Esperance

Excellent staff
Wonderful selection of specialty goods
Beautiful wine collection
The rewards they received from wine spectator are well deserved

The Food:
One word, Fantastic! Local in-​season ingredients are integrated into the menu providing fresh, flavorful, and creative dishes. The owners focus on providing the highest quality food for each dish, which is shown in the level of detail that the food is prepared.
The staff and dining experience:
It’s obvious that the owners have passion for food, wine, and hospitality by the way Pram and his staff make you feel right at home in the cozy space. Esperance provides an amazing dining experience with a casual feel. The food is second to none (as stated above) and you’ll be provided the perfect pairings through Pram’s knowledge of wine. Bravo Esperance!

In addition to the many enjoyable meals we have experienced at Esperance, in this case, Pram and Suzanne provide an elegant location for a private dinner — a wedding rehearsal dinner. Starting outside in the beautiful garden, the evening progressed through a wonderful menu that Suzanne assembled from both local farm produce, and supplemented with a few favorites from further abroad. Suzanne’s creations were only made better through Pram’s expert pairing of wine. Strongly encourage you to enjoy their wonderful restaurant whenever you can — it rivals anything we’ve eaten in Paris, Zurich, New York!

Definitely the best place in town! (It’s actually a bit out of town on route 31) The food is tasty and the service is spectacular. Not a place for young children. They also have a nice bar area along with a market that is open during the day where one can buy delightful wines, cheeses, olives and other various sundries.

Wow, just wow. Great food. It is expensive, but don’t hesitate. It is definitely worth it.

The best part of returning to northern MiI is the opportunity to enjoy dinner at Esperance. The menu is off the charts and we have never had anything that wasn’t the best taste treat available. Suzanne and Pram are the epitome owners of an majorally upscale restaurant. The food is without a doubt prepared with love and a fulll understanding of perfect preparation. Pram is a master at choosing the perfect wine to enhance your dining choices. It is not inexpensive but it is worth every penny in your pocket! Beautiful sevice and lovely setting.

Expensive, but only for Northern Michigan. Felt like we were in a 5 star restaurant in NYC. Excellent wine list, superb food. Exceptional staff, especially knowledgeable about wine. A must visit. Only open part of week/weekends…call first. Wonderful store too!

A fantastic place!

I can’t imagine why anyone would find Pram rude as I found him charming and he treated our party with the utmost care and courtesy. Our waiter was very professional and efficient. The menu was varied and tempting for every course and every plate was artfully presented. The décor was tasteful and interesting. The wine selection was outstanding and Pram was very knowledgeable and a great help in making selections.
Two complaints: first, the filet, ordered medium rare, was a bit over cooked and served splayed down the middle, which made me think they knew it was overcooked and attempted to prevent it from cooking more. While it was not actually dry, it was not juicy either; it was red in the very center but gray for the first ³⁄₈ inch on each side. For $ 49 it should be perfect every time. Secondly, we had two vegans in our party and called a day ahead to request vegan meals. They did a nice job with an appetizer, but the main course was two different rices and fresh veggies – all very nicely prepared, but hardly a complete meal. And for $ 33, not what it should have been. Vegans need protein too – beans, lentils, tofu, seitan, tempeh.
Also, I have to agree the portions are not generous (which they should be for the prices charged); I found them adequate, but just barely. When a restaurant charges in the range this one does I go there for special occasions and I expect an experience that is outstanding in every way. In a lot of ways it was (service, pace, presentation, wine, ingredients), but the food, while delicious overall, did fall a little bit short. I would give it a 3.5 if I could, but for the money (over $ 100 per person) it wasn’t quite a 4 and it should have been a 5, so it was a bit of a disappointment.

Absolutely wonderful! The Morels in cream were to die for! We also had the Esperance Luna Pasta and Filet Mignon. Both were perfect. Great service, fabulous wine selection, and really delicious cuisine. The owner Pram is a true gentleman… he even loaned us his car for transportation to and from the marina as we came to Charlevoix by boat. Hope you like as much as we did… were going back!

The food this year is out of sight! They have added another chef working with Suzzane. Had a fabulous vegetarian entrée that was the best veggie dish either of us have ever had. We used Pram to pick the wine which is always a good idea since he is so knowledgeable. Prices were good and selections were both different and wonderful. There is an automatic 20% gratuity and the bill presentation is a little different, but tax is not applied to the tip as a previous reviewer claimed.

Went to Esperance last week at a friends suggestion. Pram, the owner, is a rude, unsmiling, unfriendly annoyance who over charges substantially for the wine purchased for dinner. I am sure his retail store does well, but when dining in the restaurant for dinner, not only do you pay retail for your wine, he adds a $ 15 charge as a corking fee! Really??? Then when the bill comes, no matter the number of diners in your party, you are charged an automatic 20% service fee (tip) AND THEN they add the tax on top of that. So essentially, you are being taxed on the tip you may or may not have wanted to leave. I think that this is actually against the law to charge tax on the tip. No where has this ever happened. NOWHERE! The food was very good although very small portions. A beet salad with lots of greenery and one tiny beet (no joke) was $ 15. This place is a total rip off. Don’t go! Absolutely NOT WORTH IT.