Our experience was far from desirable. Waitress was very non attentive, didn't seem to care. Hardly saw her even when our glasses were in need of refilling. Took 30 minutes for salads to arrive. Then waited another 40 minutes for our meals, 3 out of 4 of us anyway as they forgot to prepare her meal! No apology from waitress. Others in the room who were seated after us , and had a different waitress received their food in a timely manner. Being that we waited well over 2 hours , which includes a 45 minutes table wait, and not getting all meals delivered at the same time, when the waitress finally showed up we told her to take it all back because we were leaving. Both hungry and quite dissatisfied. Such a shame as last summer we ate there weekly and no problems with food or service. Fast forward to summer 2023 our first visit will more than likely be our last. read more

Year after year we come to the Thirsty Sturgeon while on vacation and it never disappoints. Extremely good food, good prices and great service. read more

To be honest , my expectations were set pretty low . Wow , was I impressed. This out-of-the-way hidden gem serves imaginative , thoughtful and exquisitely executed piping hot plates that had my taste buds on cloud nine. Clearly ,the kitchen has had some formal culinary training. The Frangelico chicken with mushroom risotto and garden fresh vegetable sauté with a balsamic reduction reminded me of any chef-plated entrees I enjoyed in New York , Paris or London. But I'm no snob , I love a good plate of nachos or a basket of wings , which is offered on the eclectic menu , along with original offerings ( get the panko encrusted Reuben balls!) The daily specials lean toward chef-driven creations that had me vacillating and wished I didn't live 4 hours away so I could dine here a couple times a month. A true "Up North" ambience with no pretensions or bells and whistles ( water is served in a plastic pint glass with a soda company's logo) Service is cheerful and sincere. A real gem. Get there early. The place fills up fast , for good reason . read more

We drove from Boyne City to check this place out, and was glad we did! We all had an awesome meal Frangelico chicken was amazing, hubby had a calzone (could only eat half), and the other couple had steaks. Full menu includes burgers, sandwiches, and appetizers (Try the Reuben Balls!) Our server was fast and super nice! Everything came out perfectly timed, and she was right there when we needed something. When my family comes up for a visit, I'll be taking them to the Thirsty Sturgeon! read more

This place makes people turn up. I don't know where they came from, but this placed is packed ALL THE TIME, and somehow always does a great job managing to keep wait times down. Parking is rough as it's in a dirt lot that can get wrecked by extreme weather. I don't recommend wearing your "nice shoes" here. Everyone knows everyone here and are friendly to strangers too! Must try whitefish pate, pizza, Brussel spouts: read more

Always good food and a friendly staff even though they are understaffed and dealing with a lot of rude people. Keep up the good work

Living in the area with family down state means you need a go to restaurant when you dont want to cook for visitors. This is our go to. Excellent food that is made to order, great pizza, and great daily specials. On Saturday they make a prime rib which I have never had, but on sunday that prime rib makes it into sandwiches which are absolw amazing. The bar is also nice, well lit and clean. It is usually pretty slow in the afternoon and makes a great place to grab a beer after work. Come early during snowmobile season though or you wont find a spot to park or eat. That would be the only drawback, they get very busy and can fill up quickly. If you time it right its an excellent place to eat. read more

Tough prime rib sandwich. Me thinks it is a cheaper cut, not prime rib.

Although we have enjoyed coming here for a number of years, I had to downgrade it due to Covid circumstances. If you are a person who needs to follow the rules regarding distancing and safety precautions such as disposable menus and noncomunal condiments, then you won't want to go here until this has passed. It was absolutely packed with people, both dining and waiting to dine. The bar was 2 to 3 deep. read more

We had a party of fourteen for dinner at the Thirsty Sturgeon. Our server, Jessica, was tremendous...we couldn't have been more pleased with the service. We ordered a wide range of meals from pizza to walleye with roasted corn sauce to a hamburger with Mac an' Cheese with bacon. Everything we ordered was great! Would highly recommend the TS. With its level of food and service, it's easy to understand why a place that's literally out in the middle of no where is so popular. You'll probably have to wait for a table when it's busy, but it will be well worth the wait! read more

The Thirsty Sturgeon - Bars Near Me - Wolverine, Michigan

The food was good, but I will not be eating there again until they learn to better manage their COVID protocol. Too many people in one area as well as lack of encouraging signage asking their patrons to comply with safe COVID standards. This is not a good way to try and keep your doors open. Disappointed with what I saw and it made me feel uncomfortable eating there. read more

we just had the most wonderful dinner experience at Thirsty Sturgeon. they usually don't take reservation and is always jam pack simply because its a very popular place to go with great food and atmosphere. their service is beyond words. our group of 6 has one old lady who is handicap from over 25 years of sever stroke. we tried to celebrate early Valentines and also the old couples 60 anniversary. considering its 1 hr drive out for our group, i decided to communicate with the restaurant, and not only they reserved a table for us with easy wheelchair access, but also they clear the wheelchair ramp before we get there and right after we dined (mind you its been snowing hard). as soon as we are getting ready to pay, we saw the employee hand shovel the whole ramp. their service shows how much they care their patrons. its easy to see why this place is so very popular in the area either in summer (by the River) or winter (by snowmobile trails). even if you have to wait to get in, its well worth it. the food and service are extraordinary. Even we live 1 hr away, we have been there 5 times, every single time we enjoy our food. This time everyone in our group loves everything they order. I especially enjoyed my chicken frangelico, highly recommend this one. read more

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Worth the wait! Be sure to try the Moscow Mule , the whitefish dip and the parmesan crusted walleye! read more

Everything was excellent! We ate there three times in four days. Dinner, Lunch and Dinner, I recommend the Walleye. So good. Service was quite good even when it was packed. Reuben Balls were great as well as all of the Schmeers. The Smoked Bacon Bleu Burger rocked. Visit and enjoy! read more

Local gem with delicious comfort food and great beer. While vacationing in Gaylord we stopped in for dinner one evening and it as such a great decision! The portions are HUGE... but quality isn't sacrificed. The staff were friendly and there was a great mix of local regulars and summer visitors. This is a must try if you are in the area. read more

Was in here for my moms birthday with very high expectations. I've been here before multiple times and it never disappoints. Food was amazing, per usual, but the service this time is what brings this review to a one star. Absolutely despicable. Our waitress wouldn't make eye contact while ordering, would lightly toss our drinks and plates on the table, and would ask us questions with her back turned. Took all of my guts not to say something and point out the injustice, but I'm sure she could tell we weren't happy after we left. Pitiful. If she treated any of the other tables with 10% more respect than us, they'd maybe consider revisiting. read more

Food was sooo good! We had a group of 12. Waitress was great even with a big needy group! The Mac Daddy Burger

We stopped here while on the trails. It is conveniently located and the overall experience was wonderful. Food, atmosphere and staff were delightful. Hubby enjoyed the special--Buffalo walleye sandwich with sweet potato fries! Delish! read more

The Thirsty Sturgeon - Greek chicken salad was delicious! - Bars Near Me - Wolverine, Michigan

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The pulled pork sandwich I had here was delicious. I had onion rings as a side too. They were also very good. Very crispy. Will definitely come again if I'm back in the area. read more

One of our favorite UpNorth restaurants. Great food and friendly staff with a very clean and comfortable environment.

Our family loves the Thirsty Sturgeon. The Reuben Balls are a must order for us. So good! Everything we ordered was really good and their French fries are excellent! Super crispy and they came out super hot! We ordered wings (crispy and really good), burger, loaded nachos with pulled pork, prime rib sandwich, pulled pork sandwich, chicken basil sandwich. Everything was excellent and the portions were big! Four of us brought our leftovers home and all of us heated them up and ate them the next day. The server/s were all really nice, polite and even noticed a mistake in our order right as it was brought to us. Our server quickly took it back to the kitchen and brought us the correct meal. We were so very happy to see all the employees in masks and the tables inside and out were spaced apart or kept empty to comply with social distancing. Thank you! They do not require masks for customers but they are encouraged inside. We are mask wearers and wore them inside to put our name in for an outside table. There were about 8 ppl at the bar- none of them had on a mask and they were not 6 ft apart. We love their spot on the Sturgeon River and always check the river when we are there. They also have multiple corn hole games set up which is nice but there is no shade. It's super hot in Northern MI right now (plus no breeze) and the deck outside gets a lot of sun in the evening. They have umbrellas over the tables and some tilt but others don't. So if you get a sunny spot it's HOT! FYI - the tap water is well water so we bring our own water bottles. Overall - this is a great place! Maybe fans on that hot deck?? That would be nice. read more

First time customer. The service was great, the food also great! A true hidden treasure. Better signage on straights highway would make it a little easier to find. read more

We had an amazing experience tonight at The Thirsty Sturgeon! Our party of 11 waited a while, but it was worth every second! We had fish, several different burgers, salads, and kids chicken strips. They go the extra mile with quality ingredients and top notch recipes. Our waitress did an outstanding job as well! We would highly recommend The Thirsty Sturgeon!!! read more

Trying to go out of my way to support local restaurants on the road trip, would prefer to keep politics out of it and not be pressured by staff to sign some petition 3 times while picking up the food. read more

Came from Boyne City and other couples from around the state. Ate outside. Lovely server. Delicious food. No one was disappointed. Reasonable prices. New on the menu was smoked bacon blue burger pizza. The 12 inch could serve 2. Yummy read more

The Thirsty Sturgeon - Smoked bacon blue burger - Bars Near Me - Wolverine, Michigan

We rolled into the Thirsty Sturgeon last week for a late lunch. One of the few places open up north during the winter and moderately busy. Wood paneling, fish taxidermy, and sports bar ambiance. Pretty extensive menu of all the things your physician tells you not to eat, along with some tasty sounding fish dishes. I munched on a reuben sandwich and my friend enjoyed a sautéed whitefish sandwich with crispy french fries. My hot coffee was unfortunately not even luke warm. Service is okay, but a bit slow and could use some more training. If you need to refuel or take a break from cooking at home, the Thirsty Sturgeon will fulfill that need, but IMHO, not a destination restaurant. read more

Food was good. Did not feel safe eating there. They don't care about patron safety with covid-19. Walked into a lobby with a dozen people, none wearing masks, waiting for tables. I waited in my car & asked them to text me. Servers walk in close proximity to tables, with trays full of food. Not safe! read more

Great service! Rebeun Balls were delicious! Clean place, friendly staff, good food... What more is there?

Delicious food! I tried pulled pork pizza (added cole slaw), egg roll trifecta and stuffed potato skin appetizers, and the whitefish sandwich. The menu has some creative choices. Everything I tried was fantastic! The setting was beautiful. We ate outside on the deck. The kids dipped their toes in a nearby stream and enjoyed a game of horse shoes. Our server was friendly and prompt. Food was served hot. Restaurant and restrooms were clean. Convenient to I-75. Five stars all around. read more

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This is a great place in a great location and makes the most of that. It gets really busy because it's one of the only decent places to eat for miles. Visited with a large group this weekend which was prime snowmobiling season and had a wait but overall the food was great, the beer nice and cold, and our waitress rocked. Looks like the kitchen gets overwhelmed when busy and the food takes awhile to make it out but when it gets there it's all very good. The walleye is one of our favorites. Lots of burger choices too. The appetizers are quite unique - Ruben balls, smears, etc. The smoked fish dip is amazing and should get added to the menu permanently. Doing an amazing job with this place and it has become one of our go to locations when in the area. read more

This is finally a fantastic local restaurant. It has changed hands several times over the years, and now, it's the best thing to hit Wolverine. I've seen them close, because they ran out of food! I have been there several times, and I have never been disappointed read more

This is your basic Michigan watering hole. Seems to be extremely popular with locals as it was packed when we stopped through on our afternoon journey around the state. The menu is pretty basic. Pizzas, fried food, and burgers, but it looked like they were bussing orders out of the kitchen as fast as they could. Lots of full tables and smiling faces were seen. We primarily populated the bar for at least an hour. Everyone ordered drinks, which were served up promptly. Good food, good location, nice enough interior. Would definitely come back here. read more

First impression...fantastic. We had the cheese bread and the Wednesday lasagna special. We sat outside and could see the Sturgeon River curve around the property... beautiful. Our waitress, Brandi, was friendly and extremely helpful in telling us all about the other amazing things they offer. She even talked us into the Cinnamon Bread Petite Treat...and I am glad she did. We will be back for sure. read more

The Thirsty Sturgeon - Cimmamon Bread Petite Treat - Bars Near Me - Wolverine, Michigan

Friday night all you can eat fish and chips was great all are food was great wait staff was really nice

Delicious food! First time here. Loved the shmeers. My favorite was the bacon and shrimp shmeer. Also had the lasagna. Friendly staff. Free wifi. They have clearly done a lot of renovating and updating. Looks great inside. Outdoor seating as well. It also sits right on the river. Great place! read more

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Sooooo good!!!!! I loved all the food! I got the clam chowder and a Caesar salad. It was the best Caesar salad I ever had! And the chowder was so tasty! I savored every bite! The wait staff was very nice and knowledgeable. I really enjoyed my visit. read more

Stopped on our way home from the U.P. What a great atmosphere and one of the best restaurants to eat! Service was wonderful and our large group all rated their food a 5! Lamb burger was delicious and the burgers we devoured in less than 5 min by my kiddos. I thought the shrimp was chicken! They were huge! read more

The Thirsty Sturgeon - Bars Near Me - Wolverine, Michigan

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Stopped in for dinner around 6:15 pm. On a Tuesday they have AYCE pizza buffet. We decided against that since we had pizza a couple days earlier. They have PBR on draft which I like, and my wife had some fruity thing which she enjoyed. For an appetizer we had the shrimp and bacon schmeer. That is really a delicious appetizer. I don't know for certain but i think it is a homemade bacon jam that they use and top the garlic type bread with a few salad shrimp. Very unique and tasty. For dinner I had the healthy chicken nachos with black bean salsa and the portion was huge. Far too much for 1 person. They have a 1/2 order which would have been plenty. The nachos however were good with plenty of the Monterey Jack cheese blend. Chicken was juicy and had good flavor. She had the Philly Cheesesteak wrap with sweet potato fries. Also very good. They sprinkled brown sugar on the fries which is an unexpected touch and one which she liked quite a bit. All in all the food and service was very good. There was an issue which caught me by surprise since this is clearly a Bar and that is the fact that there were 2 tables of diners who had small children actually eating and acting as small children IN the bar area. Dancing in the entry area and one man was tripped and almost fell coming in to pick up a carry-out order. This was a problem with ambivalent parenting but not one you would see where I am from, because having minors in a bar area is illegal, and would not happen there to begin with. I would definitely go back if I lived in the area so this only cost them a star on my review. read more

We had pastrami sandwiches - very good! A pitcher of Bud Light was $12.00!!!! We order pitchers all the time & have never paid that much for Bud Light!!!!!!!!!!! $50 for 2 sandwiches & 2 pitchers - WOW! read more

Favorite restaurant in the world! Fantastic and creative food, friendly staff including the owners, great drinks and beers on draft. Affordable prices, awesome specials. Love the nachos, and the prime rib sandwich. Located right on the bike/snowmobile trail and the sturgeon river! Don't miss your chance to visit this place. read more

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