The food was great. Seated by a friendly hostess. Server was really nice. Had tamales for an appetizer, and chips and salsa. We both had the combination azteca platter which included a chicken enchilada, taco and poblano. The chicken was cooked really well, not overcooked. Taco was seasoned perfectly. The poblano and mole sauce was delicious. Service was great. Â Really great experience. Will definitely be back. Tried this restaurant because of an up north live deal. Glad we did, happy return customers!
Review Source:For Benzie County this is a pretty great spot to eat. The food is good, not great but still tasty and satisfying. I am a fan of tex-mex, and to have this eatery right here in this vacation town is awesome. I would recommend it to anyone coming to the area. I'm giving it four stars because you can't find a place as good as this for miles around.
Review Source:After our 2nd attempt to eat here (yes, we gave them  chances) I had to write a review. I live & work nearby in tourism and I will make sure I steer everyone clear of this place from now on. They used to have a great hostess/manager but she is gone and the new one clearly doesn't like people. Great job owners did with that.
August 2012 we chose this place for their outdoor seating for our group of 15. Â Our group arrived but we were waiting on 2 more to which they REFUSED to seat or even put us on a list until everyone was there. When the other 2 arrived they seated us...at separate tables at opposite ends of the patio. Seriously. The food was average which is not the norm for them because they have awesome food however they are clearly not equipped to handle crowds with only the ability to prepare hot fresh food when they are slow. The wait staff was great the hostess was a nasty *#@ch. Restaurant Impossible would eat this place alive.
Another attempt to eat there was last week. We checked the website & called and were told they were open for business. After a 45 min drive we arrive with our family for a special birthday celebration only to find a small sign posted that said "Closed for private party". Nice. We even called.
There will be no 3d time to eat here. There are too many other choices with great customer service to be treated like this. We live in Northern Michigan where we survive on tourism & customer service. The owners had better take this opportunity to review their choice for hostess/manager & their policies because they will get no recommendation from our agency. Too bad too because years ago they were the best.
Every time we come to northern Michigan we try to eat here. The food is fantastic. Try the organic cherry haberno hot sauce. In addition, the salsa is home made and thick with great onion and cilantro taste. I highly recommend this restaurant. Be prepared for a wait but well worth it. In the summer try to sit outside on the deck.
Review Source:WORST SERVICE IN THE COUNTRY TRY THE FOOD AT A GAS STATION!
Well there is no negative star to give, so I had to give them a single star, regrettably. But if I had my choice, there would be NO STAR here.
We haven't had the food yet, but after waiting 2 hours to be served, it better be good. But that's not even my complaint. We come with a wedding party of 10 and after waiting 2 hours to get a table together, they tell us it's  "too much work" to put together our 2 tables together to sit together - as a family. Really?!! Â
Then, the manager came out to speak with us, she wouldn't even give us her name! How is that for standing by your service? And, then when pressed she threatened to kick us out for complaining!?! Did I mention we were with a 78 year old man and a pregnant woman???
I know what you're thinking... WHAT?
Ok an hour later we were finally served. COLD FOOD.
So I had to log into my computer to finish this review. And it's worth it.
The food came out cold, the manager was absolutely rude, and after leaving a generous tip to Hannah, who did a decent enough job, the staff rolled their eyes at as as we left? Well, if that is how they treat someone who spends $200+ in their restaurant, I would hate to see how they treat joe the plumber, or whoever.
It is so bad, I got the business card and I plan to call the owner in the morning.
I say try the food at the gas station!!!
Mediocre. Wait, no- not good.
So we decided to give the Roadhouse a try when some neighbors told us we should. We arrived to the packed restaurant, which I took to be a good sign. We were seated after a fifteen minute wait, and immediately got the margaritas going.
The margarita is the reason that this place got awarded two stars instead of one. Nice and tangy with a hint of sweet and a hint of savory.
Our appetizer was nachos with all the works (but we 86'd the jalepenos). The chips were almost soggy from the beans, and we resorted to using our chip basket trips because the nacho chips were inedible. The cheese was also cold, which gave me the impression that our order sat around for awhile before being served.
For dinner I had a cheese, black bean, and chicken quesadilla. This was not good. It was very greasy. The beans were fine, but the cheese was not fully melted. I had to pry open my quesadilla to remove the unmelted cheese. When I had a bite of chicken, it seemed undercooked, so I cut open a piece open and sure enough, there were some raw spots. So basically, I didn't eat anything for dinner. When I complained about the chicken the waitress was very diligent and offered to get me a new quesadilla, but I declined. She then took it off our bill entirely. Another reason they got two stars.
My friend had the cheese enchiladas. She didn't say much about them, only that they were bland and not good.
We decided to skip dessert after the food quality that we had experienced earlier, but we hit the Hilltop Soda Shoppe down the road. Much recommended.
Maybe we hit the Roadhouse on a bad night, but due to our experience, I will not be coming back any time soon.
What a huge disappointment. First off, the chips were the worst chips I have ever had. My Margarita came in a plastic margarita cup. The food was not good.
If you like authentic Mexican food, you won't like this. Â I guess for an Up North version of Mexican -- it may be ok. Our table of 4 was all disappointed.
I tend to frequent the roadhouse, the quality of the food and generous portion sizes make eating there enjoyable, having addictive salsa doesn't hurt either. The staff is friendly, and seem to enjoy working there. It's really hard to find a good dinner west of Traverse in the winter, and luckily they are open year round.
My personal favorite is the chili relleno, (stuffed poblano) there can be a chance of catching one with a pepper that has a kick to it every once and awhile, but it's nice to have a little change every so often.
Very good Mexican food in an area where Mexican food is hard to come by. And it's authentic, not Taco-Bell, style, with fresh ingredients. Â The patio (which I came to love during the restaurant's previous incarnation as a crunchy-granola natural-foods place) is really comfy; a great place to while away a summer vacation afternoon. One caveat: This being one of those resort communities where many business owners roll up the sidewalk between Labor Day and Memorial Day, you might want to call ahead in the off season.
Review Source:I love this place almost as much as I love my sweetie! Â The margaritas are one of the best I've had. They are made the same each time, so no guessing what it's going to taste like. Chips and salsa are awesome....as is the homemade guacamole. Â They make a killer hot sauce that you can purchase....it's hot and very good. The entrees we have tried have always been very good. I would recommend the fajitas. Â The outside seating is comfortable and ambience fits the food they serve......as does the inside. If you are on your way up north, you hate Taco Bell, and Ortega sauce in the grocery store makes you sick, this place is for you.
Review Source:Have to laugh when restaurants are rated first place by those local choice contests. How hard is it to come in first when you are the only Mexican place around!?
Regardless, it was an okay place to stop when you are sick of grilling and the other usual options when on the road or camping in this beautiful neck of the woods.
We have been here 3x and each time we both say average. Definitely go during happy hour 4-6 and get deals for you average fare at least.
Empandas were not what an empanada should be, so don't be surprised.
Husband had a trio of tacos that were lukewarm and not very flavorful.
I had the maya combination platter of a chicken tamale, empanadas and chile rellano. Empanadas were far from being an empanada. It was a gooey spicy velveeta sauce. Chicken tamale was the best thing on the table all night for sure. The chile rellano was a soggy concoction, but not horrible.
In review, go for happy hour and get the free chips and tamales.
BTW, it was my husband's b-day the next day and they have a free birthday meal offering and we didn't feel the need to take them up on a free meal even!!!
I dream about the vegetarian quesadillas when I'm away from this place! Â They will knock your socks off [and I'm not a vegetarian ftr]. Â It's served with a green chili pesto that is out of this world! Â Â
The Roadhouse also has great salsa [try the roasted version], which you can buy to take home with you. Â But there's nothing better than sitting on the patio in summertime, sipping on a margarita [they're STRONG so watch out!], and enjoying a great dinner. Â I've never had anything I didn't like, and everyone I take there loves it too.
Unbelievable salsa. Â Not that it's hard to eat a basket of tortilla chips and salsa at a mexican restaurant by yourself. Â But here it's pretty easy to eat two, and its all because of the killer salsa, with a perfect light/chunky texture and just the right amount of heat.
My tacos were also pretty tasty, and they serve it with the brilliant innovation of two long toothpicks skewered through the soft tortilla shells, such that you can actually manage your tacos without them falling apart all over the place. Â Well played.
Also a nice beer selection and quite the plethora of margaritas.
I went to Roadhouse with my family a few weekends ago. Â We had a large party (12 people), so I called in advance to make sure they could seat us at 8:00. Â The man who answered the phone assured me that they could seat us within 15 minutes or less and that we would not need a reservation.
When we arrived at the restaurant, we had a great time on their outdoor patio. Â The drinks and atmosphere were great. Â However, the time we had been quoted grew longer and longer. Â A few times we asked how much longer, and we were told "15 minutes" every time. Â IT TOOK TWO AND A HALF HOURS TO BE SEATED. Â When we complained, we were told that a host named "Bud" was to blame. Â When we asked to speak with Bud, he had been "sent home for the night."
We received two free appetizers, but unfortunately that did not make us feel much better when we finally received our meals at 10:45pm. Â I will not be eating here again.
We love this little hot spot in Benzonia for a casual Mexican meal. The decor is typical cheesy "Mexican" murals, serapes, and sombreros, but don't let that deter you.
The empanadas are a special favorite of mine--and the ones we had today were hot, fresh, pillows of creamy potato-and-cheese goodness.
I had the special today-a jerk chicken burrito. You could taste the jerk, yet it somehow worked, and they cheerfully made my burrito to order (sans refried beans).
The fresh roasted salsa that came with our chips was tasty, but I was particularly taken with the house Organic Cherry Habanero Hot Sauce--a nice kick, with the sweetness of the cherries cutting the heat just enough. I picked up a bottle there to take home with me.
My dining partner enjoyed his Roadhouse skillet dinner as well.
Wintertime, the place is a quiet and laid back retreat from the cold. Summertime-it's packed with folks, and there is often a wait for a table, especially if you want to sit on their pleasant little patio. Dining inside can be a bit noisy and hot (no AC), but the vibe is friendly and the service has been great for us.
Not very good. Overpriced and not really even remotely close to authentic Mexican. Even if it were kind of authentic I'd be fine with that.. but I'd rate this lower than your average overly americanized mexican restaurant and I won't even go to those. If you can believe it, better choices at Taco Bell.
Review Source:Good, consistent, Mexican food. Open all-year around.
Always a good crowd -- during the winter, one of the only games in town, and during the summer, a nice outside patio, children-friendly, familiar food.
I usually have something with chicken -- a burrito or tacos or something. Always good. Good chips and salsa, but annoying that they only serve one basket for free. Salad with salmon is a good non-meat choice.
Always good pleasant service, and well-presented food. Not as good Mexian as El Zocalo in Detroit, but a nice second.
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