Barrel Back Restaurant

Upper-scale restaurant overlooking Walloon Lake - upbeat atmosphere for a trendy crowd. Popular for parties, receptions, and other events. Indoor and outdoor seating available. The restaurant is on the second floor, so you'll need to take the stairs, or the elevator for access. I liked the brisket sandwich; good-sized portion and comes with chips. You can upgrade to fries or a seasonal vegetable if you prefer. Service was rather slow during the visit of this review as there was a wedding party going on at the same time. Took over an hour to get three sandwiches, with no discount for the wait. Still had a good time anyway as we were not in a hurry. There is handicapped parking. You'll need to enter the retail store on the first floor to get to the entrance.

Loved this place! Such a cool vibe. The outdoor bar is definitely a spot to hit up. Very cool! Also the inside restaurant overlooks the lake. Absolutely gorgeous. Great location! Good drinks and better food.

Wonderful food, beautiful view, and super friendly service! Worth a stop and much more relaxed than some spots. Good menu options for kids with a fun treasure hunt at the end.

Our date night was lovely. Chris was a fantastic server, and was prompt to take our order even while the restaurant was busy as expected for a busy holiday weekend. He even took a moment to indulge my curiosity about the wine I selected. I would highly recommend the Italian red blend with the Margherita pizza especially if you are lucky enough to sit in Chris’s section! From one server to another, thank you!

Celery in bloody Mary came flaccid. The overall drink Was less than desirable. The tomato bruschetta had a hair in it. Didn't even try it due to this. Was very overpriced. It was very cold in there. The waitress was sweet and kind, which was the best part of our experience. Sad to say the least. Had much higher expectations due to reviews and location.

Very cool place. First timer there. Greeted by the hostess right away, and we were sat my by the window. The place is really cool, fire place in the middle of the dining room. Christopher was our server, he was very nice, friendly and attentive. He gave us time to think through on the food and drinks. Plus, he was very honest when I had asked him his opinions on the food items. We got Brisket Nachos, Aperol spritz, Brisket Melt, BBQ chix Pizza, and caramel martini. Overall, good food, good drinks, nice place, and wonderful server.

Staff is friendly and helpful. Food is amazing - Highly recommend the Bavarian pretzel - warm and salty with 2 awesome dipping sauces & margarita pizza - absolutely delicious Also, the brisket is some of the best around. Moist, lean, and blows your taste buds away!! The mule drink was on point as well. The place has a chill vibe and is in an awesome location.

Food is pretty okay. The atmosphere is great and the town is really cute. The wait staff is very helpful and nice. They have a free ice skating rink right outside the restaurant, which is really nifty.

Beautiful location right on the lake! Unfortunately we went on a rainy day and it was just for breakfast. Our server Jayna was amazing. Very friendly and attentive. The coffee was a bit of a let down. They need a stronger and better tasting brew. My omelette was tasty but I do think a side option should be offered for the cost of the item as I wasn't very full. Gorgeous views of the lake and an outdoor bar too! I would love to go back in the summer for dinner.

So I always thought a 'Cuban Sandwich' was served after a pressing via a 'Slim Jim' grille. Well mine arrived on a huge brochette roll! It was stuffed with tasty pulled pork, ham & most of the other stuff from the kitchen sink. Our server was cool, calm and respectfully distant. Must admit their lavender martini was unique, but overpriced at $18 a pop (summer season rates). The noise level was deafening given all the hard surfaces in the massive room. Glass garage doors added to the reverberations. Someone dropped a plate & the entire operation froze for a brief moment. Also a child screeched during a tantrum which stopped everyone's heart. Poor brat needed a pacifier! Now would I return - probably not likely this season as there are several other operations that need a salty review

Great game time vibes. Spicy Bloody Mary's & watching Michigan v Ohio. Chicken soup & chicken wings were off the charts. Nachos were good. Great place!!!

The restaurant is really gone downhill in the last seven years. They're using cheap products like queso instead of the good cheese they used on their nachos. Skimping on the quality. And the quantity because now you get a half a slab of ribs in their minds, they say it's a full slab for $29 and it's fatty and tough soggy nachos dried out pizza and I talk to the manager, she could've given a crap.

3.5/5, so I'll round up to 4 stars. First off, the views here are fabulous. I'm in town for the weekend with some girlfriends, and we met the uncle of one of them here for drinks and dinner. We started off at the outdoor bar - which has a different cocktail menu from the indoor restaurant, btw - and I had a Painkiller, which was very good. We then went indoors but had a 20-munute wait, so we looked at the shop on the first floor for a bit. The pizza, pasta, and Cuban sandwich all looked good, and I ended up ordering the Cuban, with a side of parmesan Brussels sprouts. The Cuban was good but not what I pictured - it also had jalapeños, which I didn't know (and I can't do spicy well). The Brussels were okay but I kinda wish I ordered the sweet potato fries instead. Two of the people in our group ordered pizzas, and those looked really good - a BBQ chicken one and a gluten-free margherita. The other ordered a brisket sandwich. I also had the strawberry basil cocktail but unfortunately it was more basil-y than strawberry-tasting. Up until then, this was a 4-star (not 3.5-star) review. However, we ordered dessert around 850pm and it didn't come out until 920pm (I know this because I had sent a text to someone around that time)... My friend's GF cookie with ice cream showed up then and also a super large piece of carrot cake (honestly, it looked delicious and I usually dislike carrot cake). However, we had ordered the brownie s'mores... So we had to wait another 5-10 minutes for it. If you're staying at a Boyne property you also get 10% off here if you show your wristband, our waitress put this on our initial check but then when we asked her to split the check, she had to redo it. Overall I'd come back here again since the views and food were great, but I'd get a pizza instead, and also hope the kitchen wasn't as slow.

Grab a quick drink from the bar overlooking the lake and the marina. They had a full bar, tons of specialty beverages/beers, and a lot of fun people just chatting about their day. It's a great spot, if there aren't clouds, to catch the sunset. We'll be back!

Amazing service. Our server went above and beyond beyond for our table. I really enjoyed the flatbread and bruschetta. Amazing views as well.

The ambiance was delightful, offering a picturesque lakeside view. The fireplace added a cozy touch, and they graciously turned it off when it got too warm. Generous portion sizes ensured leftovers for many of us. Overall a great experience!

This was our last meal as we were leaving the Petoskey/Harbor Springs area and am very happy we stopped! You have to walk through a little shop to go upstairs to Barrel Back, and it's so cute! Very spacious and airy - I can't wait to see how it is when the summer hits, the garage door is open and it overlooks the lake. I can imagine that it's super great for a summer evening and sunset. We ordered the french dip and cuban, both very good but the french dip was FANTASTIC. We asked for a side salad instead of the chips and didn't realize that it would be $8 each for the upcharge for the salad. Had we known, we would have purchased a salad and split it that way. Either way, I can't wait to go back this summer.

Whenever I find myself within a 40 minute drive of Barrel Back, I make my way over. I'm a BIG fan of all of there food and haven't had a bad meal there. Staff is super friendly and I had the opportunity to chat with FOH manager and he was great. The variety of options are always a highlight and I adore their rotating flavors of creme brulee (espresso is my favorite)! I'd recommend this establishment to a friend without hesitation.

I must say, the breakfast at this restaurant is simply fantastic. I had the breakfast quesadilla and it was one of the best breakfast dishes I've ever had. The combination of flavors was spot on and everything was cooked to perfection. The fruit plate was also a great addition to the meal and was so fresh and delicious. Moving on to dinner, I have to admit that I had a bit of a mixed experience. I ordered the filet and unfortunately, it was undercooked and quite raw. However, the saving grace of the meal was the fantastic service provided by our waitress. She was truly awesome and made sure to rectify the situation by having the dish cooked to my liking. Despite the undercooked steak, I was still able to enjoy my meal and the rest of the dining experience. One thing that cannot be overlooked is the view from this restaurant. It truly is amazing and adds to the overall ambiance and experience. Whether you're dining inside or outside, the view is simply stunning and makes for a memorable meal. Overall, I highly recommend this restaurant for their amazing breakfast dishes, attentive service, and stunning view. While my dinner experience wasn't perfect, the amazing service made up for it and I still had a great time. The desserts were absolutely amazing!

Solid dinner for the price! Food, drinks, and service are always quality. There will typically be a wait around the holidays, but it's never as long as they say it is. e.g. They told us 35-40 minutes and it was only about 15-20. My staple here is the BBQ Pork Sliders. So tasty. This time we changed it up and got the chopped salad and half rack of ribs. Can't recommend the salad, but the ribs were solid! Spinach artichoke dip was also a good appetizer. Will always come back here when we're Up North.

Absolutely gorgeous location and good service - only giving 4 stars bc prices are a little outrageous for what you get. But for the view, you always pay a premium- it's worth it!

They have fantastic views and the place has a nice vibe. The food is not very good at all

Waited over 1 1/2 2hours for food to arrive after we put in the order Always told it would be up soon Food very mediocre Best part of the experience was the view Will not be going back soon

We went on a Thursday night around 7ish and it was very busy. It was a bit too loud for my personal preference inside, so I can't imagine what it's like on the weekends. We got the strawberry jive, tomato basil pasta, rigatoni, and west arm salad w/ chicken. The food was all ready good, and good portion sizes too. The prices were slightly elevated though, the pastas were both $18 with no meat and to add the cheapest meat (chicken) it was an additional $8. To add shrimp, it was an additional $14. They're right on a little marina which we got some awesome sunset views from while we were there afterwards.

First timers at Barrel Back and we had a great time. The restaurant is nestled in such a cute little town, right next to the water. It has great views and would be awesome in the summer! We loved they had live music and a good variety of food for our larger group. The appetizers were good and the dinner was even better. I really enjoyed the Grilled Romaine Salad and Stroganoff! Other fan favorites in our group were the BBQ Pork Sliders, Brisket Melt, and Greek Pasta. We also had good service by our waiter who was extremely friendly.

Salad amazing service meh at best. Sat in the bar 2 x I've been there. It was like a Saturday Night Live skit trying to get someone's attention to order. I think our laughing finally got their attention!

Pleasantly surprised! We had a great meal at this cozy lakeside restaurant located above a ski/surf shop. A large fireplace located in the center of the main room set the stage for a fun evening. The vibe was casual ski lodge and we loved it! We went for dinner on a Friday night and happily didn't have a wait at 7:30 pm, since they don't accept reservations. We had a great server who was knowledgeable about the menu and let us know they were known for their in house-made smoked meats. We had brisket, chili and linguini marinara. The brisket was a big hit, the chili was bland and disappointing and the linguini was tasty topped with crushed walnuts, feta and fresh basil. The cocktails were also delicious and we were able to peruse the shop below after dinner which remains open until the restaurant closed at 10pm! Easy to find neighborhood parking, good for date night, large groups and families. I will definitely go back next time I'm near Walloon Lake!

Great service. Really great. Gorgeous view of the lake. I had the West Arm salad with smoked chicken breast added and it was one of the best salads I've had in a long time. My husband had the Caesar and he liked his just as much. The chicken wings were also delicious. We weren't fans of the bruschetta. It was more like a flatbread pizza than traditional bruschetta but some people might like that better. Overall, great experience and we would certainly go back.

Wonderful service!! Great food!! Live music...beautiful voice and not too loud! Winner!!

Love the view, love the ambience, love the service. But most of all, love the food! Have never had anything here that we didn't love. By far my favorite is their ribs. I think they might be baby back, but they are smoked to perfection. Usually spare ribs seems to stand up better to smoking and these are REALLY smokey who h is great! My wife is equally fond of their pulled pork on pretzel sliders. We've also had great burgers & other deliciousness here. Worth the short drive to Walloon!

Always a treat! In the many years that we have visited the barrel back, we've always had a very good meal. Staff is attentive. Drinks are good and you can't beat the views. The brisket can feed more than just myself and I am a healthy eater. The wings aren't my favorite, but they're good if that makes any sense.

Worst experience I've had in the area. Ordered fettuccine Alfredo w/steak with out scallions. Dish arrived to the table with scallions, sent back the order to have it remade politely and instead of remaking the order, kitchen attempted to scrape scallions off and send back to the table. Once brought back to the table found scallions still in the dish. Really can't believe a chef of kitchen manager would allow this to happen. Sent the order back and didn't eat. Absolutely revolting that a kitchen would do this to a $30 dollar plate of Alfredo. Won't be back and will go out of my way to make sure to tell everyone I know to stay away! Singer was very good! About the only good thing to happen at this dinner.

The smoked brisket is my favorite. It's serving size is enough for 2 people. It is actually smoked for 21 hours with a Maple bourbon glaze

Went for lunch, didn't even get to eat! My wife and I ordered a burger and the nachos and waited for over 30 minutes after placing the order. When I finally got up to find our server (because she never came back to our table) and asked what is taking so long she said another server took my burger for another table by mistake. Since she never came over to tell us this, instead let us sit there. Very bad service, very unfortunate situation which we know sometimes happens, but the communication was poor and after being there in total for about 45 minutes we had to go somewhere else for lunch. For the price of food here I expected more.

Some good and some less than good. The cuban was a mess but it was good. The chips were semi soaked with whatever juice came from the sandwich. You have to pay extra for the chips and fries. Pricepoint for this place seems a bit high for what you get. The chicken wings (6) were ok but far shy of exceptional. For $16 we thought the order would include more wings and we'd notice something outstanding. Nope. $16 for 6 regular wings. The burger was underwhelming. The extra $4 for the small serving of average fries is ridiculous. The salad was good. Just overall average. We wouldn't recommend this place based on what you get for the price.

HUGE PORTIONS!!! I give this restaurant and experience 3 stars. 5 stars for the ambiance. 3 stars for my food - salmon and salad okay) and the specialty drinks no stars. My first drink- A simple lemon drop martini was dark cloudy lemon juice with vodka. Send back and second one was same less lemon juice. Google a martini recipe please. I finally got a glass of wine 35 minutes after all drinks had been served. Next up food. Two side salads. One came out early. Second one didn't come Until dinner. I ordered Brussel sprouts for my side and They were forgotten and came after we were finished with dinner. I told the server, twice, if they were not place not to bring them. They came 20 minutes later. Truthfully the food would be good if they remembered all orders. Sent out side salads together before dinner and not leave out a side dish. Quality was pretty good. The execution was not. Now for the pro's. My friend got the brisket. It was absolutely amazing. The Brussel sprouts are amazing. Mine didn't come but I had some of my dinner mates. The grilled romaine salad is off the charts. Creme Brûlée gorgeous.

We found this restaurant totally by chance looking for a place away from downtown Petoskey. This is about 9 miles away and it is on Walloon Lake with a beautiful scenic view. I ordered the black bean quesadillas and it was delicious. It came with tortillas chips and salsa verde. My friend got the crusted whitefish sandwich and it came with chips and a pickle. He loved his meal also. The prices were great, the waiter was wonderful and we didn't have to wait very long. My one complaint would probably be that a group of people was a bit too close for what I felt was comfortable with social distancing. Luckily they were finishing up as we just seated.

We stopped here for breakfast on our way up for a little wine tasting. We had great service great food and a lovely view. Definitely would recommend and go back.

This restaurant is located inside on the second floor of a outdoor water sports shop. It is a very modern atmosphere with a great view of Wallon Lake. I ordered the Jambalaya as an appetizer. Then ordered a half rack of ribs. The Jambalaya could have used a sauce, however it was good, just needed more moisture. The ribs were excellent. The dry rub had something spicy in it which in addition to the Chipotle Bbq sauce be really set my moth on fire. Not enough to cover the delicious taste of the ribs, but more than enough to feel it. The meat came cleanly off the ribs, so it was cooked perfectly. They came with Loaded baked beans, that were a little dry. They were ok with some of bbq sauce. It also had some good cole slaw. I topped the meal off with a nice glass of hard cider. The person I was with had a hamburger and stated they cooked it to a perfect medium rare and the burger itself was excellent. The service was good, however they have people circling the tables like sharks. Back off it's hard to relax with so much movement. Everything was really clean. Overall a 5 star review. Would I return? Absolutely. Great Meal and a beautiful setting.

Came here for Friday Night Fish n Chips. It was my 5th visit, all rather unremarkable. But this time, my mom wanted to treat us to fish n chips during Lent. 3 - $24 metal buckets of 'where's the fish' and Cajun fries that were dry & rock hard as if 3 days old. Terrible. My mom immediately complained, and credit goes to our server who brought out a nice size piece of fish for her on a plate. That was nice, but unfortunately the verdict is in - we will not return.

First time here since lockdowns last January. Much better experience today. About to order. Stay tuned.

Gave it a fourth try but I'm sorry, food is simply not good. Service is fine, ambiance dull. But on a Monday in northern Michigan, pickens are slim.

Tucked away above a really fun little water sport and clothing store is this amazing restaurant. If you are in or around the area. Weather skiing, snowmobiling or for summer fun. This is a great spot to stop. Enjoy the beautiful town and lake. The food is thoughtful and the staff is great. A must try. For breakfast. Lunch or Dinner!

One of our favorites. My favorite is the bbq sliders. They always seem to be very busy but waits are usually short. The restaurant is located at the foot of Walloon Lake and have a great view from inside because of the large window doors that are open in good weather and their second story deck or the lake level bar

Still a nice fun place to eat with awesome atmosphere on the lake, good service. The big change this year is the menu continues to shrink. Flexible in the it's good for families or the bar stuff. The food is good and consistent, but the choices are slim. We continue to dine here but wish for a higher bar for them to reach for variety given the high price. I recommend the Cuban sandwich or the wings.

Stopped in around 9pm, got seated w a great view, food came quick, service was great. Gluten free and vegetarian options.

Can't bring your inside drink outside. So I go outside to get another $15 drink and me and a party of 2 get served after a party of 6 boaters show up after us. 8/10/23 8pm

Meat is dry and hostess are rude and pleasant. Atmosphere is good but please select another restaurant.

My husband enjoyed the burger and kettle chips that he ordered while I enjoyed the tender pulled pork sliders with the kettle chips. The service was very good and the view from our table was overlooking Wallon lake. It looks like when warm weather hits, the garage type glass doors around the restaurant open up letting the breeze off the lake flow in. Our visit this time was in January and the warmth from the open fireplact / pit kept us plenty warm.

We are two for two with five star visits to Barrel Back! There's something about taking a boat to dinner that makes it an even more special experience and Walloon Lake is the perfect place to do that. Luckily, the ride from Camp Michigania to Walloon Village where Barrel Back resides is a manageable distance, and BBR is the perfect destination. They don't take reservations, but we've been lucky with not having to wait too long for a table. Even with a short wait, the green grass outside, the view, the cornhole, the store below, etc... is plenty to keep everyone entertained. Once seated, service has always been spot on. The kids love the chicken tenders and mac and cheese, and the adults love pretty much everything we've tasted. Most recently, we shared ribs, wings, the signature whitefish sandwich, and caesar salad -- as well as the french fries and sweet potato fries that come with. Drinks go down easy at BBR as well. Looking forward to returning for years to come!

Everything was excellent. My only comment would be that the stroganoff tasted more like Alfredo sauce.

Great atmosphere and we go every year when we are boating on Walloon. I appreciate the unique menu items, and gf options. Mixed drinks are always good too. Nice beer selection. Good staff. We had Buffalo chicken dip(kinda skimpy) but good. We all had different sandwiches from fish to Cubans- so good. Wish you guys would just add fries to entrees, instead of chips..

We have been here over an hour and have not received our food. All of the people in the bar area who arrived 15. - 20 minutes after we arrived have received their orders.

So cold inside and staff was just as chilly! The ambiance was very loud and busy. The service was timely but rude. We ordered the grilled romaine salad and every bite was gritty. We complained to wait staff and host. The hostess said "we don't wash the romaine and you just got a really bad one" Shocking ... all lettuce should be washed and romaine usually grows in sandy soil conditions. It's too bad because we really depended on this restaurant because we were staying next door at the Wallon Inn.

Went the weekend before July 4th for lunch. I wanted fish, but the only had it in a sandwich so i got it. Nice big piece of beer battered fish, I'm not a fish sandwich lover so I didn't eat the bun, but it looked like a good one (brioche). Anyway- we got the smoked wings too. I can't believe how much they cost! I didn't know it at the time, someone just told me today. I don't like chicken wings typically, but these looked pretty good so I had one; delicious! A little crispy... not all saucy and messy, great taste! Our waiter was new, but did a great job. Nice to sit outside and enjoy the view. When did chicken wings get so expensive everywhere?! Even so, I'd get them here again.

Great food, a little but over priced but overall solid food. The reason I'm giving them a 2 star review is due to the fact that their service is absolutely ridiculous. We asked our server to take away empty cups and she said "no, you have plenty of room". She also complained about request for water and napkins. Very unpleasant dinner for price and location. Was expecting a much better experience! Will not be coming back. Just lazy serving.

Was at the restaurant a couple years ago and food was pretty good. Went to the restaurant this past weekend over Thanksgiving weekend and food was just not good. Both women didn't finish there 2 different salads. One looked like it came out of a bag and a little brown. The fish sandwich was ok, but very greasy. The good news is that the staff was very friendly :-) Hopefully in a couple more years the food will be back on track, as it's a great location.

Excellent service, our server Angel lived up to her name and she had the cutest baby Yoda mask. Can't resist Baby Yoda, also don't miss the Wings. House smoke, big and coated in a sweet spicy Asian sauce. They smoke all their meats in house so my Fresh pasta fettuccine papperdelle with smoked chicken was DIVINE. My husband tried the Harvest Salad and it wash perfectly. Lots of arugula and thin sliced veggies. Housemade ranch, an American classic. Views views views for days. Ambience plus. Check them out and stay for the sunset.