Modern Bird

Modern Bird is nothing short of a culinary experience everyone in TC should place at the top of their short list. My wife and I have dined at the tables, as well as up at the kitchen on stools. The former provides a more direct experience with your party, while the latter is more akin to entertainment while you eat. Everyone wants delicious food while enjoying company, and Modern Bird delivers in every way. Whether it's a menu staple such as the fried chicken or wagyu steak, or something new and fresh, everything manages to delight the taste buds. Presentation and service are also odd the charts. Andy and Emily have created something tasty and fun. Anyone who has a chance, local or visiting, should make it a point to make a reservation.

Loved it. Staff was accommodating to get us a great seat at the bar. Both owners were very accommodating and appreciative of our visit. The crispy chicken was awesome. The cream puff desert was to die for. Extensive sophisticated wine list. I will definitely return during my visit to Traverse City.

Charming space and excellent service. Two to three dishes max per couple should allow room for dessert. Vegetables were very well executed. Vegetarians and pescatarians can enjoy the many offerings. Very fair pricing. This is a great restaurant.

We went for a special anniversary meal tonight- Sat at the kitchen counter which was so special! The service was outstanding- with great recommendations from our server. The food was out of this world phenomenal with so many layers of flavors- every flavor well thought out! It was an experience that made our anniversary memorable. Don’t miss the chance to dine here and experience top notch dining!

From start to finish dining at Modern Bird was inspiring and effortless. The service was wonderful, a deep understanding of the menu, portion sizing, sourcing and wine really made me feel comfortable and at ease. I was sitting at the Chef Counter and able to watch the restaurants line cook throughout service. As a former chef of 10 years I was stoked seeing this team perform so well during the rush. Everyone was clean, communicating, and execution with great speed whilst also executing the dishes perfectly. I loved the smoked carrot dish, the carrots served chilled maintained a sweet earthiness while the subtle smoke added a wonderful layer. The herbs, spices and labneh gave the dish wonderful texture and richness but kept it fresh. The beets with speck were also perfectly executed, jammy eggs providing a lovely backbone to the tang of horseradish that complimented the smoked, saltiness of the speck. The coup de grace was the Wagyu NY Strip with a caramelized onion Hollandaise, Maitake Mushrooms and pickled mushroom seed. Wonderful tender steak cooked to a perfect medium rare, the Hollandaise was downright decadent. The mushrooms had a great crispy exterior and perfect moist interior. Overall my sense of the cuisine and wine list was that it was thoughtful, intentional, and incredibly executed. Easily one of my favorite meals that I've had in Traverse City and one of my favorites in the state.

We dined at M. B. last Saturday night (12/28) to celebrate our son’s engagement, and honestly, I think it was the best meal I ate in 2024. We shared 9 dishes among our party of 4 (plus 2 desserts) and each and every menu item was just outstanding. Perfectly prepared and presented. Layers of flavors and textures. It’s hard to pick favorites but the beet salad and the walleye really stuck with us. And the potatoes in light cheese sauce. And the little dumplings filled with squash…also, I would never eat here and not get the fried chicken, which is to die for. Exceptional service - we really appreciated the fastidious replacing of plates and silverware between courses which doesn’t always happen in some places. Lovely wine list, excellent craft cocktails AND sophisticated N/A options. Chef Andy was kind enough to chat with us in the midst of masterfully running everything like an air traffic controller - great guy. Big kudos to him, his wife, and their talented crew. I’m so proud of our excellent and evolving food scene here in the TC area, and this place is one of our Crown Jewels.

In the mood for food euphoria? This is the place! Small plates of complex, rich and adventurous flavors made with the freshest ingredients. Pair it all with some world class and local exquisite wines and you will be in palate paradise! The olive oil cake is DIVINE. You will leave on a cloud remembering all of the new flavors you just experienced for hours! And to top it all off the service was IMPECCABLE! You feel like royalty. Everything came out fast with immediate table wipe downs between courses. Yay! I can’t praise this place enough!

This is a must stop restaurant in Michigan. Everything was excellent from the cocktails to the service. Each course was meticulously prepared and balanced with flavors that blew us away. The service was excellent, our waitress even put together a recommendation list for the area. I’m honestly in awe from this experience; it’s something everyone should try. Highly recommend the smoked whitefish appetizer, halibut entree, and creme puff dessert!