Mode's Bum Steer

Modes Bum Steer in Traverse City is like stepping into the ultimate steak lover’s paradise – if you don’t mind a touch of quirky charm and a bit of “up north” nostalgia. Picture this: you’re greeted by a vibe that says, “Come as you are, but prepare to leave well-fed and a little more content with life.” The steaks here? Absolutely on point. They’re the kind of juicy, flavorful cuts that make you feel like you’re doing something a bit indulgent – in the best way possible. Whether you like it rare or well done (but hey, don’t ruin it!), the chefs here know how to get that perfect sear. And then there’s the atmosphere. Modes has a mix of rustic charm and cozy diner vibes, almost like that cool uncle’s cabin where the décor is retro but somehow still cool. The locals fill the place with friendly chatter, so don’t be surprised if you leave with a few new Traverse City stories – or maybe even a few new friends. Service-wise, they’re the kind of staff who make sure you’re topped off and don’t rush you out the door, leaving you to soak in the experience as long as you need. And don’t forget to try the onion rings. They’re crispy enough to convince you that the humble onion was always destined for deep-fried greatness. In short? Modes Bum Steer is a Traverse City classic for a reason. It’s a little slice of Americana, a lot of good food, and definitely worth the trip.

We were recommended this place and it did not disappoint. Wedge salads, chunky blue cheese, chicken wings and steak… what more could I ask for. I ordered the prime rib and an order of chicken wings. Wife had the filet and lobster. Overall, it was a fantastic yet simple meal. Something about a wedge salad and chunky blue cheese makes for the start to a perfect meal. Steaks were perfect as well. Since I try chicken wings everywhere I go, I would have to say these were breaded nicely but overall a 3.5 out of 5. The rest of the meal easily made up for them. We will return next time we are visiting.

Mode’s certainly lived up to its hype! Very friendly staff. Nice local, hometown experience. The lobster was cooked perfectly. 👌🏽 And our steaks were very flavorful. Sooo good. We will definitely be back!

What a treat!! We asked our hotel where to go for dinner and they immediately suggested we go to Mode's. The hostess sat us right away and everyone was very courteous and welcoming. We started off with the Shrimp Cocktail and my wife followed that up with Mode's Favorite, the 1/2 Rack of Ribs and a 6oz NY Strip. Wow, delicious!! The ribs pulled effortlessly from the meat which was amazing, the Strip was cooked to perfection. I had the French Dip and was blown away because it was so good, make sure to add the mushrooms, onions and cheese! Our server, Amber, was on point and our glasses were never empty. We will be back!

It was nice but for me it was too many tables next to each other, too many people in one room. Whatever happened to social distancing? The service sucked because she never came back to ask if we needed a refill, and we had to ask for napkins. I had to send my steak back because it wasn't medium well like I asked it actually looked like they just let the fire kiss it because when I got it the steak was still bloody when I cut into it and when I got it back the front was nice looking but the back was charred to a black crisp! What a waste of $110. I should've listened to the little old lady that tried to stop is from going in she said what a high price with small portions. They had a wedge salad?? It was just a chunk of lettuce with cherry tomatoes on the side covered with the dressing of your choice. Nope I will never go back here. I won't let this spoil my experience in Traverse City. What a waste of my money and too many tables and people in such a small place. Don't recommend it at all. Also you have to pay for parking by the hour nope never going back

We were told the food was great at this place. We were a bit disappointed. We ordered the prime rib sandwich, a regular burger and the seafood bisque - I will tell you the food did not sit well at all. We both experienced some gastric issues immediately after consuming the meal. We eat very clean / healthy - this was not a good meal at all. Our service was great and she was super nice and friendly. The atmosphere was very nice - old school feel. The food was the issue. Was wishing the food was better.

Sitting on top of each other, everytis ale cart add on my girlfriends husband uses a walker and had to fold it up coming and going. His burger was served with burger missing. Expected alot more.

Atmosphere is very nice. Food is delicious. Some of the best coleslaw I've had. Perch is outstanding but small. Price per quality is good, but price per quantity is horrible. Great martini. Beer selection is poor. I expected more localized craft brews. Love this restaurant, but improvements can be made.

I'm still dreaming of the shrimp and the wedge salad with blue cheese dressing! My friends from New Jersey had never tasted duck and prime rib so delicious We loved everything! I work in hospitality and have sent many guests your way! I wish I would have remembered our wonderful server's name ... I'll pay more attention next time! Appreciate your hard work!

Truly authentic American homemade meals, sure to please. If you like Reuben's, get it. You won't be disappointed.

We were actually off to another place but the wine Stuwarts at the winery we were at said this place is hands down one of the best places on Traverse City for steak dinner. Well, either our standards are too high or theirs too low. First of all, if you've been serving customer since 1975, maybe it's time to update to 2024. The place still reeks of 1975. The wine selections we're not that great, we had to choke down some bad Hahn Cab.... cheap 1975 glassware as well. Bowls of pre-packaged sour cream and butter packets on the table. Wow, how low brow for a Steak Joint. I ordered the 14oz strip steak and my wife ordered the 8oz filet. Both came with choice of Baked potato, fries or other and included Texas Toast (are we at sizzler?) We both ordered the baked. Came with a wedge salad with choice of dressing. Wedge was huge. The Blue cheese was OK, my wife thought it was store bought. For the Steaks...My Strip was OK, I had better, lots of Au jus on the plate, My wife said if it weren't for the char on her filet, it would be pretty dull. Both were cooked perfect medium, but that's about it. The potato's were small but cooked perfect.. Part way through the meal we realized...Where's the Veggies?? It slipped us, there was no mention of a vegetable for the steak dinner, or at least ala cart, no mention from the server. The service was OK and prices were...well, I guess reflective of the meal. We would have paid more for a better experience. We've been coming to Traverse City every year for the last 10 years, Note: we won't be coming back to Mode's. Sorry.

Good but very pricey. 12 oz prime rib with some mini perch. $50. I had a french dip sandwich that was on the small side. $18 + $1 for onions & another $1 for cheese. For 4 of us to eat, bill was $178.00 without tip.

While server was very good, she wasn't friendly at all, But to be honest that was ok, because she was good at her job. Atmosphere was reminded me of those old fashioned movies from the 50's and 60's dinner club/bar or as my brother in law said, his grandmas basement. The food was good, but not good enough to go back. The four stars are really because the service was good. Otherwise 3 stars for sure.

This place is a local favorite that's been around for a while. You'll have a good meal here, especially if you like meat. Prime rib is great, so is the duck and lamb. Can't go wrong really and the atmosphere kinda takes you back in time.

Traverse Cities oldest steak house, bet it looked like this when they opened. Wife wanted steak and unfortunately a lot of the places up here are closed today or close at 9pm. Dated, small portions my steak had no taste whatsoever, I had to put steak sauce on it and I never do that. Wedge salad was okay, baked potato was tiny and the homemade cherry cheesecake did nothing for me. Seems like it's an older crowd that likes to frequent here, they were probably here for the grand opening in 1975. Service was good, my wife enjoyed her prime rib and I thought mine was mehhh

I absolutely adore the restaurant scenery. I like how they keep it original, cute chairs, and overall ambiance. The staff is nice. The food was good but steak was flavorless, however, I think that's how it's supposed to be. I added the mushrooms to mine and they were tasty. Wedge salad is simple but incredible. Prices are a bit outrageous but it's a nice restaurant.

Old School place. Great food and awesome service I'm guessing from long term employees. Go to Moads Bum Steer when there is tornado weather.... The place has zero windows! I LOVE those places!

Disappointed. Service was fantastic, which I would have expected, I was the ONLY one in the place. It was clean, staff friendly and attentive, but there was nothing special about the food. I had the French Dip, which is priced 40% higher ($18.00) than what showed on Yelp ($13.00) and fries will cost you another $3.00. For those prices, you would expect something special, that was not the case. The meat on the sandwich was tasteless, the Au Jus was nothing more than colored water, as it had absolutely no flavor, the coleslaw was creamy, but again, no flavor. The two items that had good flavor were the pickle and the ketchup I used for the fries. For the price, the portions are small and unfortunately there is just nothing special about the food. Again, the service was great, everything was clean, but the food was disappointing.

Dad and I visited here a few weeks ago. Our financial guy gave my dad a gift card, guess we made him some money, ha! Ordered: Dad- It was some kinda steak. And, a baked potato. And a bloody Mary. Me- Walleye, and rice. And, cheesecake. Mmm, cheesecake. Decidedly, all so good. Finally figured it out, go here in fall/winter and on a weeknight. I was re-reading my review from 2012, God, I need new hobbies, anyways... Apparently, it was very busy at Mode's in the summer. Adding another star for stellar, but non-hovering, service. Merci beaucoup!

Townie place for sure. Prices are a bit steep. The atmosphere and service were top-notch. Homemade blue cheese salad dressing was an absolute standout.

Great supper club Definitely a place for locals which we love Fresh fish and steak with a good cocktail

Very busy place and was disappointed as everything was bland no flavor at all. I thought we found something good when we seen how busy they were but what I ordered was the fillet mignon, shrimp and bake potato. No seasonings at all and for the price of the fillet which was the smaller portion was ridiculously high. The shrimp was the only thing that was good as my baked potato looked dirty as it hasn't been washed. My husband had the lobster tail and ribeye which was served with ajuice and that had no flavor. then when we got our bill from the waitress, she charged us double the amount. Waitress was not that friendly either however, the hostess that sat us was.

Step back in time when you step in to this place. It reminded me of steakhouses from my youth in the 60's and 70's. Not a lot of options but everything was tasty. Bar cheese appetizer , wedge salad ( only salad option) with house made dressing , large cocktails with the waitress suggesting a double and prime rib ( 12 or 16 oz cuts).... a cattleman's delight! Sides are starches , either baked or fried potato or rice. Many steak cuts and all reasonably priced . Looked like many locals in the place which is always a good sign

Terrible all around Don't waste your money or time. Great for the geriatrics but there are so many great restaurants downtown where you could have an actual "Traverse dining experience". What kind of place that specializes in steak doesn't know how to cook one to preference with even the slightest consistency?

Great Prime Rib. Service was very good despite being very busy. Another patron told us the walleye was excellent

Good food, service is find but please expect the place to be a throw back to 1960's, If you expect new trendy establishment you'll be disappointed. Erroneous expectations will cause you more unhappiness than actual impact. This place a great $ value but not trendy and fashionable. Steak dinners are definitely worth the (very reasonable) price,

Fantastic food! It doesn't look like it would have amazing food from the outside, but give this place a shot for sure.

"Bum" Steak. Pros: Wait staff was friendly and professional. Jalapeño mozzarella sticks were delicious. Cons: Ordered a t-bone, requested medium rare. It came out looking grey and was raw in the center. Part of it was a mass of raw meat and uncooked fat. No seasonings at all; looked and tasted like a cold steak had been taken directly from a refrigerator and put on a too hot grill (and tasted like the cook surface had rancid grease on it). Steak came with a baked potato that was also inedible due to one end being rotten. Wait staff offered to replace; I declined. All in all, a waste of $40.

Service was excellent. Atmosphere takes you back. Great environment and vibe. Sadly, the delicious food was not at all worth the high prices. The fresh wedge of lettuce was a nice and unique enjoyment. But it was hard to believe a $48 steak (delicious) came with just half a piece of Texas toast next to a few fries. Not to mention the many additional charges (e.g. .75 for lettuce and tomato on a $15 burger that doesn't come with fries). Amp it up by combining your high quality with a little more quantity and fairer pricing, and you'll never get less than 5 stars....

Had a 4 oz strip steak which was tough and flavorless! Salad was good, husband had a center cut filet which was too charred, tough and absolutely no seasoning! I asked the waitress for extra limes for my gin and tonic and she literally threw 5 on the bar! On a napkin but three rolled off and she used her hands! She was also bitching about being at work! We wanted a nice enjoyable dinner and was rushed and made to feel as though we were a bother! Shocking because the place was packed! Worst $125 I've spent on a meal! Didn't ask to have items remade due to the way the staff was making fun if a patron when we sat down at the bar! Paid and left! Oh but the shrimp was good, why they got two stars, maybe we should have ordered seafood!!!

Best scallops I have had north of Florida! The baked option comes in a generous portion with great flavor and texture! Wish there would have been more veggie sides instead of all white starches. Prices are fair for the state of the economy. You should definitely plan on spending a pretty penny for quality seafood and steak in these portion sizes. The server was a little curt to start the night but was very pleasant by the end. Went there for my dad's 63 birthday so the 60s/70s throwback vibe was perfect. And they even brought him a little cute birthday treat!

Excellent steaks!! Great service. Casual dining. A little pricey but worth it. Waited for an hour for a table. They don't take reservations.

Mode's is a little bit of a time capsule. The decor is delightfully dated, but it works. The steaks are killer! And the service is always quick and polite. It's a Traverse City classic!

Service was just OK. Ordered steak, tasted like it was previously frozen. Came with their version of Texas Toast which was a dry slice of white bread that did not even have a toast mark on it and was sitting in the bloody mess from my steak. In my opinion, overpriced and tastless food.

As of the writing of this review the star rating was 4.5. I'd agree with this, and allow me to highlight the reasons this is one of Traverse City's hidden gems. This classic old school steak house has been an an cozy establishment, tuck away on State Street since 1975. I've eaten my way thru the entire menu and let me say there is nothing, not a single item on the menu that should not be considered, order and enjoyed. Steaks, lamb, lobster, peach....I just wish I could eat here all the time!

We got into Traverse City late Friday night and most places were closing or booked. Mode's was serving until 11 and we had heard great things about it! It's about a 3 minute walk from the main stretch of downtown tucked away. The service was so friendly and kind and really took care of us. I had a prime rib for the first time in years and it was perfect! My mom and sister got the 4oz filet and lobster tail and they were delicious as well! I would highly recommend this place for a great steak!

Atmosphere and service is why I gave it a 2! The food I had was lackluster! Small servings huge price.

Very good downtown restaurant...seated immediately on a Thursday night...Shrimp cocktail and egg rolls for appetizer...Delicious. Service was excellent..great wedge salads....outstanding salmon and Fillet...highly recommend

I LOVE this place! And the ladies that work there are very cool, funny. I'm not a local but this winter this has become a local spot for me. I always order the same thing and it's off the menu... 24 oz Prime Rib, with a wedge (loaded of course) and I get a piece of their locally made cheesecake and cheeseball to go! The ladies are definitely entertaining and very fun to interact with. I don't understand any of the bad reviews. You go here not for ambiance (go somewhere else for that) you go here because it's a steakhouse/prime rib house. Pure and simple. If you are a true meat lover as I am you will love it. And it's a cool throw back steakhouse spot! Enjoy and order the 20 or 24 oz prime rib (in anything other than well done) you won't regret it!

Went in late and tired hoping to get good food. Left upset and even more tired after waiting nearly 45 minutes for our food when the restaurant wasn't busy, and no one came in after us. Our waitress hardly checked in on us, constantly bumped into us with no apology, sat down to talk with customers after she was just asked to get a box. We were forced to search and get our boxes for our food. The food is overpriced for the quality of food, for some reason, everything was wet all over our table, the tables are tiny. The place itself is all over the place, from egg rolls to burgers, beer posters all over the wall, vintage inside, the restaurant has no sort of idea on their identity. Will make sure everyone I know doesn't waste their time on this place.

Mode's Bum Steer - what a bumMER! Not so much the steer, as the overall experience. Sorry not sorry, but it's a real pet peeve for a hostess to greet with "how many?" and to then proceed to walk away without another word. Are we supposed to follow you? Are you getting a table ready? Are you checking available options? Is your shift over? Did you spontaneously become mute? Is there some telepathy going down that only you're in on? Things did not tremendously improve upon getting to the table. It took a while (more than 5 minutes) to get a greet by our server. I'm talking even an acknowledgment as she attended nearby tables. Party foul. It's just not hard to make eye contact, say 'hello', and let guests know they've been seen. Also party foul: inability to describe the various meat temps to help guide one's decisions. A medium rare "hot pink center with a little juice - blood" and medium "hot pink center with a little juice" is not helpful. The two non-special request meals took 75 minutes to come out on what was perceivably an average-busy night. Long after the salads had been eaten and cleared. Presumably no fault of the servers, but would have been better if the couple of apologies would have resulted in more attentive service. It didn't. They served as more salt in the wound when having to sit in front of our plates ready to go - with no acknowledgment - as our table was again repeatedly passed in effort to get the tables that came in after us boxed up and cashed out. The salads were good. The baked potatoes were good. The Texas toast was good. Per him, the salmon I make is better. My steak was okay. It wasn't bad, it wasn't something I will think about and crave going forward. The server was a nice gal and we all have "off" nights. Perhaps that's what this night was. An off night by both the hostess (more likely a training issue) and server. Nonetheless, having heard from a couple of folks about MBS, I wanted to try it. Now that we've done so, and based on the overall experience, I don't foresee us sacrificing an opportunity to have a reliable dining experience with all of the other available options.

#IjustcantYelpit A Traverse City classic institution. Good, fresh food. Reasonable prices. Friendly wait staff. #lifers Endless salad bar. Old school cocktails. Plenty of food. #togobox #worthit

Meh, I've had better. Went in here with a group of 5 people. It was highly recommended. I'd go back, but not for steak. We had two orders of prime rib (Both were ok, but not great), a sirloin steak (it was tough and fatty), another steak I forgot the cut of (no complaints on it) and a sausage dinner. It was $140 for the five of us, we all had water and no alcohol. The best part of the meal was the salad bar that was included with the meals, and the baked potato. The waitress was attentive, and kept up with water refills and cleaning the table. Parking was tough, but it was a Friday night and a holiday weekend, so not counting off for that at all. Service was quick for 5 meals. We went in at about 9 p.m.

Holy cow get your meat on! $100 for two to eat meat and potatoes like kings with drinks. Small but mighty little place. Great service. Vegetarians will have a small salad.

Great steakhouse and popular place to go. Old time restaurant feel. Also loved a steak house where food is tasty and sides come with the meal and are not ala carte. They also let you split the meals! My husband and I split the porterhouse steak.

It's been several years since we dined at Mode's Bum Steer and dinner was as delicious as we remembered! Fantastic service! The Prime Rib was succulent and prepared perfectly! The Wedge with their house made blue cheese dressing was amazing. We'll be back!!

Old school goodness! Everything from the drinks to the delicious steaks! Lively atmosphere too!

On March 9th We wanted to nice steak dinner,seen the recommendations on Google they had high praise we figured we would give it a try, my girlfriend's cottage cheese was warm she did not eat it, bacteria grows when left out, her baked potato was rotten in the middle they gave her another one it was hard as a rock the steak was good her lobster so so my dinner my baked potato was rotten in the middle ,my 22 oz T-Bone was cooked too fast on the outside and not cooked on the inside I was brought another baked potato which they cut in half which I did not ask for and Kathy the waitress told me there's a bunch of them back there, my girlfriend ran to the bathroom and had diarrhea that fast, so this was the fastest dinner we've ever eaten all done in about 25 minutes and I tried to call the restaurant said their manager Skyler was out for a week and is going to give me a call apparently they didn't want to hear what I have to say the food was not very desirable for the price that they're asking it should be spot on, our friends told us to go to Boone's, but we gave this a shot,we will not make this mistake again ,so our night was done after this so-called nice dinner and our evening also, apparently there was no managing of this place,just on Facebook hey our manager is out until next Tuesday and we have to leave the next day so they didn't have to deal with us, I do not recommend this establishment

Great staff, go early they are small and fill up fast. You have to pay to park during the week before 6pm. Kevin had porterhouse with mushrooms, he said it was cooked perfectly and didn't need a knife to cut it. Great flavor! I had rack of lamb, OMG it was fantastic! A must if you like lamb. If you're in Traverse City make it a special dinner and go! Worth every penny.

We had a great experience at Mode's. They were busy, but we got seated right away, and our server Debbie got right to us for drink order. The food was great and we would definitely come back again. The real star was our server Debbie. She was very attentive to our table, was very happy and exuberant, and made us feel like this was a meal with family.

This place is closed. Sorry. Maybe if they were open, I could write a review. Looked at the picture and the food looked good. Better luck next time. I wrote this review because I paid $2 for parking and tried to go inside. There was NO sign saying closed. Nothing. At least show appreciation to your customers by saying you are closed. Some sign would help. Really! You could at least change your VM to say closed. Not open. You just locked your doors and left. Wow. Very bad management!

Possibly the worst steak I've ever had. Ordered medium and it was black and bitter on the outside, still near raw on the inside. I'm not sure if the grill hood in the back was broken or what but about 30 minutes after we sat down and the restaurant started filling up the whole place was full of nasty greasy smoke. One of the chairs at our table was broken. Very old school 'bar' atmosphere. Would be a 1 star but the front of house staff was top notch and let down by whoever's in the back ruining good meat. Overheard a comment with someone who must have been a local asking who was cooking that night and it sounded like we got the 'good' one.

Off the beaten track steak house. So Delicious! Had the Filet, seasoned, perfectly grilled. I will be back so hard!!!

Cool throwback to the 60's, coupled with great food and good drinks. The decor is reminiscent of your 1960s neighborhood pubs. I've always enjoyed tasty meals here. One block off front street in TC. Definitely recommend this place for dinner. Suggest you keep your group small (6 or less) when visiting.

Good food. Cool atmosphere. Very "throw back" vibe. Good service but the server needed to slow down!!! Moving too quickly, almost running at times which lead to the food being tossed on the table, drinks being spilled etc. we were never asked if we wanted a second round of drinks, and we did! Our steaks were over cooked but we were never asked how they were. We'd go back but now we know - turn over is high priority here.

I got the prime rib and ordered it "pink". Well 30% of the middle was a grayish pink with the outer part at a full grey. The wife got a strip steak and order it medium and received it at a full well done. The prime rib was also room temperature when I took the first bite. The salad was ok and the chicken wings were small and salty. The atmosphere was pretty cool but I felt like I was in a AARP commercial.

Best prime rib I have ever eaten! The wedge salad is great. We make it a point to go to Mode's for prime rib when ever in TC.