Fabulous trout... The fancy side dishes were creative and tasty... All farm fresh vegetables... Wonderful view... The most interesting salads with yummy pickled radishes... Delicious read more

I hope this review helps other couples make the right decision if you've been considering Mission Table for your wedding. We initially booked Mission Table for our October 2025 wedding and ultimately decided to change our plans due to unforeseen life circumstances. From the beginning, communication was challenging. I had to follow up multiple times on basic planning questions -- like scheduling our ceremony rehearsal -- and often received delayed, vague, or conflicting responses. At one point, we were contacted to provide guest meal choices a full year before the event, which added to our growing concerns about how organized and prepared the team was. Barb, the event director, was difficult to communicate with and came across as unhelpful and inflexible. Madi, who was introduced as our main contact, seemed unaware of key details and unprepared to support us in the way most couples reasonably expect when booking a high-end wedding venue. When we ultimately let them know we'd need to cancel the event (six months in advance), their response was brief and dismissive -- no empathy, no effort to work with us, and no goodwill gesture despite our proactive and respectful communication. Looking back on the entirety of our experience with their team, we honestly feel like we dodged a bullet by not holding our wedding there. The venue is beautiful, and that's what initially drew us in -- but unfortunately, the lack of professionalism, warmth, and basic coordination behind the scenes was not something we felt we could trust with such an important day. read more

Nothing special, just a nice place to check off your bucket list when visiting Traverse City, the food was okay and the service was great read more

Mission Table - Cuban sandwich - New American Near Me - Traverse City, Michigan

What a great spot to go to for a lovely lunch! Located off the front of the building of Jolly Pumpkin, you are seated on a deck facing beautiful Lake Michigan. The service here is excellent. From the hostess to the server, everyone was pleasant and friendly, and genuinely seemed to enjoy your presence in their company. We ordered a pizza and breadsticks to split. All of their pizza's sounded amazing, but we decided on the Greek. It was absolutely loaded with toppings (so much so that the crust was soggy in the middle). The crust is handmade every day and it was perfect - crispy, chewy, delicious. The breadsticks were lathered in butter and covered in parmesan cheese and were so chewy and soft. They have a very small craft beer list, but they also had bottles from a couple different breweries. Inside, there is a tasting room with two breweries and two distilleries offerings. We enjoyed everything that we tried. I would definitely go back to this establishment for lunch or dinner! read more

Mission Table - Tasting flight - New American Near Me - Traverse City, Michigan

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Just alright. If you're not already on the peninsula, I wouldn't take the time to come up here just for this restaurant. Food | the food itself is actually great. Love how local everything is. Pork chop is great. Fried chicken is always good even though the sides it comes with aren't. Nice, light starter salads. Where it falls short is service. Service | it was a Friday dinner, it wasn't crowded at all. But from the get-go it wasn't great. Our table for 4 was missing a chair and a place setting--okay that's fine as they went about quickly to fix but did you have to crowd us next to the one of 2 other groups in the place? There was plenty of area left to space us our. Next, the table was wobbly for which, to the servers credit, he got us something to put under the table. Salads come come out, normally restaurants that charge this much offer you freshly cracked pepper. We didn't even have pepper on the table. We had to flag down the server to ask for pepper for which he gave us then a small pepper shaker from another table. Having been here before I know they have a pepper cracker somewhere... But we didn't want to have to flag him down and ask again. Never once refilled our water but made sure to ask if we wanted more glasses of wine. He did refill the coke glass once though. Entrees come out, server could work on actually walking around the table to place down the plates instead of reaching over everyone. This time though, he did come back and ask if we needed anything. Yay learning! We didn't finish all our entrees so we asked for them to be boxes, thinking it would be like other $$$ restaurants where they box it for you but we were just given boxes for us to do it. Again, not the biggest problem but when entrees start at around $26+.... Overall, it's a nice restaurant with good food but with a mismatch in the level of service, especially for the amount you are paying. read more

Mission Table - Fried chicken - New American Near Me - Traverse City, Michigan

My wife and I chose the Peninsula Room because we cared a great deal about the food for what venue we chose. The locally sourced options and ability to "customize all menus to please your palate" was very enticing to us. Unfortunately, dealing with the owner caused us great stress and sorrow throughout the process. For our tasting, we were only allowed to try 5 things on the menu for appetizers. We had discussed with her prior that we wanted to do a customized app for 1 of those five options. Initially when we talked we were told it wouldn't be a problem and they could accommodate it. Right before the tasting we were told they couldn't make our item because they didn't have the capability of "pan frying/sauteing" in their kitchen. This was a huge disappointment to us since we were told they initially could accommodate it. Since we were planning to serve an a la carte appetizer we also wanted to try it at the tasting as 1 of our 5 items but were met with resistance at first. Eventually after pulling teeth, we were able to try it. Something else that disappointed us was the fact that we couldn't try anything else after we didn't enjoy a few of the options we tried. So we then had to choose blindly on serving something. The bride/groom cocktails at our tasting were the most problematic of the experience. We had specifically stated we didn't want a specific liquor used in them. When we tried one of them we could tell something was off. For one thing, our cocktails were batched instead of being made fresh. The other issue we discovered was that our drink was indeed made with the liquor we requested it not be made with and they were planning on hiding that fact from us. We were told ahead of time we'd have "full bar access" and time to work with the mixologist, which we were not permitted because there was an event that day. We weren't even able to try any other cocktails, just the two that were batched. So instead they suggested we schedule another tasting the morning of the wedding! We then had to reschedule it for the monday before the wedding and meet with the actual mixologist because we only had our drinks made by a bartender. We also talked to them about having bride/groom beers as well. We wanted to make it easy, so we went with two relatively local breweries. We had plenty of correspondence over email about the decision to include them and initially we were told it wouldn't be a problem. I even went as far as to get the size/pricing for the kegs to make it easier for logistics. Then we were told they would just buy cans instead because it's easier and that was a huge problem. Eventually they went back to what they initially agreed with us and they'd give us the quote at the tasting. And to no one's surprise, they didn't have the quote at the tasting for us. We did indeed have another tasting the week of the wedding and thankfully it went very well with freshly made drinks and the mixologist working with us. The day of the wedding however, there were complications. We were served drinks that tasted great but then we noticed guests were complaining about the drinks. We had some ordered and the bride drink, which we had specifically made a tasting twice to fix, was being served as 90% soda water and incorrectly. We yet again had to express our frustration of why it was being made incorrectly after numerous assurances it'd be correct. It was an awful feeling that my wife and my drinks were made perfect, but the rest of our guests were made incorrectly. The other complaint from our guests was how light on the alcohol the drinks were. We had quite a few guests complain that the cocktails had little to no alcohol in them. For choosing the highest open bar package, this was very disappointing. We had provided some homemade chips and a dessert bar for our guests as well. During cocktail hour when the chips were served, everyone loved them. Almost all our guests stated after the wedding they wished there were more after they ran out. We had purchased almost 6 lbs of chips, so to our surprise we discovered they were set out once and not refilled even though there was an immense amount of chips left. The day after the wedding, our coordinator told us that the venue "lost our chips". She then presented us with the chips and one of the boxes being completely untouched while the other was still almost full. The Peninsula Room also lost a box of cannoli that guests could've enjoyed as well. The last food issue was our late night food. We chose to have late night pizza and special ordered some mozzarella sticks. The mozzarella sticks that we paid for were not fully cooked. They were served room temp and had no cheese pull. All the issues caused us a great deal of stress throughout the process for what should've been a wonderful experience. We were misled on multiple occasions which resulted in the venue dropping the ball on important things to us. The owner's focus on business overshadowed our special day read more

Had dinner at Mission Table while visiting the Traverse City area over the weekend. We enjoyed the smoked rabbit ravioli, short rib pasta, scallops, filet & squash soup. The beet salad is absolutely amazing with salt roasted beets, greens, mango Stilton, honey yogurt, salted walnuts & apple anise. It's worth the drive up the peninsula just to have the beet salad. Delightful meal! read more

Mission Table - New American Near Me - Traverse City, Michigan

We hosted a rehearsal dinner at Mission Table's Harbor Room last weekend. They allowed us to arrange the tables and decorate earlier in the day. We had about 34 people, including children, and three with dietary restrictions. The Chef was very cognizant of the restrictions and delivered a delicious dinner for all. We had many compliments on the food. From the Chef to Madi Bystry, our event coordinator, to the bartender and the waiters, who were all so responsive to our requests, it was a wonderful evening and great start to our wedding weekend. We HIGHLY recommend! read more

Came here for a wedding party, all the bartenders were nice besides Maddy. She was very rude from the beginning. Nothing nice to say about her. Honestly pissed a lot of us off with her snarky comments, poor attitude, unhelpful ness, etc. For a wedding venue that cost a lot of money the least you can be is nice to people, especially when they are nice to you. read more

This was our first trip to Mission Table and it did not disappoint! We had a great table overlooking the lake and a great sunset. Our server, Michael was friendly and knowledgable and our meal was fantastic. The elk sausage small plate was good, but the lamb ragout was out of this world! For an entree, we split the lamb shank and it too was delicious. I wish we had room left for dessert, but after this fulfilling meal, we did not. The only reason I could not give this place five stars is because our server appeared to have more than his share of tables and despite the fact that he really hustled, it caused some long delays in service. We will definitely be back! read more

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My husband and I truly enjoyed our experience at Mission Table -- great way to end the evening after hiking the sand dunes all day! 4.5 for the overall experience. The restaurant is located on the peninsula, above 20 minutes from Traverse City. We arrived during sunset, and the drive up was so picturesque - winding roads along summer homes with a sunset view of one of the purest Great Lakes. The restaurant itself has a rustic charm - perfect for special events - with a farm to table focus. The service and staff overall was fairly memorable. They made sure we were comfortable accommodated our request to sit indoors - with the sun setting, there were quite a few mosquitos out. As for the food, we ordered a burrata to start. He ordered the fettuccine, and I ordered two smaller plates - the lamb ragout and the small portion of risotto. The true winners at 5 stars: the burrata and the fettuccine. The burrata was fresh and soft, and the fettuccine pasta itself was cooked perfectly with fresh ingredients. The risotto and lamb ragout were also solid 4 - the lamb ragout had a bit of a curry flavor and came with a few pieces of crostini. Great views and very romantic - highly recommend if you are willing to make a short drive up the peninsula! read more

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Full disclosure--I haven't had a meal here but I still had a wonderful evening that I will remember fondly! Came here still totally full from a crazy brunch so despite the fact that we had planned to sample some food and everything on the menu looked amazing (especially that small plate of scallops! Sigh) we stuck with cocktails and beer on the patio. And BOY, what a patio! How much better can you get than a lovely wooden patio (with fire pit, although it wasn't running during our visit) placed in a wooded area overlooking the bay. It's the ideal spot to spend a cool summer night with a drink in one hand and the sunset coming down in front of you. LOVE. The cocktail I had was scrumptious. It was a lovely vodka cocktail with lemon and thyme that wasn't overly sweet and had the right amount of citrus/herb balance. The beers on tap were from the next door neighbor Jolly Pumpkin and their pard'ner in beer crime North Peak, so it was indeed tasty. The prices were reasonable, the view was amazing, and the staff was wonderful. I couldn't have asked for a better evening for casual conversation (and a heated game of Trivial Pursuit Steal). Can't wait for my next trip up north, this is first on my list to try for food since we didn't get the pleasure this time around. read more

This is a wonderful restaurant. Located in a former historic inn but updated and attractive. While we live in San Francisco, we make sure to make a reservation here while visiting the Traverse City area. One of my (and others in my party) all time favorites is the briny buttermilk chicken. It's a winner every time. I've also tried the filet mignon and the lake trout (very good, but not as unique as the chicken). Cool cocktail (even a strawberry mojito!), beer (North Peak beer is awesome), and wine (local) options. Favorite spot to sit during the summer is outside on the patio (recommend the lower deck with an umbrella). You'll enjoy a gorgeous sunset if you're there at the right time. It's also set on a lawn with the greenest and most fairytale-like grass and trees. It's fun to stop by Jolly Pumpkin (sister restaurant/brewery) located right behind Mission Table (and in the same building but separated by a staircase) after dinner for a drink or two of delicious sour beer or cider. Or you can eat here- the food is good too but it's more of a pub feel. Same restaurant in Ann Arbor. It can get kind of crowded inside and also difficult to get a reservation right away to sit down (has always been about 45 minutes and they'll call your phone when table is ready) so it's nice to exit through the back doors (to the right of the bar if you're facing the bar) and sit on a nice stone patio (ledge seating) and chat or play some corn hole. read more

Mission Table - Otto's Briny Buttermilk Chicken - New American Near Me - Traverse City, Michigan

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We were really excited to come here on our trip to Traverse city. The views alone from the patio are worth the trip- but not so much for the food. We got the Trout and the burger. Both were way overcooked (we asked for medium rare on the buger). I expected the bacon jam and aioli to really add some flavor to the burger, but we were disappointed. We also got the cauliflower app- nothing too memorable there- and I think we also got the beets but nothing special. All in all- pretty sunset - but don't make the trip out here just for this restaurant, like we did. read more

Incredible experience all around. Beautiful decor and ambience, definitely upscale, but not pretentious. Food knocked our socks off, especially the fresh corn soup, smooth and velvety and so delicious, also unlike anything we've ever had. Beet salad was simple, gorgeous and sublime. The Kobe NY strip steaks were nothing short of spectacular. The best steak experience in my life to date, hubby concurred. Wonderful staff. Looking forward to our next visit! read more

Mission Table - Beet salad - New American Near Me - Traverse City, Michigan

We rolled up the dirt driveway and parked next to a Chevelle from the sixties. The parking lot sits directly next to wine vineyards. I imagined the old muscle car belonging to one of the Old Mission wine barons. Mission Table, housed in a historic, sprawling building that renowned Michigan breweryJolly Pumpkin calls home as well, could not have been more cozy. There were comfortable chairs beside a roaring fire. The dining room had its own fireplace, and windows on the lake. My girlfriend and I loved the food here, one of the best meals I have had in Michigan. Mission Table pairs classic technique with local ingredients, and the resulting dishes are high quality and flavorful. We had lake trout in a light, acidic tomato broth, and steak in a rich sauce of beef shortribs. The locally grown vegetables were shining, at this time of harvest. My girlfriend enjoyed her cocktail. An interesting part of the restaurant is that they make all their own beer (Jolly Pumpkin), wine and spirits. Right before the entrees arrived, the sun burst through the grey pall blanket of clouds on its descent. The bottoms of the clouds caught pink reflections. The resulting contrast was so surprisingly beautiful many of the diners, including me, stopped eating to step outside and see. read more

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We stumbled upon Mission Table during our annual trip to Traverse City and must day it was one of our favorite dining experiences we've had in the area. I definitely recommend the short rib tacos as an appetizer. We also tried the risotto with fresh corn and bacon -yum! I had the steak salad for an entree - it was light and refreshing. My boyfriend had the lamb, which was also good but the cook was a little inconsistent as he ordered medium rare (some pieces were cooked to perfection while others were medium well). The service and ambiance were outstanding! If you are on the fence about visiting this establishment - give it a try!! read more

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This review is strictly for their wedding and group event services. My husband and I got married at Bowers Harbor/Mission Table last June. We're from California, so planning this wedding across the country was challenging enough, but the ladies from Mission Table made it very easy. I met with Barbara when we visited and toured the site in early 2014. We were able to reserve and make all accommodations via email, which was super helpful due to the time differences. Eventually Kate took over and helped us create a smooth event. I was so impressed with their professionalism and how everything was mostly handled when we arrived the week before. The *only* issue we had was a slight miscommunication about the wine. We thought we could buy wine from Bowers Harbor Vineyard next door and have it served at the reception, but due to some law that was impossible. I left with a few cases of wine to enjoy on my own, so not the worst thing that could happen :) Overall the planning and communication was great. The space was beautiful and private! They closed down the front of the restaurant so we could enjoy the space! It was wonderful to be able to use the upstairs room to change, and the Mission Library space was incredible. Thanks Mission Table and Bowers Harbor! read more

Mission Table - So many beautiful reasons to get married at Mission Table. This was early June, 2015. - New American Near Me - Traverse City, Michigan

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Bride's beware. This is a beautiful venue but I can not strongly enough state that it's not worth it. On the day of the wedding there were people, from another wedding at the building in the back, allowed to utilize the upstairs space at our building that the Mission Table manager, Barb, contracted to the bride for $1000. Random patrons from the Jolly Pumpkin were allowed by the Mission Table staff to actually sit on the Bride's rented patio during the ceremony. The Mission Table manager made a mistake in the bar and charged the Bride for it. The Mission Table Manager shut down the bar service for the reception 30 minutes earlier than the contracted time. The Manager also slammed the door and locked it while the bridesmaids were taking out the last of the decorations. Also, right after the ceremony, a group of people were allowed to do their wedding rehearsal, right in front of the whole reception. Very few times in my life have I witnessed so much unprofessional behavior. The food was very good and the waiter was a nice guy. read more

Loved this place! Super casual but fine dining! Food was great, cocktails good, wine-local fine! I particularly loved the alternative music! Lastly, but most importantly for me on my lake vaca, a view of the bay! read more

We were absolutely blown away by Mission Table. After a long day of hiking, we came here for a late dinner (about 9:30pm). It is in a gorgeous location and is beautiful, but isn't formal enough to feel (that) self-conscious in hiking clothes. Alcohol selection - I love that it's all local. Jolly Pumpkin is attached to the restaurant, and their Ann Arbor restaurant was one of my favorites when I went to school there, so I was pleasantly surprised to see a branch of the brewery here. They have a decent wine selection, too. I tried the Two Lads Pinot Grigio, which I hadn't had before, and it was so delicious that I wished we had more time in Traverse City to hunt down the winery and buy multiple bottles. (Next time!) Food - We had the crispy cauliflower and asparagus soup as starters, and both were absolutely delicious. I had the trout and my husband had beef for his entree. We couldn't stop talking about how amazing both were - the trout was cooked perfectly and basically melted in my mouth, and the sides were great complements. Even my husband, who usually eats his dinner in about 30 seconds, slowed down and actually enjoyed it. I'm sure it was a mix of great food and working up an appetite outdoors, but this was the best meal we had had at a restaurant in a very long time. I already recommended it to my friends who live in TC and haven't made it here yet - and we will be back! read more

A bit overpriced, in my opinion, but the view at sunset made all of that fade away quickly. Get the cauliflower appetizer.... amazing. Loved the cocktails (try the strawberry rhubarb mojito) and Jolly Pumpkin beers. read more

Mission Table - Tasty cocktails and beer. - New American Near Me - Traverse City, Michigan

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There are just a few things about this place that can cause me to give it one star with a clear conscience (instead of petitioning the powers that be at yelp to start offering negatives stars.) This is a restaurant. It does have a good location (you actually can see the sunset on the bay if you've got the right seat). And, it does serve food - not that we actually got to that point. During a brief vacation in Traverse, my wife and I felt it'd be nice to cap the trip off with a nice meal that, hopefully, would prove unique. We should have been a bit more specific with what we wished for as, though unique an experience as it was, there was nothing nice about it. With reservation in place, we took the drive up the peninsula to what really is a nicely restored old inn in a great location overlooking Traverse's West Bay. There were few patrons so we were confident that our request for a bay-view seat would be fulfilled. Though we were given the choice of where we'd like to sit, in the end it fell to us to let the hostess know when the tables we preferred had been cleared in order to sit down. No big deal; just not what you'd expect from a place that boasts numerous awards. Once seated, the real fun began. We waited ten minutes before the waiter finally came to the table bearing some strange sample of a duck pâté on what tasted like melba toast. This was his idea of an olive branch being offered to make up for leaving us at the table so long while he was just yap, yap, yapping away with the other wait staff (his words, not mine...really). With wine and meal finally ordered (a much longer than expected process in and of itself by any restaurant's standards), we waited. And waited. And waited. A full half hour had passed with no sign of our waiter whatsoever. We had to flag down the bus boy to get us another glass of wine. That process alone involved him relaying the order to the bartender and us having to shout across the bar (lucky we'd been seated nearby) to let him know what it was we actually wanted to drink. It was at this point that our waiter finally reappeared, but not with our food but an offer for dessert. We hadn't even received our meal yet! I bit my lip and choked back the expletives when explaining this to him. His only response what that he'd thought someone had already brought out the meal. There was no apology. No offer of a discount (or even more of that duck/melba concoction). Nothing. He reemerged from the kitchen stating that the food was ready if we wanted it. Bear in mind we'd both ordered fish dishes and, at this stage, weren't willing to test how well the food would stand up after sitting for what, in conservative estimates, must have been 15 to 20 minutes since being prepared. Suffice it to say, we left, but only after the waiter finally secured approval to comp us on the single glass of wine we'd actually managed to receive and drink at the table since being seated. All in all, don't bother with Bower's Harbor Inn. Save your time and money, stay in Traverse City and go hit up Amical on Front Street. Actually, go anywhere else as, in my experience, even Steak n' Shake knows when and how to actually get the meal to the table. read more

The service was outstanding. That's a big start right there. I am bummed I can't remember the servers name as he was EXCELLENT. Now .... I am also mad that I did not take a single photo. I had the scallops and they were cooked to perfection! The thing I ate that will make me have dreams is the cauliflower - OMGosh - IT IS A MUST!!! read more

What we thought was a brief albeit interesting menu turned out to be a phenomenal array of flavorful delights! Lisa, our server, as well as all of the support staff were professional, but also jovial and charming. What a great experience! read more

Mission Table - New American Near Me - Traverse City, Michigan

Have been looking forward to this for awhile, as my wife and I love good restaurants. But, after being sat (with reservations) nobody showed up for 15 minutes. We thought of leaving and when the waiter finally came? We expressed our unhappiness; his response was to walk away. So we left and had a great meal elsewhere. Fuck Mission Table; we all deserve better. read more

Amazing food with a great atmosphere! Our service was good and their menu had a great choice of beers and wines (which only features local options) along with tasty options for dinner. I ended up getting their burger and it was really good! Their fries were also very good and paired really well with my beer that was from the brewery next door. I would recommend making reservations as this place is extremely busy all nights of the week during the summer time. read more

So disappointed with our first visit to the new Mission Table! We have had several very good experiences at the sister Jolly Pumpkin so were quite surprised when we were seated by the hostess on the lovely deck with a table of seven people and waited, and waited, and waited for a server. We waited a total of 28 minutes after being seated to finally have only some of our drinks brought to the table. No water even was provided while we waited. Someone's Cosmo was weak and warm and had to be sent back. Entrees were delayed also. Our server was apologetic and it was obvious the restaurant was severely understaffed. Never once did we see a manager around let alone trying to help out. There were two hostess's who did nothing to help the servers. So, needless to say we were a bit perterbed. Onto the food. I had scallops small plate which was very good as was the lamb chop small plate. Kids got some Penne/Cheese which was good. Someone had a chicken entree which was rated good. Food a little overpriced for quality and portions. This is a prime example of how bad service can ruin a meal even when looking over the West Bay on a beautiful night. Won't be back until we hear some consistently good reports/reviews that they have it together. read more

This place has gotten a whole lot better, I am happy to report. We have been eating at the Jolly Pumpkin and avoiding the restaurant in front for some time, but the deck was so inviting the other night, we decided to sit and take whatever came. The bar offerings are still a bit odd, as you can only get the house-made liquor ( I believe this is due to the type of license they have) and please don't ask if you can get food or drink brought from "the place in back" (they get asked this EVERY TIME, and the answer is NO--it's a different restaurant). But you are in luck, because Mission Table has now joined the expanding list of quality restaurants in good old Traverse City. Each and every dish was passed around our table of five, with great reviews from all. I particularly liked the Ox Tail dish I ordered. Flavorful, really terrific broth. Great desserts, friendly service too. Great to see this fabulous location returning to greatness. read more

Had eaten here a few years ago when up on vacations in the area and it had always left an impression. Had my first smoked whitefish dip ( the Northern Michigan staple ) here and loved it ever since. Beautiful old building on Old Mission that always provokes a feeling of place. Ate here to begin our recent honeymoon while staying at a local winery and loved the experience. Shared the updated smoked whitefish and a deep fried cauliflower/romanesco with a garlic aioli that it could have used more of. Followed that up with the best bowl of cassoulet I've ever had. Impossibly comforting. Ended with the best dessert of our entire trip (with multiple meals at Cook's House and Trattoria Stella) called the Walt Jr. Some type of pie/torta made of layers of tortilla/pastry? Defies description and incredible taste and texture. Wine list encompassing many of the bottles you can find right down the street but with mark-ups that can make buying it hard to stomach. Fortunately, the on-site Jolly Pumpkin satisfies any and all imbibing needs. A constant winner for years now. read more

Excellent atmosphere and food. A nice out of the way place with character, a view and great food. I enjoyed a ribeye which was perfectly cooked and truly delicious. Certainly worth the ride from T.C. Its the kind of place that you want to go back to so you can share it with friends. read more

We were disappointed in Mission Table; the least favorite of all the meals we had during our recent annual trip to Traverse City. It's definitely not what it used to be when it was Bower's Harbor Inn. Bower's had much more attention to detail and a sense of history. When one of the servers commented that "Genevieve" was there as papers flew out of her hands, I think many newcomers may not even know who Genevieve (resident ghost) was had they not been there in the past. The current menu doesn't even tell her story, which was part of the allure of going there. Cocktails were very nice. As for the meal, the Roasted Beet Salad was simply incredible and super fresh, but everything went south from there. My steak, which was ordered "medium" was well-done and very salty. When I showed the waiter the dry pieces and mentioned it was not cooked as requested, he made no effort to make any kind of amends. To his credit, he did a fine job otherwise. Dessert, however, was the worst imaginable... a mediocre peanut butter cookie backed by a fatty, sugared slice of bacon, and set over a rotten, frozen banana ice milk coated in some kind of red sauce. Repulsive! If it were my establishment I would seriously question the pastry chef's skills. It seems like the new Chef/Owner is just riding on the success of the attached Jolly Pumpkin. We've done a lot of "farm to table" dining as Mission Table claims to be, but the bar definitely needs to be raised if they expect people to drive all the way up the Mission Peninsula with all the other amazing Traverse City dining options. I want Mission Table to succeed because some of my best & earliest memories of Traverse were at Bower's, so I hope my comments are taken constructively. read more

My husband and I along with three family members went to Mission Table to celebrate our 35th wedding anniversary. We had a wonderful experience. We were seated outside and got to enjoy our meal in a beautiful setting watching the sun set. The food was excellent. We had risotto and flash fried cauliflower for appetizers. For our dinner two had duck, two had hamburgers and one had surf & turf. The hamburgers were phenomenal, the duck was well seasoned and tender, and fillet and scallops were also done perfectly. Everyone really enjoyed their dinner. Dessert was also very good, but the best was the lava cake and the cheese cake. read more

We sat out on the patio for dinner on a Friday night. I'd definitely recommend making reservations! I think there was some type of wedding rehearsal or something going on that night too. I had the strawberry and rhubarb mojito to start and it was really good! Next up was the small plate pork butt gnocchi, and oh my goodness was it fantastic! The pork butt was so tender and really good, and the gnocchi was the best I've had! Last up was the chicken entree. I didn't think it would top the gnocchi but it did! The fried chicken was tender and juicy but not fried too much. The bacon kale might have been my favorite thing though! The cheddar grits were yummy too. The service was good, and our waiter was very good at explaining the dishes so we could decide what to get. Overall, a great experience and we will definitely be back! read more

Mission Table - Summer 2015 chicken entree -- fried chicken, bacon kale, cheddar grits and buttermilk gravy -- HEAVEN!! - New American Near Me - Traverse City, Michigan

I ended up at the Mission Table after trying to eat at the Bowery, which is now the Jolly Pumpkin. Confusing, but back to the review. The food is not bad. I had the steak with bordelaise, asparagus and small sliced potatoes and I can honestly say that the food was a 4.5/5. The pork belly appetizer was only so-so. The s'more dessert, which consisted of a dark chocolate mouse on a Graham cracker crust with a burnt marshmallow on top was very good, but not as good as a real s'more. The reason that I knocked my score down to a 3/5 was due to the slow service. The waiter was a nice guy, but he was insanely slow. Slow to take our drink order. Slow to bring out silverware, bread and bread plates. The outdoor dining on the porch overlooking the west bay was pretty nice though. Conclusion: The food was good, though fairly expensive. The atmosphere was nice, but the service was poor. If you have a lot of time to kill, it's not a bad place to have a meal. read more

It's nice. But whoever is running the place is definitely prioritizing making $ over customer service. Which, in fairness, isn't "bad" -it's what we want and has been the shifting Traverse City trend over the past several years. The waitstaff was in jeans; making them less formally dressed than the staff at McDonald's. I paid over $400 for me and my friends to eat there. It took over 1 1/2 hours to get our food (not kidding) -during which time I was dying for a drink but there simply wasn't enough staff to attend to the customers to even allow for such an offer. They would have easily made another couple hundred in drinks if they were able to just ask us if we wanted them (and then somehow manage to get them to us). I kinda felt bad for the staff -they were doing as well as they could, but didn't seem to be well supported by the owners. Our reservations were fumbled pretty bad, too. In short -they weren't taken very seriously, which is a whole 'nother story. Honestly, it was my fault to place higher expectations on a place I'd never been too before. In their defense, there was no sign out front or on their website that advertised great customer service. All that said, if you're looking for an semi-formal place to eat with good food and you are prepared to enjoy the whole evening there ...it's a nice place. But if it's a busy night, you may want to sneak in you're own drinks, though. It'll be worth the uncorking fee. :) read more

Look. I'm not a foodie. But this is the kind of place that might turn me into one. Run by what have got to be some of the nicest people in all of Michigan. Excellent tasting menu with perfectly paired alcohol for $65. I'll repeat that. Sixty five dollars. That's what you wished you spent on a mediocre night out in Los Angeles. The booze selection is a bit limited, but that is due to the fact that they produce their own liquors themselves. How great is that? Bonus: The place is rumored to be haunted. read more

Sitting at Mission Table as I write this. Had very high hopes, especially after hearing all great things. well, this place did not live up to the hype in certain ways. Other reviewers talk about the service being distant, lacking focus, etc. I agree. I arrived to a relatively empty restaurant, yet waited about 7 minutes before the server came over. a server who never told me his name either. server never stopped by to ask how the meals were at any point during the main dining process. He did ask me how that dessert was, so bonus points for that! I did the three course tasting for $25, which is a total bargain, so another huge plus there.. The rabbit was a bit dry. The quickly breaded and fried cauliflower with garlic and jalapeño vinaigrette was quite tasty. Nice coating, and a firm texture remained intact. The local caught trout was cooked perfectly. Presentation of this dish was beautiful! Again though, that service. irks me. even though you are friendly when you approach the table, as a server, a few stops during the dinner process is important. ask me how i enjoyed each dish, etc. anyway, glad I tried this restaurant nonetheless. Beautiful property! read more

One of our favorite dinners ever. Amazing service (thanks, Katie!), outstanding entrees, delectable dessert, and quality microbrews. Will definitely stop here again the next time we visit Traverse City! read more

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We had a lovely view outside from our table. We ordered the cauliflower app and the ravioli app, they were out of this world! Service was just ok, and they weren't very busy. read more