Food was great! Pearl was awesome. KJAB was recommended to us as a hole in the wall/ local favorite. My idea of a hole in the wall is knot this place ;-D. Definitely not hole in the wall prices but the food is delicious and the views are beautiful read more

Ditto to most other reviewers .... friendly albeit inexperienced servers. Food came before wine. Really? So basic. Food was good, small portions, a bit pricey. read more

This is a great place. We sat inside with a view of the bay tho they also have outside water view dining. Food was good, friendly service and our waiter Caleb was friendly and very efficient. read more

We arrived around 6:45pm on Friday night and the wait was 1hr for 9 people. It's always a wait anywhere this time of year so we hung around. The kids played the claw game up front and ate popcorn while we drank beers and waited. They ended up getting us seated in about 20 minutes! Awesome food, awesome service, AMAZING views! Thanks Dylan! read more

Knot Just a Bar - American Near Me - Omena, Michigan

Oh so disappointing :( I always look forward to visiting the Leelanau Cellars Winery next door with their complimentary tastings and great wine for purchase, so I was surprised the food and service at Knot Just a Bar next door as bad if not as good as Denny's. SERVICE Was weird, we asked the fresh out of school looking hostess if we could sit at some empty seats on the patio and she said "no that's for a party of 6", I said "really? even though there are ample seats available indoors", she said "no that's for a party of 6" confident this "imaginary party of 6 was about to walk in any moment?". So instead we waited...and waited...and waited, for a couple to leave that she said were paying their bill. Then I asked our server to take a photo of us and our food with the picturesque background of the lake and she ushered us to the other side of the patio, creating a scene that embarrassed my poor nervous boyfriend who hates taking pictures, as she directed us on where to stand, finally taking a picture with the sun behind us so we were silhouettes. It was all so very weird and I can't stop laughing when I think about it hahaha FOOD My bf had the battered perch and onion rings and it looked like something rehashed out of a supermarket frozen food section. I had a portabella mushroom sandwich and the mushroom was abnormally thick, tasteless and a GMO most likely. The garlic mashed potato side was dry and lumpy too. DECOR Nice on the patio with great view of the lake, feels like you're on a ship. This restaurant has the potential to be a fine dining restaurant if they could maybe get some celebrity or expert chefs to revamp their menu and add some organic, locally produced ingredients. It's in an upscale area and there's hardly any competition and I don't mind paying more, but I want more and I want this to be the great restaurant it could be! Sorry you're Knot just a good restaurant and I'm sad to say I won't eat here again. read more

Great service and food. Fantastic views. Will be back. The cones are great. We had fish and shrimp.

Waited for 20 min at the table no drinks and no order taken .. should have listened the the previous reviews .. sad part is we came 3 years ago and it was one of our favorite stops :( hopefully mgmt snd ownership sees these and adjust ! Would love to see this change and maybe we will give it another shot ! But the view is still amazing ;) read more

Service- Terrible! We sat at the bar which in most cases the bartender gives great service - guess this place doesn't know that rule of service. He forgot a portion of our order and said "Sorry I have a lot on my mind". If he had a lot on his mind maybe he should go back to actually writing down orders instead of trying to remember them. The food was not as described on the menu- The chicken salad wrap was described as (straight from menu)- All white chicken breast with house dressing, toasted almonds, dried cherries capers, celery and onion in a tomato torilla - Sounds Great Right? Well I got a wrap with Chicken chunks house dressing 2 dried cherried one in each half, a little celery and not one almond, caper or onion. Couldn't tell the server/bartender as he never came back to check on us or the food. Had to snag him during a swish past to ask for our checks. On the plus side the view is great. Thank goodness the winery next door was super! That would be the ONLY reason I would return. read more

We are RVers and visit this area during the summer. We always look forward to eating here especially when the weather is beautiful. The food is consistently good and the water view spectacular. Today our server was Kristi. She is so attentive and on top of it. What a wonderful experience we had. The friends who came with us thoroughly enjoyed the entire dining experience too. We wanted to bring Kristi home with us. We will definitely continue to return to Knot Just a Bar! read more

Great view, mediocre food, I go to the knot a lot due to convince of it being right next to my families cottage in Omena. Food is probably frozen, prices are higher than I wish, interior could use work, but the exterior is too nice to give anything lower than a 3 star, also it's the same building as Leelanau sellers which has a great wine selection. read more

Love this place. This restaurant offers great views of traverse bay, great food and an awesome beer list. You can even join there beer club and once you drink all I think 70 beers you get your name on the ceiling! read more

Knot Just a Bar - Great burgers and fries - American Near Me - Omena, Michigan

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I am amazed at what people put up with around here and this is the perfect example. It's a great view, yes, but in an area where great views are literally everywhere you look it's definitely not worth it to pay for overpriced, low quality food such as this. Truly, there wasn't one thing on the menu I found appealing as I don't want my food deep fried. So I chose their fish tacos. Big mistake. Not only was the fish a bit smelly and not fresh but nothing had any taste. The guacamole it comes with is from a jar or frozen and the salsa the same. I added a ton of salt and salsa and still couldn't bear to eat more than one. My husband ordered the fish and chips and it was ok but even the French fries were obviously from frozen pre-cut industrially produced potatoes. Come on people-if your "specialty"is fish and chips why not do it with quality and taste? It's not hard. The servers were college kids who were rushed and seemed overworked, but super friendly. I would not recommend this place. read more

I can't say enough about the view. That's what you're getting here. The food is the typical burger, fried fish, sandwich fair found up north. The service is PAINFUL, don't even bother getting mad about it--been like this since the place opened years ago. But the view is lovely and relaxing. A huge bonus about this place, and what gives it 3 stars as opposed to 2, is the nighttime scene. It's amazing teeny tiny Omena even has a place to go at night! Love having a local watering hole to go to with the fam. Added bonus: up can boat to it and use their day dock! read more

The food here is good, but not great. It's standard pub food, nothing offensive, but nothing particularly noteworthy, either. But you didn't come here for the food, you came here to sit and stare at Omena Bay, one of the most beautiful parts of Grand Traverse Bay. (I will try and ignore the Chicagoan below who thought this was Lake Michigan.) Unless you're lucky enough to have a cabin on the water, you won't find a better view for lunch. As someone else said, the way it's been remodeled is impressive, particularly if you remember its prior state, before it closed for several years. Now that it's been dolled up, the prices are much higher and the food is slightly better, but it's still worth a trip, because the view is the same. read more

We have never had worse service at a restaurant. We put our name down and waited for an hour. The waiter accidentally gave our table away to someone else (he was like 12...is that even legal?)...the manager wouldn't let us do carry out even though it would save them a table for another group and we would have tipped as normal, which is illogical. The most uncomfortable thing is that they are forcing people to sit down amidst covid...It's so sad that they would not work with us at all without good reason after being unprofessional. I would not recommend anyone go here until they figure their business out during these times. And maybe they shouldn't have young children work...that kid did NOT want to be there and gave away our table, but you can't blame the kid. read more

A bit of a wait to get in but they help your hunger with free popcorn . Had the Parmesan whitefish which was a bit fishy tasting. Others had the Argentine shrimp pasta which they enjoyed as well as the perch and fry cone. Waiter was not around for refills and made himself scarce. But to be fair, they were busy for a Wednesday night. Very pleasant sitting outside with a great water view. Outside deck Floor had a lot of food on it because of the table design that never has to be wiped because it is full of holes . Stepping on bow tie pasta and fries. Overall a nice place that I would come back to. Fair prices. read more

DO KNOT GO HERE!!! The owner was so rude and obnoxious. We ordered spinach artichoke dip, but our meal came before the appetizer was ready. The waitress asked if we still want it, since our meal was ready. We stated that we no longer want the appetizer. Once we were ready for the bill, the waitress told us that she has to charge us for the appetizer, as we ordered it and they made the food. We asked to speak to the owner. He abruptly approached our table and was screaming at us, yelling, "You don't want to waste food, but you want us to." We tried to explain what happened, but his mind was already made up, and he was not willing to have a cordial conversation. The owner was arrogant and made everyone of earshot uncomfortable. I would not recommend this restaurant to anybody due to how he treated our table. read more

Had a great time. Food and drinks were awesome and our waitress(Riley) was simple the best. read more

Knot Just a Bar - American Near Me - Omena, Michigan

Very popular, but overrated. It's on Omena Bay, great view, and you can boat there. That said, the food is just not that good. If you're thinking of going here, you're probably better off in Sutton's Bay, about 5 miles south read more

We took our visiting family to The Knot for lunch this past week despite a less-than-positive experience the first time we ate here. But they -- especially our granddaughter -- were hungry, and we wanted them to enjoy the view of Omena Bay, so we decided to give The Knot another try. We're very glad we did. We had a great lunch, the highlight of which was our son's Perch Cone, a kind of parfait of deep-fried local perch and batter-dipped French fries. We all sampled from the giant portion, and it was really some of the best fried fish I've ever eaten. My partner ordered a Shrimp Cone, which featured the largest butterflied shrimp I've ever seen -- each of the three was almost the size of a quail! Also delicious.I myself had a mahi-mahi fish taco with citrus aoli which was also very good. We also enjoyed our starter, a feta-red pepper dip with pita wedges. We appreciated the updated menu; and while I think the place could still do more to highlight the wealth of local foods, they're at least trying, and that's a good thing. The interior of the restaurant also seemed a little brighter and less shopworn than we'd remembered it. Service was friendly and helpful -- a bit slow, but this was on a busy day when both inside and outside tables were filled. So I have to take back most of what I said in my first Yelp review of The Knot. But I'm happy to do that when a restaurant moves in a positive direction. read more

It just opened - and it looked like it was off to a fine start, but .. The rehab they did on this old location is unbelievable. Top to bottom the decor is unbeatable. The location on Lake Michigan is one of the most beautiful spots Ive been to in my entire life. The Omena harbor setting is like something out of a storybook. People often take their boats right to the adjoining docks (as they've done for decades) and step off to dine right up the stairs. And wine-tasting room - which is the main attraction - is just great. It calls itself a winery. So the look of the place is fantastic. Have to say the staff was great too but of course they were - it just opened. So whats wrong? Nothings wrong if you are prepared to pay INSANLY high prices for what is substandard pub food. Their prices are not just high - they are outrageous. I'm not sure what they are thinking. It's almost insulting. Over SIX dollars for a mere cupful of bad chili. Burgers are almost good but they will empty your wallet. We all walked out of there saying it was a nice experience but we felt raped by the prices. NOW WAY can this place continue as it is now and please the locals. If they are shooting for the big spending out of towners - from the casino - then screw them. What makes Omena so great are the residents. Nice try but try again Knot Just a Bar. read more

Knot Just a Bar - knot just a bar - American Near Me - Omena, Michigan

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If you can overlook the bad food, horrible service, and the hostess with attitude this is the place for you! The only redeeming quality was the view. read more

One star for the awesome view, and one for the very lacking value. Very overpriced considering the "meh" quality!

I find this place ridiculously charming. The outside porch/balcony has an amazing view, and the food is good. I will warn anyone that loves chicken piccata though, theirs just isn't chicken piccata. There was a severe lack of capers and I don't think a lemon was even involved. It wasn't bad, but not what I wanted. read more

Great view and I hear the fish and chips are good, but the psycho manager chased us away. Maybe asking for a larger table for 10 on an off-season Tuesday is unreasonable around these parts. read more

Used to be good. Casual place to eat with a nice view. Did they change ownership? We always sit at the bar. This past visit, the bar is a complete mess. The bartender is disorganized. The glasses were cloudy. This could be from dishwasher scaling or just dirty glasses. None the less.... Get some new glasses and clean up the back of the bar! Perch cone was good! read more

Great fish, great wine/beer, but if you're vegetarian, eat at home before you go. So my family went to Knot Just a Bar again tonight. The view is great, the fish is wonderful (my husband's favorite), and they have a great selection of beers and wines. However, as a vegetarian, they really don't have much to offer. Really, only one option --the veggie burger (which I had eaten at home at lunch). I opted for the grilled cheese (brie with pear and caramelized onions) minus the bacon and it was pretty icky (it tasted like a warm mayonnaise sandwich). The waitress did offer to bring me something else, but there really wasn't much to offer that included a protein source. It's so easy these days to make a simple vegetarian option (for example, a black bean quesadilla, or offer black beans as an option for the nachos). So if you are vegetarian and you are coming here to eat with the family, do what we usually do and eat at home before you get here. You can always eat a side salad with the rest of the gang. :-) read more

I'm very disappointed in my experience here at this bar. Although the view was amazing, the view of the manager's manic episode was TERRIFYING. I wish I had checked the reviews before coming here, because seeing this man's show no respect or no hospitality to customers made me lose my appetite. I was walking in and heard him state to a people of color, "Go back to the rock that you crawl under." read more

Don't even bother, they randomly close for private parties with no notice. Not worth the drive or your time. Find a place that wants to be a restaurant instead of this place that is trying to be an event rental hall. read more

Great food. White fish pate very warm. Yum and pull pork nachos very flavorful. But freezing in there read more

Knot Just a Bar - American Near Me - Omena, Michigan

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Mack G. was our server and she was great. The drinks were strong & food was good. The patio had a fantastic view of Omena bay. read more

Knot Just a Bar - American Near Me - Omena, Michigan

We were staying in a motel down the road and this place was recommended to us. What a great suggestion. We ordered the perch fish cones. Came with 4 huge filets of fresh caught perch and a ton of fries. The fish was lightly breaded and delicious The fries crunchy and tasty. The service was outstanding and our server was very pleasant. We will certainly go back when we are in the area. read more

Having patronized their other location many times, I expected good drinks and ok food. Wow, was I wrong. Great pours and EXCELLENT food. We had the fish & chips as well as the perch & chips. Fresh, fabulous and fairly priced. Lovely location on Grand Traverse Bay in Omena. read more

The perch cone dinner was delicious and the service was fast and very friendly. Our sever Caleb, was very efficient and friendly. The place was very busy but we (a party of four) didn't feel rushed after we finished. We'll be back soon. read more

The setting in here is very East Coast and most certainly geared toward a clientele of a "certain age", but it was still fun for us youngsters and everyone was nice. In fact, I'm sure the server enjoyed chatting with someone who didn't share at least a 30 year age difference with her. We just came here for a little refueling between wineries so we opted for soup and an appetizer. We split the fried smelt, which were very good with the tarter sauce. Their New England clam chowder was good, though I would have preferred it a little chunkier. The French Onion was great, no complaints! The highlight for me here though was the alcohol selection. Obviously they had some great wines and beers, but they also had Blatz in a can for $1. Of course I had one, and it tasted like college. read more

Had a wonderful experience from the moment they greeted us to being able to sit on a deck overlooking the Bay. The colossal baked shrimp were AWESOME and the steak bites were delightful. Dave and his staff were gracious and caring. We'd go back in a minute! read more

Just got back from our first visit. There were four adults and got sat on the deck as requested right away. It was about 8:30 and the weather has been hot and sunny but it was shady and a light breeze on the deck. The smoked whitefish pate was cold and delicious served with fresh pita chips. One friend had the fried perch served in a metal cone with seasoned fries and cole slaw. Another had the mahi salad special served in a fried tortilla shell with a Mexican twist. She would have enjoyed it a bit more if it had the cilantro lime sour cream on it instead of the sour cream and guacamole but was happy nonetheless. My husband had the gyro with kettle chips which he split with me and my fish taco (2) dinner served with tortilla chips and an extra side of guacamole. I had a fresh minty mojito with cucumber and it hit the spot. We opted out of dessert since we have a Grand Traverse Pie Co. Cherry Cobbler back at the cottage calling our names but our server was fast and friendly. Dress code is come-as-you-are. We'll definitely come back! read more

Amazing. Food. View. Service. Had the blackened salmon salad it was awesome! Recommend to a friend. read more

Knot Just a Bar - Blackened salmon salad - American Near Me - Omena, Michigan

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Pretty good despite all that going on. Good precautions in place. Wife got the Mexican dip and was good. I got the Brie/pear/procuttio flatbread with carmalized onions. Pretty good but lacked any prosciutto from what I could tell? So either say there is no or minuscule amour but don't imply you will actually see any real pieces on the flatbread. I would still come back for sure. read more

This place is a gem! We are so glad we didn't read the other reviews first. Went there for a mid afternoon snack and drinks and had Mackenzie as our server. She was very friendly and efficient. We had the Garlic Shrimp and S'mores dessert. The ladies next door in the Leelanau Cellar were so kind and helpful. We did a few wine tastings and received guidance as far as other spots to visit on the trip around the peninsula. Very pleased with this visit and the view is by far the best in the area. read more