Dockside Torch Lake

A very busy establishment, needs a makeover outdated for the times. While the seating inside is adequate, it's just some Auditorium chairs. Outside has a better vibe especially with Lakeview. Food is hot and fresh but not very tasty. Might be that they use some sort of wheat or rye which you have to become accustomed to which makes the food tastes a little more stiff.

Great spot right on the water. Started to rain when we arrived so they put us under the awning on the patio. It was great. Food was tasty and the service was on point.

A Must-Stop on Torch Lake! Dockside is a staple every time we visit Torch Lake. The food’s consistently good, the views are fantastic, and the staff never disappoints! Even when a surprise rainstorm rolls in, there’s plenty of indoor seating and fun games for both the kids and the grown-up kids. Always a great vibe and a solid choice for lakeside dining.

Mostly came for the view and was told the patio was closed. Chips and cheese was not good at all. Grocery store canned cheese would be better. Shrimp were ok. The staff was very nice. Wouldn't reccomend this place for the food and make sure the patio is open before you go.

Their food is hit or miss. Husband and I got carry out here so I can’t speak much on the service or atmosphere, but we ordered a pulled pork super burrito with no tomatoes and added sweet potato fries and torch tacos with the firecracker shrimp. Even though we ordered no tomatoes the special sauce they mention comes with it actually comes on it and it is a tomato base. With the sauce all over it not only did my husband not like it since he doesn’t like tomatoes but he couldn’t pick it up, the tortilla was totally soggy, and honestly the inside was still very bland. He was miserable, so that was a miss and should have been labeled an enchilada. The sweet potato fries were good, but the quantity to price ratio was awful, he got almost no fries and it was expensive. So that’s a half miss. My tacos were amazing, absolutely zero complaints on them, definitely a hit. The fusion slaw combined with the cojita cheese is sublime, and the firecracker shrimp was cooked to perfection. However my meal came with chips and salsa, although the salsa was pretty good the chips were like they came out of a day of old bag from the dollar store. Bad quality and stale, miss on the tortilla chips. Overall I am unsure if we would return even though the tacos were exquisite.

Amazing food, perhaps a little stingy on the servings but that’s to be expected from any restaurant in the great 2025 — or maybe I was just hungry for more! Service was fast, frequent and friendly. Lots of good options and everything on the menu was delicious. Atmosphere is the ideal lake vibes you’ll be looking for. Would, and will, go again!

Our young waiter was great and very patient with us being a large group of people. We enjoyed the shuffleboard table for a couple hours and a nice walk down to the pier to see the sun go down. Food was good, especially the fried pickles! Definitely family friendly as well

Cool spot by the water. Friendly employees Food was good too! Got the fish tacos and fries and pretzel bites.

This place is great. Fast and friendly service. At the peak of vacation season the dockside folks work hard to take care of you. Strong pours for cocktails and we always get the whitefish dip to start. Yummy!! They even extended weekend hours to service more hungry customers late-night. The view and location are awesome. Enjoy!

Great food establishment located on Torch Lake. You can eat inside or outside on the deck. My suggestion is the dock burger !

Pretty terrible experience. Water was pretty clearly brown and looked/ tasted like they scooped it out of the lake. After waiting an hour for the food, we were unpleasantly surprised by the microwave meal caliber food. For the ambiance, the view was great but I could've caught better food in the lake

I could not get home fast enough to write this review. It took our party 60 minutes to be seated, when we were told it would be 30. As is with other reviews I have read, the water was terrible. Took much iron and minerals to make it bearable to drink. When we asked out waitress where our food was 30 minutes after our order was taken, she said "30 minutes didn't cut it". Apparently 60 minutes didn't cut it either, as we had to wait more then a hour for our food. 60+ minutes to cook hamburgers. Some orders were wrong, food was mediocre, and some in our party took their fries home to heat and eat later because they were served ice cold at our table. By then, they were closing up and we ate in darkness as the lights were turned off. Waitress at the end disavowed any responsibility and blamed the issues on the kitchen. Dockside has 2 security officers posted at the front door. I now know why ,,, to prevent an uprising from the diners. Never again.

Been wanting to try Dockside for years as we often pass it while getting gas for our boat. Probably overhyped it a bit in our minds -- it wasn't bad by any stretch of the imagination, but it wasn't stellar. Everything is also fairly expensive here. Every cocktail is $13, and the food prices aren't much better. The drink was good! It just would've been better if it was $8 or so. We got two appetizers, cheese curds and pretzel bites. Both came out super hot and with dipping sauces. The cheese curds were definitely the best as the pretzel bites lacked in flavor. They didn't appear to be salted either. I got the avocado turkey club wrap with two modifications. My modifications were done correctly, which I appreciated. Wrap was pretty tasty but last few bites were all tortilla. It came with some tasty fries, but the ketchup tasted a bit off. Nice dining area outside. The inside looked clean and good too, but everyone seems to eat outside here. Friendly staff as well.

Dockside is advertised a little shinier than it is. If you're on the patio, or on the dock, the view of Torch Lake is fantastic. The inside is a very casual bar location. Service was fine, and the food was fine. We needed condiments, silverware, napkins... and had to wait a bit for all of that

Service is terrible. They serve well water with actual particles in it, like they pump it from the lake, because they want you to buy bottled water so they can make more money. I don't think the water has been tested in a long time I'm surprised the health department hasn't red flag them for the quality of the water.

Sunny day.....check Good service....check dock burger.....check Taco salad......check Oberon on draft....check A good experience had by all and I look forward to returning.

Food was excellent! Service was also good and the vibe was so relaxing! It was a beautiful view of the water and perfectly convenient from our jet ski adventure at butch's right across the street!

First time here. Great ambience, very friendly hostess and server. Chicken Nachos are great.

Dockside is definitely all about the outdoor seating. If you want quality food & service, don't bother. The view of Torch Lake is beautiful and the constant boat traffic is great to watch. The menu is rather limited with a few sandwich & salad options, burgers, fried food options, and kids menu. I need to preface this review by advising that it was a Friday evening about 5:30. The indoor and outdoor seating areas were NOT busy. Once seated, we were greeted by a second waitress after the first went elsewhere‍ I ordered the Gardenburger w/out the bun. I asked to add **everything** plus extra tomato. Super simple as **everything** is an add-on option for ALL burgers on the menu. This means adding ketchup, mustard, onion, pickle. The server came out with the meals and handed me the tray with my burger having only the onion. When I advised her about my correct order, she gave a pretty good blank stare without saying a word. I swear I wasn't speaking another language! I kindly advised her of my missing condiments & tomato, and her scowl let us know that she was rather annoyed of the request to bring me what I ordered. There was no acknowledgement of the error, nor that she'd be back with the rest of the meal. Not a good look! Next, the teen at the table ordered the Super Burrito with pork. Now, this is suppose to include refried beans, cheese, lettuce and tomato. There was no sign of beans until the very bottom of the pile of meat. There was no less than a pound of shredded pork piled inside. Also, no sour cream unless you want to pay extra?? The cheese was only on the exterior top of the burrito. Nowhere in the world of authentic Mexican restaurants would serve a burrito with whole pieces of a head of lettuce. Also, I swear it was romaine. That alone made for a super messy meal. Another adult ordered the Grouper Sandwich that was described as having 2 index-finger sized fish sticks between bread. The sweet potato fries were great. The side of coleslaw looked to be about 3 Tablespoons worth. If you want to visit for only a beer and the view in the back, Dockside is a fine choice.

Great time! Arrived by boat with family to celebrate a 90th birthday. The service was fantastic! Drinks and food arrived in a timely fashion. My husband and I shared the pork wonton nachos and quesadilla. Loved the nachos. It may sound like an odd combination but very tasty. Quesadilla was ok. Very cheesy and great presentation.

The food was so good and the service was pretty quick! I was impressed with the food and the ambience, definitely going to come back #yummersville

Dockside has great vibes and great food! Waiters are very receptive and enjoyable! We also look forward to their fried pickles every time! They are definitely a highlight. Only downside may be the prices

We were excited to eat Dockside as it was our first time being to Torch Lake. I will say we gave it a shot the first afternoon while being out on the lake and although they were pretty busy we waited for our water refills for more than 20 minutes until finally I had to go to bar and ask for a pitcher as we had already received our dinner with not getting one refill. We had also ordered pretzels and nachos as an appetizer and they were decent, but the cost for the portion of both of them were more expensive than any other places we've ate and definitely not worth it! Definitely disappointing! It was shared in our family group chat the picture of the pretzels as we were all shocked for the price paid.

Indoor/outdoor restaurant to drive or ride your boat to for a great lunch or dinner. For apps, the whitefish dip was delish and fried pickles were unique in a way they were in a fried roll with bacon. I had the grouper tacos with red cabbage and avocado sauce. The fish option was grilled or blackened. Very tasty! We had great service while we had dinner outside watching the sunset.

Service is horrible. They say they're understaffed, but I just see lazy servers. Cold food and you'll have a empty glass for a while

Really cool spot to pull the boat up to and go grab lunch while on Torch Lake. Or if you are staying on Lake Bellaire cruise down the the connecting river and stop in. Local beers spirts and good food. Servers are freindly and attentive. My family had been raving about the fried clams but didn't seem to be on the menu any longer. Great views if you set outside and watch boats entering and exiting Torch Lake.

Dockside how you have my heart. Love sitting on your dock watching the boaters go by. The food and service is always good, I have never been disappointed.

I really hope the new owners can get back on track. Food has gone downhill, along with service yet prices go up. Water has always been bad here. No carry out orders at certain times, especially during 2021 and a worldwide pandemic just blows my mind. Will always hold a place in my heart. My grandpa taught me to fish here and i proposed to my wife at the end of the dock.

I've been coming here since childhood on our yearly trips to the area. Unfortunately, in the last couple of years, changes to the menu seem to have brought the food quality down. Removing the epic clam strips from the menu was a bummer and the old school heaping baskets of fries are no longer. We will still visit for the views and a drink, but may skip the food next time.

We visited on a summer holiday when lots of customers were there, but staff were cheery. We ordered lunch at the bar "to go" so we could use waterfront picnic tables or Adirondack chairs. Food was excellent, served quickly enough, and we thoroughly enjoyed our visit. We'll be back!

Driving notth by Torch Lake we just happened to spot a sign as we passed the road. We turned around and came to this lovely spot on the lake and canal to the lake. We called to make sure we could fine in and even got a great patio spot in the sun. Some tables were shaded but much cooler for us Floridians. We were seated immediately and soon our server Mackenzie came for drink orders. I got a tall margarita chilled and perfect after an afternoon of trails. My wife ordered the Super Burrito, rightly named, and I opted for Butterfly Shrimp with onion rings and coleslaw. Shrimp was lightly battered, crunchy and delightful. Happily the rings were breaded real onions and also crispy and great. My wife also gave high marks to the stuffed burrito, she just wished for some queso blanco top it off. It was a delightful spit with views of the lake and canal. And because it was late afternoon there was a constant parade of boats coming in from Torch Lake. We had a number of waves and hoots from the parade. Our server Mackenzie was delightful. The only negative was my coleslaw had a hint of a fishy taste. Hmmm. A very relaxing spot to dine on the lake.

Food was decent and the restaurant was clean and had good ambience. The service was good but slow from the waiters/waitresses however the hostess was very rude. She seemed like asking for a table was a huge inconvenience, she walked fast to the table and did not wait for my grandparents and rolled her eyes when we asked to be seated inside. She gave us a table with a chair missing and walked away, this seemed to be a common theme as I watched her take other people to tables. I thought the hostess was supposed to wait for their customers and walk them to their table. All of the other staff were very friendly and approachable.

Very good, great service and views. The food could be better but it's not bad, I'm definitely coming back.

Absolute worst service I have ever had. Took 10-15 minutes to even acknowledge us sitting at the bar. Had to ask someone to please take our order 20 minutes after that and wait another half hour after we were done eating to even get one of the 5 people behind the bar to make eye contact with us to get our check. Mediocre food at best.

The service at dockside is poor and slow. If you want to wait a long time for drinks apps and food come here.

This is a really cool place! I loved the location and views along the river and Torch lake. It's super awesome that you can just pull up and dock as you please. There was a large variety of arcade games inside for restless children. Tons of outdoor seating & great menu items. The staff was friendly and caring, I'd definitely come back!

We ordered carryout lunch during a boat day. The service was quick. We loved the cheese curds and our sandwiches. Yummersville!

Blackened grouper. Torch lake cerveza of some kind. Just a little Lemony. Wife had spicy shrimp tacos. Both of us enjoyed food and view and great service !!!

We went back this year !!! Has completely turned around food gotten so much better, the service has improved and owners are back on top of things !!! So happy to have one of my favorite places back on top !!! We will be back no matter what !!! Best place upnorth!!!

This place was overall a surprise for many reasons. I really wanted to have some seafood near a local fishing dock in Michigan and this place has a long 100yr history. To start off it's a bit weird of a layout inside, we were visiting so didn't know if we were supposed to seat ourselves or not while everyone just stared as we entered. They need a hostess. The atmosphere is definitely a dive bar restaurant feel. A huge crowd of belligerent sports fans yelling and high-fiving after every play. One even fell into a table, maybe have a stricter cut-off policy. We just wanted to enjoy some local food. There were also quite a few game machines and "bar games" around the dining area, a bit odd. The sunset was nice outside though and the servers were nice too. The service seemed a bit understaffed though. The food was definitely the best part. It was good seafood. I got the cod fingers basket with fries and Cole slaw and my partner got the perch fillet sandwich with fries and Cole slaw as well. Both entrees tasted good and the fries were hot and crisp , crinkle cut like Culver's. The slaw was ok, but not the best. Overall this place gets a 3star for food mainly, more staff and a better laid out interior would make the overall experience better and more of a division between dining and bar guests.

We have come here every time we're up that way just because the food does not disappoint! I LOVE the pork nachos with the wonton chips, so creative and absolutely delish! My husband is a huge fan of the fish tacos, and you can't go wrong with a basket of cheese curds. Everything down to the ranch dressing has been delightful. We also love the ambiance here. Casual, family friendly, but has great music and really nice staff. We will be returning for sure!

Great location, friendly staff, clean and cute. Food was ok. Kids had chicken tenders and said they were ok but didn't like fried. I had pork nachos they were good. Hubby had a BLT which he liked but none of it was great. Place gets busy but there is public docks and we waited on our boat.

Dockside is the place for beautiful views and drinks. The food was average but decent options. It's a fun place to enjoy the torch lake sunset views while enjoying a cold beer or wine

We had great salad. Sunset salad. Full of nuts and I like the dressing. Friend also liked her chicken wrap. We sat on the patio... great view. Wait staff was great food came quickly... I would come back more often if I lived closer.

I've grown up on torch my whole life and i come down here for lunch to wait for twenty minutes for our drink order with no water brought to our table (thank god actually because their waters always tasted like copper) but once we get our drink my glass comes with old fryer bread crumb residue in the glass. we also brought out dog and the manager on today was very rude and not clear on what to do with our dog at all. over all this place has gone downhill and we left after the drink arrived. had to cancel to food order. sad to say but new owners i guess i can blame. also they had two depressing songs play back to back, fly by sugar ray and jumper by third eye blind at 4:30 pm wtf

Dockside is a must visit if in the area or on the boat on Torch Lake. Patio is great to watch boats go by. Bloody Mary's are yummy! It gets very busy so be prepared on the weekend if it's nice. Food- I had a taco salad one night it was good. Turkey avocado wrap another night with sweet potato fries. I probably wouldn't order that again. It was ok. Fries didn't really have much taste.

We timed it right and got a shaded seat outside on 7/14/19. Service was friendly & efficient! They have plenty of staff running food and clearing plates- love this! I HATE when plates aren't cleared. I enjoyed my salad eventhough I found a hair at the bottom of it- it happens but still. Not worth mentioning to our server after eating 95% of the salad. My husband liked his pulled pork sandwich and beer. Our toddler had chicken nuggets that my husband said tasted similar to McDonald's- he finished what she didn't. Yes, I'd return and I'd hope we time it right to sit outside to enjoy the beautiful water.

Went here with the family after a great day on the lake. Sadly, our dinner didn't end on a high note. The biggest issue was honestly just the food. The service could have been better but overall not the worst place I've been. However, basically everybody didn't like what they ordered. I ordered the kickin' chicken sandwich and I was sadly disappointed when my first bite was full of a pungent curry flavor and not even a hint of Cajun seasoning to be savored. The fries were crinkle cut and reminded me of middle school cafeteria fries. I will say the pretzel bun was good. To keep this review short I'll summarize the other complaints from family members which included dry chicken, orders coming out wrong and flavors being bad/off. Overall would not return. The rental business that's right next door though, different story.

The Dockside is almost always busy - so you might have to wait for an outside table. BUT, it is run like a Swiss watch. Once you're seated the drinks, food and wait staff are timely. I hate having to wait for a table, but hey, its a popular place. The food is good. We've eaten here quite a bit over the past 20 years or so and never been disappointed with the experience. Great burgers (appear to be hand pattied) clam basket is solid, wraps, beer and cocktails are all good too. The ambiance is hard to compete with having a view of Torch Lake and watching boats come and go from the dock. It does get busy, but they will accommodate you once its your turn to be seated. Plenty of parking, clean bathrooms and some arcade games for the kids if you have to wait for a table.

Really enjoyed this restaurant and the food. Staff was attentive as well. It was raining the day we went so we didn't get to sit outside but I'm sure it would be beautiful.

I've been a customer at dockside for years, and this was my first absolutely horrible experience. The food was good, but our waitress Gill was extremely inattentive and not interested in her customers. It felt like an inconvenience to be in her section, and she did the bare minimum. My friend was questioning her on an item that she didn't mention was an up charge and she walked away mid conversation. Extremely rude and felt like we were being treated differently because of our younger age in comparison to her older tables. Multiple different waiters and bus boys in sections near her were extremely nice and came to attend to us when she was no where to be seen. There were multiple open tables in her section, and when my friend went to the bathroom she was seen on her phone when she had only been to our table once. Extremely disappointed :(

Our first time ever at Torch Lake and we checked out this restaurant. My husband, daughter and I really enjoyed everything we ordered. My daughter and I are both vegetarians and had no issues with finding options. We got a couple appetizers, I got a salad, and hubby got fish and chips basket. It was basic yet satisfying. Also, this was the only restaurant right on the lake that I could find. They had a patio right on the water. It was perfect for what we were looking for. Very casual. Boats on the water could dock there. I would recommend if you are visiting Torch Lake.

Good food, good people. Rent pontoons from Butch's. Then stop and have a drink and some eats. When we were there, owner was giving employees rides on a helicopter as appreciation for hard work. Fantastic!

Easily worst restaurant in torch lake area. Do not go here unless you want your taste buds to commit suicide. I ordered their signature dockside burger and it was abysmal. The bun was stale and the Pattie's were small. The fries tasted like they came right out of the microwave. The ranch was so watery that it might as well be a soup to go with your meal. My friends ordered other menu items and the portions they give you wouldn't be able to save a starved squirrel. The nachos tasted like left over microwaved Taco Bell. They even have the audacity to sell you overpriced dockside clothing and merchandise so you can display to the world that you ate shit for lunch. The only reason this place gets one star is that the waitress was cute and she got my order right. Take my advice and stay home.

Cute decor inside (with game stations!) and there's lovely outdoor seating area so you can soak up the sun and Torch Lake views! In addition, the service was lovely and the food was tasty & very reasonably priced! I thoroughly enjoyed my time here! What we ordered: Recommended: - Fish Tacos (wild caught European perch with asian slaw, a homemade aioli, and topped with fresh cilantro) w/. French Fries: Tacos has a interesting slaw, not your usual mayo coleslaw! What an interesting flavor! - Butterfly Shrimp (butterfly cut shrimp with a light and crispy oriental breading) w/. Onion Rings: shrimp and onion rings never fail! I like that the onion rings were a lot crispier than the fries! Haha - Cod Tenders (flavorful white cod fillets) w/. French Fries: My favourite out of all the baskets we ordered! The cod was juicy and tender with a bit of a crunch on the outside! Simply delicious! + The waffle fries here are amazing! They brought out the order with French Fries instead of waffle fries but were quick to bring us some waffle fries on the side! TOO MUCH POTATO! Other things we ordered: - Clam Strips (sliced and breaded surf clams served with tartar or cocktail sauce) w/. French Fries: I didn't really like the clam strips - too much breading versus the actual clam! Tips: - definitely get lemon with water (it usually does come with the water when they bring it up), because the water here tastes a little funky haha - if you're sharing, make sure you change out the French Fries in the baskets for other alternatives like sweet potato fries or waffle fries or onion rings! Our mistake was we had like 3/4 orders French Fries and on top of that they brought out the waffle fries separately so we were really potatoed out!! Anyhow, this is a place that is so conveniently located by the lake and with some delicious food, it's a must try place!!

Dockside. I have been coming to Dockside since I was probably 10. It's one of my favorite traditions during my family's yearly vacation Up North. This place is near and dear to my heart for so many reasons! But I can't be biased. So I'm not going to be. First of all. WHERE ARE THE CHEESE TEEZERS?! Why in the world would those delicious cheese filled tots get put out?! Haven't seem them since the early 2000s! Now that's out of the way, let's get started. Dockside is a wonderful divy place right on the corner of where Torch Lake meets the Grass River. If you're lucky enough, you can boat to the restaurant and dock there. "Going to Dockside" to my family is putting aside a day where we all hop on the pontoon and cruise down the Grass River from Lake Bellaire. Wonderful! But that's only if you're lucky enough to be on the lake. Worth it tho!! The outside patio is right on the water. It's big with equal parts sun and shade so you can have an option. The inside is also available and big! There are arcade type games for the kids to enjoy. And a beach! If there's a wild wait time, wear your bathing suits and swim a while! I appreciate Dockside being more of a beach restaurant so bathing suits and flip-flops are popular attire. The food tho. Heavy sigh. It's declined a bit. I want to rant and rave about it.... but it's just okay. I get the olive burger on a bed of lettuce and my only side options are tortilla chips with salsa. Very little gluten free options. The burger was good, nothing special. My wife ordered the mushroom burger and fries. She mentioned the fries tasting like they've been frozen. She didn't have any complaints about the burger, but also nothing important to say about it. The cocktails are fun! Festive and yummy! They are also gorgeous! I definitely recommend getting drinks here! I highly recommend tying out Dockside! It's beautiful by the water and screams "IT'S SUMMER TIMEEEEEE!!!" Torch is one of the bluest lakes in THE WORLD. It's stunning. The food isn't the most spectacular (unless they'd bring back cheese teezers) but everything else is wonderful! And bring the kids!

Sitting on the water here is just lovely. The Dockside is only open seasonally, so the patio is where it's at here! I'm not sure I would come here if the weather weren't nice- the inside isn't facing the water at all, unfortuntely. The food is good and they have lots of mixed drink options though! All of us were happy with everything we ordered, and we will definitely be back.