Rare Bird Brewpub
| Address: | 229 Lake Ave, Traverse City, MI 49684, USA |
| Phone: | +1 231-943-2053 |
| Site: | rarebirdbrewpub.com |
| Rating: | 4.4 |
| Working: | 12PM–12AM 3PM–12AM 3PM–12AM 3PM–12AM 12PM–2AM 12PM–2AM 12–10PM |
Location
Photos 100
Reviews 8
MI
Michelle Bostic
Edit: Ive changed my review. I stopped back in Rare Bird recently, the has been a 180 change in service for sure! The bartender (Rachel?) was especially kind and attentive, the food was good and everything was great. I know there have been some rough reviews on service, but it is evident that things have changed for the better. Ive tried Rare Bird more than once, but I havent been impressed. The beer is ok if a little overpriced for what it is, but the service is really bad. The first time I managed to order food after a long wait (crispy avocados, very tasty), but the second time the bar tender ignored me and never came back to ask if I wanted food. Other people sat at the bar and were served by other staff - honestly, no one else even bothered to make eye contact, and when I tried to wave down a bar back she just sort of wandered off. I want to like Rare Bird because the menu looks good and the Smitten in the Mitten is great, but Im not going to bother trying for third times the charm. (Also, when I finally put down a ten dollar bill hoping someone would cash me out, the bar tender came back and asked if I wanted change. For real. When you ignore a customer for half an hour, YES, bring change. Youre not getting a $5 tip.) EDIT: Hi, Tina, thank you for responding. I can really appreciate a business that follows up! Tell you what, I will stop in again to try for that beet salad again in the future, and if I can find a way to send a private message Ill let you know about your questions. Ill do it on my dime, too, your kind offer is sufficient.
JO
Josh Groves
Classy, higher-end brew pub. Food is great. Their in-house beers are marginal so far, but they have lots of third-party beers on tap. Update: Ive got some downtime, so Im going to go into detail. Disappointingly, I go here less and less for reasons Ill enumerate. I live a block away and am a big fan of brew pubs. Dont get me wrong, for a spot in TC, I still endorse this spot. Heres what degrades it for me on the larger stage: - Their in-house beers are not anything special, but a great selection of reputable beers on tap can make this acceptable. It seems that lately they are trending to more Michigan-local sub-par beers on tab. I get it, its for the tourists, but for a true beer fan, this is disappointing. - Their menu ought to be continually improving. When they first opened, my wife and I were pretty happy with their menu as a first effort. Since then, there have been small changes, but nothing alluring, in my opinion. - My gripes vanish into thin air if the staff is awesome, a la Seven Monks. The staff at Rare Bird does not seem invested. Tonight I moved on because the bartender kept telling me and others about how "sh#$ faced" he got last night and how "f#&cking hung over" he is. I love Bradys, and if I want to go to Bradys, Ill go there. By the way, the Bradys staff is not polished, but THEY are invested. Like I said, I still endorse this spot, but it needs to evolve. Just one guys opinion.
GR
Gregory Harte
Weve visited two summers in a row and have been disappointed each time. The service is severely lacking here. When theres 15 people in house on a weekend, it shouldnt take 10 minutes to get one of 3 bartenders attention. A few days ago was the worst though. After arriving, we tried placing an order for food. One of the 4 young men tending the bar stated we couldnt order food because the printer was down. So I asked, "So no one can order anything because the printer is down?" He then yelled back at me "I said the printer is down! You cant order any food!" Ive worked in restaurants for 5 plus years. Its called a paper order sheet and a pen, then walking the 8 feet to the kitchen. The computers were still working throughout the facility, as they kept taking drink orders and cashing people out. This was either pure laziness or the inability of the staff to think outside of the box, which either way is pretty sad.
RA
Rachel Meter
One star is too much. The beer was just decent. There was--maybe--one standout. Unfortunately, even if it were the best beer Id ever had (and I try a lot of beer), I would never come back to this place ever again. The service I received from Ben was the worst Ive ever experienced in my life. This man should not be in customer service and I have no clue why he has a job. I go out of my way to be polite and Ben goes out of his way to be a jerk. Not just to me, but every customer interaction I heard. Except for what seemed to be men his age that (Im guessing) are already his friends. I sincerely hope the owners realize what a terrible investment they made in this horrible excuse for a server. The decision to employ this man has certainly lost business from me and every family member, friend, and stranger with whom I will get the opportunity to warn.
JA
James Radley
I have given rare bird a few chances. Every time it has been horrible. My recent visit will definitely be my last. I sat at the bar, which was half full. It took 10 minutes to even be acknowledged. The service was terrible! The bartender Brian was so rude! The couple next to me commented on it as well. He was extremely unfriendly. The girl I came in with asked a couple questions only to have him roll his eyes at her and made her feel uncomfortable. Instead of welcoming a question to help her decide what beer to get. Get rid of the bad staff if you want people to return. I will spread the word of how awful rare bird is, Ill be going to the much better 7 monks instead.
DU
Dusty Smith
Youre making a huge mistake if you pass this place up! This is without a doubt one of the best joints in TC for craft beer and incredible food. Youre going to be confronted with a messy free-for-all for full service seating (seat yourself, no hostess, small dining area), and if its busy you may even find yourself a little frustrated. Just keep your cool and be patient yet aggressive in holding your spot "in line." Do this and youll be rewarded with lovely beer, fantastic fries (get the garlic upgrade!!), and simply phenomenal burgers or sandwiches.
CA
Casey Mutter
My fisrt impression was this is just another glossy hipster hangout. After waiting several minutes for any kind of service, I decided that their guest Tap list was more intruiging than their limited selection of hop forward ales. I sipped my selection wondering if I should get food or not, but by the time I finished my beer I practically had to wave someone down just to pay my tab. Overall I felt uncomfortable, and see no need for a return visit. I suppose here ...what you see is what you get.
DE
Derick White
Drove to Traverse city for a weekend vacation. This was the first place we went for a relaxing beer and food. The service was good and the food was good. The atmosphere was relaxing as well. We got calamari and pork belly nachos. I liked the calamari a lot, the nachos were OK. The seating is a bit sparse, with huge tables so sharing with other folks is highly likely. If youre looking for intimacy, this is not the place to come. If youre looking for camaraderie, then this is good for that.
