My husband and I went there this week for dinner to celebrate our 3rd wedding anniversary. We had Michelle as our server and she was wonderful! The food was great and the atmosphere was even better. It was a cloudy night but we were still able to see the sunset peak through the skies. This was a Tuesday night and they were SLAMMED! Great to see and we are so happy we were able to celebrate at The Cove. Oh, lastly, they gave us a piece of Chocolate Cherry Cheesecake to take home with us - DAVINE!
Review Source:The weather was beautiful when we visited The Cove back in July ('12) which is why it took so long to be seated. The atmosphere was nice and the views were awesome. I ordered the chowder and fish burrito. The chowder was delicious and "meaty". The fish burrito was made with fried white fish and cooked beautifully. I wouldn't say things were great and they certainly weren't bad, but there are other restaurants in this little fish town I will try next time I pass thru.
Review Source:Ate here with the family and in laws. Wife had the tomato basil whitefish and said it was amazing. Mother in law had the almond crusted whitefish. She took half of it home and I could tell she wasn't impressed. Their appeared to be more almond crust than whitefish. I had the perch dinner. Lots of perch and it tasted fresh. I would have preferred a lighter breading only because the breading they use (think your typical fish and chips breading) retained a little too much grease and "fried" flavoring.
The view was great and our experience overall was enjoyable.
We stopped into The Cove in the early afternoon for lunch after spending the morning visiting Sleeping Bear Dunes. Â Leland is a nice, pretty town with several restaurants on/near the waterfront. Â Our view from the restaurant was overlooking the canal/river(?) -- nice view while eating. Â We had an order of whitefish and chips, and the Lake Perch Fish Fry. Â Both meals were pretty good although the fish were slightly greasy - maybe from sitting too long after frying or cooked in grease that wasn't hot enough. The service was pretty good and friendly. Â The amount served for the price could have been better - one piece more would have been reasonable.. Â I would come back here if I was in the area.
Review Source:The Cove has a unique location looking over a canal. The service was pleasant and upbeat, however, the food was way too overpriced for what you got. The kids menu was very limited. My kids ordered mac-n-cheese, and a pbj sandwich. The price was $6 each...no drink included. The pbj turned out to be one of those freezer pbjs that you get at any grocery store. I ordered the whitefish tacos on the recommendation of the waitress...nothing to write home about, esp. at $12.95. Our bill was $41.00 for the 3 meals. I walked away feeling jipped. Will never go there again.
Review Source:The Cove is really great spot in Leland, Michigan (aka Fishtown) with great views of Lake Michigan. Amongst the shops and the fish smoking of Fishtown is this great little shack of a restaurant that serves up some great bloody mary's (called the Chubby Mary) with smoked chub and some killer (white) fish and chips. Â I've been here a couple times and only ordered the Chubby Mary and the fish and chips but they are great. My wife has had the chicken sandwich and thought it was fairly good.
Out back The Cove has some outdoor seating to enjoy the sun during the summer and do some good people watching.
Little known fact: The Cove is a favorite spot of Chef Mario Battali (as read in a recent Bon Appetit magazine article about this region of Michigan).
Dropped by the Cove today for lunch and had a great porch meal!
While there was not stellar service and my drink was a little watered down, the whitefish was outstanding (Me and fish tend to have more of a hate/hate relationship). Fresh, moist, and perfectly cooked. My wife's salad was good, nothing stellar.
The atmosphere is uniquely N.M., no doubt that Tim Allen would start going off about something being pure if he ever stopped to eat here. The small canal leading out to the great beauty of Lake Michigan is something I took for granted for so many years but no longer!
Great pit stop for those long relaxing NM scenic drives.
We, too found that with a party of 10, the place misses the mark. Â I'm sure had we a smaller party the service would have been better. Â Our waitress was slow and a little cocky. The fish pate was excellent as were the main dishes. Â The potatoes were cold. Â I will try it again in the "off" season.
Review Source:If I based this review on previous visits, I would have given 4 or 5 stars. Â Unfortunately tonights visit was a disaster, and quite embarrassing for us and our guests.
We were a party of 10 that they accommodated on the back deck. Â Sitting on the back deck overlooking the river with a nice view, we were smoked out by the grill smoke from Rick's downstairs. Â The smoke was so bad that people at the next table used their napkins to cover their faces & and eventually demanded to be reseated inside.
Initially the young server was attentive for our large group. Â As the meal progressed he may have been given more tables than he was able to handle. Â The service and time waited for our meals was very slow, not to mention getting drink refills.
When the meal finally arrived, it was mediocre at best.  Most of us had various versions of the whitefish.  All of our fish dishes were over cooked and some were dry, my mother likened hers to whitefish jerky.  The smashed potatoes were dry and tasteless.  On the other hand, the sautéed zucchini had some seasoning, but barely saw a heated skillet.  To top it off my nephews hot dog that was forgotten came out ice cold. Â
My wife & I will probably revisit the Cove next time we're vacationing in the area based on our previous experiences, however all of our guests said they wouldn't return.
Soooo happy that we made a little side trip to Leland. Super neat town with some excellent views.
Stopped at the Cove for lunch one day and came away pretty happy with the experience. As previous posters mentioned, the Cove has absolutely outstanding view with plenty of great outdoor seating.
For lunch we tried the campfire whitefish and the fish and chips, both of which were really good. Service, prices and the beer options were very solid.
One thing I have to say is that Chubby Mary is weeeeeeird. Seriously, having a fish bobbing in your Bloody Mary seems, um, gross.
Food - Awesome, huge portions you have to try their white fish pate, amazing. We ordered the white fish platter and some other baked fish that i can't recall but it was delicious nonetheless
Price - Extremely reasonable, considering the portion size and quality. They give you salad, bread, a seasonal veggie side with every dinner entree, seems like a steal (but I'm from Chicago..)
Service - Excellent, waitress was sweet, and didn't screw up our order, the food came out really fast (but i think it was b/c it was pretty quiet) what more can you ask for?
Location - ideal
Can't think of anything bad to say.
Our service was Great!!! Long island good, but I would have really enjoyed a Michelle's long Island! Made w/ Michelle's Miracle Tart  Cherry  Concentrate. Our Traverse city salad was great, the Chubby Mary was out standing. The views are fantastic. After take a walk through fish town. Walk off some of your great food. Our Sever was Jessica, and  really knowledgeable, Very nice. Katherine :)
Review Source:One of the best views in northern Michigan. Watch boats float in and out of the Leland Harbor with views of north and south Manitou. The food is above average, but the atmosphere is tough to beat.
Tends to be too busy and loud during the tourist times of the year, but great otherwise. Head downstairs to Rick's afterwards for drinks or shop around Leland.
Most likely, I'm at a 2.5 on this place. I have eaten here many times in the summer. Most recently, we ate outdoors at Rick's. It is a lovely location and our service was okay. We went at lunchtime, and it was very busy- but this is to be expected in the summer in a tourist town. The food was okay at best. I had a chicken sandwhich and I certainly didn't love it. One would think that at a place with such a small menu everything on the menu would be decent, but it was... meh. It was very expensive, and for paying so much money I didn't feel as though the food was good enough to warrant the high price.
Review Source:A quote from their website:Home of the "Chubby Mary" and famous Seafood Chowder in the heart of historic Fishtown. Enjoy the casual waterfront atmosphere and outdoor decks overlooking Lake Michigan. Lunch and dinner daily in season. Group facilities available.
We have loved the Cove for 20+years. This is the only place I know that we can take our Cocker Spaniel (only at 1 table on the outdoor deck) and have a "Chubby Mary'". No better atmosphere  exists in Leland.
Sitting along the river is a  really relaxing  experience.
After stepping off the fairy from North Manitou Island (first camping trip ever) in Leland, MI, I was dying for red meat (I've been a vegetarian for 3 years) and some locals recommended The Cove. The interior is a bit misleading; it appears to be a casual place but all of the patrons wore more businesses casual clothing than street casual. Imagine how my camping clothing appeared to people in button downs and blazers. The service was quick and the waitstaff quite friendly. The  menu prices were misleading as the bill equated to a price much less than the meal was listed for on the menu. Overall, it's a clean and uniquely decorated establishment, lots of character and great food.
Review Source:
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