Brown's Bar

Very cute waterfront place. Great vibes. Food and drinks were pretty decent.

The food, table service, and atmosphere was great. However, the staff manager was absolutely horrible to his staff. He was yelling at them like you have never seen before (including swearing). When called out, he doubled down and said that both of his daughters work there and the rest of his staff are like his children and that they need a firm hand. Proceeded to tell me that I must have never worked in hospitality. I explained that is not the case!! I told him that does NOT mean that you can treat your staff that way!! He felt like he could belittle and yell at his staff the way he does because and quote “ this is a seasonal restaurant and it’s crazy!”. He then shouted at the staff by our table asking them to answer if they like working here?! Everyone in that restaurant was staring. Also, It was also about to storm, and another server came up to us ( I believe his daughter) and told us that she could kick us out. Like what?! We have all been to busy restaurants, that are open year round, and they do not treat their staff this way. I will never be back and my family(who were with us and recommended this restaurant) said the same. Again, our food was good, and our server was good. This was just not something that you can just turn your cheek on…just absolute terrible treatment to the staff and instead of being embarrassed of someone speaking up for them, he decided to yell at the patrons. Other guests were also completely disgusted by the managers behavior.

We have been going to Brown's for 10+ years. Yesterday, was by far the worst experience. Our server was rude. The food took almost 2 hours and then came out cold. I advised the server who could have cared less. One member of my party talked to the manager, who advised the server was having a bad week. I understand that restaurants are short staffed and things happen but the lack of concern showed throughout the restaurant and staff. We brought 6 new patrons with us. I guarantee none of them will want to return. So sad.

Monday night - 7pm. I was very busy but was pleasantly surprised by dock hand (nice job keeping boats to correct well sizes). Sat down without issue, and the waitress was attentive. Order a few drinks and some food, and it arrived as expected in reasonable time frame. Other team members help keep tables clean. All in all, I'm happy with my visit and will be back.

Island Vibes and Cheeseburgers Worth the Ferry Ride Brown’s Bar is like a vacation you don’t have to fly to — just hop the ferry, grab a drink, and suddenly all your worries float away (and hopefully not your boat keys). The burgers are legendary, the beers are cold, and the view? Absolute Michigan magic. Whether you show up by boat or by barstool, it’s always a good time here. A must-stop spot for summer. My only complaint? They haven’t named a drink after me yet… but there’s still time.

Server/bartender here. Food and drinks tasted good. Service? Took forever to get an order of 2 kids grilled cheese and a chx quasadilla in. 19 yr old runner drops the food. Zero check backs. Flagged down a server to request a bill Still didn't get it, had to send my bf and kids to the car so I could track down the server and pay the bartender without making a scene

My buddy picked the bill up and I tipped the waitress in cash, after reviewing his Amex statement the waitress tipped herself $20 on his card after he wrote $0. Watch out for thievery, we are reporting to the better business bureau.

Sitting on the back deck by the boat dock is a great spot for some drinks and a burger. The Madison burger is top tier.

The only thing going for this place is that it's on the water and it's open in the summer. The staff is uninterested in waiting on tables. They baffle the patrons on who will wait on their table. No process and no concern. If there was an once of competition, they'd be out of business.

what's not to love!!! you're at browns!!!! everybody's having a great time!! " the Big Crunchy" fish sandwich is great!! 2 for 1 Madison burgers on Monday Cool beer Big loud boats

They call this a family place, but on their website, women in thong bikinis and barely there bikini tops are displayed. Before you walk in there's a sign on the window GUNS GUTS GOD which is disgusting and at the bar, they have a mannekin rastafarian with a giant bottle of booze in front of them (RACIST!) You can barely hear anything anyone's saying bc of the blasting blare of the nonstop heavy metal music. Mostly over forty crowd trying to be seen. The waitress was great and the food came hot and fast. The drinks were ice cold, fantastic. However, the perch was so overfried had to gnaw on it to tear a piece off. Lots of very annoying flies. I wouldn't come here again and I wouldn't recommend it to anybody.

Camping for the weekend. Tried to go somewhere else to try some place new but it was closed Browns was not busy. Still setting up from being closed for COVID. WAITRESS WAS GREAT and the food was great. We sat out on the deck and ten all of a sudden the boats started rolling in. They have a guy that comes out and hooks up your boat! We had burgers and black & blue wrap, fries and onion rings. Everything was to brag about although we agreed the black & blue wrap could have used more blue cheese. Worth the stop!

This is a must stop if you're on the water. The views and location is amazing. They recently redid the bathrooms this season which is great. They have okay food. The Madison burger is very good, but sometimes it comes on Texas toast, which I was not a fan off. I think before I got it on something different. They have good wraps and mozzarella sticks. Strong drinks. Sometimes the servers are hit or miss, but that's because they are usually packed on the weekends. There are a lot of boat slips, but it may be hard to find one mid day on a Saturday. Great loCal! Views! People! Remember though there is no wake out front on the middle channel.

I just hopped in the boat and brought the family today. We parked with ease (Monday) and there was a good crowd there. Food was fast and prompt, the Bloody Mary and fireball was nice and stiff. Bartender and wait staff were prompt and professional. BIG portions of food for the money, though menu was limited because they just opened and covid so totally not their fault. The place was generally clean and everything looked neat. This will be our hot spot for the summer when we travel. Anyone who gave 3 stars is a little too critical I think. We had a good time!

I've never been to Harsens Island before and my family and I ventured out on a Sunday afternoon drive. My Mom always raved how great Browns is so I had high expectations. I was quickly disappointed the second I walked through the wooden screen door. My family and I walked in and we were told their would be a 15 minute wait. I couldn't understand why. The place was dead and their was at least 10 waitresses standing around texting on their iPhones. When we were finally seated it took out waitress over 20 minutes to get drink orders and introduce herself. She then told us they were out of about 10 common menu items (fries, rings, chicken, etc) My family and I ordered cheese sticks as an Appetizer. Very tasteless. Then again they were out of ranch to dip them in! I ordered a fish sandwich as my meal. I assumed that since the restaurant was on the water that the fish would be fresh. The bun was way too large and hard for the tiny over fried piece of fish. I would have been more satisfied getting a fish filet sandwich from McDonalds. I wouldn't suggest this for a family get together, especially with younger children. I felt like I got an STD just walking into the bathroom with all the half naked men and women around.

We went here on the Fourth of July and the gave me raw salmon. Service wasn't the fastest, but the server was pleasant.

Most items on the menu that are fried are generic BUT the mixed drinks are strong and view is beautiful. It's definitely a must visit place!

Browns..perfect place to go by boat rain or shine. Currently raining, but we're inside looking out and that's cool. Madison Monday is always a blast! #Madisonburgersrule!

AMAZING food. AMAZING service! love it here i had the madison burger and it was a 10/10

I can't believe I'm the first to rate this Harsen's Island gem. It's only open from May 1st until the middle of October, but this place is a great time. The screen door and plywood floor set the tone as you walk in the door. Definitely kind of a "shack," but it's a cool shack. Very casual, no shirt, no shoes, no problem kind of place. Good burgers, good fried foods, good atmosphere and good drinks. Super friendly, super cute waitstaff, tons of room to dock a boat, but get there before 7:30pm on the weekends if you want a dock. It fills up quick. Bar generally closes around 10:30-11:00 pm, but for those few hours it rocks. Lunch until early dinner is casual and quiet. Great bloody mary bar on Sundays (for after church, of course). Overall this place is just a great, casual, good time, with a great view and friendly staff. Definitely the friendliest bar on the Island! (there's only two!)

What you want on the water! Ambiance, good burgers and buckets of beer. Wait times can get long but you're on island time so calm down and have a beer!

Stopped by with my family over the holiday weekend and was sadly disappointed in the irresponsible way business is being managed during the COVID-19 pandemic. The governor's order is for 50% capacity and social distancing yet the place was packed with no one taking any precautions. Apparently the owner cares more about making a quick dollar in the 3 months of summer we have here then public safety of the community. This place will be your next East Lansing bar, stay safe!!

This is a dive bar on the water on Harsens Island and should be judged accordingly. On a hot day it's going to be packed with boaters and revelers looking for a meal and a drink before they head back out on the water. I've been several times and usually get a madison burger or fries or onion rings, which are delicious. The menu is burgers, sandwiches, fries, onion rings and the ilk, about what you'd expect for a bar. The service can be a bit slow when it's crowded, but the waitresses try hard and the crowds can be rowdy. If you're going to be offended by bare chested guys, girls in bikinis, the f-word flying around and more then a few intoxicated patrons, you should probably avoid this place. I always enjoy the break and the chance to relax and have a drink and people watch.

Lots and lots of boaters. Great people watching. Shared a Madison burger, with fries and coleslaw. All was good. Burger was supposed to come with thousand island dressing, never happened tho. $3ice cold draft beer. A great patio on a summer afternoon!

Worst restaurant experience in my 44 years. The food may be good, I wouldn't know. After waiting patiently for nearly 2 hours (on a Monday!) my family of 5 finally left. I'm pretty sure the dogs (yes, the 4 legged type) all inside the restaurant enjoyed their food though. Maybe the health department should swing through there one evening. I guess my boat isn't big enough to get served better here. Only those that captain vessels over 35 feet seem to be favored. I'll just let the rest of those people continue to dine there. Nobody in my family will ever go back there.

Decent food, but that doesn't matter...you go here to have FUN and PEOPLE & BOAT watch. On a hot summer day, no place better!!!! COLD BEERS and guarantee you'll have a few laughs along the way!!

Very busy place on the weekends. Filled with locals and boaters. Great Bar with awesome food. Excellent service but expect to wait a bit because they are busy. Food is fresh and hot, best shrimp I've ever had. Prices are reasonable and kids meals are huge. It gets hot when the sun shines in but plenty of open windows and fans to cool off. Love this place.

I am on the lake every weekend, every time we decide to come to browns we regret it while sitting inside waiting for our food. Sure this place is convenient because its on the lake and easy to pull into but every time we eat there someone in our group gets sick. I think they leave the ranch out all day. The waitresses are RUDE and so entitled. They act annoyed to be doing their job. If you go in here on a Saturday or Sunday expect it to be a 3 hour thing, MINIMUM. Again, Its an easy convenient place but its not even worth it, your better of taking your boat home and going somewhere on shore to eat.

Pulled up the boat to the dock and enjoyed this place - kinda the same ambience as being at an oyster bar / seafood restaurant on the beach in Florida. Lots of families enjoying their Sunday breakfast/brunch in the open area. At the bar, my group enjoyed the build your own Bloody Mary bar with good mixers and good ingredients. Even brought me out the celery salt when I requested. I had the fresh local fish sandwich and it was tasty as were the fries. Plenty of beer choices to whet our whistle. Bartender was friendly, snapping a group photo for us. And when we told her we were on our way to Muscamoot Bay - she showed us aerials taken the weekend before. Nice that someone takes the time to "mingle" with the guests while still able to attend to everyone's needs. Looking forward to my next trip and a stop here!

Only go to Browns if you have a boat, have been drinking a lot, or are starving. Everything is fried. If you have to eat there stick with a burger. Julia, the waitress, was less than helpful. If you get there by car, definitely head over to the Schoolhouse Grille or Sans Souci instead.

Spent the day on the boat yesterday and visited Browns for lunch. It was the first visit there for all of us. Hands down the best Bloody Mary I have ever had. The food was fantastic. We had the shrimp basket, philly steak and cheese, the mushroom swiss onion burger, the pulled pork and a chicken wrap. Not one bad thing was said by anyone! Our server (didn't catch her name) was not the friendliest. But the food, location and bartender will definitely bring us back!

Great food and margaritas! Service has improved! Definitely a go-to spot for food on the water

This place is extremely hit or miss. We stopped in Friday and they were trying to close around 8 PM for some unknown reason. Good luck finding hours on this place. They pretty much close whenever they feel like it. They seemed annoyed we were even there on Friday and I was really looking forward to their Bloody Mary. Instead I had a thrown together Bloody Mary that wasn't good at all. No pickles, no olives, nothing. I did order some chicken fingers and fries and they were very good. We quickly and left. There were several highly intoxicated people stumbling around as well. I'm not offended by that at all, but if you have kids, be aware. We came back Monday earlier in the day and had an excellent experience. My Bloody Mary this time was spicy and delicious. Nice Pickle and green olive garnish. This time I had a burger. My friend had fish and chips. We both agreed the food was very good. So, if you are going to go to this place I would highly suggest going closer to the middle of the day. The atmosphere here if you sit on the patio overlooking the water is tough to beat and the prices are quite reasonable.

Brown's is fantastic! Their food is tasty and inexpensive and their drinks are awesome. They also thoroughly impressed me by tracking me down through my bank to let me know that I had left my purse there! Wow! Thank you so much, Brown's!

I love that when you walk in, there's no signage as to wait to be seated or seat yourself. Also, it was really a great experience to not even get recognized but the party of 6 that walks in and sits down after you has drinks and is getting their food order taken before anyone comes to my table, a party of 2. Never have I walked out of an establishment for not even being acknowledged yet there was more than enough staff floating around the restaurant. I think it's a safe bet to say I won't be returning to Brown's.

Nothing screams summertime like having beer in a plastic cup while having a burger in an open air bar on the water. This was the case at Browns Bar on Harsen's Island.Browns is nothing fancy pretty much waht you see is what you et type of place. There were folks in overalls, camo, and the latest trends having drinks and eats. A plastic cup of Miller Lite here was a mere $2.50 and the burger is $7.50. This is very reasonable until you tack on the $6 for the ferry ride. It is a rockin place and the food was even better so in my mind it is just all worthwhile. We both sampled the Madison burger. The madison came on Texas toast and was loaded with bacon, sauteed onions, swiss, and 1000 Island Dressing. Clean this was not. It was sloopy like it owned me! Burger- 4 Price- 3.5 Service- 4 Overall- 4.75 (hands down due the the overalls, camo, and patriotic signs on the wall) Burger- 4 Price- 3 Service- 4 Overall- 3.5 On Mondays this palce deals a two for one Madison Burger deal. There is also a HUGE Halloween party at the bar in October that sounds like a worthwhile trip. But this is all probably expected from a bar that has been in operation since 1946!

Dirty and slowest service ever. Someone needs to buy it out and clean the cobwebs and bugs and it could actually be a nice place! You make a ton of money in the summer you would think you could actually do some cleaning and make it a presentable place with faster service than waiting over an hour for a burger. It's a burger not a four course meal!

This is the place on Lake St Clair for a great lunch, good drinks and the Madison burger. OMG that burger! Once you've had one you'll be hooked. Then you will crave them, day and night, all winter long, while they are closed during the fall and winter months. This is a basic nothin' fancy bar accesible from land and the water. They cater to a boater crowd and it's reflected in the simple decor, the drinks and the solid basic fare they serve. Fritt's bar in Mt. Clemens is owned by the same folks and has a similar menu. Not a bad place, but that sun soaked, Margaritaville feeling just isn't there. It;s a you'll love it or you'll hate it kinda place, me I love it!

Speaks for itself. We got there almost every sunday on the skis or boat after being out on the lake. Service is slow because there are a million people, but who cares, you are on the water! No shoes, no shirt no problem here. It is also nice that their is a boat launch right across the street. The Madison burger is terrific, as well as the fries. Im sure I will find myself there this weekend.

Went to Browns yesterday for Madison Monday but didn't order a Madison burger because they have gotten small from what they were last year. I ended up ordering the walleye dinner, big mistake !! Only one piece of fish and it still had the bones and skin still on. The fries and cole slaw were good but I didn't order a $ 15.99 walleye dinner for the fries and cole slaw.

This bar is exactly what it says it is - a beer and food shack on the water. We were there on a weekday so it wasn't very crowded. Boat slips are in great shape and easy to manage. Lots of cold beer and food choices, everything we had was very good. Our friendly waitress, Jamie, even volunteered to help with our GPS. Our average age is 73 and have spent a lot of time in waterfront hangouts!