Cabana Blue Lakefront Sports Bar & Grill — Restaurant in Clay Township

My wife and I ate at Cabana Blue Lakefront Sports Bar & Grill on September 2, 2022. We arrived around 1:30 pm and I was surprised to find the parking lot and the restaurant nearly full, especially since we arrived after the typical lunchtime rush. We ran into some people we know and were told that it's not unusual to experience wait times of up to an hour. After dining here, I now know why; our entire experience was very good.

The restaurant opened on October 29, 2021 and is located on the eastern shore of Anchor Bay in Clay Township. The building's exterior is finished in a light blue shiplap with white trim and a black metal roof, giving it a clean, fresh, beachy appearance. There is plenty of seating inside, around the bar, and also outside at high-top tables and several picnic tables. There are also several Adirondack-style chairs on the beach for customers who may want to sit there with another drink after their meals. The bathroom was also very clean, which often is not the case at other restaurants I have been at. Much of the perimeter of the restaurant has large roll-up doors allowing the entire restaurant to have a more open appearance, in addition to allowing a cool breeze from Lake St. Clair to blow through the restaurant.

The menu is nothing extravagant, just the typical bar and grill fare (appetizers, hamburgers, sandwiches, flatbread pizzas, salads, a couple of fish, chicken and steak dinners, drinks, etc.), but the selection was good, our meals arrived fairly quickly (especially considering how busy the restaurant was), and the food was very tasty. We also ordered a specialty drink to split. It came in a pineapple-looking glass garnished with an orange slice, and it too, was really good.

The hostess and wait staff were friendly and welcoming. Our waitress was exceptional. She was attentive and checked on us a couple of times. When our food arrived my wife noticed that it contained sour cream, even though she had ordered it without. A different waitress came by and asked how we were doing and my wife told her about the added condiment. She immediately took the food and said she would have the kitchen correct it. Our waitress brought the food back to the table, but instead of the fries that she originally had, she now had chips. Our waitress apologized and said she would get her a new order of fries. My wife said the chips were tasty and that she didn't need to bother. Our waitress insisted and said, "You ordered fries, so I'm going to make sure you get exactly what you ordered!" She returned a minute or two later with a fresh order of fries. We were very impressed!

Almost every seat in the restaurant has a nice view of the water which really adds to the overall experience. And while we were not there late enough to see one, we were told that the sunset views from the restaurant are really nice. If you decide to eat here, you may want to call ahead to check on the current wait time so you aren't disappointed by an hour-long wait time before you and your party can be seated. I will definitely recommend this place to family...

Took a ride up here the other day to have lunch with my mother. We got there just as it opened, around 11:00AM. We sat at a high top, by the window. The place is lined with what could best be described as glass paneled garage doors. No doubt they all come up on warmer days, providing an unfettered view of the bay. Even with the windows down, the view was very beautiful. Our server, Angel, can't to us quite quickly, providing us with menus, and taking our drink order. I ordered a spicy Bloody Mary, and my mother ordered coffee. Returning with our drinks, she took our food orders, and i cannot express enough, what a delight Angel was. The Bloody Mary was a bit zingy, but not unbearable. It was just enough to let you know it wasn't average. It was served in a hurricane glass, with a celery stalk, pickle, and olives. I prefer a little meat something in mine, but that's me. This was quite tasty, but i think the spiciness was just the addition of some powder spice, dry remnants of which were tasted on the rim. But maybe that's how they wanted it to be. But saying it was bad, just how it was served. That being said, I happily drank the entire thing. The onion rings we ordered as a side were crispy, hot and tasty. I've had onion rings that have been larger, meatier, saltier, and greasier, but these were pleasantly tasty. My meal soon arrived. I had ordered the Blake's Seafood Gumbo. It was described as having seafood and Andouille sausage a part of the gumbo. It was served in a bowl, with rice. I was not disappointed. This also was very tasty. The only reservation I have here, is the lack of seafood. I'll express this as I expressed it to Angel. I totally understand that the price of this dish would be closer to $30, than it's present $22 or $23, but the fish really could have used more visible seafood. Scallops, shrimp, or something. I was hard-pressed to find any visible seafood in this dish. I did find some, but it could have used less sausage, and more seafood. However, like i said, the taste did not suffer, and I know the price would be higher, but it's something to ponder, especially if it ever makes it from the specials menu to the daily. All in all, I enjoyed dining at Cabana Blue. I would highly recommend giving this place a try. Also, my mother had the salmon, and though I did not try it, she said it was delicious....

Owners make their staff(bartenders, servers, etc.) PAY sales tax on credit card transactions! Is telling the kids "its normal" and "the new thing" when it illegal to remove ANY funds from someones pay without previous Written agreement. Also REALLY low to make least earning employees pay for the companies sales tax. When this was brought to the "owners" attention, they tried to pay off with a $100 bribe. Then fired and DENIED last checks to two employees when they confronted them with the illegal activity. This facility had trouble GETTING their licensing and now that they finally opened, theres a reason they cant keep staff and or service consistant. many wont go certain days for fear of the regular hour and a half wait times and poor food portion size. the kind of portion you have to go home and finish eating. i wouldnt doubt this facility doesnt make it another 6 months. the money HAS to be running out, and with poor management and immense staffing and payroll issues its only a matter of time. A state investigation is pending regarding payroll and tax fraud. REALLY had better hopes for this facility. And now cabana wants to write a bogus response in review. if ANYONE would like to see the evidence in regards to this, they are welcome to contact me. And, i will soon(as soon as i recieve) post state investigation #. Not Only was the server fired for voicing concern in illegal activity, a 15 year old as well with ZERO pay. how you pay the girl when she doesnt have an account? and it is ILLEGAL to remove pay from an employee without written permission. there was NO WRITTEN PERMISSION. this violates state law and is also NOT a "regular thing"...