Spikes Keg ‘O’ Nails

This bar, which has been around since the 30’s and looks like a pretty fun place to hang out with friends — lots of quirky memorabilia on the walls and in the rafters, including taxidermied grayling, the city’s extirpated namesake; a busy clientele that spans all ages and socioeconomic groups– disappointed us in the food department when we stopped in for lunch. We had cups of chili and turkey Reubens; the chili was pretty good Mom-​style chili with a nip of jalapenos, but our sandwiches had the bitter off-​taste of being toasted with old flattop grease. The filling was nothing special either. We did enjoy a dessert of what was billed as bananas Foster cheesecake bites, little deep-​fried, graham-​crackered nuggets of cheesecake tossed in a caramel sauce — we didn’t taste anything terribly boozy or bananalike, but they were still good. The beer choices were okay; a few Michigan brews but not as many as I would expect. Service was glacially slow… we were trying to get home, but wound up spending at least 15 – 20 minutes total waiting for our preoccupied server. Not a good first impression.

Horrible fish fry we went there to have there fish fry and it tasted burnt and gross after trying a couple peices we had enough. Later that night and into the next day we all had stomach issues. The service was good the atmosphere was Loud but as expected for a bar.

I really hate to demote Spike’s to a two-​star establishment. The atmosphere and the draft beer selection are still great. Visiting there is a quintessentially Grayling experience. But it’s more and more often a disappointing one too, mainly on account of the food.
The last four times I’ve been there, having had a reuben, a dinner salad, a patty melt and a Spikeburger on those occasions, were major letdowns. The first was soggy, the second was wilted, the last two were overcooked and very bland. The Spikeburger barely registered any beef flavor, and the onion rings I got on the side (which set me back an extra $ 3.00!!!) rained grease with every bite.
So, maybe I caught them on some off days. But I’ve had some poorly made sandwiches on occasion before, and my recent run of bad experiences is bringing me to the conclusion that Spike’s kitchen is at best wildly inconsistent. I don’t feel like gambling on it anymore.
Sure, I could have sent that overcooked Spikeburger back the other night, except when the server passed by asking how our burgers were she never even slowed down. I had a mouthful of burger at the time and raised my hand to get her attention but went unnoticed. At least I hope it was unnoticed and not simply ignored. Over time, the staff seems more and more indifferent to customers, actually, more desultory and disengaged.
Spike’s is a local legend, and that may be part of the problem. They don’t have to work very hard to get steady business. A lot of people are automatically roll in there when they get to Grayling (Lord knows I used to). And I wouldn’t tell anyone to avoid it altogether. By all means go there to savor a pint and enjoy the décor celebrating the outdoor pursuits for which Grayling is a hub. But I would strongly recommend going somewhere else when it’s time to tie on the feedbag.

We love this place. We try to stop in whenever we are in town. They have the best burgers and the staff is very nice and friendly.

Spike’s Keg O’ Nails, the meeting place of the north, is the place to go for bar snacks, drinks and atmosphere if you truly want to immerse yourself in the «up-​north» culture. Camo, waders and canoe marathon shirts galore. Try the Snake Nuts cocktail, can’t find it anywhere else.

Awesome burgers! Stopped in for lunch on the drive back to Detroit from Traverse City. My mom said she was here 30 years ago and the burgers were good. She wasn’t joking! Big and juicy with all the fixings. Loved the dive bar ambiance. Waitress was fast, friendly, and refilled our coffee quickly. Definitely will hit Spikes next trip up north!

I’ve been here a couple times, my grandparents have lived in Grayling for over 30 years. The burger was excellent! The burger is definitely the way to go!!! Small place but great atmosphere!

Drinks were cheap, food and service came fast. Smelt had no flavor, too much batter and taco
meat was more like sloppy joe meat. why people depend on frozen foods when there is an abundance of fresh to use is baffling.

Delicious! we shared the black bean burger and the spike burger … Super! We also had the waffle fries and our friend had the taco salad and root bear. All were really good! We’d be happy to have another meal here anytime!

Spikes Burger! Yeah just that good! Patty melt also good. Fries done just right. Beer always cold!

While vacationing up north, we deciding to check out Grayling and what it had to offer. After checking out some reviews and websites, we felt we HAD to eat at Spikes Keg ‘O’ Nails. The great history, the cool sign, the wonderful reviews!
So there we were, on a Thursday afternoon — 11:30am, and there were only a couple of tables left. It was kitschy décor, and I could understand a regular wanting to just sip suds at the small bar and chat with friends.
A waitress came, gave us menus, and took one of our drink orders (the others were still thinking about it). So far, so good. A few minutes later another waitress came and brought my beverage. We put in our orders. Son — chicken finger basket… do you have Squirt? No. Okay, I’ll have a Sierra Mist. Me — Chicken wrap sandwich, and can we get an order of fried pretzels? Sure. Husband — «World Famous Spike Burger with all fixins. Can I get it with sweet potato fries instead? Sure. Orders a beer, too.
Waitress #1 comes back, drops off silverware and napkins. Waitress #2 drops off beer. Minutes go by and we grab #2 — Hey, we’re missing a pop. Oh, sorry. Rushes off to get it. Comes back with a Squirt — oh, we did have squirt. Okay.
#1 drops off pretzels. They were two, small deep fried pretzels. Now I have to admit they were tasty. There isn’t much that isn’t tasty when it’s deep fried.
#2 drops off more silverware and napkins. (we had plenty — maybe we looked a little dirty and could use a few extras)
I can’t remember which of them brought the food. #2 I think. Wrap — check. Burger — check. But regular fries. No sweet fries. Chicken fingers (2) received. Fries were still being made. (Isn’t it all dumped in the fryer baskets?)
#2 flew by our table several times — my husband’s glass was empty a long time. By the time she asked if he wanted a refill he said no. We didn’t even bother to correct the fry problem.
Oh — a note about the bathrooms — I went in the women’s bathroom. Two «Stalls» and one sink. If you are a woman of big girth, you are probably not going to fit in there, and they are not handicap accessible.
The food was… nothing I couldn’t get at a Big Boy or my local Kroger. Seriously, this place lives on the hype and history. The food and drinks aren’t ANYTHING special. The pretzels are the only reason I’m giving Spike’s a 2^nd star. There is nothing that would make us come back here if we were in Grayling.
Stop in for the kitsch and hype, but don’t say I didn’t warn you about the lackluster food and service.

4.5 stars! We only had the burgers but they were really good. I had the spike burger with everything and waffle fries, he had the super spike burger with onion rings. Both the burgers and sides were really good. Great, laid back atmosphere, friendly staff. Definitely come here for burgers and fries!

It is an experience, food is fare but better than your average bar food.
Great place to stop before you head back downstate or before you head upstate.
You could spend all day reading the carvings in the walls & tables. Unfortunately they do not allow people to carve any more.

First time at this historic establishment and won’t be the last ! Friday at lunch and the place was packed so we sat at the bar. The bartender was friendly and efficient. Great selection of beers on tap and in the bottle. I had a famous Spike burger with wedge fries — excellent choice. Heard another patron raving to the bartender that he had the best fish sand which he’s ever tasted– from the conversation sounded like they only serve it on Fridays — note to self — come back on a Friday. Will definitely stop here again. Bought 2 beer coozies as a nice souvenir — will get the pink baseball hat next visit. The entire staff were friendly and on point !