Barrel Back Restaurant Review

My husband took me here last November for my birthday. Everything was wonderful! From the drinks to dinner and desert! All perfect, I can't wait to return. Thank you for a lovely birthday dinner.

I was happy someone suggested this place. Cool small town and this place is awesome.

The food is amazing. Its a hoppong place and the people are friendly. The shop below has an amazing selection of clothingvand other water sports stuff.

Always love this restaurant. The atmosphere is so nice. Food and service is always top notch!

yeah. food was good! busy. prices on the higher side but oh well.

It was a tasty breakfast, great portion sizes and awesome service...view cannot be beat! Thanks was a very lovely experience.

Great food with. Wonderful atmosphere and view. Open fire pit in center NOT child friendly. Watch your little ones. Gluten free choices are very good.

Great appetizer, buffalo chicken dip. I had a nice burger. Atmosphere was laid back. Wi-Fi was very quick...refreshing for out of towners like me who had no service at all for a week. A must stop for food, window shopping, or lounging on the lawn playing corn hole.

Great views and friendly staff. We didn't eat - But the food coming from the kitchen looked and smelled wonderful!!

Options were many...we were all able to find something good to eat. Wait staff very pleasant.

Summer is amazing with great food and a view of Walloon Lake, winter is amazing with great food and a lovely fireplace in the center of the restaurant. One of my all time faves. Only thing I don't like: the chairs are not that comfortable, but worth it for the food. Try the pork pizza. Yep, you read that correctly.

Service was very good, food was delivered very quickly. We had quite a variety of items, pasta, shrimp, brisket and steak. Food was good, however portions were a little small for the price.

Took 2 friends to lunch - $65 for burger/chicken wrap & 1/2 piece of battered white fish - no condiments were put on the table until we asked 3 times and we were half done with lunch. The waitstaff acted like she was off in another land - worst lunch I have in a long time. Evidentally they are surviving on their reputation and not quality of food!

Food is inconsistent, overly crowded, service spotty at best!

Really enjoyed my experience here. Great view of the lake, service was awesome, food was excellent, and drinks were great!

Awesome food! Keisha deserves all accolades for being the best server. She knew her menu, recommended phenomenal choices and made sure we were happy. Too boot, she took care of our two kids!! Will come back for sure!

What a gem this place is. World class setting and service hidden away in a little ville at the back of a quiet deeper water lake. Seating overlooks the length of the lake towards the west, perfect for a romantic evening. Especially a favorite in the many off-season months; the central open fire place is fantastic in the winter. Overall, very savory, interesting menu selections, though some of their chefs are better than others for a noticeable difference even within the same dish.

Served us black bacon. Coffee tasted like it was scraped off last weeks pot. Just head north or to Boyne city for a much better experience

Nice place but pushy male bartender with money for his tip.

Solid place.

The salmon was amazing as were the smoked wings.

We had to escape the bland Boyne resort restaurants and were so happy to find this place. Right on the water with a beautiful view

The layout of the restaurant is great for views. And the fire pits inside make an awesome atmosphere.

Had a great pizza and cocktails at the bar with an excellent bartender, Aaron.

Wonderful food and such a relaxed atmosphere, even in the winter! Get the Walleye Almondine.

Always tasty. We just wished the fireplace was on, it was cold when we went. Though, it can't be cold forever...

Went for Monday AYCE Wings and they were very good. Crispy and sauced to perfection. All of the sauce styles were great. Will be going back.

Fairly consistent food, seasonal menus, great bar, always friendly staff. A great place for locals and visitors alike. Perfectly suitable for a date or families.

Prices are way too high. $14 dollars for a single piece of grilled romaine and $5 up charge for chicken.

NO INGREDIENTS ARE LOCALLY SOURCED

BARREL BACK Restaurant has something for everyone, as well as great indoor and outdoor seating with views of one of the most beautiful lakes in Michigan.

We started off at the bar on the dock with a drink "Barrel Back Lemonade" and then proceeded to have lunch upstairs on the outdoor patio. The drinks, food and service were outstanding.

What a wonderful atmosphere, highly recommended.

It's was good, kids loved the fire that was on, and I loved to brisket plate

$11 to add shrimp to your pasta... for four pieces... the fettuccine was good but what are these prices?

Chop Salad with Grilled Salmon and Asian Teriyaki Sauce. Great.

Nice waitstaff and bartenders, great sunsets and buffalo wings. Ice cold saspirillas available.

If you are a celiac they will go above and beyond to protect you!!

I love the open fireplace and the feel of the restaurant. Our ribs were pretty good and my husband had a large portion of brisket. However, the food our children received didn't look very good at all.

Service was slow, the ribs were over cooked bordering on burnt, my salad was dry like it had sat out all day, drinks weren't refilled, bread was part of theeal and was never delivered.

We are on vacation, staying in Boyne City, went thru the charming town of Walloon Lake, thought we would get take out at the Barrel Back. I can count on one hand how many reviews I have given for restaurants, and I think this is only the second bad for one. We ordered the Cuban Sandwich and the Whitefish Sandwich. We ordered fries with these. All three sandwiches were served on Hamburg buns..I don t know why? They were dry and extremely small. The four orders of fries combined really could not be equated to a full order of fries. Also, the fries were really not even cooked. Simply put, they were the worst fries I have ever payed for.
The meal was so very displeasing and we would never eat at this place again.

A little expensive. Cool atmosphere. Would love it in the summer with everything open. Excellent food

So many gluten free choices... and dessert too! Phil is a phenomenal waiter... very knowledgeable about GF.

The women singing in the dining room made it a 5 star visit.

This place has so much potential! I ordered the ribeye steak which came in at $30. I don't mind paying for a good steak, but this was not it. Small over cooked, but decent flavor. My wife got Greek pizza, which good have been good with just a little effort to spread the toppings around prior to melting the cheese.

Wait staff was ok! View of the lake was awesome! Overall disappointed!

We are always so pleased by the food and the service here. Being able to check out the store downstairs is also great.

If I could bottle up the smell and the view and take it home with me, I would. The wood fire oven makes the entire restaurant smell so amazing, and the view during sunset is to die for. All of their food is amazing, but I highly recommend the nachos and the chicken wings. They have a decent beer selection, and the store housed on the main floor below them is a cool spot to look around while waiting for your table. During the summer, be sure to check out their dock bar!

Upstairs over ski shop so you have a lovely view of the lake. Friendly genuine staff. Decent food. Free parking. Loads of families and folks in anything from swim wear to sports coats;) Casual feel. We went for weekend brunch. Tried the chef s choice strata which ended up weird with three different temperatures in this baked casserole. Sausage was spiced differently. But delightful decor and worth the visit just to take it all in. Wishing these folks all the best!

Absolutely love the food, the vibe, the view, and the availability of gluten free options! We go out of our way to stop here!

The fish my wife had was very good. I had the full rack of ribs and the tasted delicious but were only slightly warmed up. The server we had took our drink order immediately and it still took about 12 - 15 minutes for the drinks to arrive. It took even longer to place our food order and that only happened because we asked another server to let our waiter know we were ready to order. In all fairness it was a busy dinner rush but they seemed to be unprepared. This place was highly recommended and we were slightly disappointed but may give them another chance due to the circumstances. Very pricey dinner for 2 adults & 1 child, 2 mixed drinks & gratuity = $100.

Awesome atmosphere, great service, and wonderful quality of food. Just wish there were more vegan options.

Great atmosphere! Food was good! Would live to go back in the warmer weather when the doors are open over the water.

Food is excellent but prices are somewhat high and service is very slow.

Used to love this place but recently, the food quality has changed and the service was sub-par. Atmosphere is still great.

The pulled pork sliders and the Beef Brisket on marbled rye with carmelized onions...swiss cheese...and Horseradish sauce was beyond incredible!!!!

Amazing gluten free food and a beautiful setting on the water.

Good food at reasonable prices and attentive wait staff. Our waitress Kayla was friendly and very attentive. When in Wallon Lake make sure to dine there.

Nice wine list, excellent smoked ribs and brisket, generous Caesar salad.

Service was great along with the food. Would go again.

Awesome atmosphere, good food, good drinks. Jason, our waiter was great. We were passing through the area and we're directed here by locals. Great find!

Absolutely loved this place. Very friendly staff, social distancing observed, staff wear masks. Our server, Heath, was attentive to detail, our meal was the best meal I've had in a year!!

Excellent server, great views, add in great food = great experience.

Views, atmosphere, and staff were excellent, the meat in my brisket sandwich was very dry. The waiter told me to get an extra side of the horse radish sauce to make it better. Great recommendation! Love this place, one of my favorites in the area. Their whitefish sandwich is my favorite.

Great view, great atmosphere. Not too loud for how busy it was at lunch time. Phenomenal sliders!

Excellent restaurant with fantastic views of Walloon Lake in the middle of a cool little village. Diverse menu with plenty of good options.

Food was really good! Had a Cuban and brisket sandwich, would get again. View is really pretty. Little overpriced lunch for 2 $60 and had to fight with flies the whole time.

$11 to add shrimp to your pasta... for four pieces... the fettuccine was good but what are these prices?

When BB first opened, the food was great, the bar prices reasonable, and best of all, the atmosphere was upbeat and beautiful, with forever views of the Caribbean blues of Walloon Lake.

Today, the atmosphere remains equally as inviting and the service is better, but the food is hit or miss (except incredibly good chicken wings),and the prices have skyrocketed.

Bottom line: fun place to go for chicken wings...but pay attention to the right side of the menu.

Best place for dinner or meeting a friend for a drink.

Food is hit and miss hard. Roll the dice every time you go. Could be good. But probably not. Burnt buns, soggy fries, over done fish was my last meal there.

We stopped by on a Saturday in December and had a great meal. The menu was great for our family because it had all the basics (burgers and sandwiches) as well as some higher end entrees. We had the buffalo chicken dip and bruschetta and they were great. All the sandwiches (burger, whitefish, Cuban) and quesadillas were great. As a bonus - if you are a craft beer or cocktail person the selection was really good! The staff was very friendly and our server was a well trained professional, so the whole experience made for a memorable family dinner together. The only wish was that we weren t there on a sunny July evening because they have garage doors on all the windows overlooking Walloon Lake which would have been beautiful. That drawback is on us so we plan to go back in nicer weather! If you are in the area I highly recommend stopping by.

Nice place. On second floor. Our group of four shared a couple of appetizers. Very good. I had the pulled pork sliders and the sweet potato fries. Both very good.

Server was great..... Like read our minds almost scary

Service was good, Cuban was not good, burger was burnt. Prices seem a bit high.

Had wings appetizers. Mediocre at best. Pastry chef katie didn't make any desserts or they were out. Depending what wait staff you were talking to. Fireplace is nice too pricey for the quality in my opinion.

Worth the wait food and atmosphere are excellent staff was great and awesome view of the water

Food and service are great. Love the burgers and the Waldorf salad. Great bloody Mary!

Great menu including lots of celiac-safe options. Very accommodating for GF, but overall delicious menu too. Epic views and historic feel on Walloon Lake.