You allowed a party of 8 women celebrating a 50th birthday party IN YOUR RESTAURANT at dinner time. The yelling and laughter from those ladies was so loud nobody could hear a thing at our table. Next time put them upstairs! It ruined our quiet birthday party of our own. My God! read more

It had been a while since we've been here. The location has an amazing view of the bay and it's great spot for a date night. I had the seafood paella and it was good, lots of flavors and the dish was well balanced. My mother had the forest floor soup and it did not disappoint. It was tasty and very flavorful. My father (who is from Baltimore so he's a bit of an expert) had the crab cakes which unfortunately missed the mark for his Baltimore palate: too much bread and fill and not enough actual crab. The accompanied kale is too tough and needed something more delicate. As a starter, he had the caprese salad and it was excellent; highly recommend. All in all, we enjoy this quaint spot and will be coming back. read more

Palette Bistro - Seafood Paella - Mediterranean Near Me - Petoskey, Michigan

Amazing view. Great service. A bit pricy but ... happy hour from 4-530p makes up for it. $5 drinks and 40% off small plates :) We got the stuffed dates, crab cakes, and calamari. Dates were by far the best. read more

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A great view of the water and tasty dishes. Crab cake had visible crab in it. The shrimp was tender and flavorful. We also had a pizza full of flavor. The menu isn't very big and price point is higher but reasonable for what is offered. They have people who know how to make good food. A lovely place for atmosphere worth going just for that. read more

Palette Bistro - Crab cakes - Mediterranean Near Me - Petoskey, Michigan

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Delicious and amazing service! Went for drinks and appetizers but ended up having dinner too! Andrew the bartender advised the cucumber 75. I didn't listen but I was sorry and changed my order! Carter was an excellent bread server and brought our bread with Fustini oil and vinegar. I love the local touch! Our party was the strangest order...we did drinks and appetizers, then paella, then salad and our server Savannah was so patient and accommodating. She even knew only the ladies in our party wanted the salad. Would definitely go again and loved sitting outside. read more

Dinner at Palette Bistro in Petoskey, Michigan was wonderful! We had a window seat overlooking Little Traverse Bay. The atmosphere is very nice and our server was so friendly and attentive. My husband had the pork chop and I had the Margherita pizza, both were wonderful! Because we had an early dinner, I was able to take advantage of Happy Hour which I highly recommend. read more

Palette Bistro - View from our table - Mediterranean Near Me - Petoskey, Michigan

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Delicious food, but I would say it is more of a $$$ restaurant as the median entree is $20. Food and cocktails were delicious and the wait staff were great. Just a bit pricier than expected. read more

It was our last night in Petoskey and we just wanted a quick dinner. My wife had the crab cakes and I had the pork chop. Both were awesome. The pork chops were smoked and got a bit of a honey baked ham taste and came with a peach/mustard sauce... not overwhelming or too powerful. The crab cakes were really good too... We'd go back. read more

Wow, very delicious and the service was top notch. #Best anniversary dinner ever! We sat with a gorgeous view of Lake Michigan drinking fresh French pressed coffee. read more

Palette Bistro - Mediterranean Near Me - Petoskey, Michigan

This place is a great find. I love that it's got a cute small town vibe but the food is super classy. I was into all of it. We made a reservation through Yelp and were seated right away. We had a table upstairs with a great view of the bay. I forgot to take a picture of the paella? Oops. You'll have to take my word for it. It was tasty and looked amazing. The bread appetizer was also fresh. The pizza was solid though maybe nothing life altering. Overall, I really liked this place. It had great vibes, views, and food. I'd come back here again easily. read more

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Finally tried this place as the reviews are good. Our experience was not the best. The chicken we added to the salad was very dry. We sent it back and they still charged us for it. We ordered the feta appetizer which I think was forgotten and came out with our lunch cold. Also ordered the margarita mimosa which was not very good. I don't understand the reviews here. The views are great, but the food was not good enough to want to come back. read more

There is no option of no star because that what this place would get. Horrible hostess, who calls out the costumers "FOLKS". We got seated in a dirty table and we were thinking to leave the restaurant. The only reason we stayed was our waiter, He's name was Daniel if I'm not mistaking. The best service provider in all the restaurant, I'm sorry my friend but I feel bad for you that you have to work with this kind of people. The food was delicious I must admit. read more

Palette Bistro - a man sitting at a table in a restaurant - Mediterranean Near Me - Petoskey, Michigan

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I very seldom finish my meals when I eat out. The food here so delicious I cleared my plate. Our server (I can't recall his name) was excellent with helping my husband and I select our dinner. The views of the lake were amazing. Thank you Palette Bistro for making our evening so special. read more

I don't understand what all the hype about this place is. It's not a high quality restaurant that's worth the hefty price tags attached to it. It's the type of place people come who have more money than time. The vegetarian paella wasn't good. The pizza was burnt around the edges, it was also soggy and thin as paper. A frozen pizza from the store would've been better. The spare ribs were decent but the sauce was a little sweet. I think the bread that was free was the best thing we ate. The waitress seemed to be gone for ages. It felt like an eternity while waiting for the check to arrive. The worst part of the whole experience was the table of eight sitting next to us who'd had some drinks and were painfully loud. The entire time they were this way. The experience was terrible. You couldn't pay us to come back here. read more

Super happy hour!! Food amazing ; along with service and views it's a great spot! Our server was attentive but not invasive and we didn't feel rushed--great experience! read more

Small menu but excellent!! Service was wonderful, thank you Freddy!! Fantastic view of Little Traverse Bay. Great food combination!

Great view, but the food just misses the mark here. It's a very tired menu and the execution is just lacking. Nothing tastes fresh or made with care. Just boring food. People will pay more (and come back often) for quality food in the Petoskey area. They need to step up their menu and level of care to get us back. read more

Went for happy hour, sat at the bar, had the best Cosmo I've ever had. Bartenders were personable and very skilled. They have an excellent happy hour: $5 cocktails snd 40% small plates (although we thought their pricing was good without the HH special). Highly recommend the baked feta small plate, we shared it and it was not small! Got the GF cauliflower pizza crust cut into wedges instead of the pita...it was an A+!! Decided to sit upstairs on the patio for dinner, again had great service. Caesar salad was excellent and my husband had the short rib small plate. He loved it. Wish we were staying longer as we would definitely go back. read more

Terrible! Online menu said they had chicken and walleye, but they had neither. The waitress was extremely RUDE, impatient and condescending. The crab cakes tasted like they were frozen and fried. The pizza was overdone and like paper. The snapper was dry, tasteless, small and the veggies were soggy. Rip off and would NEVER come back. read more

Despicable service - absolute disgusting service. I called and reserved a table for 12 guests. When we arrived they wanted to split our party in two tables and when arrived the waitress decided to become aggressive and attack me stating we were told about the split table. When I informed management he could careless. Go elsewhere, there are several other places around that actually care about their customers. read more

Let's just start with the service Tonya was amazing. I was so impressed with her knowledge of their food and drinks. My husband and I celebrated our Anniversary there last night. It was a Sunday and late September so not much action in the Restaurant. We sat at the window over looking the bay. It is a beautiful place to be. Now the food... I had the Beef Tenderloin, the portions are more than adequate and the flavor was perfect. It was served with Polenta which was so yummy and perfectly steamed Asparagus. My husband had the Kobe Hanger Steak. Now let me tell you he is very picky and will discard any tough piece( his plate was clean) and last but not least you HAVE to try the Chocolate Pudding! I have never had pudding with that texture ( more like a very light flourless cake) with deep chocolate flavor, warm and served with Vanilla ice cream and just the right amount of Carmel Sauce. I will be back for more! read more

First of all, this place is fantastic. Great feel, great service, delicious food. However, the other reviewers' photos are so incredibly awful, they could be case studies for how not to take photos. In most of the photos, you can't actually see the restaurant they're so dark. Which you'd think would be a bad thing until you view the photos that aren't dark! Whew! All kinds of awful angles, terrible composition. It's like your delicious food attracts abysmal photographers. read more

Food, ambiance and wait staff excellent. Loved the view of the lake from our table. BLT sandwich is worth trying

This used to be good but with change in ownership it's gone way down hill. Also it is very noisy and no elevator for seniors when the downstairs is full. read more

This is really a fantastic bistro. Both my boyfriend and I liked here so much. We just happened to stop by this cozy and quiet town on a road trip. Blindly searched a restaurant for lunch to fulfill starving tummy. We were so surprised what we've found. The pasta is so great!!!! I must tell that we both are not big fans of too cheesy stuff. But this one is like the heaven with the creamy taste but not too strong to knock you down. If you like cheese a lot, you can ask your server to add extra until you stop him/her. The paella also tastes good, even though not the best I've ever had. I promise you will be like jumping into the ocean. Just To clarify, we had this lunch on 10/07/2019. We stayed at home to kick COVID-19 out of the door at the time of my posting. When I browse my photo album and found those pictures we took there. I realize I should post a review. This bistro deserves stars. read more

Palette Bistro - Seafood Paella - Mediterranean Near Me - Petoskey, Michigan

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Palette Bistro is an outstanding find in Petoskey. Ingredients are high quality, fresh & well-prepared. The service is exemplary. This is a first class restaurant with a casual, good-vibe atmosphere. read more

very disappointed how we were treated with regard to our reservation. terrible customer service. we had 6 friends visiting from out of town and we specifically made reservations in advance to sit upstairs/outside. when we arrived we were told they could not honor our reservation as they had a private party upstairs. we were given the choice to sit outside on the patio with a make shift table set up. rain started right before we were served dinner and we needed to move inside and only seating option was in the bar with a bunch of circular high top tables set together. very uncomfortable. situation and disappointment could have been avoided by simply taking the time to call us and explain that they took a reservation that they could not honor and would need to change. giving the customer a heads up and the chance to make a decision. no apology was even given. now with that said our waiter was very good. food was good. management needs improving. read more

Salad was good, scallops were well cooked, but were lacking in flavor. I was a bit put-off that my $33 scallops were only 2 big scallops, sure they were decently sized, but I would have expected maybe 3 at least for that price. My BF had some gnocchi or pasta dish, he loved it. I feel like we overpaid for this meal or rather paid for the view of the bay. The stench going up the stairs was beyond noxious, need to do something about the smell there. read more

Our experience was via a Door Dash order so I can't comment on the service or atmosphere. I know some dishes aren't a good choice for takeout (things get soggy or aren't good warmed up) but that wasn't the issue. The forest floor soup was amazing, as was the creme brûlée. The baked feta appetizer was very disappointing- there was a brick of tough, unmelted feta in the center of a chunky tomato blend. After cooking the dish ourselves the consistency improved but the flavor was very bland - basically just feta, tomato chunks and olives. No hint of lemon yogurt or basil. The romaine in the Caesar salad was tough and bitter and the dressing was salty. The order arrived very quickly (we even needed to let the soup cool down for a minute) so none of the problems were because things got cold. read more

So many great meal choices to choose from. The food is great. Servers are attentive and friendly. Ambiance is nice. The braised short rib is awesome as is the mushroom soup. read more

Paella was disappointing food was below average at best. Service was good waiter was very attentive.

Wine dinner was great. Food was delicious and paired wines were wonderful. Will definitely do it again.

This was one of the best experiences I have ever had at a restaurant in my life. I have literally no complaints about anything here, as everything was simply superb. The service: our male server was so extremely friendly, very attentive, very helpful with the menu and giving us good recommendations, and just overly lovely. The view: this restaurant sits up above the bay, and since we went here for lunch and it wasn't as busy as (I assume) dinner would be, we were seated right at the window, to overlook the water for our visit. Also, the dining room itself was lovely. So neat and tidy, very classic and nice looking for a fancy place. The food: O...M....G.. the food was so good. I got the Caprese burger which had fresh tomato, fresh pesto, a big slice of real mozz on it, a perfectly cooked burger, and an amazing brioche bun. My friend got a pork sandwich and it was also very good. The food was so good that we couldn't say no to getting a dessert as we knew that would also blow our socks off. It did - the key lime cheesecake is a must have. It was so sour, so silky, so delicious. Their beer menu and drink menu was pretty good as well - their wine menu was extensive. We ended up with a couple of local craft beers with our lunch. I'd love to go back and get the paella and a bottle of wine. This would be dreamy, I'm sure. read more

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A really awesome place to stop for lunch or dinner. Feels upscale, eclectic and traditional menu items to choose front. Great wait staff, very good service and customer oriented! read more

Good food and service. The owners have 3 different restaurants and they know how to make it work!

Food ok but not great Service was very poor related to kitchen We have been here for 1.5 hours still waiting for rest of the food for lunch read more

The service was excellent, the staff were friendly. We had a seat by the window looking out at the Bay. The food was very good.

We were in town just for the day and found this great little gem. Staff was super friendly and food was great! Ask for the views overlooking the bay if you get to pick your table. We will be back! read more

Palette Bistro - View from table. - Mediterranean Near Me - Petoskey, Michigan

Before you read this just know that I have been in the restaurant industry for 7 years. From the tacky "Wine Guys Restaurant Group" wine glasses to our server not paying attention to us, I was very disappointed. Petoskey is a rich town full of wonderful people but Palette Bistro represented everything but this. The menu is all over the place having seafood, steak, paella, and no starters just small plates and large. Small plates would be tapas and this wasn't tapas. When we sat down we got bread right away which was nice however after we ran out of olive oil that was it for the bread. Again the service was absolutely terrible. I had the margarita pizza which id rather have a digornio pizza in replacement for. It was a crunchy mess that tasted overcooked. My short rib was absolutely incredible! Complements to the chef! Wineglasses were gross and smudged. OVERALL... this place needs to be closed as soon as possible and revamped. Especially for a restaurant group having multiple concepts, I don't care if this is a small town, absolutely atrocious. KEY LIME PIE AND CRÈME BRULE WAS AMAZING!!!! Love you all. SORRY NOT SORRY read more

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We so enjoyed our dinner at Palette on a cold winter day. I was really hungry for a scratch meal, and Palette did not disappoint. We arrived a few minutes after they opened at 5:00, and the bar was popping while the restaurant was filling. We later learned that the bar is the only place where customers get happy hour prices. We were seated right by the window overlooking the water, so we were able to watch the sunset. The setting alone makes Palette special. We were welcomed with homemade white bread with Fustini's balsamic vinegar. The dipping vinegar was excellent, although I'm not sure how many people want to be eating white bread. A rye, sourdough, or wheat bread would be healthier and more appealing to the health conscious foodies. For dinner, I had a Palette salad (mixed local greens, feta, almonds, pickled red onion, strawberry-balsamic) and a large bowl of forest floor soup. The mushroom soup was earthy, rich, and creamy.... absolutely decadent and soul warming. The salad was a nice balance between savory and sweet. My husband had seafood paella. It was one note, so I'd say good but not excellent. We ended the meal with creme brulee. It was a perfectly lightly sweet end to our meal, although I avoided eating the burnt edges. Overall, we had an excellent time at Palette Bistro. The food was good and we enjoyed the view. Highly recommended stop if you are in Petoskey. read more

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