I would say this is a 4 star for a casual place to get some drinks and have some food, and 3 for a restaurant. My husband said his chicken parmesan was just average, but my Della Donna pizza was great! And it couldn't have hurt that I had a drink called Vodka Love with 4 kinds of vodka and just a splash of cranberry and sour. Yum! The deck was perfect for a late dinner at 10 pm, dark but you could still see the last of the setting sun over the bay. Our server was very friendly and helpful.
Review Source:Even though I grew up part time in P-town, this was my first time visiting Papa Lou's. When I found out they had swings as bar stools, there was no question that it was time to give this place a try. I had the Tender Lovin' Pizza which was basically a BBQ chicken pizza so I don't understand why they call the sauce Diablo Sauce. Diablo is associated with fire/hot/spicy...not a mild BBQ. But I wasn't disappointed, the pizza was really good and I would order it again. The cheesy breadsticks were just regular unseasoned breadsticks with cheese baked on top. Good, but not great. We sat upstairs where the swinging bar stools are...or as Papa Lou's refers to them as Hanging Bar Stools. It was definitely a novelty thing, but it was fun and then we discovered that the people downstairs can see us on a tv above the bar. Haha, I bet that makes for some fun people watching. I'd like to try this place again in the summer, there's a pretty cool looking patio that overlooks the bay.
Review Source:Don't know what all the hubbaballoo is about with this place. My husband and I came here, dinner time on a Tuesday. Now, it's not peak season so maybe that makes a difference. Everything was fantastic. Service was great. Nothing took a long time. Pizza was out of this world good. Exactly what we were looking for. The only downside is they were out of a lot of their good specialty beers but that happens. Also, as a plus, one of the servers was talking to us about the new features at the local casino, which is where we were headed after this. Overall, and I'm not ashamed to say this, we had an awesome experience.
Review Source:Awesome atmosphere. Â I absolutely love the double decks and the swings at the bar are a really entertaining touch. Â We ordered the breaded zucchini and 2 sandwiches. Â I haven't had such delicious zucchini in a long time. Â My sandwich was the chicken toma and it was very filling and delicious. Â I would definitely suggest this to anyone in the area. Â For the area, this place is even reasonably priced!
Review Source:If this was based solely on service and server attitude, I'd give this 1-star. Â I'm adding a star because the pizza was pretty damn good. Â But that's it.
I don't know what our server's issue was. Â Apparently, asking for things like plates and napkins is fairly unheard of. Â Every request was met with an attitude. Â We wanted to push some tables together on an empty back porch at 3pm and that was out of the question because, as we were told, 'the hostess wouldn't allow it.' Â Took forever to get the only beer ordered at the table. Â Water refills took forever. Â I just don't get it. Â If you don't want to serve people, just close down the joint, ok?
Clearly Papa Lou's management isn't reading these reviews, or perhaps is unconcerned. After all, in a one horse town like Petoskey, there's probably some arrogance around staying power.
Previous reviews are spot on. The spot could really be great. The space itself is fantastic; great building with a rooftop deck. We didn't check out the downstairs, but clearly the restaurant is spacious. Rockin'. So now, hire animated staff who know how to sell. Put your best folks upstairs and outside. I mean, it's pizza-it partly sells itself!
So, after waiting for about 10 or 12 minutes, our server appears. Friendly enough, but not exactly energetic or enthused. It occurred to me that everyone's pizza was deep dish. Yuck. I asked about the possibility of getting thin crust. She said it was impossible. IMPOSSIBLE??? Please. It can be rolled thinner. And she could have checked with the kitchen, no? Maybe I'm used to better service in NYC where I'm from, and Miami Beach where I live. I explained that I'm a picky veggie. No offer of anything else...what happened to upselling? So, I decided not to eat there and perhaps head downstairs to the Roast spot. Then I spotted a kid eating a kid size, THIN pizza. I pointed it out to the server. "Ohhh...I guess you could do that!"
Duh. I mean-was she interested in making money? So I ordered that with a million veggie toppings. Then I also asked for a salad. She thought this was a good idea. Did I work there or did she????
The meal was good. FYI, the salads are SMALL. If you're salad eaters, get at least a large for 2 folks.
Our server brought us the bill without asking if we'd like anything else (bf woulda had dessert)...subpar service.
If you're DYING for pizza, go. Otherwise wait until you're in NY.
We go here every summer out of nostalgia for our great initial visit about 6 years ago....and just like Pearl Jam albums, the experience gets worse every year. Â Don't get me wrong, you'll still see us up on the rooftop deck this summer suckin down pints.(and I will still buy every PJ record.=)
Like I said, we had a terrific first visit here and I am almost SURE it was mainly due to the kielbasa pizza. (Yeah, it's polish pie heaven) Â It also could have had something to do with the fact that we were so damn hungry that a plate full of cat turds with ranch woulda been gobbled up with a smile. Â
It's always nice to sit outside on a patio and drink beer too.
Stick with pizza, don't let the mammoth menu sway you to anything else. Â Every time we try something different (crappy pasta, dry-burnt up gyros, very bland/standard sandwiches, etc), we are VERY disappointed.....so much so that we have on those occasions made sure we voiced our displeasure to our server. Â They never said a word, you would think it was part of their training. Â (OK, if a guest has an issue, don't do shit.....just sniff at them. Â Don't get them something else, don't get the mgr, and certainly don't comp anything......just roll your eyes at them because 90% of the people who come in here are from out of town anyway. Â
I think the place has that universal feel of "fuck 'em" because I don't think they will ever be hurting for business. Â You have to understand that the competition is B.C. Pizza, Domino's, and Papa John's.....all of which just nasty.
So, in closing: Â kinda pricey, pretty good pizza, servers typically have a shitty attitude, great patios and beer.
Always had excellent service and food at papa lous. They have some of the best pizza anywhere. I have been there in the summer and the off season. The staff and management have always been great. Some reviews seem like a table had a bad experience and they all rushed on here to complain. They have a very relaxed atmosphere and you can actually watch them stretch the pizza dough fresh for each order. Highly recommended.
Review Source:On our trip to Petoskey we stopped at Papa Lou's for a drink and some sustenance. I liked this place. The calamari wasn't great and the pizza was pretty good but I thought the Buffalo Chicken dip in the bread bowl was a pretty great app. I think it may be a little better if it were served in a thin crispy shell but that's just me. The restrooms are all the way upstairs which gave me the chance to check out the gameroom area which is very cool. Darts, pool and a second bar gives me the idea that this is a fun place to be on the weekends. It's at least worth checking out if you're in town.
Review Source:Without having read a single review before entering, this place immediately gave me the vibe of one of those places that somehow seemed to thrive despite providing it's share of less than stellar experiences....
The reviews seem to reflect that along with our experience, though I can't say my experience was actually unpleasant... just not that memorable.
The place has that brick interior "brewery" feel, and though it feels a little cramped on the inside, looks fairly nice. Because it was such a nice day, we actually opted for the upstairs patio, which was pretty plain and could have used a good cleaning and some decorating. Â It provided a really great view of the Little Traverse Bay, but only for handful of the seats. The water was a good half mile away, and you are basically situated in their back parking lot. It was still pleasant, I just don't want any readers getting the idea you're enjoying drinks "on the water" here. And I'm quite certain that from the downstairs patio (directly beneath), you'd have no view at all.
Our server was attentive enough, but not really friendly or enthusiastic. He got the job done and was in no way rude, he was just blah... maybe having an off day? Anyway, the first beer took a while to get there (actually, all the way to when our appetizer came out), but after that he was fine. No real complaints there.
After looking over the menu, we noticed the prices seemed to fall into categories. They ranged from "somewhat high" to "really high". 5.50 for a 23oz domestic draft isn't really something to write home about... it's not a complete rip off, but it's close to $3 a beer, which isn't all that spectacular. The unfortunate aspect of this is that these were the "reasonable prices".
On the menu was a 20-inch pizza- huge, admittedly, but $36 dollars? A pint of Dragons Milk, which I know is not cheap... but I want to say I heard a server tell the table next to us it was $10 a pint???
Honestly, we don't look at prices too closely when we're out, but something just had us feeling a little skittish about this place, so we decided to start with the calamari and see where it went from there... which consequently, is also where our little journey ended.
The calamari wasn't bad, but it was really average and forgettable. And the best way to cure that is with a tasty sauce, which they menu definitely bragged that they had. But it more resembled runny salsa than anything else. It also contained large tomato chunks, which I found kinda odd, since you can't really "scoop" them like you could if were eating chips and salsa.
Though it was nearly 8pm, the patio was quickly filling up with children... yes, I mean young kids... Â odd, since this restaurant seemed more adult-like and you'd expect most children/families to have eaten before then, but there were actually more children than adults on the patio. Nothing against kids, and none of them was horribly behaved, but I didn't find the constant babble produced by 12 or 13 toddlers all that relaxing. I'm not faulting the restaurant or any parents here... it is, after all, a family vacation destination. Possibly a kids eat free day? Don't know, but along with the pretty average food, and above average prices, we decided to depart.
We didn't hate it... we didn't love it. Some days you might not click with a place when on another day you would have. The pizza we saw did look really good, and when I'm in the mood to spend $36 dollars on one, I would considering giving this place another try.
A reluctant 3-stars, but really more of a 2.5... for now... if I go back, I'll update.
Not being from around here, I was surprised to find a local band/rocker scene in the heart of petoskey. First impression was that it had a great vibe, cool kids, and any bar decked out in Jager signs is my kind of place. However, the jager was not that cold and for $4.50 a shot, a real portion would have been nice. Friend said her cocktail was weak, but tasty. So if you don't drink, this might be a good fit for you. Oh, and they charged us the $5.00 cover after 1 in the morning....that should have been our first clue. We paid and went in just because we wanted a drink and were running out of options, but really guys? Is the $5 cover after one necessary if you're going to rape customers with over prices weak drinks?
Review Source:Nothing bad to say at all. Best garlic cheesey bread that I've had in a long time. Pizza was right up there as well although out was a little on the greasy side. Service was fast and friendly. The bar atmosphere is fun and comfortable. The  pastas are a slightly pricey ranging up to $18, but pizza is well priced.
Review Source:be warned: food is over-priced.
nice covered deck for watching the sunset over lake michigan.
stuffed mushroom caps was pretty juicy and tasty. a bit too much cheese (sprinkled over the caps) for me.
don't get the mussels. it's overpriced, overcooked, and the sauce is extremely sour.
this place is known for its pizza. we had the kahuna pizza, which was pretty good--noteworthy crust, light and crispy, with lots of toppings.
we also had the rolled veggie lasagna. it was ok, a bit on the bland side. lots of cheese, no tomato sauce, pasta was hard and chewy on the side that was over-baked.
for dessert, we had the tiramisu, and it was more like a dry tiramisu cake than an authentic tiramisu.
3.5 Stars.
Pizza was great. Each table has a bottle of Tuscan herb infused extra virgin olive oil. Dip your pizza crusts in it and enjoy. We were there during the day on a Sunday during January and after checking out the decks with a view of the lake we'd love to return and have a beer in the warm summer sun.
This is definitely one of my favorite mid-week or afternoon hangouts in Petoskey. Â Good food, good beer selection, plus I've always had good experiences with the bar and wait staff.
I usually go for a couple of appetizers (or a grinder) and wash it down with a Dragon's Milk from the tap, but they also do a really nice job of rotating their featured liquor to bring in the new and interesting. Â I've tried some obscure liquors there that I would have never found in another bar (or bought from a liquor store).
So why 3/5? Â They lose 2 stars because of their ridiculous security and overzealous bouncers. Â On a weekend visit, you have to give them your ID so they can scan it into a hand-held device which notes the time and takes your picture to log your visit. Â It doesn't matter if you plan to visit their "club" upstairs; they know me and know that I always just sit at the bar, but they still scan me every time. Â If you refuse, you're denied entrance.
Their bouncers need to scale back their riot training, too. Â On one visit last year, my wife and I were having drinks on the deck with another couple. Â It was early, we were the only table on the deck and were having some appetizers and beers. Â The bouncer patrolled the length of the deck - literally - every 3-4 minutes, glaring at us as we were eating. Â On one trip out, he stopped about 6 feet from the table, crossed his arms and just stared at us through his sunglasses for almost 5 minutes while we talked before he told our friend that she was leaning back too far in the chair and needed to sit up straight. Â We only had one beer each and left, although we had planned to stay there for a full dinner.
If they lay off the S.W.A.T. tactics, Papa Lou's could be the best casual eat in Petoskey.
My parents love this place, but then again, they also enjoyed movies such as "Bringing Down the House" and "Wild Hogs."
This time though, they may be on-to something.. My mom and I split the Pizza Della Donna. This pie is saturated with goodness let me tell you. Â "Basil infused olive oil," spinach, roasted red peppers, artichoke hearts, tomatoes, feta, and basil (yes, more basil). Â The feta definitely complemented the olive oil so it wasn't too oily which a lot pizza parlor's botch when dealing with a pie of this nature..
Ask if Mary is working, and if she is, sit in her section. She is extremely chatty and I feel as if my parents wished she was their daughter instead of me...no hard feelings Mary, I promise.
The double decker back patios are nice to sit on and catch a Little Traverse Bay sunset . Â
My Oberon tasted a little funny, and due to my loyalty to Ms. Laura Bell, I completely blame Papa Lou. Did I send it back? Of course not, seriously.. who wastes beer?
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