St. Ambrose Cellars — Attraction in Homestead Township

Usually my family and I stop here several times a season but the last two visits have not been good experiences. The last one we got our food long before our drinks came. This particular visit we went into the store after being seated where we were greeted by a staff member who asked if we wanted a menu to look at. Before we could speak another staff member from behind the bar snapped at us telling us we had to go stand by the host station and wait to be seated. We had already been seated. Which we explained. Then we were told to go sit at our table and wait for our server. I was going to buy product but at this point didn’t want to stay in the store.

When our order came it was incorrect. We tried to tell them at the window where again we were not spoken to nicely and told they made what was on the ticket and we would have to talk to our server. We did talk to our server and were told she rang it up correctly but it didn’t show up for the kitchen and they would get the pizza right out for us. The incorrect order was missing a pepperoni pizza and they rang up 3 chicken tenders and we only ordered 2.

After sometime, the pizza came out and it was NOT a pepperoni pizza. They did say sorry and said they would comp that pizza which is good because I never received what I ordered. In the end I wasn’t charged for that pizza BUT I was charged for the extra chicken tenders I never ordered. i didn’t eat anything because we never got the pizza ( the rest of our party did, there just wasn’t enough ), didn’t end up buying product from the store we usually buy and ultimately decided we wouldn’t be going back.

Our bill was over $200, yes I still left a good tip, didn’t buy the meads I usually do, left hungry and won’t be returning. My recommendation would be to not go during the season. You will have a better experience in...

We have been coming to St Ambrose for a lot of years. The atmosphere is fantastic. Large outdoor seating area, often with live music on the weekends. They are dog friendly. There are games, gardens and scenic views all over the place. The drinks are fantastic. Those are the good things.

Unfortunately over the last few years the service has gone downhill quickly. I'm not sure if it's a staffing issue, or just pure lack of organization, but plan on waiting quite a while when you're there. It is a very large yard with lots of seats available, and it seems that people just get lost in the shuffle there. Our last stop we waited over 20 minutes for anyone to acknowledge us, and this has become the normal expectation for the last couple years. You also have a fair chance of getting somewhat rude service. This is not always the case, and some of the servers are fantastic, but don't be surprised to get a bit of attitude from the staff while you're there. We attempted to get a servers attention after waiting 20 minutes, but we're quickly told we were not in their section. After exclaiming we've been there for 20 minutes, they reluctantly helped us.

While we will most likely return, because of the drinks and the atmosphere, St Ambrose has fallen far from a must stop location for us. Aside from the pizza, which was better when it was served out of the truck, the food is lackluster, and will most likely leave you disappointed. Hopefully they can figure things out, because having people sit for 15-20 minutes without as much as saying hi is...

I wish I could write a stellar review of St. Ambrose, because when they first opened they were my favorite place to go. I love their mead and their wine. It seems that as they have grown in popularity, the quality of service has gone downhill, which is a shame. Maybe it's just because it's getting to be the end of the summer and the servers are all drained by tourists, I'm not sure. I was never quite sure who our server even was, as no one really seemed to want to stop by our table. I would chalk it up to it being busy, but it really wasn't...it was a Tuesday night. We put in a to-go order for a pizza while we paid our check and had our last drink, and that took over an hour to come out - when my partner went to politely check that it had actually gone in after about 40 minutes (these things happen, I wouldn't have been upset if it hadn't gotten rung into the computer) - the person working the food window gave her a curt "yes" and shut the window in her face. When we finally did get the pizza, the crust was burnt - it was still delicious, so not a total loss. All in all, I'm just sad about the experience, because it used to be my favorite place in Benzie County to go and to take people. I hope it was just an off night, and I'm sure we'll back when I go to visit family - I just hope the...