Reviewed this back in '24 when they opened and it's gotten better and better. Let me just say this: The Backyard burger is the best burger I've ever had. Period. And I grew up in the 80's eating at 'up north' bars, which previously had the best burgers of my life. This tops it. In addition to great pinball, a nice space, and great vibes, The Outsider is currently winning Manistee. read more

Here's a revised version that reflects there was no table service: The restaurant was clean and the staff was courteous, but I left feeling the overall experience didn't justify the price. The food was more expensive than I expected, especially for a cafeteria-style restaurant with no table service. My biggest disappointment was the burger. It was cooked well, but it was overly salty to the point that it masked the flavor of the meat. I was also surprised to be prompted for a tip. Since customers order at the counter, pick up their own food, and there is no table service, the expectation of a tip didn't seem appropriate. Overall, I don't mind paying more for a quality meal, but in this case I didn't feel the food or the dining experience matched the cost. read more

Worth visiting when you visit Manistee. Pet friendly patio. It's a self serve spot with lots of games you can enjoy. Food is pretty good, smash burger is perfectly cooked with tasty double fried onion rings and fries. Hotty dog is pretty spicy and a bit sour but is delicious read more

The Outsider - Wrangler Smash - Burgers Near Me - Manistee, Michigan

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Happened to be in town and went looking for lunch. This is a unique building with half of it being an arcade. Lots of fun Manistee-centric decor. Food: - smash burgers pretty good! They didn't ask, but mine was definitely cooked medium. They have GF buns which is a nice option. Wasn't a fan of the lettuce (just cut it up more finely if you're going to use shredded lettuce) but overall tasted good - chicken sandwich: very tender for such a large piece of chicken. Husband really enjoyed his. - FYI most of the meals come with chips/ you have to pay to upgrade to fries Very familiar friendly with high top high chairs and regular height high chairs. Bathrooms are clean and there's a changing table. We would come back if we were in the area! read more

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This is the second time I've been to the outsider and it was so incredibly good. I had the signature outsider burger and loved it. Great flavor soft bun and so cheesy. Two of us also had salads that got rave reviews. Everyone loved the fries as well as the frozen custard we had for dessert. We will be back many times read more

A truly awful establishment. It started with a sign that announced an absolutely embarrassing 30-40 min standard wait time despite not being busy at all. I can't imagine what it would be like at a busy time. Somehow...SOMEHOW....they were unable to meet their 40 min promise, and an hour later my order hadn't even been started. NOT EVEN STARTED. At that point my wife asked for a refund, and was met with various versions of "you saw the sign didn't you?" And "you don't have to have an attitude". It gets worse...during our hour long robbery of life at the hands of this tragedy of a business, we watched another poor guy who had been there longer than us nonchalantly find out from the staff that his food had "likely been taken by someone else" when he inquired about when he might be able to eat and resume living. When offered the opportunity to wait longer for his food or get a refund, he wisely ran from this place without either before they were able to steal another moment between him and his ending. There were multiple wrong orders announced around the restaurant that were met with no solutions or apologies...too many to describe or even remember. All I can say is that this place deserves some kind of an award for how awful they are. It's truly impressive. In fact, a parade is in order. For the love of god, don't do it. Stay away from this time stealing black hole, for by the time you return from it everyone you love could be long gone. read more

Kinda a neat concept with a pinball arcade. We stopped for a burger. The Outsider was a bit greasy and lacked the crust that makes smash burgers so good. Wish the burger was served with fries and not chips. The single burger the same, greasy no crust on the cook. Messy fries were a bit goopy with all the stuff. Next time just plain fries read more

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Wonderful find on my way to the Ludington vs Manistee HS football game. Wanted to try The Outsider and this was a perfect chance. Food was so good I enjoyed a few beers with smash burger and upgraded fries. The smash burger menu was full of options and I look forward to head back and try another. Great set-up for fire-pit and music. Look forward to future success. read more

Arrived a few minutes before two on a Saturday. Nice selection of Pinball machines if you're into that. There's a counter to place your order and they hand you a beeper to let you know when to pick up your food. A short waite to place order. My friend ordered two different hot dogs and I ordered two different sliders. I don't know what hot dogs my friend had, but they sure looked good. I ordered the Lil Outsider and the Firecracker. The hot dogs were $4.50 each and came with fries. The two Sliders were $13.00 and came with Kettle chips. As for taste. My friend said one of his hot dogs had corn ships on it and tasted like a hot dog Taco. My Sliders were pretty awesome! A little pricey, too. The dining area was a little chilly, with it being right next to a garage door. Or the heat in there wasn't working good? Had to wear a coat to eat. read more

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My family and I love the Outsider. They have amazing burgers, salads and a variety of items to go or for delivery. They also have the largest selection of pinball machines around. read more

The Outsider - Best pinball in town - Burgers Near Me - Manistee, Michigan

Most charred smash burger I've ever been served. Entire patty black and crunchy. Server stated they were under age so had no clue on beers served in response to my questions on flavor description. Note review edited to remove word carcinogenic after yelp notified I cannot embellish, exaggerate or make unproven comments on business operations and my review could have legal ramifications. read more

The Outsider - Burgers Near Me - Manistee, Michigan

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The only reason it got 2 stars is for the pinball, that's the only good thing about this place. The food took a long time to come out and was so bad we just threw it away. read more

Pretty fast, didn't have to wait in line or for food long at all. Burgers, hot dogs, fries, and custard was all amazinnngggg! We've been back 2x and will go back again before we head out of town. Fun pinball machines and great seating options too. read more

What a great idea in the middle of downtown Manistee. Spacious, clean area to enjoy a real "old school" arcade. They have a bar where you can order a refreshing adult beverage as well as decent menu to get a bite to eat. A great place to take the kids on a day where the weather isn't the best for the beach or anything outside. read more

The Outsider - Interior signage - Burgers Near Me - Manistee, Michigan

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I love the atmosphere, fun with arcade games. Menu has great options. My salad was disappointing. I ordered the large size but it didn't have much on it, one of the ingredients was missing, and it had too much dressing. I may have asked for a replacement but the place was very busy. Hope to try it again but maybe I'll get a burger. read more

This place is amazing. Best burger in town without a doubt. Fries are great. Also their salads are bomb especially if you add chicken. HIGHLY RECOMMEND! read more

It is freezing inside this restaurant and when we asked them to adjust the heat, they said no.

Food Amazing! Staff Amazing! Inviting and clean atmosphere!! There's even an attached Pinball arcade. I mean what more are you looking for in a family friendly food establishment. read more

The Outsider - The Menu and friendly staff - Burgers Near Me - Manistee, Michigan

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First time in on a busy Sunday - Memorial Day weekend. Food was great, and I really love the staff here. They're kind and attentive and just bring a good energy to this end of River Street. This is a cool place that you should check out. And yes, the fries really are that good! read more

We had dinner here as we were staying at the Hampton Inn down the street. The buffalo chicken sandwich was great and so was the burger. I would highly recommend it! Great vibe! read more

Do not go here summer vacationers, unless you want just drinks. I hate to leave bad reviews but our experience was negative. Placed an order for 2 burgers at 1:51pm and left at 3:21pm with still no food (1 1/2 hr wait) on a Friday. They told us 50 min wait upon ordering and since it was raining we were like, why not....however we were mislead on timing. Anticipated wait time is underestimated. Very little workers, lots of orders. No offer on any compensation. Extremely disappointed. Save a headache and grab food elsewhere. Mom of a 1yr old and & 2 1/2 year old. Families go elsewhere! read more

The Outsider - Receipt - Burgers Near Me - Manistee, Michigan

Great place to take the kids. Pleasant outdoor seating. The burgers and hot dog were solid. My husband said that if he were at someone's house and they offered him another burger like his Backyard burger he would accept. They have a collection of 26 pinball machines. The family had a competitive game on the Looney Tunes machine. read more

Service was expected of up north spot. Food was good! We will definitely be back the next time we are there. We recommended to friends and they enjoyed it as well. read more

Expensive. $40 for two burned burgers, onion rings, & a soda. Took a long time to get the food. Got sick after eating here, both my wife and I. Not recommended read more

Love this place! Great concept and great food. The chicken sandwich is amazing. And the staff are friendly and attentive.

Girls day out in Manistee for the Arts and Craft show at the Armory and the Saturday Farmers Market on July 4th weekend. Came across the Outsider and had seen a lot about it on Facebook so decided to give it a try for lunch. When you order they give you a device that notifies you when your order is ready. Good thing we got there a little early as there was a long line to order by the time our food was ready. Enjoyed my smashburger. They also have another room with pinball machines that would be good for families with children. read more

Not a great experience. Waited 25 minutes for a burger and onion rings that were barely lukewarm when picked up. Took it back and told them I wasn't paying $55 for 2 burgers, fries, onion rings, 2 beers, and a coke for lukewarm food. Rather than apologize I was told that the device that signals my food was ready had rung 3 times. I told him it rang once for me. He offered to replace it and I said " please do." I give him credit for replacing both burgers, though I only brought back one. Second order the onion rings were again lukewarm but the burger at least was hot. Probably won't go back anytime soon.. read more

Awesome service and the smash burger was among the best I have ever had. Onion rings were very good as well. Cool concept with many pinball machines... read more

Went with family yesterday and was really hoping for a good experience but really ended up let down. The price of our meal was very high given the amount of food given, particularly the kid's meals. It was $9 for a kids meal that came with less than a hand full of fries. The adult plates too only had a few fries, which were an additional fee of $3. I understand if you're low on stock or something of that nature, but still, you shouldn't then charge that amount if you can't provide a normal serving size. Not impressed, unfortunately. read more

This was our third attempt to dine. The first time they ran out of burgers and the second time they were closed. On a September Friday night at 6pm and we walked right up to order. Counter worker was helpful. Menu has changed, no falafel and no more make to order salads. Four burger choices and their menu is now a larger font making it easier to read (great change!!). My husband and I both ordered The Outsider Meal which comes with one side and drink - $32. We both tried different flavored tea - all unique and delicious. I headed to play pinball - some games $1 & others 75 cents. Fun! Even though there were only two couples ahead of us, the worker tried to give me the food - I found the correct patrons. Same happened the next time until it was actually our food. It sounded like orders were assigned a number but none were called. Confusing. We went outside to dine - a beautiful night. While the burgers were perfectly cooked, they were overly salty. Neither of us finished the meal. It's a really neat concept - grab food and enjoy the outdoors. Overall I'd say 3.5 stars so I'm rounding up. Hoping this small business works out the kinks and does well. read more

The Outsider - The Outsider with Loaded Fries - Burgers Near Me - Manistee, Michigan

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Manistee has been lacking a serious burger joint for years so this place was the perfect addition. Exceptional burgers. Cooked perfectly, great sauce, lots of topping options. They also have salad, hot dogs, French fries, falafel bites, and more. They have soda and specialty cold teas. Healthy and not so healthy options. They have 8+ pinball machines in their picnic table style dining room. They also have a small shore area with snacks, ice cream, beach toys, and more. LOTS of outdoor seating. We've been twice and like everything we've gotten. This is the perfect Friday night hang out for the family. read more

The Outsider - Entrance - Burgers Near Me - Manistee, Michigan

Fine choice for drinks and bar food on the far end of River St. in downtown Manistee, when there are enough employees working. When they're shorthanded, this place makes you feel like an Outsider. When they're doing ok, the food, drinks, and atmosphere is fun. No Diet Coke, but alcoholic choices are plentiful. Arcade games and pinball are a nice touch, as are the yard games. If the walk up line for food stretches outside, you might want to look elsewhere because you will wait. Hopefully they can find help. read more

The food was excellent and the service was exceptional. It was incredibly clean and well decorated and trendy. We loved the outdoor seating and the optional leash hook for a dog by some tables. Oh, and we loved the Outsider signature sauce! read more

We stopped by for National Burger Day. We ordered two outsider burgers with grilled onions which was .50 extra No problem. I looked at my receipt and found an extra $4.00 charge for the double patty smash. When l asked the guy at the counter what was up with the extra $4.00 charge he said because we ordered grilled onions it was a Laker Build custom order and the system automatically added the extra charge which l thought was BS. Then to top it off when we got our burgers they didn't have any grilled onions on it. So be careful when your ordering, always check your receipt read more

The best smash burgers ever. Love the atmosphere and perfect for kids. Will be back tomorrow!

Best smash burger ever. Find myself craving them. Orders could get out a bit faster but worth the wait.

We love The Outsider! Their smash burgers, onion rings and fries are our favorites. We love the unique atmosphere with the pinball machines, the indoor/outdoor ease and seating and the variety on their menu. We've been here numerous times and sometimes if they are really busy you have to wait a little longer than normal but we understand and go along with it. The Outsider does a lot for the Manistee Community with their Sunday Fund Day and many other things. Happy to have this fun place in Manistee. read more

Pinball, music,what else could a great restaurant need. Great staff and gave us a free kid burger. Burgers were excellent and so was the salad. We had a great time. read more

Very fun place to eat. Great food! Would highly recommend. Will be taking our dog next time to hang out with us.

Spent two nights in Manistee and went here both nights. If you're looking for a cheaper quick option this place is great. The food all seemed fresh and the guy who took my order was nice. read more