Flat River Grill

After my review, mgmt asked me for more info and is revisiting the cooking method for risotto with cook staff. They generously sent a gift card for a future visit. I appreciate the commitment to quality and added a star.

Found this place during a quick drive though tour of Lowell after leaving a family event in Rockford. Very charming exterior and interior — exposed brick, high ceiling. We were able to enjoy a quick dinner on the patio right next to the Flat River. I had the Margarita wood-​fired pizza (delicious!!), my hubby enjoyed his Chicken Alfredo, but also ‘stole” several pieces of my pizza. Service was excellent (and I am a tough grader) — never had to ask for drink refills, server was friendly and attentive. Looking forward to a (planned this time) future visit.

Call ahead. Drive out of my way to get there and through all of the horrible construction only to find out they were closed and without power.

For our little town to have a place as classy and relevant as we think ourselves to be is refreshing. Not fine dining, but definitely not that god-​awful place down the street.

I feel like a paid operative for the Gilmore Collection, but I’m not. (Once you read my last paragraph, you’ll know I’m not). I just love every restaurant they run. While each has a different mood, the common denominator is excellent food with creative approaches.
I live walking distance from the Bostwick Lake Inn, which is nice and right on the lake and I’m not far from the more formal Blue Water Grill, but I like the Flat River Grill best. This is why:
1) I like old, historic buildings. This one is challenging from a space standpoint, especially the bathroom layout, but it has gritty, yet quaint character.
2) The aroma of the wood smoke is fantastic and is omnipresent throughout the restaurant and sets the tone. Who doesn’t love subtle wafts of woodsmoke?
3) Several members of the waitstaff have been there for the five years I’ve been coming here, so there’s plenty of experience on the floor.
At Rose’s in East Grand Rapids or the Blue Water Grill, I feel the need to dress up one notch, but this place has the great food without the slightly more formal atmosphere.
The only oddity about this place is the men’s room. The sit down toilet is right there out in the open across from the urinal and next to the sink with no partition. I figure if I go there 50 times, by the law of averages, if someone doesn’t lock the door, I’m likely to stumble on something I don’t want to see and might even need shock treatments to forget. I think that’s largely to do with not wanting to modify a historic building, but that’s still strange in 2016. A small, cramped partition is better than none! I still think this my favorite restaurant on an all-​around basis in the Grand Rapids area. Did I mention they also do excellent breakfast food for brunch?

Love the food here!
Just don’t be fooled– their outdoor seating that they claim is warm is ALWAYS cold. Seems like last time we were there they turned off the heat halfway through our meal. Also seems like the waitress I’ve had the last few times is very unenthusiastic about her work. Would like to see nicer wait staff.

Beautiful.
The exterior is beautiful, with a classic brick setting right beside the river. The interior is modern-​industrial, with warm lighting and comfortable booths.
My husband and I don’t normally frequent such high-​end places, but we were fortunate enough to be given a gift card for the Gilmore Collection and sought after this restaurant with much enthusiasm.
It was a cold early-​January afternoon, and the warmth of the atmosphere within the Flat River Grill immediately soaked through us. Though it was lunch hour, the restaurant was only about 10% full, and we were asked where we would like to sit, to which we went with our usual; a booth. We were seated immediately and were both given menus and a few minutes to look over beverage options. The man went for a Blue Moon and I branched out to try a Fuze blackberry soda (I think that’s what they’re called.?). It was very refreshing; not too sweet and perfectly bubbly.
It didn’t take us long to order; we had already looked over the menu online before coming over. My husband ordered the New York Strip entrée, and I the chicken fettuccine. We also partook in the fried Brussels sprouts appetizer, which arrived only a few minutes later. Talk about swift! On top of that, we were left with some delicious homemade bread and Parmesan-​olive oil dip. Very delicious.
The Brussels sprouts were the perfect start to a fantastic experience. I feel that perhaps «fried» was a little heavy, as these sprouts could easily be baked to reduce the amount of oil left over. However, I realize that would take more time, and as well as that, the leftover oil helped to keep the sprouts from drying out, as well as added additional left over flavor. Some people may be turned off by how «greasy» this appetizer is, but the flavor is full, robust, and lasting.
The sprouts are tossed together with garlic, almonds, Parmesan, and truffle oil. It a bit heavy, but almost certainly a piece of heaven to the palate.
Our entrees were as fast as our appetizer, as it only took about five or so minutes to see it after ordering. The plates were hot, everything was cooked to perfection, with such incredible detail and care.
The chicken fettuccini here is the best I’ve ever had in all my life. The creamy garlic Parmesan sauce still haunts my cravings, and the month hasn’t even finished yet. Accompanied with chicken is bacon and a personal fan-​favorite: mushrooms! Not many places add mushrooms to their Alfredo/​fettuccini, or at least, I’ve never experienced it.
The dish honestly reminded me of the time my mother and I made homemade chicken fettuccini, with mushrooms, fresh basil and oregano. This dish was like that, but 100 times better. They absolutely know what they’re doing here.
My husband’s steak was also… Well, it was to die for. A perfect medium-​rare with a herby, buttery garlic drizzle. This was a prime cut of beef, indeed, and I can only hope that one day, I can make a steak that good, myself. In addition to the steak, his plate also came with Gouda-​infused sweet potatoes and steamed asparagus, neither of which I can personally attest to. But based on his eyes rolling into the back of his head and the «mmmm… ohh yeaah», I’d say it was pretty freakin’ outstanding. Though the carnivore claims that the steak took the show. No doubt about that.
This restaurant is higher-​end. If you’ve got money like that to throw around, lucky you. But for the common folk, this is a dream that we may be lucky to afford on special occasions. But doesn’t that make it all the more exciting? Isn’t the allure in the fact that you can look forward to it?
I know I think so, and it’s with that thought in mind that I can say with certainty that we WILL be back, and we will be looking forward to trying new things. (Like the baked mac and cheese, oh my does that sound good!)

This is easily the classiest restaurant in Lowell, and the quality of food and attractive décor make it worth a drive in from Grand Rapids. Walking distance from the Main Street Inn, with a pleasing view of the river and Main Street, I’m a fan. The selections involving «wood-​fired» as an adjective are the best entrees, my Chief of Staff really enjoyed her steak. My first time I made the mistake of ordering a reuben, this is not a deli, and I’ve had better. The squash soup was excellent, so was the bulgur salad. I really regret not taking the waiter’s suggestion of the fresh catch special, I saw it go by and it looked excellent. I supposed everyone has that brother-​in-​law with no class, but it was my brother-​in-​law with no class who said «I don’t like it, but you probably would,» referring to this restaurant. He’s not very articulate so I’m not sure exactly what he was basing this assessment on, but I think he might have been referring to the way the servers act like well trained waiters, or he may have just been trying to be insulting. At any rate, it was the best recommendation I’ve gotten outside of Unilocal in years. The wait-​service is quite good. I ordered a top shelf whiskey (literally top shelf, the Black Label is perched 11 or 12 feet up, I didn’t see how he got it down), got a very generous pour with no upcharge (and I hate that I can’t assume this common bar order decency any more) for either ice or top shelf.

Great casual bar and restaurant in downtown Lowell. Entire menu is excellent from steaks to salads to sandwiches. Sunday brunch menu is outstanding. Nice selection of beer and wine. Staff is friendly and gives great service.

I only went once and that was enough. Service was incredibly slow, so slow it turned into a joke. Twenty minutes for drinks! Some of our party left without eating while others finished eating after waiting over an hour for their meals. I didn’t get to eat at all! I couldn’t wait any longer I had to go, the kid has school tomorrow. WE DIDN’T GET THE FOOD WE ORDERED. It never came to the table… EVER! I had to go to the counter and wait for it «to go» style. I ate it at home and it wasn’t very good. Bland and disappointing. I’ll never recommend Flat River Grill to anyone, unless they have all night to wait for mediocre food.

I have eaten here twice sense it opened both times the food was very good servers kind of snotty. Do not like the lay out feels crapped. I’m not into eating outside so have not there. Got the Chicken Micheal was amazing.

I go here about twice a month and I’ve always had great food, great service and great drinks! You won’t be disappointed. This is the only place in Lowell to get a good mixed drink. I love their bloody marys. They have a nice patio you can sit and eat at with a view of the river. I love all the fire grilled food. I’m so glad this place is close to home.

Excellent wood-​fired pizza. Everything else is standard Gilmore collection. If you’ve been to one been to all.

Better than average menu top stop for the area bartender could be one of the best for miles

Reliably good. Nice outdoor seating by the river. Good service. I love the ahi tuna entrée. Nicely spiced. They usually have good specials and interesting drinks. Wood-​fired pizza usually a good choice. Usually have several nice pasta entrees. My husband had the risotto on special and he loved it. They usually have good drink specials as well.

Called 30 minutes before they closed to see if it was too late to order. Staff on the phone assured me it wasn’t, was very friendly and food was ready in 15 minutes. Delicious as always!

Great food and Jeff n John ROCK! Ģreat service!
I love tornadoes Oscar n my man gets a pie with sweet potatoes, BBQ sauce, sausage n cheese. It’s yummy!

MUST VISIT! Get the personal pizza. Thi pizza ROCKS! Price is fair, food excellent, staff very well trailed. We go there as often as we can. its a drive, but well worth. Keep up the good work!

Despite the rain, my friend and I trekked out to the Fallasburg Fall Festival this past weekend. The harvest feeling was in the air and hot apple cider sounded amazing. Sadly the venders didn’t offer it so we headed to Flat River Grill in hopes they had some.
Flat River Grill is owned/​operated by The Gilmore Collection of Restaurants, a grouping of eateries throughout West Michigan. Flat River Grill welcomed us with earthly colors, an open kitchen, and classic décor. Siding into a booth, my friend and I ordered coffees, and a soup and salad combo for a late lunch. My ’ Two 0 One’ salad was the perfect lunch size, topped with blue cheese, walnuts, apples and chardonnay dressing. The cup of White Chicken Chili was the real treat: my friend and I devoured it in seconds. So while there was no cider offered, the chicken chili turned out to be an even better option to warm up with.

I am one of the few that has my favorite restaurant in my home town. If you are traveling around Lowell this is a must stop! If you come in the summer they have an amazing patio, which is great for enjoying a nice glass of wine! They are well known for there wood fired pizzas (which are amazing) but they have a great menu! Whether you want a nice steak or you would rather have a delicate fish, flat river will serve you well! The staff are always swift and friendly. One of the best things is how inviting everyone is, they make you feel like you’re part of the family. It’s great as they change the menu with the seasons, as well as their drink specials. Again if you are anywhere close to Lowell this is a must stop! You certainly won’t be disappointed!