A local institution filled with well-done, well-maintained taxidermy evoking northern Michigan's hunting and fishing heritage. The menu includes typical bar fare like sandwiches, fried foods and pizza but also holds a few surprises, like elk and venison burgers; also local/regional fish. I have enjoyed some terrific venison burgers here -- lean and non-gamy; and all the burgers come with an assortment of condiments and pickles -- thin dill strips, sweet relish, horseradish (yay!) and fresh onion slices as well as mustard, ketchup and hot sauce. The bar has a nice selection of beers and wines, some local, and seems well stocked with spirits. This is kind of a neighborhood joint, at least during daytime hours, and remarkably clean for a bar -- families with little kids, as well as female travelers, will be equally comfortable with the there-to-drink crowd. You can also order your food for carryout, then proceed across the street to Boathouse Vineyards and enjoy your meal with wine on the winery's ample back porch or lawn seating.
Review Source:My boyfriend and I headed out to DIck's Pour House one day while we were exploring Leelanau county. I have a lot of family in the area, even though I live all the way (haha) back in Traverse City.
It was definitely worth stopping in. I had a patty melt (which was perfect and delicious) and he had smelt. I've never been a fan of the "little fishies" (as he calls them), but as he is kind of a connoisseur of them, I'll take his word on it. And the word was mmmmmmmtasty! We had a great meal, and it was relatively inexpensive. Pretty good service as well.
I fully believe in giving stars to restaurants in relation to how well they compare to similar places within a respective niche.  Dick's Pour House  rates well in the neighborhood bar/pub that happens to also do some food category.  The ambience is something between sportsman and sportsbar with a couple TVs and some animal heads on the wall near the bar.  The dining room sits in the same space as the bar but with the days of smoke free Michigan upon us that doesn't matter at all anymore.  Service was very friendly and honest (the server made some recommendations to "fine tune" our order based on what she thought the kitchen was doing well that day).  I agree completely with Matthew G that this place feels welcoming regardless of whether a regular or a summer tourist. Â
Food/Drinks:
My wife and I both ordered beer. Â They have the standard bar selection of beer with a couple Bell's and Sam Adams taps thrown into the mix. Â For food my wife got the turkey reuben which was excellent and I got the fried perch which was also good. Â Nothing earth-shattering but food that was cooked well for a decent price. Â Everything you expect from a place like this. Â We didn't have any, but the pizza looked really good. Â Several of the tables around us (come to think of it most of the tables around us) had pizza which I will definitely be ordering next time I go there.
Mmm-kay. Â I did not care for what I had ordered here, but that was mostly my problem as I had never eaten smelt before and silly me I though it'd be like whitefish. Â Oh heck no. Â Too fishy and chewy, ick. Â However, my family tells me that there are people out there who obsess about smelt runs. Â No thank you. Â
The other people in my party ordered burgers and they were satisfied. Â French fries were decent. Â Friendly service, too.
I've been here more times than I count over the years. First as a kid listening to old local fishermen brag about their latest catch, then as a resident, watching the Pistons blow their shot at the title at the bar, and now as a seasonal visitor. In each of these roles, Dick's Pour House has never shunned me. They welcome the local, they welcome the occasional tourist that knows about the place, they welcome old friends and newcomers alike. No, not everyone knows your name, but it's Midwestern affair, and they greet you with a smile, call you "hon," and accommodate. There used to be shuffleboard against the wall that my uncle and I would play when I was too little to be entertained by conversation, and even though that's gone, a pool table remains. It's a little cramped to play anytime except at night when the restaurant  has slowed down, but it's there. Along with pictures, stuffed moose and deer heads, pike and salmon the size of you mounted on the wall;  it's all Leelanau history. It's the kind of place you'd want to come to when it's 75 and gorgeous out, or 0 degrees and tundra. Very homey, very welcoming, very...Up North.
Food-wise, it's Up North Americana. Grilled sandwiches, country-fried this, gravy that, Canadian beer, burgers, fries, the like. All good, all what you'd expect from a place like this. Here's their secret, though. Their pizza and breadsticks? Pretty damn good. You wouldn't know it for the type of place it makes itself out to be. But they're hot, doughy, and delicious. In fact, everything is up to snuff.
Come here with friends, order a few rounds, eat some pizza, a burger (hey, Elizabeth mentioned Pleva-lean, try it!), and talk to the people there. It's survived - so far - the yuppie crunch that's changing Leelanau County, so when you want to escape Traverse City or Leland, dock the boat on the narrows or drive your family there from wherever you are in the pinky. If you see NJ's Grocer, you're in the right neighborhood.
-- Edit --
They cater to special requests, too, without gripe. For this, I love the folks there. We took my grandmother there and asked if they could do anything that might work with her no-sodium diet. Not even a hesitation, they did it, and with a smile.
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