West End Tavern

West End Tavern — Traverse City We had an outstanding dinner at West End Tavern in Traverse City. Everything we ordered was delicious and beautifully prepared. We started with the lobster-stuffed mushrooms, which were rich, flavorful, and the perfect beginning to the meal. For entrées, our table tried a variety of dishes and every single one impressed us. The chicken pasta was comforting and perfectly seasoned, the wagyu sirloin with mushroom demi-glaze was incredibly tender and packed with flavor, the rotisserie chicken was juicy with a crisp skin, and the ribs were fall-off-the-bone good. It’s rare for a group to love every dish, but West End delivered across the board. The atmosphere was welcoming, the service was great, and the overall experience made this a new favorite for us in TC. We’ll definitely be back! We also l9ved the vibe!

Stunning view if you get window seating, the atmosphere was cozy, cheerful, and classy. Our waitress was kind and polite. Food did take a bit to arrive, but well worth the wait (also a bit pricey, but you get what you pay for).

We stopped here for a lovely lunch. Everything was so delicious. We had fabulous salads, Perch sandwiches, truffle fries and specialty drinks. We sat outside. Beautiful views! Great service too!

Can't recommend you go to West End Tavern enough. Our service was very friendly and our veiw of the Marina from the patio was perfect. All if our entrees were delicious but the tomahawk pork chop may have been the best pork chop I've ever had.

I wanted to do 4 1/2 bc I ordered a Pellegrino and it was put on ice (just a pet peeve) however, I think that’s maybe just a personal preference so 5 stars it is! The stone fire pizza oven pumps out some delicious pies, the seafood chowder with lobster was like a chunky delish lobster bisque and their Bloody Mary was the ultimate hangover helper. Red sangria for a refreshing pick me up and Molly the bartender slinging drinks and great draft beers. Only one tv at the bar. But listen people, talk to each other and pretend it’s 1995. Great spot, lots of tables, water view- stop for lunch, dinner or just a drink along your Michigander getaway

We ordered 2 apps. Fantastic stuffed mushrooms. I forget if they had crab or lobster. Second was the most flavorful spinach and artichoke dip we have ever had served with chips and naan bread. My husband ordered Alaskan halibut with Parmesan risotto. Halibut was great. The risotto was so so. I had the French onion soup served with scissors. Scissors were great for cutting cheese and soup tasted great. My son had slab of ribs with bacon brussel sprouts and mashed potatoes. Sides were good. I am guessing the ribs were excellent because I have never seen someone clean a slab of ribs so fast. Cleaned to the bone in under 2 mins. No exaggeration. We did spend a little over $200 with tip included. 2 apps and 3 entrees.

Great views of the marina. Indoor and outdoor seating. No wait to get a table. Food was very good with a variety of choices. I had the Detroit beef which was very good. Only negative of this visit was finding a long piece of hair in the calamari appetizer which was compt by management.

Loved the outdoor seating over the marina. Was perfect for some drinks and dinner. Really enjoyed the wagyu burger. Some great cocktail options as well. Would recommend.

Drove by and dropped in for a Sunday afternoon meal. We were quickly seated and had a nice booth with a view of the harbor. The menu has many interesting options but we chose a cup of seafood chowder and Caesar salad. The chowder was very good, rich, creamy and a touch of heat. The salad was also tasty and plentiful for the two of us to split. Looking back I would of had the dressing on the side. It was very flavorful and creamy, a little went a long way. Good food, nice view, quality service.

Can't believe we haven't reviewed since 6 years ago, as we dine here every time we visit TC, many times each year. Love the view of our favorite body of water, whether we sit indoors or on the outdoor patio deck. Service is always excellent, and today's server (Sheila) was wonderful! We started with French onion soup...mine without crostini, his made normally. Truly, with its rich flavorful broth, it is not to be missed! I got the whitefish sandwich without the bun, served on fresh baby greens with pickles, Dijon aioli, coleslaw, and I had them add sliced tomato and red onion. The fish (huge filet) is crisp, seasoned well, and so fresh. Yum! Hubby got the Tavern burger without fries. Also delicious! Or recommendation, if you haven't already done so, is try West End! It could become one of your fav Traverse City destinations, as well!

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.

Lovely bay views in this open restaurant. We enjoyed the French Onion Soup and a sausage fennel made in the brick oven. The soup was so hot but so delicious and the pizza crust was thin and toppings perfect. The garlic, onion and tomatoes on the pizza were sweet! We ordered the old fashioneds and they tasted fine but have a honey cinnamon taste that I was not enamored with. Our waiter, Chuck, was attentive and helpful with menu selections. Nice place to stop.

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'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.

Please skip this place for the sake of your GI system. Our waiter was rude and tried to rush us through our meal. Everything looked like a glorified Golden Corral. I ordered a sirloin that came drenched with brown gravy . I could barely cut it with a steak knife. I ate a few bites of it as it wasn't cheap. Man I was sick afterwards. The restaurant has a nice view but that's about it.

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!

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!!

I agree with A A. This place made my bowels work overtime and the food tasted like silly putty dipped in unsalted sewer brine. The waiter was obviously perturbed by our existence and the view of cheap fish boats was equally as deserving of attention as their cocktails were.

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.

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

We thoroughly enjoyed the food and service here during our visit. We sat on the patio with a fabulous view of the bay. The Detroit shaved beef sandwich was a highlight...as were the sweet potato waffle fries!

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.

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.

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!

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!

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.

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.

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.

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

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.

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

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!

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.

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.

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.

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

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

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!

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.

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.

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.

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

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 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!

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.

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!

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.

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

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.

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!

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.