Empire Village Inn

This is a bare-bones place that I'm sure is essential to the locals. It definitely delivers some spot on comfort food. We had very few options on our trip and ended up here out of sheer necessity. We ordered a water, diet pop, and two sandwiches: burger with fries and a pulled pork with tater tots. Both sandwiches were $21 each and the drink $4...so that put us at around $49 with tax, plus a tip, we were right at $60 all in. Don't get me wrong, we enjoyed the food...it was was fresh, well prepared and seasoned, and we enjoyed it. BUT, $60?!? Holy moly. Talk about overpriced. $30 per person for a basic, staple kind of sandwich, frozen and fried potato sides and one fountain pop.......I definitely felt as though the prices were raised because of the proximity to the Sleeping Bear Dunes/tourist scene. All of that said, our server was extremely friendly and efficient. Our food and drinks came out quickly and, as I said, we enjoyed it all. My biggest complaint for atmosphere was that the tables were "sticky". They were clear of food and grime but the finish on them was not right and if you put your hand on them, it stuck to the table. It was very sticky, tacky, and unpleasant to the touch. We left with satisfied bellies, but definitely felt that we overpaid for such a basic experience.

Highly recommend coming in for Pizza and great service. The Parmesan fries was a great appetizer and we ordered a large Pep & Cheese with half mushroom and it was enough for a family of 4. Max was our server and was polite and attentive; one of the best servers we have had anywhere. We even played some arcade games. We’re from Ohio and love coming up here during our vacation.

Pizza unlike any other, it’s AH-MAZ-ING!!!!!! Server today was Julie. She was friendly, funny, and attentive, refilling our drinks as we needed them and chatting along the way. We keep coming back for the Grateful Veg pizza- try the butter garlic Parmesan crust- you won’t regret it! 16 beers on tap, rotating drink and food specials. Keep it up guys! 10/10!!!!!

Delicious food! My husband and I were hungry after a long day so we ordered a tap root beer, beer cheese pretzel bites, grilled cheese, large salad and a burger. Everything was delicious! The large salad was huge! The grilled cheese was probably the best I've ever had. We also ordered a pizza last night- that was yummy too. The only reason for four stars is because it was a bit more than we'd have liked to spend BUT the price seems normal for the area!

Best pizza I have had in a long time, Mr Meaty is great. An unexpected gem in the small town of empire. Better SERVICE, price, food, and drink selection than others in town

High quality food that you may not expect in a small town. Brussels sprouts are incredible, we got carry out 3 times during our trip. My husband loved their pizza great crust flavors, the Philly Cheese steak and the Cubano sandwich. For the kids we got them chicken finger and fries. The veggie pizza is great and loved they had a Gluten Free crust option and goat cheese

great place we loved the Cubano we have had so I had to come back, this time kimchee patty melt and it didn't disappint

Quick dine in. Good place to stop. Well cooked food. Fresh cut vegetables and salad. Will recommend the pizzas and the sweet potato fries One of the great things was they had good gluten free and vegetarian options The $$ was not worth it because there are a lot of options around

We were looking for a place that had gluten-free options for one of our friends, and we're in town on my bachelorette trip this weekend. We wanted to go to the Empire beach afterwards, so we chose this place. It's a bit pricey - sandwiches are $12-16+ and a side of fries, onion rings, etc. is $5 extra - but everything was good. We also got the fried pickles as an appetizer, which came with some sort of dipping sauce, and it was delicious. They do have a lot of gluten-free options, my gluten-free friend is also vegetarian so she had the grilled cheese on gluten-free bread with a side salad. Overall I would come here again but I did find it pricier than some of the casual restaurants in Traverse City, which was interesting.

Best pizza EVER. Like in my life. So, so good. If you 're in Empire, it's a must try. Great crust, toppings and it wasn't at all like those chain places. Service was great. It was a little bar with store items (like for camping) as you walk in. Ten stars for that pizza!!!

This place was a nice surprise with its understated exterior. Ended up here for my birthday meal. We only had pizza x 2 and both times delicious and were from Chicago so we've had some really good pizza. The prices are reasonable and it's makes for a good sunset food!! They have a large selection of tap beer too. Try the Parmesan crust for pizza!

Both inside and out, this place looks well aged. But it's a gem. Great beer list and delicious salads and pizza. We were completely knocked out by how great this place was. And service was friendly and helpful.

Burger was nothing special, just what you expect from a typical burger, the brioche bun was a nice touch. The real treat was the pizza and the appetizers.The Deluxe Pizza was amazing, had a good crunch to it with each bite. The drum sticks were literally drum stick sized, had a good crispy crunch to them too. Fried pickles were tasty as well. If you were thirsty for an adult beverage, there's a full bar available as well. The service was on point too, making sure everything was good with us a number of times.

Had the Brussel sprouts and the Michigan grilled cheese sandwich and it was amazinggggg. Definitely recommend!

Great food and service! We were all in the mood for something different to eat and this hit the mark! Next time we're visiting Empire we will definitely eat here again!

A amazing experience, the food was great. We didn't expect it to be that good. The burgers and the brussel sprouts exceeded my expectations. Julie our server was sweet and accommodating. Great location after a long hike.

My husband and I stopped here for lunch when we were passing through. we had a burger and fries. The burger was cooked to perfection. the lettuce onion and tomato were all fresh and good. the bun was perfectly toasted. the fries were excellent. my husband had a draft root beer and I had ice tea. both were excellent. The service was great. I highly recommend this place!

Wanted to give a shout out to Lilly and the crew at Empire Village Inn. We were traveling through and stopped in for dinner and to celebrate my (turning) 8 year old daughter's birthday. I asked if they sang or anything and she said typically no, but she would ask the crew if they would sing and boy, did they! Daughter was in heaven and wanted to thank the whole team for making my daughter's birthday great! They even let her have a delicious ice cream as her "cake" which was icing on the cake! Btw, we had the Porto fries which came out piping hot and super delicious as well as the medium deluxe pizza which we had to take some home. Husband and I were both stuffed and kids both enjoyed their mac and cheese, and shared the ice cream treat. Thank you again to the whole staff!

We got a deluxe pizza and breadsticks. The pizza was decent! The breadsticks were bland and not my favorite. Without the sauce it is not very good and we needed 2-3x sauce for the right ratio. Overall it's decent and we'd come back and try something else!

Great chicken drumsticks and pizza! Glen Lake IPA was excellent! Very good friendly service.

This place is a hidden gem! We had a party of 9, and everyone's food was delicious. Our waitress was super friendly, very helpful, and answered all our questions. The guy doing all the cooking was great also, his recommendation for next is the kimchee sandwich. I was watching food come out of the kitchen and it all looked amazing, made for a hard decision. Decided to go with the Mikeza Jerk specialty pizza and it didn't disappoint. If you're in the area this is a must stop for food. Great job Village Inn.

Always better than it has to be! Great pizza, excellent cubano sandwich, and highly recommend the Parmesan fries.

Pizza was hot and fresh but ambiance is pretty loud and sitting at the end of the bar I kept being brushed past by the servers. Coming with a group would have a different experience since it seems geared for friends and families. Pizza has a thicker crust than I like and I felt sauce was a bit skimpy for my taste. Toppings were generous. Not a lot of choices near Empire. Their front room is stocked with a grab and go food items for camping or weekends at the dunes.

Came to eat here after the Dune hike. Definitely want to order pizza here. The gluten free pizza was actually some of the best I've had! The tomato sauce tasted pure and fresh. My family had a regular pizza with no cheese, veggies, and beef. They loved it! They made a pizza with no cheese delicious and better than a regular pizza. Good for kids/ families.

Ordered a pizza "to go" this evening, and it was so bad no one wanted to eat it. It was like a Dominoes pizza before they made improvements. This place had the best pizza when Joe and Brandon were managing. Btw, $30 for medium 2 topping, and a small bag of popcorn. Shameful.

We ordered pizza and salads for take away. My daughter ordered lamb added to her salad and it was so good! Our Shroom Momma pizza was yummy! The order took about 25 minutes and was ready when we arrived.

Kings of pizza! Had a lovely salad as well. Our server was a delight. They were super busy, but it was worth the wait

This is a definitely must try/have. Seems very small or quite place but once your there. You will not regret it!! Hands down one of the best pizza places around.

Service and food here is excellent! Going to the empire bluff trail there wasn't much around in terms of food except this place. I had no expectations. I was pleasantly surprised. They are known for their pizza. The mr. Meaty was to die for. I don't even eat pork like that. I picked off some toppings because I should have ordered the pizza. I however ordered the Buffalo chicken wrap. It was big and good and spicy. But that pizza!!! Get the pizza!! Oh we also ordered beer flights. I'm not a beer drinker but wanted to try the local craft beers. They were all pretty good. The pear apple cider was one of my favs. The honey lavender was also pretty good. Oh the berry one was good too. They were pretty too.

Best pizza I've had in a while. Great spot, worth the wait if they're busy. Make it a regular stop on your trip up north.

Food was good and the staff was very friendly. My only issues were the price of the food compared to the amount that you get and the service was pretty slow. The most expensive appetizer on the menu, "Porta Fries", was a very small serving of fried portobello mushrooms for $21. Pretty darn good but not worth the money. The pizza and two sandwiches (Cubano and Philly) were really tasty but again small portions compared to the price. Also, fries not included ($5 extra for fries)? Just saying. I get it though, these touristy locations are usually higher in price but wasn't expecting Disney World prices. The cooks we're working their tails off back there but our waitress (though very nice) never filled our drinks without having to ask and she seemed to stand around a lot while the other wait staff were running around. I can't remember the last time I tipped under 20%.

Not so good. We didn't order pizza which sounds like what they're known for. I had a salmon sandwich and it was good. Fries were those nasty coated fries which I loathe. I even asked if they had regular normal potatoes for fries and she said yes. NO. Sleder's has awesome fries BTW. My husband had a Philly beef sandwich and he ate 2 bites and that was it. He eats everything without complaining so I knew it was awful. Expensive visit and next time I'll drive into Traverse City. Oh and I did send a private message to the restaurant and they didn't respond so here you go.

Loved loved loved it. Super cute room and wonderful stay! We were bummed to miss the asparagus festival but next year when we go we will be back!

Man, they suck. We waited for an hour, had to tip before we were served and wipe off our own dirty picknic table. After the food came out, we had to request plastic ware, napkins, and plates. How else were we going to eat the food? There were a total of about 5 tables that they are serving and they just can't do it. Just don't go here. There are plenty of other places that will actual have service. The food was mediocre and tasted old. The Brussels sprouts and mushrooms were slathered one a spicy sauce so you couldn't really taste the food.

I come here once a year when in town to get pizza! It's become a tradition! I really like their pizzas and breadsticks. I would recommend eating in rather than taking it to go tho!

A-freaking-mazing! Joseph and Brandon give outstanding customer service (although Joseph didn't know that a group of bears is called a sloth, but I won't give any less stars for his lack of knowledge there ) The pizza was delicious And the Brussel sprouts were so good we got a second order and plenty of great craft draft beer! Highly recommend!

I was visiting the town with my husband and decided to get a pizza and eat at the beach (very close) and it was an amazing experience because the pizza was really good!

Garlic fries, outstanding. Deluxe pizza was really good but the staff was what put the exclamation on this place. Didn't expect to find this kind of menu at a small town tavern. Stop by, you won't regret.

Nice place with a great vibe, a nice bar, a good playlist, great employees, a pizza oven, and a small grocery next door. An up north delight. Suggested to us by our server at Boondocks in Glen Arbor, thank you!

This is one of our favorite restaurants in the area. Our most recent visit was last week, with my brother and SIL for lunch. We came away so stuffed, we just nibbled come dinner time. We had the Cubano, one of the burgers, the Porkies, the No9 Wrap (my favorite), and a side of hot, crispy Tater Tots. Yum, yum, yum. The service was good and one of the managers is a very personable guy and spent quite a while just chatting with us. My only complaint is that their website, Google, and their Facebook page all showed that they opened at 11 am. They didn't answer their phone and there was no answering machine. We got there about noon and they were closed. I could see a couple of guys in the back and they could see me, but I had to knock and knock to get them to respond and to tell me the restaurant wasn't opening until 1 pm that day. At the very least, a sign on the door would have been simple, good customer service.

we ended up grabbing a pizza here on labor day as our other food options were pretty limited on the holiday. the pizza was a bit pricey ($25 for medium pepperoni) but it was certainly delicious! no complaints on taste or quality, it was definitely one of the better take away pizza's we've ever had. we took ours to watch the sunset at the dunes overlook along the scenic drive & would certainly do it all again!

$48 for 2 medium pizzas ? WTH. one with cheese only and one with 4 items ? I sent my son in to pick it up with $60 he came out with $12, I almost fell over dead, $48 for two medium pizzas? Never again folks. Rip off galore

The most delicious pizza ever and a very friendly staff! As vegans, it's hard to find anything but pizza or pasta that can be modified in small midwest towns, but in this case our modified pizza was fantastic! We actually went there 3 times during our stay.

Get the Blue Gill Sandwich with tartar sauce and brioche bun. Seriously the best sandwich I have had in years. Best tartar sauce. I know, you figure tartar sauce is all the same...WRONG!! Second, bluegill is what we caught as kids and forgot to actually cook, or at least when I was a kid. Well, you have never tasted bluegill so good. Their breading is light n crunchy and best herbs. Taste and texture are pure summer heaven. The kids can have the pizza but treat yourself to the bluegill. Also they have locally made soda pops. All different kinds of flavors. I even bought some to take home. I loved the ginger beer. Am now ready to crack open a rhubarb lavender made locally in Williamsburg, MI by Northwoods Soda. Thanks, Empire. I'll be back just for the bluegill. You made the trip more than worthwhile.

Stayed in town for a winter visit and ordered pizza and a salad from the VI. Enjoyed both, and salad was very good. Glad I gave the place a try!

Me and my husband had their pepperoni and cheese pizza and it tasted like store bought pizza. It had cardboard under it like it was. I've had better pizza at Little Caesars. Also our server who we believe is the owner was not very friendly and just didn't have great customer service skills. I wouldn't recommend coming here if you want to have pizza that tastes like something that came from Walmart!

If you are going to climb the dunes, be sure to eat here. Our experience started off with an excellent gesture by the owner noticing us entering the restaurant before another party of four, who tried to get ahead of us. He called us in and gave us a very cordial treatment. Now onto the food, we were pleasantly surprised with the number of vegetarian options they had. We tried garlic parm fries and fried pickles for appetizers. Both were on point and actually sufficient to fill us four(two adults and two kids). Next kids had grilled cheese(yummy) and macaroni &cheese(probably the weakest item we tried). Wife had fried portobello wrap(we devoured it) and I had gypsy salad(surprisingly very fresh). Very reasonably priced as well.

A very nice north woods. Very rustic atmosphere. Good selection of regional beers on tap. Excellent pizza but skip the garden salad

We had the veggie pizza, which was really yummy. It took a while but the wait was worth it. Hit the spot! It's very convenient place to eat if you are staying in the area!

Great food and delicious root beer, stopped for lunch after hiking! Very friendly staff!

Staff is amazingly friendly and knowledgeable. We stopped in for a beer after hiking. The fried pickles were the best we've ever had. The beer was delicious. One of the best stops while in vacation up here.

This is a must for pizza and beer! Really good and friendly place, family friendly staff and awesome choices! Had a wonderful dine-in experience June 2021 with Brandon. Had the BBQ pizza and the summer special pizza! Some of the best artisan pies we have ever had!

Got a pepperoni pizza and mozzarella bread. Pizza was done before expected. The pizza sauce and crust were delicious. It was pretty greasy though!

I can't comment on the whole menu, but, my wife and I stopped here on the way to Sleeping Bear park the other day and both had the Michigan Salad. We are very picky about salads and both thought it was one of the best salads we have been served in a very long time! A wide variety of very fresh veggies plus cheese and dried TC cherries served in a sizable portion. If you like salads at all it is worth going here!

What a gem! Great food, service, beer selection! Highly recommend!! It's a small little place and if you didn't know, you might drive right past but man...you would be missing out!

We had a small wait for a table, but the staff was gracious and friendly. We had the blue gill sandwich and pulled pork radwich. Both were great. We went back the next night and ordered pizza to go. We were told it would be an hour and they would phone us when it was ready to pick up. We went back to the motel and after 45 mins. we went to pick it up. It had been sitting out on a table. It took them at least 5 minutes to wait on me and told me it had just come out. Not true and they were never going to call us. The pizza was good, but lukewarm.

Really enjoyed this spot in empire and would definitely return! We really wanted pizza, but when the server told us it would be 45 min to an hour for pizza, we changed our minds! In the future, I'd prob order the pizza ahead. We didn't know better. Also, there was no menu online at the time, so I had no idea even what was offered. Since there's no current menu, I took photos. Check them out! Their branding is cool, see menu photos. The place has great local beers on tap and a full bar. They do have wine (from a box, but a decent brand) as opposed to some of the reviews I read. Maybe they didn't used to have wine. I went with a pale ale recommended by my server and it was great. They have paper straws. Good job, guys. (But... still use plastic tops on cups for kids. Maybe appropriate for toddlers? Not needed for big kids) To-go containers are eco-friendly. Again... big kudos! Unexpected for this type of place. These little details are not so little to me... huge bonus points!!! We had 2 pork sandwiches, Parmesan garlic fries, tater tots, drumsticks, and a Greek salad w/ chicken. Everything was great. Drumsticks were a bit too spicy for my sensitive 8 year old. There was no mention of spicy. Everything else was great!!! The pickles on the pork sandwich were a standout, believe it or not!? Servers are attentive, knowlegable, and enthusiastic. Our server, Emily, was great, and all of the staff I saw around us were very engaged as well. Empire is a cute little town with limited options for food. I didn't expect much. This little gem far exceeded expectations. I definitely recommend!