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    Johnny’s Torch Riviera

    3.6 (90 reviews)
    Closed • 4:00 pm - 9:00 PM
    Updated a few days ago

    Johnny’s Torch Riviera Photos

    Business Info

    JOHNNY’S TORCH RIVIERA ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Moderate noise
    Good for groups
    Good for kids
    Happy hour specials

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    Recommended Reviews - Johnny’s Torch Riviera

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    Lasagna up close
    Chris H.

    Funnily enough the building reminds me of an old bait and tackle shop. However that being said inside is inviting and a little dark. It divided into a couple of seating areas and a bar. I Ordered the Crab Rangoon Dip ($16) served hot with Wonton Chips. They were excellent. They come out scalding. The chips taste homemade and once the dip cools enough to taste it becomes very addictive. I also ordered the Lasagna ($22). It somehow comes out even hotter than the dip. Yowser, it is a nice thick slab of Lasagna. Once it cooled enough to eat it was delicious. The noodles were delicate and tasty. The sauce was right on and there was plenty of meat inside it. It ended up being too much to complete and I had about half left to enjoy the next day. The service is very friendly and does a great job. Overall a 5 star review. Would I return? Yes, an oasis in the practical middle of nowhere it seems like.

    Mozzarella Caprese
    Kimberly K.

    Mico's is back! What was known for generations as "The Torch" is now Mico's Torch Riviera and it's fabulous! I've been fortunate enough to know the Fortuna family and their long history of serving delicious Italian food to the Traverse City & Torch lake region. Since the Leelanau Peninsula translates to wine country (it doesn't but it should!) we started with a bottle of Black Star Farms Riesling. Some restaurants really mark up the wine but the prices at Mico's were more than reasonable. For starters we ordered the Caprese salad (good but nothing that stood out) and the calamari for an appetizer. I was surprised how much calamari came on the plate. It was delicious too. Lightly breaded and flavorful and enough for a whole group to share. My mother had the chicken Marsala. Their homemade Marsala sauce was excellent. For me though the shining star was the tortellini Norma. The walnuts mixed in the cream sauce added a nice touch to an already wonderful dish. Don't skip dessert either. We got cannolis to go and enjoyed them the next morning with our coffee. Mico's is truly a gem for Torch Lake and I can't wait to go back next summer!

    Cioppino. "Fisherman's stew"
    Steve Z.

    2 of us went here for first time ever. Heard the new owners were great restaurant and entertainment people and it proved to be true. Not sure about some of the negative reviews are about but the food and service here are amazing. Not super polished fine dining service but real people putting in a hard effort with enough skill to make for a great experience. Calamari is some of the best ever. The Fishermen's stew is loaded full of seafood and savory tomato based sauce. Even the side salad had a homemade raspberry vinaigrette that was better than I've had before. The cannoli for desert was just average. The musician during dinner was very entertaining. We will stick around for main show next time. Would have given 4.5 stars this time but not available and 4 was too low.

    Whitefish and lasagna
    Emily C.

    The staff was very friendly and the food was delicious!! Quiet atmosphere with clean restrooms and dining area. Ordered Crab Rangoon dip, Lasagna and a whitefish special. Servings were huge, definitely enough lasagna for two or even three meals.

    Veal marsala and fish sandwich
    Elisa G.

    Somewhere between one and two stars. Service was slow even with our trying to wait patiently in these barely past COVID times, thinking the restaurant was just getting back up and running. My dining companion had the fried fish sandwich which was average at best...I should know since she traded me for my awful meal halfway thru! I had the veal marsala, nasty is the first thought that comes to mind. Bland, gray, lifeless and void of flavor are other adjectives I'd use to describe this ugly mess of a meal they were calling veal. The manager came by and inquired why the meal wasn't satisfactory, but was overly defensive in her attempts to right the situation. Even the complementary cannoli they gave us to make up for the meal was equally boring and flat. I'm sure the place will be mobbed by families coming off the lake (which can't be seen from the restaurant) during the summer but anyone looking for a seriously good meal won't return.

    Fantastic dirty martini and a solid tap line.

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    2 months ago

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    1 year ago

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    6 years ago

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    1 year ago

    Food and service is fantastic. ! The Lasagna is the best and don't forget to try the Spaghetti.

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    4 years ago

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    2 years ago

    The only restaurant on the lake. Uninspiring food. Menu could be fresher. Staff was efficient and organized.

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    2 years ago

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    6 years ago

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    5 years ago

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    3 years ago

    The people are great! We've had several Dinners and always enjoyed the food. Be sure to go hungry the portions are large.

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    2 years ago

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    3 years ago

    Anything I've had or guests we've taken to Johnny's has been excellent. Service, food and warm welcome.

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    3 years ago

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    5 years ago

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    5 years ago

    Had take-out from there tonight. It was absolutely wonderful. Just like the original on C look am River!!!

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    4 years ago

    Pizza is very good! Great place to eat , service was excellent 5 stars for sure.. i'll be back

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    Page 1 of 3

    Ask the Community - Johnny’s Torch Riviera

    Does anyone know why they changed the restaurant name from Mico's to Johnny's?

    In the process of changing ;-) Dominic is moving on to pursue his entertainment career Will keep all post ;-)

    Are they open on mondays?

    Yes, we open at 11:30

    Don’t See Your Question? Ask Away!

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    What a great find! We took my mom and MIL to Bennethum's for Mother's Day. Reservations highly…read morerecommended. We came at 5pm on a Saturday and the restaurant was packed! I mean packed! The bar was full too. Luckily, we had reservations so we were good. We started off with the fried morel mushrooms. Helloooo! These were so delicious. Additionally, we got the whitefish bites and the complimentary bread. So hard not to try everything, but it makes it easier with a bigger party. For dinner, I got the smaller portion of walled eyed. The fish was so fresh! I didn't think I had room for dessert, but we shared a slice of carrot cake. It was worth it! Highly recommend this place for a special occasion. Such a beautiful place! I want to come back and check out the bar wi the husband for a chill night too.

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    We decided to drive a little way out of town to avoid the Traverse City busy traffic so we went up…read moreto elk Rapids and found this river walk Grill, which looked really nice from the outside. The food was actually fine, but I thought the prices were a little high for what you actually got. I got salmon tacos and they were fine. They had sufficient amount of food inside and the ingredients were good. My friend got the fish sandwich and he said it was fine. My friend got an Arnold Palmer to drink and the total bill with tipping all ended up being $60 which I thought was a little steep for two sandwiches and an Arnold Palmer so I wouldn't come here again because of the price.

    Food: my coworkers walleye was good, the cauliflower dried up; my filet was awful!!!! I ordered…read moremedium and it came out rare--but the server never checked. Also it was brown on the top and grey on the bottom. The demi glacé was just cold gravy. They were out of the asparagus it comes with so I got one stalk of broccolini which was limp. It was served on a plate with two huge chips on the rim. My companion asked for unsweetened tea with sugar substitute (diabetic) the server brought a shot of simple syrup from the bar. When asked she said they didn't have sweet'nlow or something similar. The service was horrendous, she just couldn't be bothered to care. With so many good options in this tourist town this was a horrible experience.

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    Great place for fresh fish!…read more Group of six of us came on Friday night just before 6PM and waited about 30 mins for a table on the patio. Nice shades table at this time with great breeze on the riverfront/marina area. We all ordered fresh fish with half of getting the almond Whitefish ($30) and it was outstanding! One BIL got the New Orleans Whitefish ($33) and the other BIL got the Whitefish tacos ($21) and it was unanimous...everyone loved the food. What really made our night special was our server Julie! She was super friendly, fun, helpful and very prompt. She is a precious asset for the restaurant!

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    Seating area near host stand

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    The Cove - The famous "Chubby Mary" featuring a pretty good sized delicious smoked chub.

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    The famous "Chubby Mary" featuring a pretty good sized delicious smoked chub.

    Johnny’s Torch Riviera - seafood - Updated September 2026

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