Mackinaws Grill and Spirits — Restaurant in Green Bay

Imagine, you drive past a restaurant for the 9 years you have lived in the fine city of Green bay. It's always packed and you hear the food is good. Then one faithful day after a long weeks work. You take the initiative to make a reservation. Your wife and you are ecstatic as you pull into the parking lot. Walking in the ambiance is wonderful. Beautiful exposed beams, vaulted ceilings, and wonderful decor everywhere.

You are seated right away and it takes your waitress a little longer than usual to get your drink order. No big deal you think as you have never been to the establishment before. Marching on, you get a delicious old fashioned and place your order. The menu is simple, well presented and sanitized due to the way it stuck together. This is where things take a turn for the worse.

Your chicken dumpling soup is tasty as the salt matches well with your drink. As you finish, you assume your appetizer basket will be arriving shortly. As in your past experience, soup usually beats the appetizer to the table. But, sadly you must wait another 15 minutes to get your appetizer. However when you receive it, you take a bite of one of the cheese curds. Wonderful, some of the best you have had in a state that prides itself on cheese. There is deception a foot though, your onion rings and chicken tenders are semi burnt. You ignore the color and bite into them. The chicken is dryer than the brewers World title streak. The onion rings having the same batter as the Culvers next door are alright but the burnt oil taste still comes through.

No big deal you think as the main course is on its way! Only to wait another 35 minutes to receive it. Also, inbetween waiting the agonizing time. Your second order of drinks have been placed but not delivered. Your wife stares at you with the bloodlust of 1000 men. She needs her Pepsi and its your button the line. You go get your own second round of drinks and bring them back as a peace offering to her. Alast, the beer cheese burger you ordered has arrived.

After the first few bites, you note that the cheese is pretty cold considering that you were just given your plate. Your mashed potatoes however are warm and tasty. The wife takes a few bites, ope you think. Your waitress forgot the BBQ sauce she ordered to dunk her fries in. See your wife wanted the ribs but wanted to taste the BBQ first. This is the tactic she usually takes to test the waters. As she continues to eat, she notes that the bacon is also burnt and the burger was just as dry as the chicken tender earlier.

You both sit there rationing your drinks like it was the last drinkable liquid on earth until your check arrives. No, you didn't think it was that easy did you? Continuing to wait for your check; 10, 20, 25, 30 more minutes goes by. You feel like the old woman from Happy Gilmore, "GET ME OUTTA HERE!!" You start to beg god to strike you down for you transgressions. Eventually he answers by having your waitress finally give the check and take payment. Giving a empty excuse on the busyness when half the upper deck was empty alone. You pay for a 62 dollar meal that was not worth 20 bucks given the time of everything. 1 hour and 45 minutes later you can finally leave and take a breath of fresh air.

Never again will my wife or I go there and I will intentionally go out of my way to head the warning to others. I wish I had the experience others had, because those cheese curds were beyond delicious.

Thank you for...

Our time at Mackinaws was really remarkable. We went on a Friday and they have live music three days of the week, including on Friday, so we got to watch the band play for a few minutes while we had our drinks. Speaking of our drinks, we were waiting for a table to free up, so they seated us near the bar to have our drinks. They told us it would be a 15-20 minute wait before we had a table (and we all know that when a waiter says 20 minutes, they mean 45), but our table was ready within 15 minutes or less.

Our drinks came barely two minutes after we ordered, and we sipped them for a few minutes until a table was freed up. For appetizers we decided to order the artichoke dip and the warm pretzel with beer cheese (we were reveling in the incredible lack of time it took our waiter, Thomas, to bring the two huge appetizers), which was a huge mistake - not because it was terrible (no, it was delicious), but because it left us with little to no room for our main courses.

Speaking of main courses...there were four people in our little group: three adults and one child. The adults ordered: The taco salad (highly recommended), the shrimp tacos (five stars! but a large portion), and the coconut-crusted shrimp (yummy). The kid's menu didn't really appeal to the kid in our party, so she ordered the spinach-strawberry salad, which had a lot of fresh fruit. It took a bit longer to bring our entrees than it did the other items, but it's easy to forgive something like that, especially on a Friday night. Additionally, the salad was supposed to be served with a side of warm honey cornbread, but it never came and I think everyone else, including our waiter, forgot about it.

Service: Incredible. Our waiter, Thomas, was super friendly and very prompt with bringing our appetizers, and he took a little longer to bring our entrees (like mentioned above), but he was later super fast with bringing the check and boxes.

Atmosphere: Well, it was decent. When you walk in the front door, you'll see a bear skin hanging on the wall, and a model of a very realistic-looking bear that seems to be jumping right off the walls, baring its dangerous teeth right at you. I didn't like that a lot, but I loved the life-size statues of a moose and a more friendly-looking bear on its hind legs. Overall atmosphere shows room for improvement, but I like that it has a rustic, log-cabin-ish vibe.

Five stars!...

I recently had the pleasure of dining at Mackinaws Grill & Spirits and I have to say, it was a fantastic experience. From the moment I walked in, I was greeted with warm and inviting atmosphere that made me feel like I was at a cozy cabin in the woods.

The decor was rustic and charming, with wooden beams and a fireplace that added to the overall ambiance. It was the perfect setting for a casual lunch or a romantic dinner.

But let's talk about the food. I ordered the pulled pork sandwich and I was blown away by how delicious it was. The meat was tender and flavorful, and the BBQ sauce was the perfect balance of sweet and tangy. The sandwich came with a side of crispy fries that were cooked to perfection. I also tried some of their house-made pickles and they were a delightful addition to the meal.

The service at Mackinaws was exceptional. Our server was friendly and attentive, making sure we had everything we needed throughout our meal. The staff seemed genuinely passionate about the food and the restaurant, which only added to the overall experience.

I also appreciated the variety on the menu. While I went for the pulled pork sandwich, there were plenty of other options to choose from, including burgers, salads, and seafood. I will definitely be returning to try some of their other dishes.

Overall, I would highly recommend Mackinaws Grill & Spirits. The atmosphere, food, and service were all top-notch and made for a memorable dining experience. I can't wait to come back and enjoy another delicious meal in this charming cabin-like restaurant. Five...