I can't say enough about the view. That's
what you're getting here. The food is the typical burger, fried fish, sandwich fair found up north. The service is PAINFUL, don't even bother getting mad about it--been like this since the place opened years ago. But the view is lovely and relaxing.
A huge bonus about this place, and what gives it 3 stars as opposed to 2, is the nighttime scene. It's amazing teeny tiny Omena even has a place to go at night! Love having a local watering hole to go to with the fam.
Added bonus: up can boat to it and use their day dock!
Used to be good. Â Casual place to eat with a nice view. Â Did they change ownership?
We always sit at the bar. Â This past visit, the bar is a complete mess. Â The bartender is disorganized. Â The glasses were cloudy. Â This could be from dishwasher scaling or just dirty glasses. Â None the less.... Get some new glasses and clean up the back of the bar!
Perch cone was good!
So I finally tried the Bloody Mary that I waxed about in my review from 2010...
I LIKED IT! Twice.
Grabbed a table outside with one of my best and dearest gal pals from childhood and made an afternoon of it while our guys watched football in the bar. (they told us the TV was pretty old and had a split screen, so I'm sure you could find a better place to watch a game). However you cannot find a better place to drink outside! The sun was shining, our service was exceptional and we had a lovely time.
My complaint STILL is that they list 4 bottled champagnes (sparkling, ahem) and none were available. Just the split. Do you even know how drunk I'd have gotten if they'd had that $24 bottle of local Mawby Blanc de Noir? Probably pretty drunk. But still, I wanted it! Splits don't do it for me, there's something about a bottle that I really like. Also the food is pretty "meh" but did the trick. I had the Mahi Mahi salad, which of course they managed to make unhealthy by serving it in a taco shell bowl. Luckily I had gotten my veggie servings through my cocktails a bit earlier.
Great spot, was an excellent starter to an afternoon of wine tasting in the area...can't beat it when the weather is good. Still recommending it 2 years later.
Bottoms up!
I first ate there very soon after the Omena location opened, so maybe they were still working out the kinks.
But what I had that day was probably the worst meal I have ever been served. It was a blustery winter day, so the Turkey Pot Pie sounded just about perfect, the ideal comfort food to eat while watching the snow squalls and whitecaps out on beautiful Omena Bay.
Their turkey pot pie, though, was horrifying.
Imagine a large bowl filled to the brim with some sort of orange liquid, topped by 4 burned Pillsbury Grands (OK, probably Gordon Food Service) biscuits floating on top. I'm an adventurous diner, so I gave it a try. I hate to say this, but the bitter, revolting taste brought only one thing to mind - vomit.
When the waitress checked back, I had to admit that I found it inedible and she acknowledged that it was indeed quite a unique interpretation of turkey pot pie that a lot of people didn't like. Count me on that list!
We've been back one other time, only to join a group of friends. I had fish and chips. Although quite bland, at least It was edible.
The location is absolutely superb so they'll probably do quite well serving even sub-par food. But if a good meal takes priority over great views, you'll do well to pass up "The Knot".
I would give this restaurant less than one star if possible. Â We showed up with 6 family members because it was a central place to eat and meet. Â The dilemma for the hostess and the waitstaff appeared to be they had multiple tables for four, some of the tables near each other and they wanted us to split up and sit at separate tables! Â There didn't appear to be any interest in putting a couple tables together and they were frankly indifferent. Â We simply left and walked up the block to Cava where the welcome was warm, the food good and a better quality of food. Â We now meet at Cava's when there is a gathering for family get togethers for a quick meal.
Review Source:We took our visiting family to The Knot for lunch this past week despite a less-than-positive experience the first time we ate here. But they -- especially our granddaughter -- were hungry, and we wanted them to enjoy the view of Omena Bay, so we decided to give The Knot another try.
We're very glad we did. We had a great lunch, the highlight of which was our son's Perch Cone, a kind of parfait of deep-fried local perch and batter-dipped French fries. We all sampled from the giant portion, and it was really some of the best fried fish I've ever eaten. My partner ordered a Shrimp Cone, which featured the largest butterflied shrimp I've ever seen -- each of the three was almost the size of a quail! Also delicious.I myself had a mahi-mahi fish taco with citrus aoli which was also very good. We also enjoyed our starter, a feta-red pepper dip with pita wedges. We appreciated the updated menu; and while I think the place could still do more to highlight  the wealth of local foods, they're at least trying, and that's a good thing.
The interior of the restaurant also seemed a little brighter and less shopworn than we'd remembered it.
Service was friendly and helpful -- a bit slow, but this was on a busy day when both inside and outside tables were filled.
So I have to take back most of what I said in my first Yelp review of The Knot. But I'm happy to do that when a restaurant moves in a positive direction.
Awesome place to stop by after you visit the Leenelau cellars winery, which is next door. My boyfriend and me went there 2 days in a row. The food we had was very good. the pasta and fish there was delicious. if you can and weather is nice go and sit on their patio. the view is amazing. Cant beat good food and great food at same place. They also have great tartar with the fish. The service seemed fine to me. Actually the second time we went there it was a bit chilly and we were sitting outside and the server noticed that i was chilly and she offered to barrow her sweater, which i thought was nice of her.
Review Source:We sat outside on the deck which is right on the water. I got an iced tea but there are beers from all over the world. I ordered the Buffalo chicken wrap and fries. The wrap was awesome but the fries were the best I've ever had. My wife ordered mahi-mahi tacos and said the portion was quite generous and it was delicious. This is a must try when you are in the area.
Review Source:Plain and simple = Great Food, Great Service, Excellent View
I have had a couple of different of their lunch subs and really enjoyed the Corned Beef Ruben as well as the Philly Cheese steak sandwich too! Â Enjoy looking out at the great view of the water or even stop next door to taste some wonderful wines!
Service- Terrible! We sat at the bar which in most cases the bartender gives great service - guess this place doesn't know that rule of service.
He forgot a portion of our order and said "Sorry I have a lot on my mind". If he had a lot on his mind maybe he should go back to actually writing down orders instead of trying to remember them.
The food was not as described on the menu- The chicken salad wrap was described as (straight from menu)- All white chicken breast with house dressing, toasted almonds, dried cherries capers, celery and onion in a tomato torilla - Sounds Great Right? Well I got a wrap with Chicken chunks house dressing 2 dried cherried one in each half, a little celery and  not one almond, caper or onion. Couldn't tell the server/bartender as he never came back to check on us or the food. Had to snag him during a swish past to ask for our checks.
On the plus side the view is great.
Thank goodness the winery next door was super! That would be the ONLY reason I would return.
The setting in here is very East Coast and most certainly geared toward a clientele of a "certain age", but it was still fun for us youngsters and everyone was nice. In fact, I'm sure the server enjoyed chatting with someone who didn't share at least a 30 year age difference with her.
We just came here for a little refueling between wineries so we opted for soup and an appetizer. We split the fried smelt, which were very good with the tarter sauce. Their New England clam chowder was good, though I would have preferred it a little chunkier. The French Onion was great, no complaints!
The highlight for me here though was the alcohol selection. Obviously they had some great wines and beers, but they also had Blatz in a can for $1. Of course I had one, and it tasted like college.
Oh so disappointing :(
I always look forward to visiting the Leelanau Cellars Winery next door with their complimentary tastings and great wine for purchase, so I was surprised the food and service at Knot Just a Bar next door as bad if not as good as Denny's.
SERVICE
Was weird, we asked the fresh out of school looking hostess if we could sit at some empty seats on the patio and she said "no that's for a party of 6", I said "really? even though there are ample seats available indoors", she said "no that's for a party of 6" Â confident this "imaginary party of 6 was about to walk in any moment?". Â So instead we waited...and waited...and waited, for a couple to leave that she said were paying their bill.
Then I asked our server to take a photo of us and our food with the picturesque background of the lake and she ushered us to the other side of the patio, creating a scene that embarrassed my poor nervous boyfriend who hates taking pictures, as she directed us on where to stand, finally taking a picture with the sun behind us so we were silhouettes. Â It was all so very weird and I can't stop laughing when I think about it hahaha
FOOD
My bf had the battered perch and onion rings and it looked like something rehashed out of a supermarket frozen food section. Â I had a portabella mushroom sandwich and the mushroom was abnormally thick, tasteless and a GMO most likely. Â The garlic mashed potato side was dry and lumpy too.
DECOR
Nice on the patio with great view of the lake, feels like you're on a ship.
This restaurant has the potential to be a fine dining restaurant if they could maybe get some celebrity or expert chefs to revamp their menu and add some organic, locally produced ingredients. Â It's in an upscale area and there's hardly any competition and I don't mind paying more, but I want more and I want this to be the great restaurant it could be! Â Sorry you're Knot just a good restaurant and I'm sad to say I won't eat here again.
Just got  back from our first visit.  There were four adults and got sat on the deck as requested right away.  It was about 8:30 and the weather has been hot and sunny but it was shady and a light breeze on the deck.
The smoked whitefish pate was cold and delicious served with fresh pita chips. Â One friend had the fried perch served in a metal cone with seasoned fries and cole slaw. Â Another had the mahi salad special served in a fried tortilla shell with a Mexican twist. Â She would have enjoyed it a bit more if it had the cilantro lime sour cream on it instead of the sour cream and guacamole but was happy nonetheless.
My husband had the gyro with kettle chips which he split with me and my fish taco (2) dinner served with tortilla chips and an extra side of guacamole.
I had a fresh minty mojito with cucumber and it hit the spot.
We opted out of dessert since we have a Grand Traverse Pie Co. Cherry Cobbler back at the cottage calling our names but our server was fast and friendly.
Dress code is come-as-you-are.
We'll definitely come back!
One star for the view and an honest waitress. This was probably the worst meal I've had in a restaurant in years. Front desk man was obnoxious, sweaty and never actually greeted us. While we waited for a table at the bar, it took a good ten minutes to flag down a bartender who, again, wasn't friendly or helpful. When we finally got outside to sit down, we loved the view. And the waitress was actually really good...so when we asked for recommendations, she was honest: nothing. She told us customer favorites, and wouldn't discuss her own. My nachos were dry, overcooked, and had skimpy portions of meat and cheese on it...but a whole lot of lettuce. My wife's fish and chips were almost inedible. My son's 18 dollar alfredo was small, had three undercooked pieces of broccoli thrown on top, and a few pieces of OK shrimp. 18 bucks. If you come here, come for the view, order the cheapest thing on the menu, and don't expect good service.
Review Source:Don't bother. Â As others have said here before me, overpriced bar food. Â We had a very bad experience at the Knot. Â My wife had called to make a reservation, which was taken by an employee. Â When we arrived with eight people for dinner, I informed the manager that we had a reservation and his reply was "not here you don't!" Â WTF? Â Really?! Â Even if they don't accept reservations and their employee made a mistake, at least try to make it right. Â We left and went to the Bluebird in Leland. Â Better food and much better people (locals, unlike the Knot which is owned by a group from Detroit). Â Skip this place and go to Fishers Happy Hour or the Bluebird. Â Tried and true and owned by locals. Â I'd give this place no stars if I could.
Review Source:The food here is good, but not great. Â It's standard pub food, nothing offensive, but nothing particularly noteworthy, either. Â But you didn't come here for the food, you came here to sit and stare at Omena Bay, one of the most beautiful parts of Grand Traverse Bay. Â (I will try and ignore the Chicagoan below who thought this was Lake Michigan.) Â Unless you're lucky enough to have a cabin on the water, you won't find a better view for lunch.
As someone else said, the way it's been remodeled is impressive, particularly if you remember its prior state, before it closed for several years. Â Now that it's been dolled up, the prices are much higher and the food is slightly better, but it's still worth a trip, because the view is the same.
I used to eat at Keith's all the time when I was a kid. This isn't Keith's. I think the food is great, but I have to agree with Willem B. that it is substantially overpriced. It might have something to do with the expensive makeover and the well-appointed wine tasting room next door. That, and the incredible view of Omena Bay. It's worth it to me to have a nice meal with that view. Another thing going for Knot Just a Bar is a pretty serious beer selection.
Review Source:It just opened - and it looked like it was off to a fine start, but ..
The rehab they did on this old location is unbelievable. Top to bottom the decor is unbeatable. The location on Lake Michigan is one of the most beautiful spots Ive been to in my entire life. The Omena harbor setting is like something out of a storybook. People often take their boats right to the adjoining docks (as they've done for decades) and step off to dine right up the stairs. And wine-tasting room - which is the main attraction - is just great. It calls itself a winery.
So the look of the place is fantastic. Have to say the staff was great too but of course they were - it just opened. So whats wrong? Nothings wrong if you are prepared to pay INSANLY high prices for what is substandard pub food. Their prices are not just high - they are outrageous. I'm not sure what they are thinking. It's almost insulting. Over SIX dollars for a mere cupful of bad chili. Burgers are almost good but they will empty your wallet.
We all walked out of there saying it was a nice experience but we felt raped by the prices. NOW WAY can this place continue as it is now and please the locals. Â If they are shooting for the big spending out of towners - from the casino - then screw them. What makes Omena so great are the residents. Nice try but try again Knot Just a Bar.
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