We love this place - the happy hour is incredible. The staff is so friendly and welcoming. We will definitely be back and tell all our friends about the experience. The view at the top of the ski hill is a must see anytime of year! read more

Excellent apps and drinks after a great round on the Tribute course . The Duckster has a beautiful view of the slopes of ostego which brings a great dining atmosphere along with great food and the staff is local and very good read more

The Duck Blind Grille - Getting ready for lunch at the DB - New American Near Me - Gaylord, Michigan

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Service was ok. The restaurant has the potential to be a good one, but the menu needs to be reworked and they need to hire better chefs. The onion soup came out cold - the bowl was hotter than the soup. The soup base was creamy and there were too many croutons and onions in the soup. The cheese on the top was delicious. Chicken Caesar was nothing to brag about. The chicken was horribly charred and dry. I do not like the char on the lettuce leaf, but the dressing was good. Please go back to making a traditional Caesar and clean your grill so that you don't burn meat. We had the baby lamb chops for an appetizer and they were awesome! Great dip with them too. You knock that one out of the park! read more

The Duck Blind Grille - Burnt chicken - New American Near Me - Gaylord, Michigan

Food was cold, one order was wrong. Bolognese was very dry . We asked to have manager take off the bolognese and waitress said she would be right over. Manager never came and chef came over to waitress and said he was too busy to deal with it. The room makeover is great but food is lousy. read more

Awesome food, had the chicken salad the first day and walleye the second day. I'd definitely eat here often if I lived in the area. Both my servers, Mackenzie and Mike, did a fine job with a smile. Hope to get back here very soon. read more

Was at Otsego to ski so the location is so convenient. Prices are a bit much, but worth it being so close to the skiing. Food was very good. Homemade ranch for the salads is always a plus. Portion sizes were large. Very dark inside but that makes the ambiance better. We sat next to the window so we could see the skiers passing by. Service was friendly and quick. read more

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We went twice this weekend, which is not normal for us when traveling as we like to mix it up. What brought us back was probably the vibe and the service over and above the food. We sat at the bar and said it was our first time there, to this we were encouraged to take our cocktail to a room off the main restaurant to watch the skiers. We stayed at the bar enjoying our wine and ordered the wild game meatloaf and a Caesar to split. It was solid. Trina the bartender was great as was the bar manager (didn't get her name). The atmosphere was warm and welcoming. Our second visit was a much busier Saturday night. I had the wild game bolognese and my husband the ribeye, which were both good. Why 4 vs 5 stars? The menu is quite limited and comfort food heavy. Which makes sense at a ski lodge There is a salmon option, I just don't order salmon out because I make it at home so often. So give it a try and enjoy the warmth! read more

Valentines day 2026, and 2/15/26. Loved the view as dusk settled in. Food was good to exellent but I would prefer a stake other than a little hard to eat ribeye. Soups, salad, fish, service, ambiance, and Michigan made 'sex' brand ruby red sparkling wine (on tap) were all very good. Last year 2025 was also exellent with 10'' fresh powder snow to top things off. Previous years I have had some issues with dinning here but it seems much better now. read more

The food is basic, but everything I had tasted good, whether it was catered or off the menu. Service was also very friendly and prompt. It's nice to have something other than the concessions offered down at the river cabin. Here, you can order breakfast, sandwiches, burgers, salads, soup - a step up from pizza and hot dogs, for sure. The bartender is also excellent - ask her if she's made her pineapple vodka and get a shooter! The fries were particularly delicious - homemade and crispy salty perfection. All in all, not a bad place to grab a bite while you're at the resort. read more

The Duck Blind Grille - people eating in the restaurant - New American Near Me - Gaylord, Michigan

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If I lived in Gaylord, I would be eating here every week. We ate here twice and it was great every time. The new chef they have is killing it. We had a Bison Bolognese over Pappardelle pasta that was outstanding! Bison from a farm in Michigan. The Cola Ribs are crazy good. Seafood pasta the second night. Very good wine list. It was refreshing to encounter waitstaff that seemed happy in their jobs and enthusiastic. I love this place. Took our wine after dinner and went outside and sat on the Adirondack chairs, overlooking the valley. If you live in Gaylord, you need to go there. We ate at Bennethum's one night and it didn't compare to this place. read more

Breathtaking view. Dining room fixtures were a little down at the heels. Snail-paced service. Mediocre is a generous description for the food. On the way out, I asked a server at the bar for two cups of water to go and she gave me the stink eye. read more

We had an amazing meal, my husband had bone-in spare rib, my daughter had gnocchi in a home-made garlic cream sauce, and I had walleye which was the special for the evening. Everything looked and tasted divine. Our server was great, and the hostess was also very friendly and welcoming. A beautiful view of a snowy evening as well. read more

Food, service and ambiance were great. Portions are good sized. You shouldn't leave hungry or disappointed.

This was a beautiful location with a view like no other. The charcuterie board was amazing. The service was lovely. Great stop.

After confirming online that the Duck Blind had reopened after some renovations, we decided to go to our favorite bar. Hours posted online show 3:00 pm but when we arrived there was no bartender present. Eventually a dining room/bar manager perhaps, asked if she could help us. I stated we were there for a drink and her response was "we open at 4:00". A friend said "I checked online and it says 3:00. Employee again states "we open at 4:00". No apology, no "sorry we changed hours and didn't Update our social media". Just curt and very unfriendly. Eventually she offered to get us a drink and we took a seat. When I asked if they still had their happy hour menu the reply was "no, we'll bring it back in the summer". Again, not friendly just matter of fact. We finished our overpriced drinks and left. Not a welcoming atmosphere at all. I understand it's been a rough winter for winter sports and a real lack of tourists. I saw just a few young people on the slopes. But I would think you would want to keep your locals coming in. In northern Mi I know from experience, you need the locals. Duck Blind had become a great Happy Hour meeting place, I'm just sorry that's no longer the case. A very disappointing visit and I won't be returning anytime soon. read more

Went with a party of 10, seated at two tables next to each other. Our waitress was awesome, her name started with an A but I can't remember what it was. My husband and I split three appetizers, whitefish spread, charcuterie and Hummus & Fried Falafel, all of it was excellent. Great view too! read more

Stopped for a glass of wine after a day of traveling. Jimi the bartender was great. Very friendly, offered suggestions for dinner and I had a chance to share my visits here 50 years ago. He also introduced me to other employees, Amanda R. and Kathy U. Both so friendly too and we had lots of giggles. Also met the owners. So happy to see Otsego Resort. read more

Horrible service. The bartender tried to steal $20 cash and after she was questioned on it totally backtracked and became frustrated saying the computer couldn't accept it. Little did she know all 3 of us who she served have worked at this location in the past for years and know the computer system. She kept calling us Honey, sweetie, and dear which is completely unprofessional. When entering the duck blind there was no one greeting us so we asked the bartender if we could sit anywhere and she rudely said No it's a private party and we had to sit in the bar even tho there were no signs anywhere. I was hoping we just had a bad experience and thought I'd try one more time so I called on Fathers Day to see if they were open. I was connected to the same bartender and I asked if I needed to make a reservation and she laughed! I just said never mind. Watch your backs with this one OC!! read more

We went for Dinner on a Friday evening 6:30 almost like a ghost town. Walked into the lounge, 2 at the small bar with cocktails and they were employees, slope groomers we learned. Decided to try the menu for dinner. I had Broccoli Chicken Alfredo, absolutely tasteless, even with salt and pepper. My wife had the Spinach Chicken Salad with Hot Bacon Dressing. Dressing was like paste, Luke warm. Staff is not well trained, not familiar with what is on the menu or how it is prepared or presented. Rolls were old and butter had that stale, old taste to it. For Northern Michigan, a ski resort in the winter this establishment has failed in Marketing and Management. Beautiful lobby, stone fireplace and no fire to create ambiance. It's sad to see what could be a quality destination, so poorly managed. In a crowded market, you need professional staff, trained, and a quality food product at fair prices, and good management. Otsego Club lacks all of these. read more

The first morning, I asked if they were still serving breakfast, I was told no that they had stopped at 10:00. It was 10:01. Ok, fine. I got down the hall and thought I'd go ask for butter so I could make toast in my room. I went back and a different server was there. I asked if I could have butter to make toast in my room since they weren't serving breakfast any more. She looked confused and said, "we still have the buffet". The first server promptly spoke up and said, "I'm sorry, I misunderstood your question." I'm not sure how my question was confusing but it was somehow misinterpreted and me not wanting to eat if it wasn't off a menu. I took my butter and left. The second morning I thought I'd treat myself to the $12 morel mushroom omelet. The hashbrowns were just completely burned. It was obvious they had cooked them in the deep fryer and then had left them in too long. They were completely inedible and should have never gone out on a plate. To add to that, halfway through the omelet, I got a mouthful of dirt. The mushrooms were obviously not clean. They replaced the breakfast, at my request, with plain eggs and hashbrowns, which was greasy. They didn't charge me for the breakfast but at that point, it was little consolation. This was all after they served a wedge salad at my cousin's rehearsal dinner with no dressing (we had to ask for it to be brought to the buffet), the wedding reception's salads were both brown and withered, and the noodle dish at the reception was too salty for anyone to eat. I gave them two stars because the service at the wedding was impeccable and the majority of the staff provided friendly, top-notch service. The second server from the first day who gave me the butter, remembered me the next morning and offered another sincere apology for her co-worker. They really do try, they just need new chefs. I honestly cannot recommend this place for an event or really even for a weekend get-away if you're planning to eat there. The food is just disappointing all the way around. I don't know who is in charge of the kitchen but they need a serious make over. read more

Terrible service, slow kitchen, waited for an hour for food, waited forever to get the bill and waited forever to receive the credit card back! Food was mediocre! read more

A new employee named chad who started working about 2 days ago, is amazing. He's very friendly. He's a waiter, and is doing an impressive job. read more

We walked in &were greeted by a very cordial staff. The restaurant wasn't very full but it was early Sun eve. The 3 of us had very fresh and delicious nachos and a beet salad w/ salmon that was also very good. The staff was great also. read more

Great menu. Something for everyone. From fabulous healthy salads to a traditional burger and fries. Ingredients were fresh and flavorful. Prices were great. And presentation beautiful. read more

For a cheeseburger with bacon on a pretzel bun with fries it is $18.50.... Let's all let that sink in....

The new chef was amazing, I had a burger with zip sauce and some wonderful truffle fries.

Rude bartenders. Walked in asked if they could make a certain drink since it was uncommon, received some know it all attitude. Walked out...not to mention some cheap tasting over priced food. read more

In a golf/ski club, but open to the public. The service was friendly, but all the food was off the cheap end of the Sysco truck. A disappointment. read more