In the area? This place is worth the detour, skip the chain food restaurants, feed the hunger and quench your thirst!! Fantastic custom Bloody Mary's, Fresh fish and the chef salad was huge!! Mushroom soup was bold! Thick and creamy. Great custom sandwiches and a verity of other dishes. I will definitely be back. Local lake cottage style building and decor lots of friendly staff. read more

Prairie Lake Tavern - Fresh local lake perch. - American Near Me - Sturgis, Michigan

See all

This is such a neat little neighborhood restaurant/bar. My mom lives literally walking distance, so every time I come visit, we always pop in for a good home cooked meal. I've been here probably three or four or five times, and I always see the same friendly faces. I had NO idea that this place was even for sale, but apparently new owners bought it a few months ago. Had I known it was for sale, I might have tried to buy it. It's always busy in there, and I even think sometimes there's a short wait. They have outdoor seating bar seating table tops, jukebox, and the place is really clean. I can't remember the dishes I've had prior, but this particular visit they had a special of German pot roast, with red cabbage and dumplings? It was so so good, and I liked the fact that the chef went the extra mile and plated it with a flower and a gingerbread cookie. He even came out of the kitchen to ask me how I liked it. Every time I visit my mom, I will always come back here. I really like this place and you will too! ***DISCLAIMER*** This pure, uncut, honest review is federally protected under Federal Law by way of Bill #EO14149. Removal or alteration of this review by Yelp and/or their affiliates without Expressed consent by it's author is strictly prohibited by FEDERAL law. VIolators will be prosecuted, and litigation imminent. read more

Prairie Lake Tavern - German pot roast - American Near Me - Sturgis, Michigan

We used to love Prairie Lake. But their prices have gone up and it's freezing inside. We recently went for a birthday dinner. A friend's prime rib went cold in minutes from sitting near the windows. Not my first choice for eating out. read more

I stopped in on December 5 for the all you can eat fish. I was promptly greeted by my waitress, Carrie, who was attentive and extremely polite and friendly. After a short while my food arrived and it was amazing to say the least. This is my new favorite place. read more

See all

I don't know where to start. I love this restaurant, and the lake perch is delicious. Also, the staff are courteous and helpful. I live about 40 miles from the restaurant, but make a trip there mainly for the fish about 4 times a year. read more

Everything! Wonderful staff, great food! You won't be sorry. Clean! Try it, been there several times.

Had the most "Palate Pleasing" experience at Prairie Lake Tavern in Sturgis, MI. with friends. The service was excellent, and the food was elevated to levels I have never experienced while dining in a SW Michigan "tavern." Splendid to say the least, and we especially loved the creativity that flows from its kitchen. Out table started off our feast by enjoying a gigantic bowl of Truffle fries that had so much savory umami to them that I had to make myself stop eating them so there would be room for a few bites of my entree. We appreciated that the atmosphere is clean, not too over-crowded with table spacing, and that casual attire is the norm for food that is anything but. Chef Allen Heap is doing an amazing job at keeping his menu fresh, in season, and oh-so flavorful, which makes it a great place for special gatherings or even just grabbing a quick bite of lunch. I know that I will definitely be plan a return trip to Prairie Lake the next time an opportunity pops up! read more

See all

Just had a wonderful birthday lunch at Prairie Lake Tavern! The food was excellent and the service with Danielle even better! We had the BLT and burger with avocado and bacon which came with fries and the chips and dip appetizer. Everything was outstanding! And of course, the carrot cake for birthday dessert- top notch!! Thank you Danielle for making my day so special! We'll be back! read more

New menu.... Don't like!! Walked out without our to go box (which was basically a whole meal) went in 2 minutes later to get it and the hostess said they already threw it away! She said I can give ya another flower. Ha ha. Happy Valentine's to you too!! read more

We made reservations for dinner on a Saturday evening. Two of us ordered the prime rib and two of us ordered the corned beef special. They were fantastic! That is some of the best corned beef, cabbage, carrots and potatoes that I have had. Great food and reasonably priced. The guys were happy too that they could catch the basketball scores from the TVs at the bar. read more

The burgers are to die for. Seriously the best burger around and I've tried many burgers. I actually left this place a little upset because My old favorite burger spot just got bumped down to #2. read more

Good was quick and delicious. Service and drinks were spot on too! Great laid back feel dress as you wish. Lake cabin feel.

Obviously, the stuffed mushrooms are popular for a reason. They are big & beautiful. The batter is crunchy. We also had onion rings. Seemed like the same batter. Cool that the onion didn't slide out in one piece when you bite into it. Our table had the fish taco wrap, grilled cheese, and a cod dinner. All of it was fine. Nothing unique or mind-blowing, but it was all good. The service was fine, as well. We'll be back. read more

Love the grilled oysters & prime rib! Great waitress & atmosphere! Will definitely go again!

Good food and nice staff We like the atmosphere and staff are very efficient. Prime rib is the best read more

No complaints here! Had the sand lake sandwich and my husband had the club. We appetized the mushrooms as recommended by previous reviews. The food was fresh, great tasting. Fortunately we had a waitress that was incredibly friendly, knowledgeable, and attentive. We loved it so much we are going back tomorrow night for their lobster fest! read more

Sometimes its good, sometimes you'll puke, not a place to go if you have a big appetite, small portions, they treat you how you dress so if you work hard don't go here with dirty clothes or they treat you like deadbeat homeless thief read more

Nice place! Outdoor seating! Reasonably priced! Waitress was very attentive and friendly. She was very prompt taking our order and replenishing drinks! This was our first time! Ordered salads, steak & sweet potato fries and sandwich w/ chips! All of which were very tasty! Many food choices if you like fish, sandwiches, burgers and steaks! We'll definitely back to try more menu items in the near future! read more

See all

Went there for a family dinner. The place was packed. We had reservations and the server was attentive even though she was slammed. Food was good. We would go back again. read more

Decided to give it another try. Much improved since my last visit! Super clean and very friendly staff! Mariah (sp?) Is the bomb! Very fast and efficient. Their burgers are out of sight!!! I ordered it rare and I got it rare! Usually small town American cooks only know one way to fry a burger. This cook knows what he's doing! I'll be back! Oh, did I mention how good Mariah is? Ask for her, you won't be sorry. read more

Delicious onion rings, if you like batter (my husband's more of a panko/breadcrumb fan). Everything was pretty tasty, matter of fact. Only place in town to get a truly decent burger, in my opinion, and the fact you can customize it is really fun! Service has always been pretty good when we've come, too. Have never waited too long to be helped or served. The ambiance isn't really my style--there are lotto games everywhere and it has kind of a dive-y/cabin-in-the-woods bar feel, when I was looking for a nicer restaurant, but the food makes it 100% worth coming here. We've been a few times now and it's always been worth it. The sandwiches, burgers, and steaks are all on point. Haven't been all the way through their menu yet, but will definitely be back. :) read more

Best place to eat and drink in St.Joe county. Waitress bartenders Cooks all do an amazing job great dining experience

My chicken tenders were raw all the way through, another one of our orders was cold, and it was over all gross.

Keep your receipt! And Check your bank statement!!! My bill was $82, and I tipped to make it an even $100. 2 days later, my bank statement says Prairie Lake Tavern deducted $130 from my account! The waitress didn't have any teeth and acted like she'd rather be anywhere else in the world! Super slow service. My kids were given chips instead of French fries, but we didn't complain. There was a hair in my salad... and I didn't complain... We couldn't wait to get out of there, and we'll definitely never go back!!! read more

What a great place. Cozy and inviting. My meal (pork chop carrots maple glaze). Was fantastic. Recommend this place. Great value. Service is warm and friendly. My wife had the mussels Luigi best we can remember read more

We called late on a Saturday and were able to fill a cancellation. We sat on the deck and had a view of the lake. Our server was friendly and did a great job managing several tables. The food was very good with large portions. We will definitely return! read more

I've been quiet pleased every time I've visited. The wait staff is great. Food is delicious and priced right. They have some great drinks and a really nice outdoor seating area. read more

First time here, ordered the appetizer chicken livers they were excellent, our waitress Madi was wonderful. The water was from the rap and tasted terrible. When we ordered we were told that they were out of burger patties, they then came back to say they did have them. Someone in our party ordered cod, waitress came back out to tell us they were out of cod, would we like to substitute with salmon, we did, then someone else came back out to inform us there were no more baked potatoes, when our food came out and there was a baked potato. read more

This was our third visit to Prairie Lake Tavern and will be our last. I ordered the lake perch with sweet potato fries and a margarita. My husband ordered the fried cod with waffle fries and a salad. The restaurant was mostly empty. First issue was the waitress. She seemed very rude and bothered. I asked if there were any specials and she all but rolled her eyes. Second issue was the food. I ended up with regular fries. My husband ended up with baked fish. When we told our waitress about the mix up, she took both of our plates away even though I had started to salt and eat my perch. Why wouldn't you just bring out the sweet potato fries and leave my perch, that was properly cooked? When the food finally came back out to us, my perch had been microwaved and was rubbery. I could tell it was the same fish, as I could see where I had salted it. My husband's new fried cod was swimming in grease. I then ordered another margarita since we had been there for 40 minutes. There were brown particles floating in the glass. When we told the waitress, she snatched the glass up and said "I don't have time for this shit!" And stomped off. When she brought a new one, I was afraid to drink it. She did take it off of the bill. All in all, we spent $40 on a lunch that we were afraid someone had probably spit in. I've never been to a restaurant where I was so nervous to have food corrected. The only plus was that my dogs enjoyed the leftovers. read more

This past Monday we decided to meet our son and his girlfriend "halfway" and we chose Prairie Lake Tavern as the spot! We had a very good meal. Everyone was very happy with their entrees ( strip steak, lake perch, chopped steak with mushroom gravy and spinach salad) the soup of the day(house made tomato basil) was very good! The only disappointment was dessert-the "crownie" did not match the luscious looking on line pic... Overall a very nice choice for our halfway spot! We will hopefully see you in a month!!! read more

I wanted to wait until I had been here a couple of times before I reviewed the place, partially because my first visit was opening day and secondly because I wanted to see if things would get better. My first visit is an outlier - we sat at the bar because we knew the bartender personally and had excellent service. The following two times were not nearly as good. The second visit, we had a server who had way too many tables to herself and was overwhelmed. Understandable, it was late on a Friday night and they had a rush. It happens. The third visit was inexcusable. We were sat in a half-empty restaurant. We sat for 11 minutes before one of the 3 servers in our section finally stopped and asked if anyone had taken our drink order. Then I watched her talk to the other servers about who was supposed to take our table because another table had just arrived. We waited another 10 minutes before the first server finally took our food order. The table that had arrived after us already had their salads within 5 minutes of their arrival. I was really hoping the service would have improved since they reopened but unfortunately it really hasn't. The food is great if you don't mind risking terrible service. read more

Stopped by this place for a quick meal close to closing time. The menu is great! There's something for everyone and, 2 people in my party customized their orders. The food was amazing but, what I loved most was the staff. Very fun, energetic and friendly. The bartender has some beautiful, delicious drinks she came up with too. Definitely going to stop in again! read more

Worst dining experience ever. Horrible prime rib was nothing but fat and gristle. Was charged for 20 oz even though I ordered 12 oz. I never even ate it but only got 50% taken off. Never got our salad, charged for things we didn't order. Total mess, but manager made sure they got their money. NEVER AGAIN. read more

We stumbled across this place and we were so thrilled that we found this place! Amazing burgers, great atmosphere, and wonderful service!!

Went to the restaurant last night and ordered a pulled pork sandwich. The meat was so bad I could've gotten sick had I not noticed. The management agreed. They got me another mean but did not even comp my meal. Will never go back. read more

My friends and I had dinner here one Saturday night. The service was good, but the food was a bit pricey for the portion size. A friend of mine ordered the perch (?) and it was riddled with pin bones. The manager (owner?) came out and explained that it is common to have bones in perch and couldn't guarantee if they made him another one it wouldn't also have bones. While a bone or two would be acceptable, we know the difference between what is normal and what is a poor fillet job. To top it off he was charged for the fish when he ordered something cheaper as a replacement. The food isn't bad but the owner (?) needs to work on her customer service skills. read more

Very clean and nice friendly people. Enjoyed the bartenders conversation and the free sweet tomatoes she picked out of her garden. We didn't eat but will next time we comeback this way. Bathrooms clean. My hubby wants to come back and try a build your own olive burger lols enjoyed it!! Ok so now we've ate here olive burgers great blt wrap great prime rib sandwich great onion rings great sweet potatoe fries fabulous !! read more

The food was delicious and the beer selection was fantastic. We sat at the bar, and the bartender wasn't very personable. Wish she could have been a little more friendly. read more

we went last saturday for a drink and a snack. they were not that busy and one bartender who did not acknowledge usor another table that got up and left. 20 minutes later she threw menues at us and asked what we wanted to drink....i said bloody mary and she threw her arms up stomped off and told a person at the bar do you know how to make bloddys because i am busy ugh. brought the drink threw it across the bar. so rude i have never experienced anything like this before. wow not friendly not nice and very rude. no tip for her!! will not be back ever................. read more

90% of the time we get great service. The food is always good. Cozy atmosphere.