The Antlers Restaurant

Relaxed and friendly this place offers plenty to look at with walls packed full of taxidermy. Staff has been wonderful and the food feels like down home cooking and has never disappointed. Prices and portions are on par and you really feel like you are getting your monies worth. Old building really sets the stage with creaky floors and old lodge feel at times. Bonus room for ice cream at the other end of the building. We stop in every trip to the UP for some good food. Atmosphere can be lively later in evening and the good tips get the bells a ringing. Be on the lookout for sneaky 3d printed fidgets I like to hide on the shelves 😄 While visiting take a stroll down main street and see some wonderful little shops or watch the Freightliner come through the Locks.

Very memorable restaurant! Highly recommended especially if you're into taxidermy! The restaurant has the most amazing decor that I've ever scene. There's an incredible amount to animals everywhere you look. You'll see some animals that you'll probably never see anywhere else! My waiter was very friendly and attentive. The food prices seemed fair and the selection was decent. Most importantly, the food was really tasty! Best onion rings that I've ever had!!

I went because of the atmosphere and decor and because the onion rings looked good. The decor is fun and interesting to look at. There was a double headed calf, furry fish, polar bear and many more mounts. The onion rings are fresh made but they have such a heavy breading and they hold the grease from the fryer like a towel. The onions inside were wide cut but very thin. It was si.ilar to eating strips of paper. They look good but they are not. Go for a beer and the atmosphere. But I wouldn't expect too.much from the food if the rest of their menu is anything similar to the onion rings.

This was a last-minute idea and had no idea what to expect. We are all very happy we decided to stop in and eat. The atmosphere is electric! Every hour or so their a boat whistle that goes off (they warn you first). The food was great and fast to the table. My only wish is they had a whitefish sandwich that was not breaded and deep-fried. But that is what I ordered and it was good and huge! We were going to get ice cream at the ice cream room they have but no one was working the counter as we waited a 5 or so minutes. There was a worker at a table 5 feet from the counter on break eating their dinner who could have let us know that no one was working or she was on break and would a while...but instead looked at us and went right back to eating. We did not bother them as we could tell they were on break. Even the hosts that tabled people saw us but said nothing as there was a big line to get in. Even though we didn't get ice cream the rest of the experience was great and we would go back.

Our 1st visit was over 35 years ago, this was our third visit. Excellent food and service! If you are in the area, it is worth the stop!

Great place! Great food! Awesome atmosphere. The taxidermy here is incredible. It has something for everyone. The staff is awesome! Allison is a fantastic waitress. Thank you for the great time and the smiles. We loved it here. The whitetail is absolutely delicious. Thank you again!!

This place has an awesome chicken sandwich! It’s great for yummy, hot meal that you can get pretty quick too! Also loved the battered fish! 😋

We went here for a birthday celebration for all the bells and whistles, and we were not disappointed. I love their poutine and pulled pork. We all had sandwiches and desserts. Our table enjoyed the whitefish, burger, and chicken. We definitely we be coming back next time we are in town.

I realize judging this place at the end of season isn't truly fair but, I had been here many many years ago and truly enjoyed it and I brought a friend here who had never been to the UP. Although the decor has not changed since last time it was there the service and the quality of the food has definitely lacked. Although it was enough to fill my belly and definitely didn't tingle my taste buds. I truly hope that this was just because we were towards the end of the season and not necessarily the standard.

My husband and I ate here on our vacation recently to Sault Ste Marie, MI. Its advertisement boasts over 200 stuffed animals (taxidermy, NOT stuffies!) and they weren't kidding! Lots to look at on their walls. Definitely not a place for vegans or PETA members. Our waitress was friendly and helpful. Our food came quickly, and she checked in with us a couple times during our meal. My husband had the ribs that came with fries and house made Cole slaw. The ribs were fall-off-the-bone tender and the barbecue sauce was excellent. I had the pollock platter that was beer battered and also came with fries and Cole slaw. It was very good as well. I would definitely recommend this quirky restaurant with great food!

Bad service. Try to get their attention multiple time but they ignore us or look away and pretend not to hear us. There is a force tip so even if service is bad you are force to pay a "gratuity" and a high one at that. Good luck sitting at a table then waiting half an hour for drinks, and other 45 mins to get order taken and a single refill, and another hour to get the food. All with you being ignored. The food was horrible. The burger tasted like it was extremely cheap, which for its price shouldn't be, and was bad taste and texture and loaded with grease (all I tasted was cheap meat and what tasted like a gallon of grease). My brother and I hated it. My dad's fish was so greasy we took multiple napkins to squeeze the grease out... we did this multiple times and when he bit into it after words his face was still hit with a lot of grease... there was no flavor he said, just grease. His onion ring were the same way, as where my brothers and my sides. My step-moms ribs were done in a "bbq" sauce that tasted like heated ketchup. Her broccoli was brunt. Try to get attention some more but we're ignore. Then the billed have a forced "gratuity" charge built in. Guess you don't have to care or try hard if you are getting a tip either way. But here is the kicker. The bill still suggests you tip as well... that is what a gratuity is. Not I believe that an resturant should pay a fair wage to employees and that a gratuity should be optional (not forced) and based on service and food. We had to pay a $25 gratuity charge on top of our bill when we got nothing service and the food was horrible as was the wait times. We paid, we didn't finish the over greasy nasty food, then left. Anyone coming up here for a visit please take notice of this review. If you want flavor do not eat here. If you do not want to be FORCED to pay a gratuity charge despite bad service, do not eat here. If you do not want what tastes and feels like extremely cheap meat and extremely overly greasy food, do not eat here. Of you want good service this is not the place to go. To summarize: extremely greasy and cheap tasting food for very high prices. Forced "gratuity" You will be ignore to the point when they see you they will look away. Be prepare to wait forever. Thanks for the $150 bill (including tax and a forced $25 gratuity), for mouths full of grease, meat so cheap that even the worst meat from the worst grocery store was better, brunt sides, ketchup flavor bbq, and the worst service I have ever had. Way to make a trip here worth it. Now I have to find something actually edible to eat. Sad when fast-food chains like mcdonalds, rallys, and Wendy taste better. In fact they taste like a luxury and high quality compare to this place... which says a lot. What a waste of money and a horrible experience. By the way called to talk to them. No one cared.

First time back in 7 years, it was darker in there than I remember, definitely wish there was a little more lighting to see the animals more. Food was good, came quick. We mostly went for the scenery.

It's interesting decor- a definite vibe. I'm not a fan of taxidermy animals- and I live in the north. So it didn't bother me. However, we stopped here for icecream about (unbeknownst to us) 30 min before the ice cream shoppe part opened. The manager was so kind tho and allowed us either chocolate or vanilla dish. And it was great! Nice people and excellent ice cream.

Great service. Great food! Their cheese curds are amazing!! Good atmosphere! We will be going back

Service was good but the food was horrible! Ordered cheeseburger and fries. The fries were fine, but the burger was some kind of pseudo meat I guess. Not really sure what it was, have had horse meat in another country which was not good and whatever this meat was, it was worse than that!! Oh and did I mention the cold piece of cheese that was tossed on and never even started to melt. The waitress was kind enough to take the pseudo cheeseburger back and I ordered the pulled pork sandwich. It really wasn't much better. All taste came from the bottle BBQ sauce. Years gone by this was THE place to go whenever we traveled to SSM, not anymore. Will not ever be going back. This was second and last time in two years. I give one star for the beer.

Food was over cooked. Fries were almost burnt. White fish sandwich was way over fried. Burgers were soggy and dis-tasteful. Service was good

We were looking for a place to get a quick lunch while waiting to take the ferry down Soo Locks. We found the Antlers and were a bit shocked when we walked in the door with all the taxidermy. After talking to the proprietor, we found that all of the taxidermy inside has been acquired from customers bartering for food and drink. It is really quite the collection! The proprietor was great to talk with and gave us the history of the building. We ordered something that would come out in a timely manner and it was so delicious that we wish we could stick around to come back for dinner. Highly recommend if you are in Sault Ste. Marie to go to the Antlers..

The Antler has no pretense of being anything other than what it is: a bar and restaurant specializing in the kind of food that tastes great but will never be confused with foodie food. The decor is memorabilia: stuffed hunting trophies from a polar bear to a wolverine to a boa constrictor, antlers of all sorts, trophies, and USCG name plates. (Semper Paratus!) My wife and I both had fried walleye and it was terrific. Accompanied by coleslaw and fries. The fish was fresh and the portion was generous. If you're in the Soo, don't miss the Antler. If you're passing through on your way to the Soo, Ontario, it's worth going a few minutes out of your way to go to the Antler. FYI: The entrance isn't on the street but in the back facing the parking lot.

We went here on the recommendation of a friend. Overall it was a good experience. The kids loved looking at all the animals. The waitress was nice. The food was good. Although the chicken poutine was pretty salty for me. Pricing was a little high for me. But not horrible.

Great stuffed animals on the wall, food was mediocre, not cheap. Service was OK. Used to be better.

Meh. Go for the atmosphere. Avoid the burgers. I've been going to the Antler's since 1972, it's a family tradition for us nearly every year when we visit the U.P.. There are so many places to get a great burger. This isn't one of them and it's really disappointing. Although the service was great and friendly, and the fries are excellent the burgers are 2 stars at best. They used to be excellent years ago. Despite the server's claim that the burgers aren't pre-cooked, I would beg to differ. Unseasoned and dry with a weird texture, and certainly not the piping hot juicy burger you'd expect coming fresh off the grill. Perhaps the hamburger mix is too lean but add some salt or an interesting season salt when you cook them. Figure out how to make them juicy. Nobody wants a lean burger. The buns are decent but the $1.29 extra for sauteed mushrooms got me a paltry amount of paper thin sliced mushrooms. A literal half-dollar sized amount hiding under the patty. Same with the grilled onions. Just so disappointing. Is the other food good? Honestly I just wouldn't know as I've only ordered hamburgers. I think maybe I had the whitefish one random time and I think I remember it being decent. Will I keep coming back? Yes. Will I continue to order a hamburger? Probably. Will I continue to be disappointed? Unfortunately, most likely. Am I a glutton for punishment? Apparently. But at least the fries are exceptional. You may ask why I don't try something else. Great question. But it just wouldn't be the same. Honestly, I almost skipped Antler's this trip because I knew I'd be disappointed with the hamburger. But the tradition is just too powerful. Even ordering a hamburger hoping to be pleasantly surprised is now part of the tradition. Unfortunately, so is being disappointed with it year after year. Here's hoping that someone at the Antler's reads this and decides to figure out how to up their burger game. Then set off those bells, sirens, and whistles in celebration!

Server brought salad with wrong dressing and refused to take it off the bill. Said to me, well you ate it didnt you? Wtf. Didnt even check on us is why i ate it anyway.

Staff is wonderful. Place is near, but good freaking God, what the hell is the plated items you serve. Had an incredibly antiseptic salad, but wasn't expecting much. I ordered the black and blue pew burger. Dried to death. It was incredibly skimpy on bacon and bleu. Zero burger salad. No condiments (ordered to go) no nothing! I won't be back. Total was of $30. Live and Learn.

I grew up here and traveled the country and owned my own restaurant. Last week I had one of the best handmade hamburgers I have ever eaten. My friend had the absolute BEST hand breaded non frozen fresh prepared chicken sandwich he's ever had any where. It's truly not expected anymore when everyone uses pre cooked chicken or breasts that are precooked a day or so ahead. Thank you for a meal to remember. Great fresh cut fries and homemade onion rings that are amazing.

We enjoy the Antlers. Tonight we had a hamburger and hand cut fries and baby back ribs with onion rings. The hamburger bun was toasted and the patty was juicy and cooked as ordered, it was very good. The rib meat was easily separated from the bones and very tasty, they were dry rubbed and ordered with the sauce on the side. I was not a fan of the sauce & was glad I ordered it on the side. The onion rings were cooked in a tempura style batter, hand cut rings, a bit greasy but overall a good choice.

Solid four or more for darling attentive friendly service and fun curious atmosphere but the food was just okay. Paul Bunyan burger was good but everything's extra. So the "deluxe" gets you lettuce and tomato but not cheese, that's extra too. And it took a little bit of an undertaking to get it all together. Had to ask for Mayo, pickles twice, and even scavenge a few onions from my salad to get it right. Onion rings were good. Decent enough salad. Enjoyed reading the place's long interesting history off the menu and getting creeped out over the ghost stories. I didn't see no ghost. And that dessert poutine was just about a rip-off. Took it to go and ended up throwing it out.

Loved it the food was delicious. The waters and staff were so nice. And the place with all the animal heads was a really scary but it was unique and never seen before.

Atmosphere and decor is awesome, so much dinner conversation stemmed from this place, great staff, friendly and professional. Food was outstanding, Ribeye steak was cooked perfect and seasoned well. The pulled pork was extremely good along with fries. All in all 7/10 will definitely go back and try more items as well as be one of the top places we bring friends and family when they visit.

Definitely a must eat place in my opinion! Upon entering you will be taken aback by the decor. I guess the name is a hint to it. There are animals all over, from a polar bear to an anaconda. Taxidermy must be big here. The staff was great and we were seated immediately. I ordered the antler burger and my husband ordered the Bunyon burger, which is a double patty burger. The burger was great, not overly greasy but upgrade to the onion rings instead of getting the fries. The fries were very bland and could have used some seasoning. Just be aware, they do a fun little "bells and whistles" as they call it, welcoming all of the patrons.

Most expensive meal I've ever had. If you're in the mood for an average meal with questionable food safety- stop on in. The beer cheese burger lead to stomach cramping and uncontrollable liquid coming from north and south port of my body every 5 minutes for almost 2 days. Stop on in if you wanna spend $3000 at the ED for food poisoning!

This is a tough review for me. I love the atmosphere of this restaurant and all of the random taxidermy. I also love that the staff is so friendly both times I've been here. I'll start off with saying what I do like about the food. The onion rings, fried cheese curds and french fries are so good. The onion rings are crispy, the fries are fresh cut and also crispy. I highly recommend getting all of those items. My daughters had the chicken strips and they have a very light but crispy breading and are tasty. We loved them. My only complaint is that the 1/2 lb burger patties were so thick and had a weird texture and were not very flavorful. I wasn't a fan. But I guess that's what happens when you have a lb of beef on a burger. I would've preferred it to be flattened out thinner even if it meant the patty has to be bigger around and overlap the bun. I'll definitely be back. We love everything about the restaurant except the thick burgers.

Recently made my first visit - after hearing my family talk about it for years (they all went to Lake State for college). It was a very cold, snowy & dark Monday night but, you wouldn't know it based on the wonderful meal & service we received. Dinner started w the small poutine (delish) and then two orders of the biggest white fish fillets I have ever seen. Cooked to perfection w extra crisp hand cut fries. All around perfect UP dinner. The waitress was fabulous - taking care of the entire dining room (mind you it wasn't crowded) but she was super attentive & everything was quick. Loved the crazy decor - wonky floors. Will totally visit again.

We had. Walleye. Was prepared perfectly. Service was prompt and good. We were there late and our waitress was very busy, but she did a nice job of taking care of us. The meal was good, well prepared .

Fun venue, friendly service, great menu, reasonable prices, delicious food. We're glad we tried Antler's; it didn't disappoint.

Even with the challenges of following the covid guidelines, this place puts out some very freaking delicious eats. A foodie friend of our recommended this spot to us when he heard of our plans to visit Sault St. Marie. Ordered: pulled pork sandwich, steak, and fish and chips (moi). For a slight upcharge you can get o-rings or, wait for it, poutine! Omg, yes please. Poutine was excellent, of course. The fish, Pollock had bits of dill in the fry batter, it's the little things y'all. Plus, during our meal we watched a big freighter after it came through the locks. The ship was the Mesabi miner, I will share a pic when I get around to it. If that's not atmosphere, I don't know what is.

Enjoyed the food, the waiter and especially the ambience! The extraordinary number and variety of antlers were amazing and the owner's enthusiasm fun.

The good was really good and they had a large selection even for our little one. The service was friendly, the decor is amazing! We had been there 8 yrs ago and were sad that they didn't ring the bell.

Wonderful friendly service. White fish was very good. Gave us samples of fried smelt. Hubby said it was good, even though that is bait at home. LOL

Antler's is must see/do for any visitor to the Soo. It is a truly unique restaurant and bar, with an ice cream parlor as well. Once a local favorite, Antler's is more of a tourist destination, meeting place, or good box lunch place today. A good beer selection and interesting menu that is well worth sampling, with enough food that multiple visits will be required to sample everything that you might want to try. The $5 boxes are a great value, and far better than anything you might get at a fast food restaurant. Service is good to great; the more fun you have with the experience, the better the service. Go in for a drink and appetizer, stay for a meal. Take your time and walk around the place. Check out the name tags on the center column. I haven't tried the ice cream. Off street parking behind the building or park on the street.

What a fun tourist spot for a fish dinner. I can easily recommend this location if You're travelling through the Soo.

Stopped by for a quick to-go order while looking around Sault St. Marie. We ordered 2 fish platters (Walleye & Whitefish). Both fish were really good and piping hot. I don't like thick cut fries that aren't crisp & these were not crisp, but some people like that. We saved the Apple crisp until we got back home, but even cold, it was good. No pictures since we ate everything too fast.

Visiting family and they said this place is the place to go for amazing burgers! And they were right! Full of taxidermy animals...and I mean FULL!!!! Animals everywhere you look so if that makes you uncomfortable...you will miss a great burger. I had the Antler burger with Gorgonzola and upgraded to the tasty and perfectly cooked sweet potato fries. They had a good beer selection...but not a beer drinker so no opinion on the beer. I had a nice Irish coffee. Service was efficient and friendly!

After Googling restaurants that might serve venison in the area, I went to the Antlers while I was traveling through Sault Ste Marie. It wasn't cheap, but I was able to get a venison shepherd's pie for about $15, from the specials board I believe, and it was quite good. That was in 2011. I came here again a few days ago in 2016 and only saw one thing on the menu that included venison, the Venison Meatloaf Poutine. Again, it wasn't cheap, in the $18 range, but I must say it was delicious. It was even delicious when I ate the cold leftovers later, which can't be said of all foods especially when they include french fries. I just consider this to be one of my splurges when I'm in the area. The meal came with coleslaw but I opted to upgrade to the Whitefish Chowder for $1.50 extra and was not sorry. It was wonderful. The waitresses both times we're very nice and attentive. The first time I remember sitting at the bar because the place was packed full when I got there so there were no tables to be had. This time I went for lunch on a weekday and the place was nearly empty so I was able to sit near a window and look out over the pretty View to Canada. I enjoyed myself both times and I will plan on coming back if I'm in the area again in 5 years. (Every 5 years I come back for a high school reunion in Livonia and travel around the state afterwards.) I love the decor (see photos). This place is very unique and worth the stop even if you aren't into the venison. It's a town landmark, on a main road and pretty easy to find. They have specials every day so be sure to check the specials board. There is a huge parking lot and you enter from the back door not the front so park accordingly. They even have a few souvenirs available. I bought a can coozy for $3, something I know I will use, and already have.

We had lunch here as it's located just down the street from the Soo locks boat tour dock. We went right when it opened and were seated promptly. Food arrived in a timely way. The food was good but we enjoyed the atmosphere (lots of taxidermy) and the history over the old building.

The food is very good. If you are in too the paranormal, this is your place! I've been here twice and had experiences both times. It's very loud. Staff are super friendly.

Found this place while driving to the lock tours. It was ok, hit the spot. Probably had better options closer to the downtown and the actual locks. I had the po boy and poutine. Poutine was great! Others had pollock dinner and burger, both were quite good. If you are creeped out by deer heads, lions, and other dead animals looking at you while eating, go somewhere else. Service was very good which is what makes this a 3rd star to me. Keep up the good work!

Very cool family joint. Has a lot of taxidermy animals on all the walls and of course Antler's! We had the cat fish and chips special, a Michigan Cherry salad with chicken, a cheeseburger, and the white fish dip appetizer! Definitely get that! All were very delicious. The wait staff is so friendly! The only not so great thing about this place was there was a loud buzzer noise that would go off every so often. We asked our waitress what it was and she explained that it was the kitchens way to let each waitress know their food is ready. So each wait staffer was assigned a number, and depending on what the number they had, the buzzer would sound that many times. Example, our waitress was assigned the number 4. When our food came up, the buzzer sounded 4 times. It was a useful concept, but essentially the ambience of the place was enshrouded by the buzzer noise. We didn't enjoy that part. But overall, would recommend!

We went there for the fries. They were all right but nothing to write home about- The decor inside the restaurant was very interesting with all kinds of wildlife!! I had the fish dinner and there was abundance of breading on it!

I'm really not sure what to say. I'm sure people really just come here for the crazy decor and that's fine, but they could at least make an effort with the food. We had a party of 6 and ordered a variety of things from the menu. The good: the poutine and pickle chips. I had hope after the appetizers! My husband said his burger was good but that's really where that ended. I ordered the grilled chicken sandwich and it was so boring. No sauce of any kind and then chicken was not well seasoned. The fries were over cooked and under seasoned as well. Another person had ribs and said the sauce was good but they were very fatty. Even the kids didn't like their chicken tenders bc they were bland and the chicken was full of the hard tendon stuff. The service was fine, no complaints there.

Antler art and stuffed wild animals are not my thing, but a friend recommended it. The decor was...interesting. The food was very good, as was the service.

My husband and I both ordered 12oz ribeye dinners. The side dishes are generously portioned. I wasn't fond of the seasonal vegetables but it's more due to preparation than selection. The fries are rustic hand cut and very good. The steak was cooked perfectly BUT had no flavor. I had to add a lot of salt and pepper. Service was attentive and wholesome. Our waitress was very kind and prompt. The resturant itself was like a bar and hunting lodge. Embrace it fully and all quirks and decorative choices will be appreciated. We had a great time. Good prices. Come beer. No complaints really

Came to the Antlers on recommendation of friends that come "up north" quite a bit over the last 30 years. On their finding myself and my fellow traveler were coming to see the Soo Locks at Sault Saint Marie MI. They told us we had to stop at the Antlers because it is so good.... We set the GPS for the Antlers and was quite surprised to see a 1000ft ore ship on the seaway heading for the locks. After a few minutes of watching in amazement we went into the Antlers. The interior is rustic with many stuffed animals scattered around the place. We were greeted like long lost friends and seated at a table by the window so we could see the ships go by. Looking at what the other diners had, looked good. Based on our friends recommendations we got the whitefish. Me the fried and NAF the cedar plank. The fried fish was a massive portion with a mountain of fries. It was smoking hot, just out of the fryer. After a few minutes of delay of eating, we dug in. Yes the fish is good, not worth driving 300 miles just to have a meal. The cedar whitefish was exceeding mild and the vegetables were perfectly done. Although they did have many tempting items on the menu. We settled with the fish, next time, there will be other items to try. That I am sure will be as good if not better. For its uniqueness and location, this is definitely a destination of a small unique place with a worldwide franchise of one.

Do you like being stared at by dead animals while you eat? Then this place is perfect for you. I personally do not! I wish I knew about the history of this place! You walk in and see hundreds of sets of antlers, animal heads, and full size stuffed animals. There were lions, wolves, cows, almost any hunt-able animal you can imagine. Except for an elephant and zebra, I didn't see those. The restaurant had burgers, sandwiches, poutine, and some other dishes. I had a turkey club, mostly because there were no turkeys staring at me as I ate. It was good. Nothing extraordinary. Our I heard the poutine was good. It was roast beef (I believe), gravy, and cheddar cheese curds. Another person I was with had a bison burger; she said it was great. Service was good. I would definitely say it's an interesting place to stop by and look at. But, as I mentioned, if you don't want to be stared at by dead animals as you eat, buy s shirt and move on. You're not missing much if you skip the food. Oh, one other thing. They ring bells and sirens. Don't be scared, it's just a tradition!

Food was good. Service was good. Ambiance was gross. So many dead dusty animals around turned my stomach

Great food and and outstanding service. The ambiance is great with all the Hunter-chic taxidermy

In town from California/ Seattle and wanted to get a bite to eat from a childhood local favorite. Me and my family were pleasantly greeted and seated right away by Ally. Our server was Peggy who made sure everything was great. My nephew was amazed by all the taxidermy everywhere. Great place to have lunch with family and friends. Good food, friendly staff and memories to last a lifetime !!!

We stopped here aver visiting the SOO LOCKS. If you like stuffed animal ambiance then this is your place. We were there mid day & it was quiet. Wait staff was attentive and food was ok. Don't think I would stop here ag