All she needed to say to me was shrimp scampi and I was sold. It's only their weekend special (not clear if it is available every weekend or just this last weekend). Linguine, white wine, GARLIC, butter, lemon, shrimp, and roasted tomatoes. YUM!!!! And the toast it came with was UNREAL! Garlicky and cheesy and crunchy...oh boy! Husband ordered their flank steak. Chimichurri, check, truffle fries, check, 6 Oz flank steak with a side of garlic aioli, double check! He almost always gets a side caesar salad and he really liked theirs. We were in heaven. This place is right by the river which would be so stunning in nicer weather. We are planning on coming back here when we come back into town. Thank you for a great time read more

See all

general tso stir fry was bland and the steak udon wasn't fresh by any means. We weren't offered a high chair for our 2 year old, though other parties were. They never brought her a kids menu after asking us if we wanted one. Waited 5 minutes just for water and another 5 minutes to pay so we could leave. Edamame was good. read more

See all

Tasty meal in Traverse City. I loved the mix of items on the menu here and had trouble deciding what to order. The ambience and decor was crisp and modern. They bring water and pretzels with mustard when you are seated. And if it wasn't 85°, we may have opted for outside seating which overlooked the river. I settled on the Thai Peanut Chicken Stirfry with a small plate of edamame and shared both with my daughter. The edamame was ordinary. But the Thai chicken dish was super flavorful. It had a nice balance of chicken, noodles and veggies. My husband got the spicy Cuban sandwich with sweet potato fries. His meal lived up to the name. He said it was quite spicy and enjoyable. My other daughter had the beef skewers and sweet potato fries. She liked both as well. I'd definitely consider coming back in the future. read more

See all

Good food, pretty good service. The location was pretty and right on the river. I think the flank steak with truffle fries was the best thing we ordered. read more

See all

We ordered our food for pick up, it was delicious! the fish tacos, the potstickers, the ragoons! all delicious. would highly recommend again! read more

Firefly Restaurant - crab ragoons, potstickers, fish tacos - Tapas/Small Plates Near Me - Traverse City, Michigan

We went around 5pm and it was incredibly fast to be seated. Sushi was good, but nothing spectacular. Boyfriend got the beach burger and said it was amazing! Good restaurant, thought the sushi was a bit overpriced personally. Crab rangoons were yummy! read more

Firefly Restaurant - Volcano roll - Tapas/Small Plates Near Me - Traverse City, Michigan

See all

First time here and will be on our list of places to go to when in Traverse City. Hubby and I decided to get a few small plates rather than entrees. Beef Skewers: tender and flavorful meat. Hubby said these were the best sweet potato fries he ever ate. I don't like sweet potato fries but ate a few of these so that says something too. Oooh and the garlic aioli was superb. Tuna Tartar: slight ordering mistake by me as I did not read that siracha was to be drizzled on top. It was a bit spicy for me so I scrapped it off the best I could. Hubby loves spicy so he was fine with the heat. The chips were very flaky and I could not stop eating them. Fish Tacos: best fish tacos I have ever eaten! The ratio of fish to toppings was just right! read more

See all

food - everything is pretty fairly priced for me, and it's very high quality stuff and everything i've had is super good service- everyone there smiles when you walk in, and every time i've been there the waitresses i've had are amazing and super nice ambiance - the place is very clean, and the decor is all matching and it's beautiful in there. not to mention the outdoor seating right next to the river read more

Bummed it took me so long to try this spot. This restaurant truly has something for everything on its Asian-fusion/inspired menu. The drinks were well crafted and delicious, the food all came out tasty. We loved the sushi. I personally was obsessed with the lettuce wraps. My dad loved his salmon. read more

Firefly Restaurant - Shrimp tempura sushi - Tapas/Small Plates Near Me - Traverse City, Michigan

In town visiting with my dogs and I found this place is pet friendly, in the spring and summer time when there is outdoor seating. It's a beautiful little spot over looking the canal with a nice cross breeze. The food was a solid 4.5 stars. We got a strawberry salad which was amazing and fresh. However, the strawberry vinaigrette on top of it was a little sweet and not my taste. We also had the blackened shrimp tacos. The blackened shrimp were perfectly seasoned and amazing separately. I didn't care for the red cabbage-- it was raw, it could've been made into a slaw if they let it sit with a bit of salt and vinegar for 10 minutes or even hours before. But it would have been better pickled. Sorry the pics are sort of mid-eaten. read more

Firefly Restaurant - Strawberry salad (top) Blackened shrimp taco (bottom) - Tapas/Small Plates Near Me - Traverse City, Michigan

See all

We lucked out on a Saturday night and walked right in. This place is very popular. Daughter and I enjoyed their sushi and hubby tried the fish and chips. Everything was delicious and we were pleasantly pleased with the check. Surprisingly, didn't feel taken advantage of being summertime and tourist season. Some places will really hike up prices. This place is also a nice easy walk from downtown Traverse City; there was no need to relocate the car. read more

There are plenty of places to eat in TC. A quick Google search clued us in on Firefly. Open format and glass facade really brings the outside in on a beautiful Michigan summer evening. Our party of 5 was seated immediately and service was great with minimum Covid Theater nonsense evident. Drinks came right up. My Mojito was authentic and huge in a shaker glass. My wife had the signature Firefly "martini" which was terrific. Sushi was fresh and hit the spot on a hot evening. Wasabi was atomic. Daughter 1 had the salmon and said it was deeelicious a hard to come by teen seal of approval. Avocado salad was like a big house salad with avocado, not really special. Udon beef was pretty good with deep beef flavored sauce and good steak. Steamed dumplings to start were great. Calamari was crispy and fresh with the ubiquitous chili sauce adding a sweet touch. Much like it's namesake Firefly blinks at times but generally gets it right. Go! read more

See all

We enjoyed a nice dinner outdoors at Firefly. They have a nice spot overlooking the river. They do a decent job with social distancing although there were quite a few diners indoors. We aren't comfortable eating indoors so the outdoor patio worked well for us. All of their employees wore masks as did all the patrons. The food was great, I had the fish & chips & she had the Thai chicken, I definitely had food envy when hers came out. It was in a peanut cream sauce & very delicious. Our server Peyton was great, very friendly & helpful. Prices were very reasonable. Their wine by the glass menu was a little short but they have a pretty good selection of MI craft beers. Give them a try you won't be disappointed. read more

Great experience at Firefly! Our server, Ryan, was knowledgeable and attentive. The ambiance is awesome- get a seat on the patio if you can! Great music playing, too. We tried several different cocktails. The martinis were awesome (wildflower is my rec!) and the cocktails were tasty, too (skip a margarita, but go for a mojito!). First, I'll say the portion sizes are awesome. Great for sharing and solid prices. The truffle fries are excellent. Loaded with Parmesan and truffle, and paired with a delicious, creamy dipping sauce. The calamari is awesome, too - unique, sweet and spicy. We also liked the sauces with the potstickers! We only shared one entree: the Thai peanut stir fry. My mom and I enjoyed it, but my wife wished for more dynamic flavors in the sauce. In terms of sushi, the spicy tuna roll was pretty good but the soy chino was just okay. We actually ordered the roll after finishing our meals, right after we ordered a round of drinks. We ended up waiting a good 20-30 or so minutes for it. Sadly, not worth the wait. Overall, great experience with firefly. We will be back! read more

See all

If you love Birdseye stirfry from your local grocery store freezer aisle but would rather pay quadruple the price for it, Firefly restaurant is for you! Also had a $15 sushi roll that you can find over priced enough from your local grocer. Our waitress was great, the atmosphere is nice, but the food is overpriced and the quality is not worth it. With all of the options in Traverse City, you can find much better and for those reasons I will look elsewhere next time I'm in town. read more

Firefly Restaurant - Tapas/Small Plates Near Me - Traverse City, Michigan

Had a lovely dinner here while visiting Traverse City. The restaurant has nice lighting and ambiance. Great service and very friendly waiters. We ordered the avocado salad, ahi nachos, and da'yooper burger with truffle fries. Overall, really enjoyed the food (especially the truffle fries)! The quality was very good, especially for being a smaller city. Definitely a nice spot to visit if you're looking for a nice dine in experience but nothing too fancy. read more

Firefly Restaurant - Tapas/Small Plates Near Me - Traverse City, Michigan

1 star because the waitress changed our tip amount to give herself more. Atmosphere was nice, and they were more kid friendly than I expected (had 2 kids under 10 with us). Food was very good. Felt a little like the waitress was annoyed by our presence, although the kids weren't being disruptive and we were in & out quickly (45 mins or so). 1 star because I tipped $15 on an $85 bill (almost 18%). I'd usually have tipped 20%-ish, but as I said I got the vibe the waitress was annoyed by us. Was expecting a charge to my account of $100 (bill and tip), when it went thru today apparently they added another $5 to the tip because the total bill was $105. So yeah, 1 star because I don't appreciate your waitress stealing from me. read more

I always have a good meal here. Yesterday was no exception. I was hungry from a long drive and was few promptly. I like the sesame chicken, very tasty. And a northwood lemonade because I don't like the sodas. read more

We came here for a late snack/appetizer. We were still so stuffed from lunch. We ended up splitting the spinach artichoke dip and OMG probably the best I've ever had. I would make a point of going back there again just to get the dip. The fresh pita that it comes with it was *chefs kiss*. They served a local soft drink brand (I don't remember the name) and it was delicious. Not a ton of options for white claw flavors. I took a star off because the table and menus were sticky. It didn't feel totally clean. read more

My GF didn't like ur restaurant. Sry. I actually enjoyed it tho. The strawberry margarita was fire so thank u for that. Matt read more

As you enter the restaurant, the atmosphere is modern and spacey, with tall ceilings! we were walked through this area and seated in a very disappointing, dark, small, back room with a "club" like atmosphere - giving off "smoking section" vibes with EDM music. We both ordered a burger and were disappointed even more. we both said we would like the burger cooked medium (the waitress asked) and were presented with a burger that was well overdone - my husband could not even eat half of it because it was too hard to choke down. This may be one of cheaper places to dine in TC, but i would happily pay more for an edible meal. read more

Had a great visit with friends here, despite the COVID restrictions. Great service, good menu selections (upscale pub), and nice selection of microbrews. Seated on the patio near the water. I gather that there is a lot more excitement here without the pandemic and when the lake levels are lower. We will be back to check it out in the future. Our fiends both got salads (which they loved) while my wife and I shared small plates. All very good but my wife particularly liked the humus and pita. Looking forward to more in the future. read more

This is somewhat of an Asian fusion style restaurant. There are a few different sushi options as well as noodles. I ordered the Spicy Tuna rolls and the Beef Udon noodles. Although I neglected to take a photo, they were both delicious. The cocktails are wonderful and the location is great. Right on the river with an outdoor seating area overlooking. Neat decor inside with large old photos of local scenes. The only con is it seems that they are still playing the covid game. They only had enough tables out for what seemed to be about 25% of their capacity. Had to wait for about 15 minutes for a table and there weren't even 40 people in the restaurant. Not disgruntled and will definitely be back, but if they are indeed placating the frightened, they might want to look at an alternative business plan. read more

I own a house between Glen Arbor & Leland & I come up during the Early Summer & Autumn to visit. Almost every visit, I come to Firey bc it's not Downtown so not overcrowded & busy. It's on the river with a great view & they have a great selection of food & small plates which I absolutely love! The interior is very light & airy with large picture windows and abundance of natural light. They have lots of different seating: banquette & 2-4 tops & a wonderful outdoor patio that is fog friendly which is fabulous! The service is always prompt, friendly, & efficient! I have never had a bad experience here. Definitely recommended! read more

We enjoyed a wonderful birthday dinner! The service was prompt and the food was delicious. Their children's menu has great choices for kids.

Came here 3:30pm on a Thursday-- it was empty! Our waitress was great. We ordered the burger and club sandwich. Burger was juicy and fresh. Wish it had more toppings, but it was a solid classic burger. Club sandwich was delicious. A little heavy on the focaccia, but good amount of turkey in it. Both sweet potato and regular fries were perfectly fried to my liking (extra crispy!). Would come back! read more

Firefly Restaurant - Burger and Club Sandwich @detroitdining instagram - Tapas/Small Plates Near Me - Traverse City, Michigan

Amazing food with decent prices and fast and friendly staff . Well ran restaurant. A friend of mine has worked here almost 9 years with a great addition to the team and he puts out amazing quality work read more

Yum! This food was so delicious. We had a wonderful time dining on the outdoor patio. Our waitress was so kind and attentive. All the cocktails and food were great, but the fries (both sweet potato and truffle) really stole the show read more

UPDATED; 9, FEBRUARY. I spoke with the general manager. It was a good, comfortable conversation. This does not mean I will remain a loyal customer. I still cannot forgive the actions of the employees in question. I still feel the employees in question ought to have been made to apologize, to me, personally as well as have been reprimanded for their actions. As I am left feeling as if there will be nothing done to these employees, for their repugnant attitude and callous regard towards me, as a customer. They know me as a regular take out / delivery customer & this is not a singular incident. Because I have called them out on several occasions within the last two years, for issues with delivery, and/or food qualities. I am certain that they, ( employees / staff ), utilize my person as an on going joke, amongst themselves. I need no part of that. They lost a very loyal customer. The four (4) stars are purely for the conversation with the, G.M. As for it's lower level pion employees, let me get down to your level here, --- you can kiss my diarrhetic ass. read more

See all

Ive been here a couple time but the first time I went here (during covid) we had to sit in these little tents and I ended up breaking the light because it was too small. Food was pretty good. And there was heat in the little tent things. Ambiance read more

Rip off ! Orange chicken was 6 chicken McNuggets with cheap orange sauce poured all over the fake "tempura" chicken. needless to say I left hungry and this place is crossed off my list-I think they thought we were tourists. Ugh read more

We just dropped in. There was no wait. So, my wife and I were quickly seated. And served very quickly as well. The waitress was really nice and attentive to us throughout our whole time being there. Now, I ordered a Margarita. She didn't ask if I wanted salt or sue on rim of the glass. So, there was none. The alcohol was strong. Still not bad but, I didn't order a second. The second one was a raspberry something. It was good. We both ordered the salmon meal. It was good. The desert and the Queso dip and chips and the Peanut butter Flowerless Torte was really good. We'd come back to try something different next time. And the ambiance of the outside setting was superb. read more

See all

Beautiful view of the river. Glass walls. Small plates, interesting sushi (including steak!) and delicious cocktails.

Always a favorite, they never disappoint! Good food, great service and tasty drinks.

Great menu with a wide variety of options. Tranquil setting just off the water. Decor is warm and welcoming.