Big Buck Brewery — Restaurant in Gaylord

I met some family members at the restaurant on Monday, October 6th at 2:30 p.m. There were only maybe five or six tables that were occupied so there was plenty of seating available; there was also plenty of parking available in the parking lot. I like that the tables they offer can seat four and then other tables can seat larger parties. I love the ambiance of the restaurant with the very high ceilings, the back wall being glass where you can see into the beer making section, and the bar set at the back near the glass wall. Our waitress was very friendly and was timely in bringing the menus and our water. If they had a special, I don't believe she mentioned it.

I ordered a Reuben that came with chips and a few pickle slices ($16), my sister ordered a hamburger that came with french fries ($14) and my other sister ordered a walleye dinner, I think. I know she had some kind of fish and it came with green beans and mashed potatoes or something. One of my sisters and I both ordered a side of coleslaw ($3).

My sister who ordered the hamburger said it was good and she didn't have any complaints about the food. I didn't ask the other sister about her dinner because we were talking. However, I was disappointed in the taste of my Reuben. I love Reuben sandwiches and I usually order that when I go out to lunch somewhere. I've had some really great Reuben sandwiches and this one was not one of those. I'm not going to say it was bad, because it wasn't; it just wasn't really good. I would say that the meat was almost flavorless and the sauerkraut was overpowering, and the chips were completely flavorless. I did end up taking half of the sandwich home and half of the chips and it sat in the refrigerator for 2 days before I finished eating it and only because I was too tired to cook. If I ever go back to this restaurant, I will definitely NOT order the Reuben. But I will give them credit that all of the meals were delivered hot. The coleslaw was okay, but I wouldn't order it again. I actually ended up giving it to my sister who had the dinner.

So how do I rate this restaurant? I'm giving it a 3 because you go to a restaurant mostly for the food but you also want a good ambience and great service. The ambiance and the service was great, but the food wasn't quite up to par.

I think if I had the choice to go to this restaurant or another restaurant, I would definitely try the other restaurant. This is kind of a mixed review because I really don't know whether I would recommend Big Buck Brewery or not. Maybe it just depends on what you order whether the food is good or not but everything is so expensive anymore, you really don't want to...

I was skeptical of the new Big Buck Brewery. I’d been to the location when under the previous owners and found the food rather tasteless, too many random items on the menu, slow service and high prices. I returned to the restaurant shortly after it reopened and found, to my chagrin, that though the menu was much better, service (waiter/waitress wise) was a little slow (although we did have a large party of 30 so it was completely understandable), but the food was really slow. It took over half an hour for appetizers, and my tables food came after most of the rest of the party had already gotten their checks. Food was okay, the menu still large. I wasn’t impressed.

So when my fiancé took me there for dinner tonight, I was expecting the same, so I wasn’t too enthused. Imagine my surprise when I had the best service. Our waitress, Violet, was extremely personable without being overbearing. We chatted a bit while perusing the menu, she checked up on us frequently but not intrusively, and ensured everything came out timely and hot. She recommended a few of her favorite dishes and a twist on one we ordered (suggested deep frying the pierogi; awesome choice!). I hope to have her as a waitress again next time.

The food itself was delicious. Pierogies melted in your mouth, bacon was nice and crisp, onions perfectly caramelized. We ordered the brewhouse pizza to share and weren’t disappointed. Flavors were spot on, pork was tender, sauce was a zingy mix, and the crust was crunchy on the outside and airy but chewy on the inside, despite being plain on its own. My fiancé also ordered the mountain jack strong for a beer and absolutely loved the flavor. I’m not a beer drinker but even I thought it added an extra element to the meal.

All together, we spent $34 before tip, which is what we spend at Applebee’s normally. Would much rather be a patron at a local establishment, so we hope to make a...

I have a fondness for Big Buck Brewery, as my (now) husband and I used to go there when they first opened. Living downstate, we often stop in on our travels to visit up north family. Tonight, however, our experience was unsatisfactory.

It is my mom’s 81st birthday, and she requested that we drive the hour to Big Buck for dinner. The wait was reasonable and the staff friendly. Our waitress was on top of things and personable.

My first choice entree, the walleye, was unavailable, so I went with the chicken primavera. It was okay, but nothing special and somewhat bland. We had ordered soup and an appetizer, though, so I ate a little under half of it and asked for a box the take the rest home. As I was transferring the food from pasta bowl to the box, I saw a dark hair there in the food. I froze and tried not to think of the fact that I had been eating that food. I was entirely grossed out.

When the waitress came back, I pointed out the hair to her. She told her manager about it and returned, informing me that she had said that she couldn’t take the entree off the bill because I “had eaten most of it.” Not true, but whatever. She did offer us one dessert to take home, which I declined, as I was no longer even close to being ready to eat again.

As someone who.worked in customer service for many years, I am disappointed in the manager’s handling of this situation. I wasn’t trying to scam the restaurant out of a meal, but taking it off the bill would have been the right thing to do. I guess I should have reacted just as inappropriately and announced my disgust so that the rest of the patrons could hear. I definitely will not be...