Dam Site Inn

It’s our special place to go for Mothers Day. Wonderful good food! It’s an elegant place, real tablecloths and all. Just very special.

Love the atmosphere. Dinner club feel like I remember from days gone by. Food was great. Service was spot on. Definitely made a return customer of me.

I’ve been coming to the Dam Site Inn for more years than I care to admit! Every single time, we always order the family style chicken with the mashed potatoes, noodles, peas, and biscuits. It is always delicious. The dinner is $ 21.95 per person, which may seem like a lot to some people, but it really is «all you can eat». I’ve never had refills on the chicken (there is so much on the platter) but we did get refills on the peas and potatoes. Even with 6 in our party, we still brought home 7 or 8 pieces of chicken.

Had first meal ever here last night. Retro style furnishings, food was good to very good. Had fried chicken and perch. Way too much food for one person, so I suggest splitting a meal.
A really OLD crowd frequents this place, with large groups very common. I wouldn’t go out of my way to return.
The chicken and perch were good. Prices high.

Dam Site Inn is a special restaurant for my fiancé and I. We came here early in our relationship, had a blast, and have been regulars ever since. I’ve never eaten anything here except the TO DIE FOR chicken dinner, so I’m not a good judge of their other food. However, if they put the same care and quality into their other food that they do into their chicken, then I have no doubt that everything on the menu is exceptional. I have never had a bad experience here. Maybe a longer wait from time to time during peak season, but nothing too bad. Overall, this is my favorite restuarant in Northern Michigan, and I highly recommend it to anyone who enjoys American comfort foods.

Food was excellent, we had chicken dinner, homemade noodles, potatoes, biscuits all top notch. Had a supper club ambience. Felt like a country club preserved in the 70’s. Service was great. In the middle of nowhere. Would go back again.

After a great day on Mackinac Island, we (party of 21), had a great family style dinner at the Inn. The service, the food, the value, everything was excellent.

I went tonight with my parents for dinner it took over 1 hour to get our food. At no point did our waitress get or ask to refill our water (my girlfriend did it on her own). We also had iced tea and had to ask every time for a refill. On a side note the food was very good but after the long wait I did bring it up to the owner he did say how sorry he was but at that point I really felt I didn’t get $ 132 worth of service/​food the refills of chicken and perch we had to beg for. All and all I would say it’s hard to give them my hard earned money. You are warned… if you wait 45 minutes for your food just walk out!!!

I’ve been coming here since I was 2 years old and the food is always amazing! A loooong time family favorite and a tradition that will carry on!!!

The dam site in is my ultimate favorite restaurant! It’s housed in a huge historic farm house with beautiful views. There are several different dining rooms with stunning views no matter where you are seated because of the full windows all the way around the room. Each dining room is decorated in a different vintage style with cloth tablecloths and napkins. The wine is served in hand painted wine glasses. No matter what entrée you order it comes with what I call «thanksgiving» it is an all you can eat sampler of all the fixings like mashed potatoes and gravy, homemade buttered noodles, peas, and biscuits with honey and butter. The steak is the best I’ve ever had and I don’t even have to look at a menu when I go there. It’s terribly sad that we have to wait for it to open because it’s seasonal from spring to fall.

Had a fun time at this restaurant. Since it’s their specialty, we tried the fried chicken dinner. Plenty of food, but we couldn’t even finish the first platter, so the price was a bit steep for what we ate. At $ 13 or $ 14 I would probably have given this a 4.5.
Biscuits with honey and butter were wonderful, as were the noodles, chicken, mashed potatoes and gravy.
The atmosphere really feels like a throwback — the adults got a kick out of it, the kids didn’t get it, but did enjoy running around outside on the lawn. We were seated by a window, and they had a blast playing outside on a big grassy area while we watched from inside.

Having come up north my entire life, I’m baffled as to why I have never been here before. We decided to take my mom and dad there.
The house specialty is a complete chicken dinner similar to what you find in Frankenmuth. The menu also includes steaks and seafood options. Perch dinners are highly touted here but I’d visit here pre Memorial Day or post Labor Day to enjoy the value for dollar otherwise it’s $ 28.
We all ordered the chicken dinner at $ 20 per head. Kids were half price. I wish my 4 year old were priced less than that considering she ate a half of piece of chicken, part if a salad and a small serving of mashed potato. Dinners included a salad or cole slaw, buttered peas, buttered noodles, mashed potato, biscuits and chicken gravy and of course AYCE fried chicken.
Here’s what I liked: fried chicken has a great crust on it and it was perfectly cooked. Severs and staff are dressed up or in uniform; very friendly. Very old school. The noodles are homemade and a highlight of the overall meal. Mashed potato is smooth with the occasional lump which means they are homemade.
Why it’s not 5 stars: chicken is somewhat bland and could use seasoning or a brining before frying. Prices are kind of steep. Based on pricing, it’s not a place you would regularly visit but rather come here once a year or for special occasions. Servers are seasonal college kids and not versed in the art of service. Our dishes and empty glasses began to pile up at the table. My preference is that the table be bussed as the meal progresses. I don’t see that as rushing me but rather keeping the table clean.
They have big dessert portions if you can make it that far but understand they too range in the $ 5 – 8 range. There is also a Mad Men-​esque 1960 era bar to have pre or post dinner drinks. You can almost hear the Esquivel playing in the background.
I enjoyed my experience as did my family. Normally I’m a big appetite and can easily get my money’s worth but I only ate 3 pieces of chicken because there is so much more to enjoy. However, the AYCE concept is lost on the rest of my family particularly my kids. I’ll be back but most likely for the post Labor Day pricing.

I always try not to eat to much at the Dam site, but once again my eyes were bigger than my stomach! The food is simple, but homemade ! Yes it’s like going into a time warp back to 1970, but just enjoy the ride. Don’t mess around with anything else, get the chicken diner!
D