The Happy Troll Deli & Pub — Restaurant in Charlevoix

I really don’t know where to start. I’m still in shock over my experience here. I generally consider myself a respectful person and always treat people with kindness. I can’t say I received that back today in any form. We were seated immediately with 2 menus and after a few minutes our server came and we ordered a coffee and a water. We got those fairly quickly and then did not see our waitress again for 10/15 minutes. My wife flagged down an ask older gentleman and said we hadn’t seen our server in a while and we were ready to order. She came over a while later and then quickly rushed through our order and hurried off, not asking if we wanted anything else, like refills for our empty coffee. When the food came, she set the plates down and walked away. We had no napkins, or silverware, just a spoon for my soup. My wife had to flag her down again and ask for silverware and she seemed annoyed then leaned over from afar to drop at our table. As she was rushing off again my wife asked for napkins, which we were given an impatient glare by the server who tossed two napkins down and left in a hurry again. No one came back for our entire meal. The same man from earlier came back to our table to ask if everything was ok, we shared that our waitress was not being very nice and as we were about to share more feedback he gave us a an irritated look and said, “Ok I’ll go tell her” and went to our sever to share the news without us being able to share more. She then came over to our table and said “I was told I’m not being nice?” And instead of saying what was really on our minds, we asked if we could simply offer her some feedback and she said “sure but it would have been nice to hear that from you instead of someone else.” We started by saying that we did not have any silverware to which she informed us that it’s their company policy not to give out silverware unless a customer asks and “we had a spoon for our soup” and got super defensive in her tone and posture. After a few more unpleasant comments back and fourth, she rudely put down our electronic check in front of me and told me to tap the card and then she walked away again!!! I felt very dismissed and almost to the point of being bullied. I’m in shock that we had not only one but two employees treat us this way. We have been coming up here every summer for over 30 years and cannot believe the way we were just treated. Based on the reviews, this is not something new - so my best advice is to...

Happy Troll Deli - A Delightful Charlevoix Gem

My wife and I had an outstanding experience at the Happy Troll Deli in Charlevoix, Michigan. From start to finish, everything exceeded our expectations.

Our server, Nay, provided phenomenal service—attentive, friendly, and genuinely passionate about making our visit enjoyable. The sandwiches were generously proportioned, with fresh ingredients and incredible flavor, my wife went with The Judge, and I myself chose the Round Lake Club. To complement our meal, we chose a Horny Monk DBL Belgium beer brewed locally in Petoskey Michigan, which paired beautifully.

For dessert, we shared an exceptionally generous piece of carrot cake that was moist, rich, and full of flavor—a perfect sweet ending to a fantastic meal.

The combination of delicious food, great drinks, and exceptional service made our visit unforgettable. We highly recommend Happy Troll Deli to anyone...

It’s difficult to share the quality of food but the atmosphere and service was embarrassing. First, the hostess seated us at a table where another person was seated and said they are leaving. My husband and I were hesitant, being from KY southern hospitality said no, but I walked over and the customer seated was shocked. I told her I was sorry but the hostess seated us there. The hostess promptly grabbed our menus with a humph and moved us. Secondly, we waited for about 10 minutes and no one came to take our drink order let alone food order. The servers would look at us but move on and responded in no way. Needless to say, we stood and left. Went down the street to Bridge Taproom, another pub, with terrific service and food. WE WERE ABSOLUTELY SHOCKED BY THE SERVICE AND ATMOSPHERE. I would NEVER recommend this place to anyone traveling through Charlevoix...