West End Tavern

Came here with the cutest of girls to kick off our fifth anniversary tour of Traverse City! What a tremendous welcome to this fine city it was. First off, we got a nice window seat and watched the boats and the views. I ordered the Wagyu burger with Parmesan fries and ranch. But oh boy, that truffle aioli-like dipping sauce they have for the fries was an amazing combo. The ranch was thicc and hitting too. My burger was massive and effortlessly tender, succulent, and juicy! I was so satisfied with my burger and fries—I could eat that every day of the week, son! We had some alcoholic beverages and split a huge slice of carrot cake after the main course. Twas delicious, and we loved the frosting—it was nice and thicc. Overall, we enjoyed our visit very much and would gladly be back for more. Friendly and nice staff to boot. Thanks for a good time! Five out of five!!

Great place for lunch or dinner. Love the marina views on the deck. The pizza is phenomenal! we haven't been disappointed with a single dish. great variety of drink specials too. The Bloody Mary is delicious. Service is always exceptional. The staff and mangers do an awesome job to make you feel welcomed and appreciated. always fast, friendly & attentive. Looking for great food, drinks and a fun atmosphere with beautiful views, I recommend a visit to West End Tavern!

Great views! Calamari was perfectly crispy and a hearty serving. The lobster stuffed mushrooms were also a decadent appetizer! Seafood chowder had a good texture and flavor. The whitefish was well cooked, however I do wish it was said in the menu that there is a breading on it. I would have preferred it without it to keep it lighter.

We just went for dinner on Thursday which was the last night of our vacation. We had gone to another restaurant across the street the night before (which shall remain nameless) and we were extremely disappointed. We wanted to end our vacation on a high note so since West End had waterfront dining and a decent looking menu we decided to give it a try. I had the halibut, my husband had the wagyu burger, kids split margherita pizza and fries, along with a bowl of the seafood chowder. Everything was delicious but the seafood chowder and halibut were AMAZING!!! I highly recommend both if you decide to visit. If/when we're back in the area we'll definitely go back.

West End Tavern is the perfect place for a delicious meal, wonderful service and a stunning view! My husband and I went for lunch yesterday and our waitress, Nancy, could not have taken better care of us. She was attentive and helpful with any questions we had, the food was fantastic and the view over the harbor is awesome. I highly recommend stopping by for lunch or dinner, you won't be disappointed!

Went to West End Tavern to celebrate our 1 year wedding anniversary. Service was great! Our server was attentive. We ordered the calamari as an appetizer; very good lots of flavor. For dinner we ordered the walleye and a burger. The walleye was the star of the plate. The risotto was not flavorful and undercooked. The green beans were extremely al dente. The wagyu burger was sub par. We would probably return but would definitely order other entrees.

The Greatest French Onion Soup Ever. Plus melting the cheese in the Brick Pizza oven. My Wife critiques all restaurants based on this soup, this was the best both of us has ever had. She was like. We are coming back tomorrow. Too bad you're 4 hours away. Thank you again Scott and Molly from West End, for making this such an enjoyable afternoon.

Our family ate dinner here tonight, and couldn’t have been happier with the experience. With a larger party of 9 we usually expect some issues, but there were none. Our server Keegan was fantastic. Our drinks were always full, and refills came quickly. I ordered the ribeye, which was cooked perfectly and was full of flavor. The green beans and mashed potatoes were given as much care by the kitchen staff as the main dish, and tasted amazing. Everyone in the group enjoyed their dishes as well- Wagyu sirloins, Wagyu burger, BBQ chicken pizza, and a kid’s macaroni and cheese. We will definitely be back!

Great place, the view, the food and our waiter - all 19's! Cole was a terrific waiter and took care of our every want! We will be back!!

It's a 3.5/5 restaurant with an 8/10 view. And it's mostly tourists. I'm local and I typically avoid West End Tavern. On a whim, we grabbed an outdoor table in a beautiful night. The drink menu was sticky & filthy. Gross. The brussel sprouts are just doused with sauce. A real chef would know that's not how you cook or present food. I ordered the tavern burger, spouse ordered the Detroit beef sandwich. Both were ok, not amazing by any means. Neither would bring us back. I ordered the house margarita but got the spicy margarita. I specifically said I don't want a spicy marg. Our server never came back to check on us so I couldn't send it back. In the end she took it off our bill, but I came for a decent cocktail and I got someone else's order. Here's the thing about West End Tavern: it's servicable. There are so many better restaurants in traverse city, why bother with WET??! Simple things: bring the ketchup & mustard with the burger so I don't have to wait til my food is cold to get those condiments. A spicy marg, when not ordered, is a big disappointment. Traverse City is a hotspot for really great food, don't waste your money here.

Nice location, at the marina, overlooking the traverse bay coastline. For obvious reason, the patio area is difficult to get a table at. We were visiting during the cherry festival and even after calling 40 minutes ahead, had to wait for more than an hour to get seated. That too, at an inside-booth, as the patio was still crowded. The food was pretty good, and we all enjoyed both the lobster stuffed mushroom and fried calamari starters. For the main course the walleye risotto was good and so was the chowder. The locally sourced riesling wine was just as good. It was my birthday and the chocolate cake they served was nice too. The scenery gets very pretty during the sunset and the food is awesome. I got compliments from my friends for picking this place for the birthday dinner.

After exploring the Leelanau area we ended our day at one of our favorite dinner venues. This is a great location, by Grand Traverse Bay next to the Marina. They are always busy at peak times, so unless you used called ahead seating, expect a wait. You can get a cocktail and enjoy the views by the patio while you wait. Always great food, good portions and the staff is friendly and attentive. We had the Grilled Caesar with their homemade dressing, it was very flavorful. We also had the Chicken Pasta with sun dried tomatoes, bacon, spinach and a smoked Gouda sauce. The two dishes paired nicely and ingredients were fresh and tasty. Definitely recommend West End Tavern if you are in the area.

West End Tavern is a cute restaurant that my husband and I have wanted to try for some time now! We ended up stopping by here for my husband's birthday and had a nice time. We split the French Onion Soup and ordered Ribs and Salad as our Mains. The soup was good, salad was yummy, and the ribs were just okay! We also brought our 11 month old, which I wouldn't recommend. The restaurant provides high chairs but we felt a bit out of place with our kiddo - it's a much more quiet environment than we had anticipated and our son does not have an inside voice yet.

Food was outstanding. View of the bay adds a nice touch. Service was good. Had the salmon dish and it was great.

This spot is a must go when in TC. It was 6 of us dining and the accommodated us right away. The location has a nice water view by the boat docks. Each of us ordered something different and tried each others. Every single item was delicious and rather large portions. The ribs fall off the bone, the rib eye was cooked to perfection, the lobster Mac was delicious and family sized and the French Onion soup was devine and served with a small scissors to "cut the cheeses." lol.

It has been hard to find a great restaurant in Traverse City, this place has nailed it twice for us this week. Outdoor seating in the patio overlooking the marina is beautiful, both servers, Candice and Zoey knocked it outbid the park, drinks were great and refreshing, and walleye sandwich is a must. We had the edge, fantastic and different with maple bacon, calamari was a hit with the kids, sweet potato fries are amongst the best, and both soups were outstanding in a cold day highly recommend!

We noticed West End perched up over the water while driving at night and decided to come here for lunch. Their patio was definitely a bit hot in the sun, but the sangria and the Bloody Mary were both good and helped cool us off a bit. My husband and I both started with their seafood chowder and LOVED it. It was delicious, full of shrimp and potato pieces, a hearty portion and really flavorful! I wouldn't recommend the calamari, a large portion but definitely not fresh seafood in the slightest. My husband ordered the fish sandwich and it was pretty good.. we really liked the battered fries served with it. My only complaint overall would be the pricing... the atmosphere and the bar-type food doesn't seem to match up with the $30+ entrees. If I come back it's definitely for the chowder!

I came in with my husband and a friend. Between us we had the seafood chowder, the stuffed mushroom caps, the wedge salad, and the beet salad. The chowder was fantastic. The wedge salad was lovely. The beet salad needed to have more beets and less lettuce and the mushrooms needed to have less breadcrumbs (although they tasted lovely). Our server was first rate and, although we wanted to sit outside but couldn't, the view was lovely.

Outstanding location overlooking the west bay in Traverse City. You can sit and watch the boats while sitting outside or enjoy the climate controlled indoor seating. We tried 2 pizzas which were both delicious and we are looking forward to going back to try more apps and desserts, too. Would love to eat here outside in the evening to enjoy the string lights as well. I took off one star for what seemed like pretty limited parking? Unless there was more around the back!

Everything seemed to be going well - food was good, excellent service, ambiance wonderful. There is a 3% surcharge to cover increasing costs, which I understand. But then we learned that management takes 1% of the tips for the wait staff!! When I give a tip it's not for management! I would invite customers to leave a cash tip and let the wait staff decide whether or not to report it.

Great spot with an amazing view! Pearl was our server and she is great! We got the lobster mac and cheese (highly recommend!). A little pricier than it should be but it's definitely delicious. We also got the Alaskan halibut. The sauce and accompaniments were good not the halibut was not fresh. As soon as it was sat down on the table, we immediately smelled that fishy smell from when fish it not fresh. We ate abt half but couldn't handle anymore so we gave it to our dog. Sadly, she sniffed it and turned away. She would not touch it at all. The smell was appalling. Aside from the nasty overpriced halibut, it was a good experience.

TOURISTS BEWARE!! If you are over 21, but have a verified Real ID issued license from any other state that is still vertical as your state does not require you to renew until 2028, this restaurant will not serve you and they will ruin your entire celebration with poor service and a manager who says he can deny service to anyone he wants. Upon leaving this place, this Real ID issued license worked by being scanned at a gas station for beer and cigarettes, and at two different bars on front street. This restaurant discriminated against a tourist with a legally issued ID and they should have their bar license revoked. Their service also sucked and the food was marginally okay.

When we arrived they told us it would be a 45 min wait. They offered us immediate seating at the bar. Why not! The bar was outside and it was a nice night. Not too hot. I ordered a white sangria. Josie was tending the bar and she made it perfectly... So refreshing. For dinner I ordered the mixed green salad with shrimp and poppyseed dressing. So good. Hubbie ordered the Ribeye. Cooked to the right temperature and was very flavorful. We rated the food 5 stars. And Josie had such a pleasant personality... 5 stars for her too! Nice view of the bay and all the boats in the marina

I really like the food on as West End. The service is great, the atmosphere is fine. The drinks are well-made. But today I got a really sad surprise. Don't order the Calamari unless your server can answer this questions with a "yes": Is the calamari round? They have put something on the menu that isn't remotely calamari. It is very uniform-shaped and sized little logs. The waitress told me that it comes in a slab and they cut it into these strips. It must be some processed mystery thing - it has the texture akin to a French fry or something like I have never eaten before. It was lightly breaded and fried "well" but that dosen't make it real. It was flavorless without a sauce. It just felt and tasted yucky in my mouth. I did send it bad, and I did share with the restaurant that it was not something I would ever order again. I will go there again and order any of a number of other good items. But sadly, no squid for me. That's why today I give it a 2 instead of a 4-5

This place is a lot of fun! The food is great, the service is friendly, and you can't beat the view. Eating while looking out over the harbor and a marina filled with sailboats is usually going to end in a good time. This place doesn't disappoint.

This place has awesome calamari and the pizzas are great with a thin wood fired style crust Awesome service and really good quality food with incredible views

Had a pretty good experience here. The food is pretty pricey but it tasted really good. Really good selection of appetizers. The wagyu steak with the sauteed mushrooms was fantastic. It was cold and nasty when we went so we really didn't get to experience the best ambiance of the place but sitting inside isn't awful.

Awful long wait while tables were open, dirty table with a fly who even wanted to escape this place on my husbands hat-lol! Took forever to get seated to a kind of clean table and food that was pricey & mediocre at best. Won't be back.

Went and had a drink at the bar due to a 90 minute wait for a table. Had an amazing view of the lake, and sadly we skipped dinner. Maybe next time. Beautiful little spot so I can see why it had such a long wait. Call ahead of time to get an idea of the wait.

The outdoor patio is nice. There is a nice view of West Bay Marina. The server was attentive. We had a Tavern Burger and Chicken sandwich today. We've been here previously, and everything has always been delicious.

Its been a couple of years so we wanted to return for an early dinner. We were hoping to get a table outside but the only table left were in the sun. So we opted to dine indoors...Which wasn't bad seeing is we had the dining area to ourselves. We ordered the Lobster Stuffed Mushrooms as a beginning and for our entree we both selected the Walleye dinner. Both were very good. The food is 5 star but the inside ambiance is more like a 3-4 but you still get a decent view of the harbor if by the windows. We will come back next time in town.

Espresso Martini Machine is Fire! #ketelone #espresso Great service and beautiful atmosphere!

A fun evening on the deck. Really appreciate being able to call in and get on waiting list as we start out for the evening. Waygu burger was top entree, both pizzas ( one white mushroom and one Italian fennel sausage) were very tasty and the beet salad was eagerly shared by two of us. All four give thumbs up. Recommend a little patience with a few service delays. In the end it all worked out and will return.

We stopped in to have drinks and a quick bite. We tried the bruschetta. We liked it the red onion seemed to over power the other flavors. The seafood chowder was very good very good vegetable broth flavoring. The lobster Mac and cheese stole the show. It was delicious with the cheese sauce and large pieces of lobster. Nice quite restaurant and great service. Thank you.

Service: If I could give ten stars, I would. We were hoping to dine off the restaurant week menu, but we didn't have a reservation and they had missed a delivery and had to save the restaurant week menu items for customers with reservations. My friend had called about three weeks ago to see if they took reservations, she was told 'no.' But, once we were seated we'd been told by our server and the maitre'd that they only take reservations during restaurant week. Kerfuffle. Anyway, they did their best to make it up to us, which was appreciated (10$ dining certificate per person). Food: I had the Walleye sandwich, fries, and salad. My friend had the waygu steak w/ Bleu cheese crumbles- she wished it was a little more pink. No way she was gonna complain, she has a second job in food service and is not an a*hole. We didn't want our server to cry. We shared the lobsta stuffed shrooms. Neither of us had room for dessert. All of it was tasty

The hostess Lani was wonderful she had a smile on her face when we walked in with our group of 11 was seated right away. Our waitress Abbey was fantastic she was prompt with greeting us (with a smile) and getting our drink and food order. She kept making sure we didn't need anything through out our stay. She was very friendly and courteous. The food was fantastic the Ribye steak was the best we have had in Traverse City, the Lobster mac n cheese was wonderful. We know where we will eat when we go back to Traverse City.

The sweet potato fries are in the waffle shape now btw. Great burgers. Parmesan fries are very cheesy. Like imagine the cheesiest thing you've ever had and add some Cheeto dust on top. 4 stars.

A beautiful restaurant with lovely food! We were seated right away, in a sunny corner booth with views of the snow-dusted marina. Our waitress and hostess were very sweet and attentive. We all kind of took nibbles of each other's food, and everything was great! I got a perfectly-done wagyu burger with delightfully crispy fries. Another friend opted for steak and garlic red skin mashed potatoes (which were amazing and gave me food jealousy). And the others ordered half racks of ribs that were perfectly glazed in just the right amount of barbecue sauce. The coffee and mimosas are were also very good! The interior was pretty, and I'm sure it would be a great place for a date night, with the backlit bar and nice decor, and the pretty menus and place settings. Highly recommend!

food not too bad but terrible service and they were not that busy. A bit pricey for quality of service and just average food

I live right by west end tavern and went right after I moved here 7 years ago... I don't remember it being anything special then but now it is AMAZINGGG!! I had the chicken dinner and it was absolutely delicious. The most tender chicken I've ever eaten.

Food is great, pizza is great, burgers are great, service is great, workers are so nice. Very pretty waterfront restaurant.

I was up here this summer and found this by dumb luck. Sat out on the deck and enjoyed the view, food and service. Came back to TC and make sure to make it here for dinner. While I could enjoy the view, the food and service are still great!

A great dinner spot with a beautiful view! Service was fast and friendly and our food was delicious. Opted for the dinner special ribeye and my dinner companion had the ribs. Great food!

Best onion soup in town. Been there many times and keep going back. Good Food and Services.

The food is wonderful here. We have been here a few times over the last year when we come into town and they have amazing service. We will be back this summer when come into town with our family.

We were seated and left after 20 minutes because no waiter ever came to our table. The patio was 25% full with 4 waiters and a dedicated bartender and were not even acknowledged but they were more focused on wrapping the silverware on the patio.

Our family has been coming here for years. The deck is a great setting if you can get a spot early enough. The booths inside are nice too, with Marina view. The food is consistently good. They have a nice pizza oven so those are always a good option. We got the Brussels, a couple salads, bbq chicken pizza, ribs, and a handful of kids menu items for the 6 kids we had in our group. Very kid friendly. Service has always been good here too. Drinks are good too! Highly recommend but like most, get there early, especially if you want to sit outside!

The thing I like most about this place was that you are able to eat outside and enjoy the view of the bay. I tried to go to Attaché Trout and they didn't let you eat and sit outside. That was a bummer. Either point for ambience and outdoor seating goes to this place. This place has two bars. One full size bar inside and one little bar on the deck. Pricing was reasonable for what you got. The wagyu burger was $20 and the caprese was I think 14ish. I wanted to try the best I could so that is why is spent a little. If you get the burger. I would get it medium well. I normally do a medium. But it being wagyu it was REALLY juicy and I felt a little on the rare side. The caprese I wish there was a little more mozzarella compared to the tomatoes. But it over all was really good. I would recommend this place it you want an outdoors dinner experience.

Table was not very clean, lots of flies. It was not busy, took a long time for our food, which was average.

Seated promptly with a small wait for first drink. Ordered app. Long wait then ordered drinks and dinner and never saw our server again. Turns out her baby was brought into the restaurant and all focus was on her. Never got drinks or dinner and nobody seemed to care as baby was passed around the bar and restaurant.

As a local to Traverse City, this is my wife and I favorite place. Great view sit, on the deck if you can and enjoy the amazing food! We've tried almost everything on the menu and have never been disappointed. Like most places they've had some issues with service, but have always made it right with us. But you won't even care with a view like that!

Had an amazing time last night! Our waitress was Bailey, she was amazing, knowledgeable and attentive! 11/10! The guys had burgers that were perfectly cooked to their liking and us girls enjoyed the restaurant week menu and every course was superb! Thanks for the great experience.

Best French onion soup in all of TC- comes with scissors! The patio is super nice to sit at - they do get really busy so try and go after 1 and before 5

This has to be one of my ultimate favorite Traverse City spots. First off- the view is amazing. I love being able to see the boats on the water! The food has never disappointed me. I usually get something different every time I go- but the Baked Raclette Cheese is a MUST! Served with pita bites and apples, it is the perfect appetizer or grazing plate to share among friends. The french onion soup is one of the best that Ive had- so cheesy is it, that they bring out scissors to make sure you get a bite of cheese with every scoop! Truly, West End Tavern is a great place to order several apps and share among friends!

My family had the Chicken Pasta, Rotisserie Chicken, Seafood Chowder with a Cesaer Salad and the Walleye. It was all good but for the price charged, I expected more flavor. The service & view however was wonderful. Our server was very attentive, even for being seated on the outside deck which overlooked the Grand Bay & marina.

I really enjoyed the atmosphere here. There is a nice patio & huge windows inside. Great views! The food was nothing special, it was good but not amazing. I love bacon Brussels but the seasoning was a little strong... the rice was bland. The salmon was perfect. My French onion soup was great!

Good view. The service was good. Really enjoyed our dinner there. Would highly suggest. This place for lunch or dinner.