Strand Brewery & Kitchen in Sister Lakes Dowagiac, Michigan — Restaurant in Keeler Township

This restaurant needs a calendar. My family of 9 called to make a reservation because it's MLK weekend and assume that most places are going to packed! We got there and we're instantly shocked at how cute the restaurant was! It was rustic chic! So, they seat us 9 at a too small for 8 person table with smaller tables available to be added surrounding us. The restaurant was bustling but not packed. So we smooshed together and luckily we were truly fine with it. So then our waitress comes over gives us a few food menus and only one drink/cocktail menu- we ask for a few more. She comes back with a few more menus and two waters in her hands-we had all asked for waters-why she didn't just put 5/6 glasses of water on a tray and bring that out is beyond me. She has to go back 3/4 times to make sure we all have water. Then we start ordering. Everyone orders at least an entree or heavier small plate and a drink. The waitress comes back and informs a few of us that certain things that we ordered weren't in stock in the kitchen. For example they said they only had 7 wings to be able to put on a plate for us when they would usually serve 10 wings with that order. Or that they didn't have any grilled chicken to be able to put on the ceasar salad. So we said that's fine and asked for some chicken tenders with the wings and the salad can be vegatarian, that's okay she says. Goes back to the kitchen and gives them the new news. She then comes back to tell another part of our party that they don't have the asparagus that goes with someone's meal, offers a side of broccoli instead- totally fine. The waitress continues to say that they don't have the chips that come with the burgers so won't upsell us on fries as a substitution-thats fine. Finally, our food arrives; everyone fries are cold, no one's burger is cooked how they asked for it, they brought out RAW broccoli and another simple appetizer was inedible. To top it off, the ceasar salad they brought us was just a bed of white/light green romaine lettuce, parmesan cheese and the dressing on the side. It turned out they didn't have any wings to serve and just gave us the kids chicken tender meal without consulting us to order something else instead. The kicker- the kids meal has TWO CHICKEN TENDERS!! How does 10 wings =2 chicken tenders?!? I asked them to switch our ceasar "salad" for the spinach salad and they did. Finally the bill comes and the waitress says that she took the ceasar salad and chicken wings off the menu and gave us a 20% discount. She forgot to take the ceasar salad off and she gave us a $20 discount. Our meal, with drinks was around $200!!! I then went to use the restroom and happened to spark a conversation with a hostess. She mentioned how they had opened this past summer and they weren't expecting such a huge surge of people this weekend. Well, it's the playoffs and MLK weekend- long weekend with a ton of people out on the town....

My friends in the Eau Claire, Michigan area have been raving about The Strand Brewery & Grill in Sister Lakes (Dowagiac, MI). I decided it was time to check it out with some friends for sharing and comparing. The Strand, named for the land bordering a body of water, is massive and impressive, with two large dining areas and an outdoor patio in season. The West-facing side is primarily glass, which makes for awesome sunsets over Round Lake. When it’s warm, the giant glass doors roll up for an open-air experience. The outdoor patio is lined with flaming chic fire pits. The owner said the fire pits were like their “OPEN” sign. Their pretty cool. According to an owner I talked to, they are still waiting for the licensing to brew their own and sell it on site. The liquor license they already have lets them have a full bar, wine, and beer from other breweries. A complete bar, is great when you have a group with varied libation demands. Rachel, our server, suggested we try the smoked wings as an appetizer. Good call, Rachel! They had a deep smoky flavor that reminded me of sitting around a campfire eating right off the fire. The dry rub added a little saltiness and a dash of zing, but nothing overpowering. They had no breading, which I love and the meat was tender, juicy and flavorful. They come served with Sweet Garlic Aioli or Sriracha Honey dipping sauces. I overheard a patron at another table exclaim “These wings alone were worth the drive!” As I perused the menu, I noticed that the prices are extremely reasonable…lower than what I expected. No complaints there! I think I only saw one dinner entree over twenty bucks…the smoked ribs. One of their top sellers is the Brisket Dip sandwich, starring their house-smoked brisket. Their smoker gets fired up bright and early every morning, which explains the tenderness of the brisket. The bread was so soft and fresh that it seemed like the bread melted into the cheese instead of the other way around…it was that soft and seemed eager to soak up some au jus. Gooey muenster cheese and caramelized onions snuggled up inside the sandwich. The brisket was so juicy that I didn’t use much au jus, but I liked that it wasn’t that salty. I would rank the Strand Burger in my top five of all time! It was perfectly cooked to my medium rare request and was topped with thick cut bacon, gruyer cheese, portabella mushrooms. The crispy onions add a nice crunch and the signature aioli sauce takes it too another level. I liked the Strand Burger so much I took my buddy Jerret back there a few days later so I could get another one. Weekdays are great for visiting The Strand as they have daily specials like AUCE Pasta on Mondays and Taco Nights on Thursdays. Friday and Saturdays feature a prime rib or New York strip. I cannot wait to come back when their brewery is up and running. Definitely worth...

I have been to the strand many times over the years. And want to give them a try and give them a chance, but do not know if I will return in the future based on my experience on 1/21/23. The food has gotten much better as well as the beer however, I have been very disappointed and continue to be with the service. We came in with a group of 6. It was a Saturday around 6:00 for dinner and drinks. It was moderately busy, but not overly so.

There was a large group which she was quite attentive to next to us and understand our waitress was busy however, we felt neglected and quite frankly a bother when we had to stop her to order or when there was a problem with our order. There was another table next to us that had similar issues. Our group, who was planning to stay and watch the band decided to leave a take their business elsewhere.

In times like today, a pretty venue along with good food and drink can’t overcome the most important thing which was the lack of good/great customer service. People are looking for the whole package. You had a chance (in my case another chance) to wow us. We will be taking our business elsewhere in the future. Very sad as there is potential there, but not the whole package. Good luck.

Update on my review from 1/21/23. Gave The Strand another try and happy we did. On 5/11/24, came into The Strand with a large group. It was pretty busy and there was a band playing (more later 😊). The service was very good, even with it being quite busy. The server and staff were very attentive to both tables and from what I saw, the whole restaurant. This is a so much better experience than my last visit. The food was very good as well. It was a beautiful evening and everyone in the place seemed to be enjoying themselves. There was a band playing who really got the crowd into it. They were kind to the younger members of our group. They played a wide variety of music. To make the atmosphere better, they were at the perfect volume for live music and also being able to hear our party..:nice balance. They are talented and would like to know when they will be back.

Overall, definitely much improved experience and will be back for the food service and atmosphere (again loved the band ). It is obvious there has been an emphasis on customer service (food has always been good) and the atmosphere....