A recent trip out as a tourist in our own neck of the woods had me really wanting to scope out the Tahquamenon Falls Brewery & Pub. Located at the Upper Falls amongst the gift shop and several small outside eateries, it has a sweet rustic appeal that fits perfectly with the outdoorsy décor.
I’m not going to blab on for too long before telling you that I wouldn’t bother recommending this place. It’s actually pretty rare for me write something this negative about a local business but let me explain…
Tahquamenon Falls Brewery & Pub
We came on a Friday afternoon, perhaps a day of the week too busy for most but when I asked a staff member about the crowd he stated, “it’s always like this.”
So was it worth the wait?
We were greeted by a friendly hostess writing names down with a party count. She didn’t give us an approximate wait time but instead stated it shouldn’t be too long for a small table, “those are leaving sooner than the larger parties.” We were a group of 3.
On a positive note I ordered a seasonal microbrew to pass some time. The blueberry ale. Light and tasty with floating fresh blueberries. Good, actually…but perhaps I should’ve stopped there.
We waited over an hour and 15 minutes for a table, I was almost ready to give up but the friendly hostess informed us that we were finally able to take a seat.
An appetizer:
First of all we saw some pretty spectacular looking Onion Rings head out of the kitchen a few times and were hoping to sink our teeth into a few but were told that they were out and they weren’t sure when the “truck” would arrive with them. Hmmm, not fresh then? Ok?
Our waiter recommended the Spicy Cheese Curds with Ranch for dipping. Not bad, but likely not something they make on site either. Picture irregular shaped, bite-sized fried mozzarella sticks with a spice kick. I mean who doesn’t like fried cheese?
For our Lunch:
Now way past the noon hour…
Steak wrap which was listed as a special…the meat was tender but drowned in some sort of creamy basil horseradish sauce. Now, I’ll be the first to tell you that I’m a saucy person…I love sauce! And this was tasty but simply way too much. I basically picked a few pieces of meat from the stale spinach wrap. Did I mention the fries were cold…ugh!
Chicken Cordon Bleu Sandwich…you’d think you can’t go wrong with this. Well the chicken tasted like freezer, hmmm. Limited flavor is how this one can best be described, even with the ham and cheese over top. Did I mention the fries were cold…again?
Nachos…more like fake cheese nacho soup…and soggy.
The staff was seriously running around like crazy the entire time we were there. They were busy and doing the best they could but even if their attentiveness was a shining light, it wouldn’t have made the food taste any better.
You’re definitely paying for the atmosphere here!
My advice, for what it’s worth:
Get yourself a seasonal microbrew at the bar, do a 180 with your eyes open so you can see the place, then walk out and try the smoker food-truck or hot dog stand outside.
If you had a different experience at the Tahquamenon Falls Brewery & Pub and would like to share in the comments I’d love to read about it.
Interested in getting more info on things to do in the area? Follow along on Facebook!
Related posts:
Twin Cedars goes field trippin’: Tahquamenon Falls
7 Rules to live by when visiting Mackinac Island: being a fudgie
MI’s Upper Peninsula Bucket List, 50 things to do
The Northern Lights are sorta disappointing…
