We returned for dinner in the off season and they seem to have worked out some of the service bugs so added a star. Food was good and reasonably prompt considering it was fairly crowded. -1 star because they were playing non stop yodel country music on a loop. It was really annoying. Mix it up a little maybe. read more

A gem, nestled in dowagiac. We're from Chicago and were not expecting this kind of food experience in a small town. I highly recommend the sauces....balsamics, aoilis, ranch, etc. the chef makes them fresh. The tacos are amazing, and the mac n cheese is also really good. read more

Better call before heading to this establishment. They seem to arbitrarily close the kitchen a peek times. Real bummer when you head out to dinner, middle of July, peak tourist time and they close the kitchen. They really don't have their act together. Too bad it's cute. read more

Beautiful restaurant, terrible service. The service was very disorganized. A better system should be in place. Looking in, there were many tables available for customers. Stood in line for 10 minutes for our name to be out on a waiting list. May I just say, there was one party of 3 in front of us. The hostess was nowhere to be found and could not locate another employee for help. Checked in and was told we could go to the bar for drinks. Another 10 minutes wasted for nothing. Bar tenders would not pay attention to paying customers. We were finally done with the disorganized restaurant. We left and headed to a much faster restaurant called "Lindy's." read more

Have been to the Strand many times and will never go back. Food is very inconsistent and the place is poorly ran.

Their Tuna special was great! Sharing their pretzels is a great start! The view is awesome with the setting sun! Great place to meet friends. read more

The Strand - On the patio looking out at Round lake - Breweries Near Me - Dowagiac, Michigan

Been there three times now and this one was disappointing. Had good food the other times but not today. Wings were just fried, no rub on them. Also need more than 4 crackers for a $18 meat and cheese platter. read more

If you want a micro brewery that has no micro brewery beer, a warm salad, and cold beef then this is the place to go!

This place is great! Loved the atmosphere, good drink selection, food was very good, and our server, Henry was the best! A little pricey but definitely worth the money. The place is super clean, and that includes the bathrooms! And did we mention our server Henry? He answered our MANY questions and was so helpful with our food and drink selections!! We will definitely be back! read more

The waitress that we had Paula, was great. The drinks were great and very attentive staff.

The strand is by far the trendiest, coolest place in sister lakes. HIGHLY RECOMMEND! great scenes of round lake and the garage doors open for warm weather. If you haven't been here yet you should definitely check it out!! read more

Visited The Strand for the first time and had very mixed feelings. The good: Atmosphere, music, staff politeness. The bad: terribly slow service, mediocre food for the price. First impressions were excellent with the fantastic atmosphere and location, quality seating and tabletops, simple but elegant touches from the menu to the napkin holder. Service was polite, but terribly slow. My brisket was tender and juicy, but flavorless and covered in mushy fat. I would try again, but didn't have a great overall experience my first time. read more

Great view but chairs are very uncomfortable. Good specials, well prepared food, great cocktails, service is still just so-so. Building design is fabulous. read more

Great food service, beer and atmosphere! Especially Henry, great guy, great service. Try it out, you'll love it! read more

First time there with a group of friends and we loved it. Good food and atmosphere on the water. Great place for a Sunday evening!! Excellent singer and guitarist for great entertainment. Loved it! read more

This place was so disorganized! Our party was treated poorly within the first 5 minutes of us walking in, and the attitudes we received from both the hostess and the manager were an immediate turn-off. Nobody knew how long it would actually take for a table, and we were told, "People like what we're doing here, so you're just gonna have to wait." Excuse me? No. We don't plan on ever coming back here. Take your business elsewhere! read more

If I could leave 0 stars it would be more appropriate. Ever heard of an establishment that charges $3 per drink for ice on top of drink price? Yep, that actually happened and claimed it was for long pour drink that was not asked for. Waitress claimed she didn't charge the 18% gratuity large party charge then when she realized we were not happy with the ice charge it was added back on each check. Over $700 table that will never come back. Way to go shady Strand hope it was worth it!!!! read more

Great atmosphere but over priced for underwhelming food. $10 to add tuna to a $14 base salad. Friend had dried out pulled chicken sandwich, extra sauce needed to make edible. I had rib tacos, found a bone in the meat. Made server aware but seemed not to care. New place, hope they improve but will not be back anytime soon. read more

I really want this place to make it. The facilities are beautiful. It would be such a great addition to food choices in the Sister's Lakes Area. We've been one time. We waited 25 minutes before anyone even came to our table. I ended up (since it is supposedly a brewery) going to the bar to order beers. That was the second surprise; no beers made at this brewery. Lots of comments have been made about the cost of the food on other review sites (eg, Facebook). While I agree that upcharges for fries is annoying, the real problem is getting the food one orders, and doing so while it is still warm. The staff seemed lost and clueless during the entire time we were there, and there didn't appear to be a manager on site. In short, no one seems in charge. If you look at the reviews on Facebook, people have given exceptionally specific and clear feedback that has the same general themes as this one: inept service, long wait times, wrong food orders, cold food, and no beer at the brewery. What is also clear is that a lot of puff reviews have been published in an attempt to bury the negative reviews. You can see this as many simply rate a 5 but make no comments. My advice to the owners and manager (if there is one) is to fix the service and fix the food, don't fix the ratings. read more

What a cool place to go, beautiful view, great beers, knowledgeable staff and wonderful food. The Brussel sprouts are everyone's favorite. The chicken sandwich is Great along with the Mac n cheese. We've been there twice now and can't wait for our next visit! read more

So went back to visit the strand I thought rigor mortis was going Kick in, it took so long to get my food, the drinks , they were not consistent signature cocktails they missing key ingredients and the bartender had a oh well attitude , waitstaff was slow ,the young kids cleaning tables they're faster than your wait staff and bartenders ,food wasn't avail that was on listed your menu, menus were filthy , print new ones , really great location but it won't last if the staff doesn't response and I ask my waitress to inquire from the manager if she use a local herb for the drinks and she never responded . Not returning till you have a new manager your current one doesn't care about the patrons read more

Not very impressed! While the design of the place us cool, it definitely lacked in the food. Starting off my drink tasted watered down and was not made correct. When my lunch came the fries had so much seasoning on them I had to pick through them and eat what I could. It was missing the coleslaw so I asked our waitress for it. The kitchen staff must have been in a bad mood because when she brought it back, my ketchup cup was larger than the coleslaw cup. Usually we have issues with service when we go out but this time was the opposite; our waitress Sam was great! The other waiter during lunch looked like an unkept mess and was not even in a uniform. Glad we did not get him! read more

Beautiful layout, but the food and service need a lot of work. Our server was very nice, but didn't know a lot about the (small) menu. We ordered two salads. Took about an hour and 15 minutes. Then we ordered pretzel bites which took another 50 minutes and came out cold and hard. When we told our server they were cold, she merely asked us if we wanted a box for them, didn't offer to warm them or bring a new order. They also aren't really a brewery, they have beers brewed elsewhere. read more

I've seen half these reviews and I call bull crap on most of them. They are written by staff to prop the reviews up. Food is mediocre, staff is poorly trained, and the only thing decent about this place is the building. They need restaurant industry experience badly to come in and run this place. read more

I've been here three times and had good service food and drinks two of those times. Pretzel bites and Brussel sprouts are awesome. Tacos looked good and portions were large. Eventually the kinks will be worked out and this will be a very solid place. read more

Recently this place has been closing early, long time to get food, and greeting staff has been unfriendly. Highly recommend calling to make sure they are open even if their hours say they should be open. read more

As I mentioned on TripAdvisor, this place has so much potential but cannot get it right. So easy to fix. Now they make their own beers (finally). There were 5 on tap plus a couple from Round Barn (along with a selection of bottled beers, wines and ciders). But service was horrible. Almost went to the bar for drinks since we were completely ignored for the longest time. Nice lake views, outdoor seating, games area, and a band was playing. Menu prices still a bit high, and on the whole the experience at nearby Sister Lakes Brewing is better, but The Strand could be so much more. read more

We came here with our two kids on a busy Friday night. They found us a table immediately, service was really quick and hospitable. The view out on to the lake was also pretty impressive. Our server Henry did a terrific job and was very helpful and kind. He made some great menu and beer recommendations. The food was hearty with large portions. We especially liked the cheese curds and the brisket which is smoked out back. We'll be back soon I'm sure! read more

The menu is not big. Basic burgers wings ribs kind of place. All were good. The kids loved the fries. The beer is great. The ipa is very good. But just as the other reviewers complained. The Service is very slow and the hostess is not accommodating. We arrived early on a Thursday a table of 8 and our dinners came our 15 min apart. Looking around every who came in later is asking where their food is. read more

Beautiful facility with an excellent view of the lake and the sunset! Our server, Hank/Henry, had great suggestions for beer and was very personable and helpful. And the food didn't disappoint! read more

I've never written a yelp review in my life but here we go. We went to The Strand on Saturday evening after going there about a year ago and enjoying it. We had 4 adults, a 3 year old and an infant. We arrived around 6:15 and they said an hour wait, but there's an outside area and we could just grab a couple beers while we wait. There was some tables to the right of the hostess stand and we asked if we could sit there while we wait- we were told no. Ok- no problem. We found a couch and parked there while going outside periodically. Around 7, we had inquired about available seating because there were several open tables available the entire time we were there. They said, "Oh there's a reservation there at 7:30". If we would have been sat there when we originally arrived, we would have been gone in more than enough time for the reservations- who never showed by the way. Additionally, in the interim, they allowed that room to the right of the hostess stand to be used for overflow for some people, but apparently not us. I have worked in the restaurant industry and now as a VP work in the customer service industry. They had no regard for our experience nor did they try to make it better. Just pure incompetence. We will not be back. read more

This is a great addition to Sister Lakes! I have heard many speak of it as being overpriced, but you get a great amount of food, great quality, and great service. We needed a relaxing, fun, beautiful restaurant to come to around this area... (my home town) plus you can't beat the view of Round Lake when sitting outside on the patio at sunset. I came in on a Wednesday night and the small plates (appetizers) were 1/2 off, which was awesome! I believe our waitresses name was Lexi and she was very informative and all around great. I had a drink called the Loose Goose and my boyfriend had the Round Lake Sunset. Both were tasty! We shared the pretzels bites and cheese curds, which didn't disappoint! (Plus we couldn't pass up 1/2 off apps) For our main meal I had the brisket dip that tasted phenomenal and my boyfriend had an American bacon burger which he said was great, along with the house made chips! There is such a delicious looking menu and I cannot wait to come back and try something new! read more

Awesome view of round lake and really cool vibe inside. Love the patio outside and when it gets dark they have a bunch of outdoor fire places they turn on. The food is pretty good and menu is big with a lot of options, but giving 4 stars because they still are not brewing their own beer. Definitely recommend going! read more

My sister, nephew and I decided to give it a try. We absolutely loved everything about it. The server was great. Food excellent. Atmosphere was fabulous. read more

Food is decent, menu average for the area, view is great, atmosphere is trendy Chicago, and I think that's where the server had to go to get our drinks and food. Not sure why it took almost 30 minutes for a order of chips and salsa to get to us, but it did, not nachos, just chips and salsa. Asked for an Absolut Martini, took waitress 15 minutes to come back and tell me they only had Absolut Citron, not straight Absolut, and then another 15 minutes plus for me to get the TIto's Martini. To be clear, my issue isn't the choice of vodka, it's the snail's pace. This was my third and last visit as I've similar experiences previously. CJ read more

Enjoyed a nice visit to the Strand on a busy Friday. Demitrius was attentive and did a good job serving. Would have been nice if they had some of their house beers, buy understand how they can run short quickly when they have high demand. They had a decent choice of backup beers. The wings were worthy and enjoyed them. Would have them again. read more

My family has been coming to Sister Lakes for over 60 years. We are now in our third generation with three homes on Magician Lake. Several of us tried the Strand for the first time this past weekend. We were patient and understanding waiting 45 minutes for appetizers (wings were good, but nachos were not) and another 60 minutes for our meals. Everyone enjoyed their meals which were good, but not great. Loved the decor, but the metal / aluminum dining chairs are the most uncomfortable chairs we've ever sat in!! Did any of the owners sit in one of these chairs before purchasing for the entire restaurant? We were so glad our elderly parents decided to eat at home at their lake house. We know they would have gotten up and left because the chairs were so uncomfortable -- there is no way they could have sat in those chairs for our 2 1/2 hour dinner. And our poor waiter was nervous and stressed over how long the kitchen was taking to get the meals out. We actually gave him a huge tip because we felt sorry for him because he did his best. Maybe we'll give the Strand a second try, but only if they replace those gosh awful dining chairs!! read more

Cold beer! Great views! Great TVs come football and ND games...the place is a great addition to Sister Lakes!

I do not recommend this place. Our family went to visit this restaurant this past July and when we arrived the entire inside dining area was empty, but the patio looked full. We approached the hostess stand and she asked for our name to add to the waiting list. "You have to be kidding, the place is empty?!" "We had several big parties and want to give the kitchen time to catch up." They took our name and offered no time line of when we could be seated. We asked if we could sit in the bar area and she said no. THE PLACE WAS EMPTY. We waited 20 minutes with no movement to a table. This is not how to run a business. It was prime vacation time, mid week and they couldn't handle 6 of us. The staff was unprofessional and ill-prepared. After 20 minutes we took our name off the list and went down the street to Sister Lakes Brewing (we were allowed to sit down, order and were treated with kindness and professionalism). Sister Lakes Brewing is 100x better option. read more

Henry made everything happen! From drinks and appetizers to the main course. Perfectly paced. Great drinks, food and service with an amazing view! Exceeded expectations, read more