My wife and I enjoyed our food, I had the Walleye and my wife had the whitefish. After reading other reviews I wish we had ordered an appetizer. Overall we enjoyed our experience and would return. The restaurant is well located for walking traffic. We stayed at a nearby BNB with a two block walk at the most so I can't opine on parking. read more

We just dropped into the Weathervane on an impromptu trip to Charlevoix. We thought the place looked rich in character from the outside and headed in. Upon entering, things got very confusing. First we were told that the inside of the restaurant and the outside were run completely separate from each other. We were also told that our group of seven could be seated immediately (this was at 5:30) as long as we were willing to sit next to the live saxophone player. Once we were seated we asked about a table of the same size that was right next to the window so we could overlook the water while we ate, however we were told that the table was not available. We continued to watch this table until we left... When we opened the menus, we were a little surprised at the cost if the dinner entrees. Having never even heard if the Weathervane before, we didn't know what to expect, but we certainly didn't expect entrees over $20 and steaks/fish over $30 with salads and other sides being served a la carte. Most of us settled on a New York strip special that was quite tasty and worth what we paid. Everyone else thought their meals were good too. Overall, we were pleased by our food and service, however they only get three stars from me because of that table by the windows. See, that table that we were told we couldn't have sat empty the entire time we were in the restaurant. I'm sure they were holding it for a reservation or for some other reason, however we could have sat there and still cleared out before the reservation came. Spending our entire meal looking at the table we couldn't have sit empty loses a star for the Weathervane. read more

Absolutely horrible service! Your hostess at the front desk was Totally argumentative and very un- customer focused!! We Waited the designated time only to to be seated in the wrong location. And When I went back to the hostess to explain the mixup, she proceeded to argue with me. Then, we were seated at possibly the worst table on the outdoor patio that had been open the entire time we were waiting. Appeared to be a punishment for questioning them. While waiting, the Bartender poured the wrong drink and then seemed upset when I questioned her. Every restaurant in the free world the caliber of the Weather Vane , and most even below it, use open table for reservations. However they seem so arrogant that they make you wait. And, I'm writing this review before we even had the food! That will be beside the point. Just the service and attitude alone makes me rate this a one star location! I would rate a "zero" star if I could!! Food needed up being very good read more

I wanted to update my review because the manager of the place sent me a "solid" this past summer by inviting me and my wife to have lunch on him. I didn't go..... but I appreciated the thought behind it. His willingness to put up with a snotty ahole review and try to make it right for me was pretty professional and I have to give him kudos. read more

I just ate here for dinner with my family -- the service was excellent but the food was just okay. My family and I wanted to sit outside and the hostess did a great job of keeping us updated on wait times and telling us the status of when the table would be ready. She definitely went above and beyond with her service! Our waiter was also great, personable and friendly, but also checked up on us often and made sure we were satisfied. As for the food, each entree was $20-$25 and I don't think worth the price. I ate here with 5 family members and we all ordered different things and tasted each others meals. I was not impressed. My whitefish was dry, the green beans I got on the side were dry, and my mashed potatoes were also..dry. Same goes for the perch, walleye, etc. The highlight of the meal were the orders of sweet potato fries we ordered on the side. All in all, good location in Charlevoix and great service, but food left something to be desired. read more

I was really excited to eat at the Weathervane. Every summer, my family would make sure to eat their because they whitefish is the best. It appears, when you walk in, they have their Covid act together ... but it's misleading! When we sat down, our waiter took our order. When he brought my drink, he handed me a straw that was not wrapped. Then, when my husband asked for salt/pepper, he handed him two shakers and his hands were directly placed where the pepper/salt come out of.. gross. All of the servers wore their masks but not covering their nose..... hello, why wear the masks!! They should be covering their nose!! I ordered a whitefish sandwich and husband got the chicken salad. The server went to serve me and I asked for no tomato, which I quickly saw, my sandwich had. Their was another tray with a whitefish sandwich and he said that must be it so he grabbed that one and gave to me. Then, he took my sandwhich that sat in front of me and gave to the next table. Luckily, the little old ladies were so talkative they didn't notice but that is gross again!!! Finally, my husband asked for a side of ranch to dip his chips and nearing the end of his plate of chips... he dipped and saw a hair. Love the food but just not a health friendly place to go. They need to put their young servers through sanitary training. Unless they make some quick changes, they are bound to create an outbreak. read more

The most unprofessional Manager named Paul The view drew my family to the restaurant. It's on the channel and right next to the bridge. Sadly being a more upscale restaurant Paul the manager was nothing of the sort. Rude and quite prejudice. First I tried calling to book a reservation for me and my family. It rang twice then went to a voicemail stating the times they were open and if I wanted to speak to Paul leave a message (I found the pre recorded msg quite odd for an actual restaurant) After calling twice with no answer I walked over (we are in the hotel right across the street) and asked to get a reservation in person. He said "no we are completely booked all evening" so I left. Not knowing this my aunt went over and asked for a reservation not fifteen minutes later. He said he could do that. This made me EXTREMELY frustrated that he would turn me down only to give it to someone else due to either my age or the amount of money I may spend. This wasn't the end with Paul the manager. He said to my aunt it was about an hour and a half wait. My uncle went over about 40 min later just to check back in and make sure we were still good on the time and if anything changed. Paul said "Look I told your wife an hour and a half. It's been 40 minutes so how long do you have left?" Who says something like that. The food was ok but it was overpriced for what you get. We are not coming back due to Paul the manager. read more

First time I have ever been to the Weathervane and was pleasantly surprised. We were seated with a view of the river. Janelle our waitress was fantastic. She explained that the have a new menu and are very excited about it. We started with the shrimp risotto fritters. Oh my were they superb. Two large fries risotto cakes with an asiago cream sauce serves with large shrimp. It was luscious. We split the prime rib sandwich that was on a homemade roll and a pesto mayo. It even came with homemade chips. We also had the French onion soup that was covered in cheese. Our water glasses were never empty. Great service. Would go back. read more

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Best place in Charlevoix to soak in the water views. Excellent service and presentation, had the whitefish, top notch! Drinks are stiff and fairly priced. read more

This isn't my first time complaining but it will be my last because I am not going back. I brought three friends with me in town on business. I went to eat in the lounge to find the same bartender I had last time waiting on me, serving food with her long black hair hanging in it. I watched her serve food and go back behind the bar to eat her own dinner. That was enough for me, I turned around and left. I went to the East Park Tavern located just down the block and now I am enjoying my dinner. She was eating in front of three gentlemen customers!!!!!!!!!!! I am not sure what has happened to class at this place. read more

I confess this was my first visit here, after spending vacation weeks in this part of Michigan for 25 years. Mostly, not going was because, after biking several hours, then hanging on the beach each afternoon, just getting up the energy to leave the rental house was not there. But finally, we voyaged 20 minutes north from Eastport. It was well worth it. The nine of us had fabulous meals. Being from Tacoma, I avoided the lake fish (mercury..I know too much, sometimes it is better to be ignorant), and had the filet medallions with morel mushrooms. Cooked perfectly. But, several in the party ordered the planked whitefish and it was cooked perfectly. The wine selection is good and very reasonable. We had the Chateau Ste Michelle Indian Wells Cab 2009, delicious and at $33 a good value. It is a place where there are a lot of grandparents and sailor types, but even for hipsters from Minneapolis and Tacoma, it all works just. read more

We had a nice table on the porch, so the kids could watch the bridge go up and down. The view and location was probably the best part of the whole meal. Service was just ok, and slow. We had to flag down other waitstaff for everything (more drinks, silverware, napkins) because our waitress never checked on us. Food: all portion sizes were pretty small. Spent 3 extra bucks for a dozen sweet potato fries that came cold and soggy. The whitefish sandwich was tasty, as well as the blueberry mojito. Salads were meh. Small and uninspired, pretty much from a bag. read more

Not a bad place. Came here for Valentine's Day. We started off with... Bread: Meh! I felt that these biscuits had absolutely no flavor whatsoever. Not even the butter could save them Escargot: It was good very flavorful. They were cooked very well. And the bread they came with was delicious. I had the salmon on the plank.: Good it had lots of flavors and some spice to it. I wasn't crazy about the parmesan potatoes they served with it. I didnt taste the parmesan. My boyfriend had the surf and turf which he absolutely loved. Service: very good they were great about refilling our drinks and checking up on us. read more

My husband and I were looking for a restaurant with a view on our recent trip to Charlevoix and came across the Weathervane. It was a Wednesday evening around 8:30 p.m. and the hostess told us it would be about an hour wait for patio seating (we ended up being seated by 9). We were seated at a table right against the railing with a great view of the drawbridge. Our waiter, however, was definitely a let down. Even though we were seated first, he took the orders of the tables on either side of us before visiting ours. After about 15 minutes of no service, we were just getting ready to leave before he finally came to take our order. I ordered the pasta primavera and my husband had the perch and ribs combo plate. The meal didn't take long to arrive, but my food came several minutes before my husbands (not sure why our waiter decided not to serve us at the same time?). By that time it was so dark on the patio that it was difficult to see much of anything, especially our food. My meal was fine- heavily sauced but edible- and my husband said his food was fine, too. Nothing special, and kind of pricey for the quality. Something to note- the bread basket that came with our meals was quite delicious! Also, even though it was only 9pm, the kitchen had already run out of prime rib for the evening, as well as caesar salad. Who runs out of salad in the middle of dinner service? read more

I have been here multiple times over about 20 years, and every time I remind myself - you go for the view. The food is terrible. Service is worse than the food! My last visit was at lunchtime. After two hours, we had been served the wrong food, had our food delivered to the wrong table, got our food which did not match the menu description, and it was basically terrible anyway. Cold, dried out, missing the promised accompaniments. The server was completely untrained and overwhelmed. Yes, the view is great, but they're going to have to improve significantly before I return. read more

We visit Charlevoix nearly every year, and we've always enjoyed a delicious meal at the Weathervane. Until this year. After our experience tonight, each one of us (and there were eight) has sworn that we will never go back. It was bad enough that the kitchen made changes to the menu DURING THE EVENING without bothering to inform our waitress, and that they got some of the orders wrong, forcing our waitress to apologize and tell us she was having the dishes remade. What was worst was that of the five people who ordered their signature whitefish, four of us received fish that was overcooked and dry. Or maybe this was worst: After all the problems, no manager showed up at our table. When I tracked down the manager after our meal, it turns out that she did know about at least half of our troubles, but apparently didn't think we required her attention, and her reply to my complaint about the poorly-executed fish? "They usually do a good job." This restaurant charges WAY too much to consider this kind of service acceptable, especially in an age when any minor glitch at an inexpensive chain restaurant prompts the management to visit the table. More notes: Another bad dish was the steak, which the my father described as "a ten-dollar steak with a thirty-dollar price tag." My husband reported that while his whitefish was mediocre, his perch was good. My brother reported that the ribs were "actually very good." We will NOT be giving the Weathervane another try, at least until we hear that they are under new management. read more

I went here for Thanksgiving dinner and it was okay. The only thing I really love to eat on thanksgiving is dressing, so I was disappointed when it was maybe a better version of stovetop. I wouldn't rule this restaurant out, I just wouldn't go for a Holiday meal. read more

This has to be one of the best locations in town. The host was super attentive and was able to get us onto the patio during a packed Fourth of July weekend in only 30 minutes, which was excellent as we walked up without reservations. The decor inside looked nice from when I walked through. Sitting outside next to the drawbridge being able to watch all of the boats come in and out of the harbor was the perfect way to end a weekend. They had a nice drink selection, with some excellent homemade cocktails and a decent selection of craft beers. I started with the french onion soup which was average and friend had a salad (whose name escaped me) which she really enjoyed. It was completely gone by the time I tried to have some! For dinner I ate the cedar planked salmon while my friend had the shrimp pasta dish (name escapes me again). Her dish was excellent, everything was seasoned perfectly and it had a nice sauce on it. My salmon left a little left to be desired. The salmon was slightly overcooked, causing it to be a little dry, while the mashed potatoes that came with it seemed a little to condensed and seemed very pre-prepared. It just turned me off a bit. The side vegetable was great. The thing that really brought down my review was the bill at the end. I knew how much the entrees were, but had no idea that my two pint glasses of Oberon would set me back $20. This was not what I was expecting at the end of the day, but I probably should have checked before I ordered. Our waiter was also not super attentive, and while it was busy because of fourth of July, it didnt excuse his inattentiveness or forgetfulness. To sum it up, I would go back, but I would definitely order something else. And definitely check how much my beer costs. read more

Just myself having dinner here. I asked the hostess if I could be seated on the rail by the canal and was told I'd have about a 45 min wait. It wasn't a problem for me and I was able to have a martini, charge my phone, and enjoy the delicious crab cakes in the bar while I waited. I was quite pleased with the whitefish and the view is spectacular, right be the drawbridge, the sunset is divine. My server was not the most attentive and there seemed to be some miscommunications with staff voiced and complained about around customers but otherwise a lovely meal. read more

Weathervane Restaurant - Charlevoix canal with the Weathervane on the right. - American Near Me - Charlevoix, Michigan

Used to visit this restaurant as a kid with my parents. Just as good as I remember. Enjoyed sitting outside and watching boats go through.

The Weathervane is a NW Michigan "Institution" after all these years in its picturesque setting on the Pine River, next to the Charlevoix drawbridge. Over those years, it has been everything from not-so-great to really good, and I'm happy to say that it's currently the best it's ever been, at least in my 40+ years of experiences (!!!). They have a completely revised menu as of May '09, and everything looks delicious. We had escargot to start . It was among the best I've ever had - the Feta cheese accent is an inspired touch. She had the perch (awesome, as always) while I enjoyed the crab-crusted whitefish (sacrelige to many that I didn't have the "planked", but it was easily just as good-mebbe even better!) We were too full to have dessert, but they've always been good to very good. You simply HAVE to try this place if you're ever in the area. It's not over-the-top-outstanding like close by "Tapawingo" in Ellsworth, but the food is really good and the setting can't be beat. Make reservations during the summer months, or be prepared for a wait. read more

Iconic restaurant in a great tourist town. Good food, friendly staff. I definitely recommend

The best seat in the house is on the deck. The bridge is raised on the hour and half hour to allow tall boats to pass. Enjoy a beer and split the fish and chips. The beer battered whitefish and fries with a side of remoulade is huge. read more

Weathervane Restaurant - The Weathervane Restaurant and the bridge in Charlevoix MI - American Near Me - Charlevoix, Michigan

Good food in an awesome setting next to the Bascule Bridge in Charlevoix, Michigan. Very friendly servers and drinks are great. The atmosphere is wonderful both winter and summer. In the warmer months, a great deck overlooks the water where you can watch the Beaver Island Ferry and other pleasure boaters come and go. In the winter, there are two cozy fireplaces to warm up next to while you eat. A historic Mushroom Building designed by Earl Young will delight all who dine at the Weathervane. read more

great view, good food. Dissapointed with the oysters, should have been at least 6 on the plate for the price. Good place to eat, we shared a seafood platter. The Whitefish is always excellent and the wine selection was fabulous. Had a great time, even after a day on the boat with two tired boys. read more

We called ahead for a large party on a Saturday night, and not only were they able to accomodate us with only 2 hours notice, but they were also able to seat us a bit early upon arrival. We started with some solid cocktails (including a damn good Old Fashioned) and the delicious house dill rolls. I ordered the whitefish oak plank special, while my friends tried the gluten-free fettuccine and a salmon and crab cake special. Everything was delicious - a little pricey, but very tasty with great presentation. Really cool location overlooking the inlet, plus it is housed in an Earl Young mushroom building with a famous fireplace. Definitely recommend The Weathervane for dinner or patio dining if you're in the area. read more

Always Exceptional and is delightful good food. Good service! And clean bathrooms that always smell good!!! Great job guys!!

If the view alone was the sole criteria it would be a 6 on a 5 point scale. Watch the draw bridge, cool boats go by and the sunsets are silly beautiful. I can tell they are trying on the menu. Craft brew adds and a good cucumber Hendricks Collins. The lunch menu was lackluster and presentation was disappointing. Bottom of the bag chips, small portions and less than stellar chicken salad sandwich. The interior is due for an update. The other patrons were from a time of the Weathervane's heyday. Waitstaff was fun, engaging and attentive. Terrific crew. A few small changes and this place literally rules the Round Lake dining scene. read more

The location is awesome, right by the bridge with a view of the water. The food was okay, my potatoes and zucchini were overcooked, which was disappointing considering the price. The whitefish was delicious and the argentina sirloin was tasty. I would definitely try those if you do decide to go. There are so many places in town to eat, I would put this place about average when stacked up against its competition, even though it is slightly overpriced for what you get. read more

The view cannot be beat! Great atmosphere, friendly staff and good food. Get the duo of dips for an appetizer it was awesome. French fries are not your traditional option, they're thick spiral-cut chunks of potato. Good, but after seeing another table stick with the home made chips option I wish I'd gone that route. read more

Beautiful location on the river. Fun to watch the boats go under the draw bridge. Great service and tasty food. Slightly more expensive than we anticipated. read more

My wife, me and our daughter came for dinner on my birthday from Traverse City. Our reservations were for 5:15 and we were seated promptly with a good view. Our server Kayla brought drinks promptly and helped with the menu. We chose the fish choices, salmon, planked whitefish and grouper. All were beautifully prepared and served and tasted great. The salads we had were the same and I especially liked the generous serving of dressing on the side. Kayla checked on us occasionally, the ice cream puff we had was great and they made me an ice cream drink called a hummer which is sometimes hard to find, at no charge. Overall our dining experience couldn't have been better. read more

Nice setting by the water, average food, high prices, service questionable. After several problems on our bill I called the manager AFTER returning home. No resolution but SHE did laugh at the problems. Blamed corporate for confusions. Waitress we had was inept. After 30 years spending $ at Stafford locations we earned a "laugh". How the wold has changed. read more

This place is a Charlevoix classic. The food is always pretty good, but the fireplace is the best part, and you can watch the drawbridge and boats! read more

It's very old on the inside. Took 10 minutes for someone to acknowledge us to sit. View is fantastic. Right on the canal so you can see the bridge go up. I imagine it's a popular spot in the summer. Food was decent. I got a fish sandwich. Husband got a salad with lobster on it that he really liked. Not sure if I would come back again. Maybe in the summer for drinks. read more

Best part was sitting out on the deck and watching the boats come in and out. The drawbridge was amazing to watch. Food was just ok. Service was good. read more

The food is only outdone by the incredible view. The peace and tranquillity of watching boats go through the channel to Lake Michigan while enjoying some outstanding food is second to none. The whitefish dip, Great Lakes chowder and fried whitefish dinner were really good. Sit outside if at all possible (bring a jacket if windy) read more

My food was gross and very expensive. Very disappointing. My fish was slimy and my potatoes were cold.

Love this restaurant and especially when they have their Morel soup. I gave it four stars versus five because it's quite expensive I know morels are hard to come by but $45 for a quart is a little steep but I bought it and loved it read more

We walked in to get a table. The hostess was so rude. We still decided to stay until we talked to another patron who says she was rude to her also. This would of been our first time. read more