Barnacle Bill's — Restaurant in East Tawas

Perfect “Catch & Cook” Experience at Barnacle Bill’s Barnacle Bill’s in Tawas is a true gem, not just for their mouthwatering fish and chips, but for the incredible community experience they’ve created with local charters. Thanks to their partnership with Captain Brian of HurOn Business Fishing Charters, you can enjoy the ultimate lake-to-table adventure right on the shores of Lake Huron.

After a morning reeling in Walleye with Captain Brian—who runs a top-notch, family-friendly operation that makes first-timers and seasoned anglers feel right at home—we brought our fresh filets to Barnacle Bill’s. Brian expertly filleted the fish, and the amazing team at Barnacle Bill’s took over, transforming our catch into a phenomenal dinner. The fish was perfectly crisp, hot, and so satisfying knowing we caught it that very day.

Seamless partnership: Fish in the morning, feast at night—no mess, no cleanup, just pure enjoyment!

Brian’s Charter: Look for HurOn Business Fishing Charters with Captain Brian. He operates on Lake Huron out of Tawas—ask locals about him if you want an unforgettable day.

Support local: This arrangement really celebrates the spirit of the Tawas community—everyone pitches in to make memories for visitors and locals alike.

My compliments to Barnacle Bill’s, Captain Brian, and the Tawas community for creating something so special. If you ever wondered what “fresh fish” really means, this is the place to find out. Highly recommend for anyone looking for a true Up North Michigan experience—go fishing in the morning, bring your catch to Barnacle Bill’s, and wrap up the day with an amazing meal. It doesn’t get...

stopped here (1:50pm) after wandering downtown tawas. it seemed to be a decent place and people were coming in and out. the two of us sat outside, and were asked about drinks and given menus right away. we ordered calamari as an appetizer, bbq chicken wrap, and the soup and salad. calamari came out on a single plate (no other plates given), was over cooked and pink. we asked for ranch and then given half of a small container of it, so asked for more. the waitress seemed annoyed that we asked, and brought another half container. our original waiter asked how it was, which was replied with “it was ok”, and he took our one plate. at 2:20pm we are still waiting for our simple food order, while our waiter was outside socializing, discussing the remodel of the kitchen. we finally are able to get our waiter’s attention at 2:30pm, and asked when our food would be out. he went inside, and came out to inform us that we are not the only table at the restaurant and other people came before us. our food would be out in a bit. at this point, we were both impatient and ready to go, so we asked for the check for the calami. he comes back out to inform us that our food is on the window and ready to come out. we both said we would just like to go. at no time were we checked on, offered a drink refill, or given any reason or apology for the bad service we received. I will definitely not be recommending this...

Went in during mid day to be greeted with, “I don’t know you guys are gonna have to find an empty table” and then the dude just walked away. So we find ourselves an empty table, order some beers to have them come luke warm. Ordered a pizza and onion rings. The pizza took about 1.5-2 hours to come out and by the time the onion rings came out we were ready to leave. Paid for food I didn’t eat and waited two hours for a sub par pizza that took nearly two hours to prepare. Server didn’t care, left us for over an hour without checking in or letting us know anything and when we asked we got a snapped at that’s it’s because of the pizza. My brother had asked for curly fries with his sandwich and they brought regular fries when he asked if he could get the right food the server asked him to scoop the fries on to a plate to be taken back first. That’s weird, generally restaurants will just bring you your food and then bus the food after or take the plate and put the correct food on there and bring it back out, absolutely ridiculous. Then worst of all another group came in a half hour later and they got their food before us, ours came out well over an hour later. I would never recommend this establishment to anyone. You can go literally anywhere else and have a more...