Mackinaw Brewing Company

My family has been here a few times and each time every plate is empty! Absolutely love this place!

I would prefer to give a 2.5 star review. I’m gonna round up to 3 because our server was great and I think it’s just fine.
Tried the oatmeal stout and They both were just very alcohol-​y. They tasted all right, but if you’re a beer drinker you probably know what I mean. Before even tasting it, I could smell the alcohol and then there was an alcohol after taste. Ugh. I definitely wouldn’t have had a second one and won’t be going back next time I’m in TC.
We also ordered the dill havarti cheese sticks (my main reason for stopping here despite the meh Unilocal reviews). They were just all right too. A lot of cheese and a little greasy. You can tell they’re made in house, though, which I like. The dipping sauce is ranch. It’s a good ranch, but I felt like the creaminess of the cheese melded with the ranch and made it all together too savory. I’m not sure what sauce would be better. Some kind of mustard? I feel like it needs some acid or vinegar.
Long story short, there are many better options in TC.

Great food get the Rubin and thank me later! The meat is smoked which makes it taste great.
Service consistently great service. I’ll will be back

They shoved us tourists in a corner, away from the locals (heathen, we are). I had their sampler and found that only 2 of the 5 were beyond average at all, with 2 being downright bad. I wouldn’t really recommend this place unless you just want to go somewhere new.

My boyfriend and I had lunch here just on a whim today. We looked at their drink menu — some very decent selections. Our server offered me tastings of a cider and a mead so I could see what I liked. Very grateful for the preview, as I was able to choose something I really liked.
I started with their soup of the day. BEST clam chowder I have ever had. So good, we ordered seconds and shared. I have never had clam chowder with such bold, hearty flavor, and I have never had clam so tender!
I continued with another special, the salmon caesar wrap, which was also delicious and cooked to perfection. My boyfriend had a whitefish sandwich, fried with tartar sauce. Excellent!
We were so impressed with the quality of both the food and the service, we will definitely be back when we’re back in town.
Thank you, Mackinaw Brewing Company!

Kinda not impressed. For the price and hype of being in Traverse City forever it was an average bar and didn’t seem like a brew pub at all.
The burgers were just OK, nothing to write home about for sure. The server seemed distracted the entire time but did come when we caught his eye. I don’t think I will return.

I went here with my family of 7 while visiting traverse city. I shamelessly admit that we went here because of a coupon on their website for a free entrée.
Needless to say, I was highly disappointed when they wouldn’t let me use it because it wasn’t printed out. That was strike 1.
I ordered the brisket, but they were out. Strike 2.
I ordered a Reuben sandwich. Was average at best. That’s strike 3 for me.
I won’t be going back.

I’m a beer snob. I love beer of all varieties. And I know the difference between beers I don’t care for and sub par beer. I was disappointed to find the latter here. I figured in such a trendy place only the best breweries would survive. Six choices of beer two of which were sold out.
Maybe the food saves this place. I don’t know. I didn’t order any. If good beer is what you are looking for, I would recommend you keep walking as many other places exist.

I shouldn’t have expected different. Didn’t want a sandwich because I assumed the bread would be an inch thick. My wife did and it was. She liked it.
My French onion soup with barely cooked onions that were as thick as onion rings. Huge bowl of soup but the cheese barely covered it and it wasn’t broiled that I could tell. Very little bread.
It’s a bar. I get it.

Wish we were hungrier to eat but all we got were buffalo wings and a flight of beer, wings were great and the beer wasn’t bad either. It was hard not eat other people’s food. Definitely have to go back with empty bellies!

Note: This review is for the atmosphere & beer only, we didn’t order any food.
I stopped in to the Mackinaw Brewing Company for the first time over the weekend. I was pretty underwhelmed with the atmosphere and décor of the inside of the place — it feels like it hasn’t been updated since the 90s. It has that nautical, dark wood, dark green carpet feel of many old restaurants you find on the lakeshore (like The Butler in Saugatuck). That didn’t really bug me too much, it was just something I noticed right away.
We were seated after a small wait (we had a large party) and immediately had a server. We all ordered flights, which is a pre-​set selection of their mainstay beers. You can add additional samples for $ 1 each. I would have liked to pick my own to begin with, though. You get a golden ale, pale ale, red ale, oatmeal stout, IPA, and a Belgian wheat. We also added the Summer Love, which is a summer shandy type beer. I can honestly say I didn’t like a single one of the beers. And I’m definitely a beer drinker and can usually drink any beer. It was pretty disappointing, unfortunately. I should have ordered food, because some of the fish dishes I saw looked really good! I doubt I would stop here again, though. Go somewhere else for beer, like Right Brain or North Peak!

While exploring Traverse City, we saw a line out the door for Mackinaw Brewing Company. So after some shopping, we decided to grab some lunch when the crowds dissipated.
MBC was actually the first brewpub to open up in downtown Traverse City, specializing in hand-​crafted brews (Michigan is known for those!) and smoked meats.
Smoked Whitefish Bake [$ 8.99]
Smoked whitefish, cheese, green onion, garlic, MBC garlic rounds
Seemingly a specialty of most places in Michigan, you’ll find whitefish on pretty much every menu. This dip was smoky, cheesy, creamy, and delicious. With a spritz of lemon for acidity and spread on the toast points, this was a nice bite.
Dill Havarti Cheese Sticks [$ 8.59]
Another crowd favorite? Just some of the best mozzarella sticks ever. The brininess of the dill came on slightly through the creaminess of the cheese, with a crisp homemade crust. Ranch accompanied these bad boys.
Whitefish Sandwich [$ 9.99]
Great Lakes whitefish, deep fried, lettuce, tartar sauce
The GF was in the mood for a fish sandwich, so went with the whitefish sandwich. I think she thought it ate more like cod, but unfortunately, the fishiness of the whitefish really came through. Should’ve went with the mahi special like I hinted! In any case, it was well-​fried with a crunchy batter, but fair warning on the inherent fishiness. Can’t fault the fries though — beer-​battered and deliciously creamy within.
Beef Brisket Sandwich [$ 9.99]
BBQ brisket, grilled onions, cheddar cheeese
I went with the beef brisket, which was smoky, sweet, and tender, with a great heaping of melted cheddar and savory onions piled on high. This was all within a toasted, but pillowy brioche bun. Ad you can’t forget about those killer fries!
Overall, MBC really hit the spot with their great apps and smoked meats. I’d definitely stop by again if I were in town.

We gave this «brewery» a couple chances, and they failed miserably. Their beers are not good. I tried Summer Love, and the bartender claimed it was a wheat beer. It tasted like a watered down, weak version of Leinenkugel’s Summer Shady, except it has a soap-​like after taste.
We also have a hard time respecting breweries that serve from a full bar. It’s almost like they have to have everything because their brews aren’t good enough, which clearly their’s are not.
Maybe they have really great food, but if you’re in Traverse City, check out the other breweries or wineries in town because they are TONS better!

I grew up in traverse city, so it’s a bummer I have to give a bad review… but this place isn’t that good, and tonight was the last straw.
First of all if you get a server named Scott (man bun guy) just get up a leave, he’s terrible.
The service is usually below average and slow. The food is mediocre and the menu hasn’t changed since like, well never. What’s even worse is considering every out of towner loves going here you also wait forever for all the aforementioned.
Lastly, if you are going here for their beer, just stop. It’s god awful, you would be better off at their «sister store» jolly pumpkin

Stopped in to give them a try. Staff wasn’t really helpful, but this review is more about the beer.
Ordered the West Bay IPA, received a very murky orange glass of a not very tasty and entirely not hoppy beer. I questioned the bartender as to if I had been poured the beer I requested. He helpfully filled a taster and we compared it. That was it.
My GF ordered their stout/​porter that was not great. We left with hers more than half full (I am an optimist) and mine down three sips. Nobody behind the bar seemed concerned at our dissatisfaction.

We stopped here for late lunch/​early dinner on a Thursday in July. The restaurant was very cute/​old charm to it. Pretty busy and lots of people seated all over the restaurant. I thought we were going to have to wait, but right away we were seated. Staff/​service was friendly.
We both ordered the «Whitefish Sandwich» with fries and it was delicious. A very generous piece of whitefish; however, the portion of fries was a bit lacking? I wouldn’t mind having a bit more fries with the sandwich.
Great place to eat downtown Traverse City with good service and food.

Definitely a solid 3.5 stars. We managed to get in a group of 11 people, 4 adults and 7 kids with no wait for dinner during the Cherry festival.
Pros: good food! Great burgers, tender brisket sandwich, good perch, pub fries crispy, nice fresh salads, great kids hotdog & chicken tenders. Plus the manager came and drew pictures for the kids. Definitely a plus.
Cons: looks like it needs some updating and a solid cleaning. Also definitely a beer place. We asked for different flavored martini’s and it seemed to be something they don’t do often. It is a bar after all. The main thing was the wait after we were seated. Drinks took awhile and dinner took even longer. The kids almost didn’t last.
This is a good restaurant with a great location and involved manager. A few small changes and it’ll be fab!

Ordered French Onion soup and Beef Brisket Sandwich. First off there did not have any soup spoons. The waitress brought me 2 teaspoons, am I supposed to eat with both of them at the same time? Good thing she brought 2, one was dirty.
I’m not sure why they put horseradish sauce on the brisket. The meat has a good flavor, unless they are worried their meat will be to dry.
My wife’s says the pickles are very good.
I gave them 3 stars because I have been here 6 or 7 times since they opened and it has been better.

#1. This was the first Traverse City Brewery we tried on our list. Got there on a early Saturday evening. It was PACKED! We just wanted drinks and we happen to get lucky with two opening seats at the bar!
My husband and I were planning to go to a couple of breweries that night so we wanted to try a little of everything. We got the beer flight. The bartender was so friendly and quick at getting our drinks.
We got:
–G.T. Golden: Lightest beer which went down clean and smooth
–Red 8 Ale: This is one of Mackinaw Brewing’s Favorite and best seller which is a rich malty red ale.
–Harvest Moon Oatmeal Stout: Dark roast beer with a silky smooth finish. YUM!
–West Bay I.P.A: One of my husband’s favorite from the flight. India Pale Ale.
–Belgian Whitecap: Belgian style wheat ale. Brewed with Coriander and has a fruity finish. Surprisingly I loved this beer!
What was cool about this place is every 30 minutes, bartender would give us a shot of beer (randomly-​his choice). He would read a verse/​quote from this book and after that… CHEERS!!!
The restaurant is laid back and has a great vibe. It kind of reminded me of the show Cheers. Great neighborhood bar. I looked at their menu and it had a great selection of meals (smoked meats, fresh seafood, salads and sandwiches). When we return, definitely going to try the food.
What a great experience. This would be my second favorite brewery in Traverse City. I’m so glad we hit this brewery first. What an awesome impression it left us.
Definitely a must try when in the area!!!

Located on the main strip in Traverse City this place draws attention and a crowd. After touring some breweries in the area we stopped in here to get a light bite and try their beer.
We sat at the bar where we met a local that was part of the mug club and was fun to talk with. Their beers weren’t that special compared to other breweries in the area. We did try a few of them and enjoyed them yet wasn’t anything that we wanted to get a growler of.
We had the dill and Havarti cheese sticks that were deep fried. They were a good bar food.
The place was crowded yet their menu didn’t seem like anything besides more or less bar food and mediocre beer.