Northwoods Steakhouse — Restaurant in East Tawas

I remember when Northwoods first opened here in Tawas, and as a child, I was excited at the prospect of a new steakhouse. I vaguely recall eating there once, but we never returned—and now I’m beginning to see why.

When we arrived, the man who appeared to be the owner came to "greet" us and asked if we had a reservation. We explained, “No, our previous dinner plans had fallen through.” He jokingly replied, “Oh, well I guess I’ll have to beat you for not making a reservation.” Maybe I’m old-fashioned, but I didn’t appreciate a joke about violence before we had even decided to spend money there.

We were seated at a booth in the corner, right next to the restroom, and after about five minutes, our server came to greet us. We ordered drinks, which arrived about five minutes later.

The menu featured sections for salads, sandwiches, and pasta—though oddly, there were no pasta options available. We ordered:

Prime rib with garlic mashed potatoes

The House Burger (ordered medium) with a side of broccoli

A Caesar salad with salmon

We waited a solid 48 minutes for our food, suspecting something had gone wrong. We were correct.

Prime rib: Room temperature at best. The garlic mashed potatoes were completely bland—no butter, no salt, no pepper, and, ironically, no garlic.

House Burger: Ordered medium, served rare and cold. As my fiancée put it, “This burger was mooing back at me.” The side of broccoli was a single crown, barely cooked for more than two minutes and completely unseasoned.

Caesar salad with salmon: The one dish you’d expect to be cold was served warm. The lettuce had clearly been sitting under a heat lamp, the salmon was dried out, and again, no seasoning at all.

I left feeling disappointed by such a half-hearted attempt at cooking. To top it off, the man who seated us who had been jovially making his rounds around the floor and had engaged with every other table for several minutes, came over to our table and asked "How is it", before we could even begin to state our disappointment he turned heel and left. I have never made a review for a restaurant that has made me this sad and disappointed before.

We received the bill after having to ask the buss boy for it. Tipped our waitress and left with a sour taste in our mouths.

Northwoods may once have had promise, but based on this experience, it seems to have lost its way. From unprofessional first impressions to painfully slow service and poorly prepared food, the entire evening felt like a missed opportunity. With so many other dining options in Tawas, I can’t see myself returning—at least, not until significant improvements are made both in the kitchen and in the overall...

When we camp at Tawas Point State Park. We always enjoy dinner on our last night at North Woods Steak House. Just like we recently did :)

Upon entering. It is a pretty cool place. Decor is northern Michigan all the way. Wood grains ( bright pine ) and complimentary lighting. Enjoyable !

You MUST call and get a reservation. They are, like others have said. Not afraid to say " Sorry, can't take your party ". That being said. We sat with 10 at 7:00 pm. Server was kind. But a tad rushed. The energy was off as I am sure it was a super busy evening. That being said. My portion of the party. 4 all enjoyed the $37 prime rib. What I enjoy yearly when we dine here.

Prices are up I will agree. However, there is a HUGE discrepancy in whomever cuts the prime rib !! I would honestly say I received maybe 8.5 to 9 ounces. Where my wife's must have been 14. That will anger anyone spending $37 a piece. So noticable I said something. No response to my comment was given, as a matter of fact. I'm not even sure noise came out of my mouth as no motion or acknowledgement was given to me. Was I there ?. Strike one.

Side dishes are alright. One other reviewer noticed the mashed potato quality. Garlic mashed really has no flavor ( Strike Two ) And temps are a HUGE thing here. Butter doesn't melt. You have a problem. My prime rib was luke warm to room temp. And I do understand the concept of cooking meats and the continuation of cooking when under heat. BUT, having a mediocre cut of beef at a cool to the pallet temp was a tad of a put off. ( Strike Three ). For the most part however. What we asked for was correct. Medium all the way around.

Northwoods has been better. All in all with food, drink and tip. Four of us was well over $200. The last time I can honestly justify spending that much for what I feel was a poor quality size consistency of meat cuts. Consistency in size is key. Cut to the larger size and people will love you. Cut like you did mine and one other and honestly. We feel ripped off. Which is exactly how I feel leaving North Woods Steak House.

Service when later in the evening will seem or feel rushed. That effects the overall dining experience also.

Thank you for many years North Woods Steakhouse ! ! ! . But , our crew on our next trip to East Tawas later this month will be exploring other...

A TRUE DINING EXPERIENCE Very impressed by the food and friendliness! I've learned to not always pay attention to negative reviews because everyone is different and it's best to try something out for yourself before believing others opinions.

My husband and I went here for the first time Saturday night and absolutely loved it. It was the first time in nearly a year that we've gone out on a date night and this was the perfect atmosphere. No loud music, fireplace, cozy outdoorsy atmosphere (which we love), oil lamp burning at every table and a slow paced relaxing dinner and drinks.

If you are looking for a typical in and out chain restaurant that you are rushed through your meal or a quantity over quality type food establishment, then by all means find somewhere else that is that type of place.

If you would prefer a dining experience, where the food is spaced out giving time for digestion/conversation/enjoying drinks etc, this is it. Most places aren't like this anymore, as they are trying to get you in/out as quickly as possible to get another customer in your seat.

Now I know this is a steakhouse but we were in the mood for seafood and that was all we ordered this time and everything we had was delicious. We had:

Appetizers: Lobster Bisque (SO GOOD) & Calamari & they also brought an amazing bread to the table

Drinks: Dirty Martini (honestly the BEST I've had) and an Old Fashioned

Salad: We both had the Ceasar Salad (again SO GOOD)

Dinner: The Scallops Dinner (comes with an AMAZING Wild Mushroom Risotto) & Salmon Dinner, both we would definitely...