Locals Lake Leelanau — Restaurant in Leland Township

As a life long visitor of Leelanau, I would not recommend Locals Lake Leelanau. We were hoping for a new local favorite, but everything was extremely disappointing. We ordered water, and were handed plastic cups and a pitcher of water. That would have been okay, but they clearly had regular glasses they did not want to give us. They also don’t have an alcohol license, if you are hoping for a cold beer or a crisp glass of wine. The best thing we ordered was the smoked wings, but be warned they are $24. The cherry bbq is better than the buffalo, which lacked flavor. The walleye in the walleye tacos tasted old, and was dry and full of bones. The tortillas were not even warmed up. The nachos, confusingly, were topped with leaf lettuce, that was very warm since it was left under a heat lamp for 10+ minutes. The rest of the nachos toppings didn’t offer much respite- the queso was extremely gloopy and the brisket was barely edible. Service was slow, even through we were the only people dining. Atmosphere felt sparse and our table was 6 was crammed into a tiny table, despite every table being free. Dinning options are a little slim up here, but that doesn’t mean that owners should disregard the taste of the food, quality of service and general atmosphere when they open...

I really want to love this place — truly. We’ve given it a few tries now, hoping for a better experience each time, but unfortunately, the food has consistently missed the mark.

We ordered pizza for takeout once, and it was so bad we ended up throwing it away. The nachos on our first visit were decent, but on our second visit, I ordered the tacos and they were soaked — the tortillas were literally swimming in juice. It seemed like the meat wasn’t drained at all before being placed on the tortillas, and the result was inedible. I had to send them back.

The cornbread was the driest I’ve ever had, and my husband’s sandwich, which was supposed to be served warm, came out cold. I’ve also noticed other reviews mentioning similar issues, so it doesn’t seem like an isolated experience.

We understand it’s a newer restaurant, which is why we’ve tried to give grace and support them with multiple visits. But after three attempts, we’re just not impressed. The booths are also extremely uncomfortable, which doesn’t help the overall experience.

That said, I do think this place has potential — the atmosphere has promise, and the concept could work. But the food needs serious improvement for...

Our first time here, it will definitely be back! My daughter has been back home for a bit and wanted to grab lunch with her before she moves away again soon. Looking forward to something different in Leelanau County, I saw Locals online and thought we’d give it a shot. Glad we did! Too many things looked so good that it was hard to decide on what to get. I ended up with the brisket sandwich and my daughter got the Walter Farm salad with brisket on top. Both were fantastic and more than we could eat. As we were walking out, I overheard another table talking about the wings, so I put in an order to take home. Had them for dinner last night. They were good, but almost too smoky. I look forward to going back to check out another item...