Artisan Restaurant Traverse City — Restaurant in Traverse City

We dined here on Friday July 18th, 2025 the food was fine but not the best considering the prices we started the evening with some drinks which were delicious the bartenders here do an excellent jobs at making an awesome cocktail.

For our appetizers we had 3 different choices

The mill Milk Buns - These were slightly burnt and overcooked but the inside did have a pleasant taste. Another shortcoming of this particular dish was the Green Garlic Butter spread; It was here to look fancy but lacked any real flavor. My significant other and myself rated these a 4/10

Miso Caesar - The salad here was fresh and delicious. The dressing used here was light and flavorful and the capers and crispy chickpeas were an excellent addition to a wonderful starter. We rated this dish a 7/10

Michigan Summer Squash - This was the star of the show as far as the appetizers went. The charred lemon aioli sauce on top was extraordinary it had a wonderful zest and the was super light and pleasant. The grilled squash here was thin and cooked to perfection and overall was near perfect. We rated this dish a 8.5/10

Entree's

Mushroom Gemelli - My significant other ordered the Mushroom Gemelli and this should be the dish they advertise as the signature of the restaurant, The pasta was cooked to perfection, the mushrooms were fresh and delicious and the mushroom cream sauce was absolutely great this is a must have dish if you ever visit this restaurant. This scored an 8.5/10

14-day dry-aged ny strip - This dish is a tough one for me to write about because while it was good and cooked perfect to my order specifications at the end of the day it was just an average steak. The seasoning on the sauce was only salt and pepper and maybe a hint of thyme while basting in butter but the flavors never really came together as you would hope in a 100$ steak entree. The sauce which the steak was in was fine but the only real flavor that shined through with the cognac truffle jus was just salt and pepper. My best guess here was the reduction may have been rushed not allowing proper time for the flavors to really get their own profile and distinction. The potato side dish was cooked well but the particular problem I have is in the layering process of creating potato pave you are just losing the majority of the potato had this particular side been served with 2 or more of these it would have been better but overall they were just a fine side dish and the Horseradish aioli on top shined through on the side dish but still did not wow me overall. We gave the potato side dish a 7.5/10 and the steak unfortunately fell flat at a 5/10

Dessert

Strawberry Pate a choux - This finishing course on our meal was fine but definitely nothing to wow us. Great restaurants can be made or broken by the finishing dessert and unfortunately this tasted of just an average cream puff with fresh fruit on top. I personally enjoyed this more than my significant other and gave it a 8/10 but her score was a 6/10 bringing it to a 7/10

Dark Chocolate Torte - This Dessert was fine it tasted just like a uncooked brownie or lava cake it was fine but definitely not a wow factor overall we gave this dish a 6/10

The staff experience here was great and earned them a 9/10

The ambience score we gave this a 7/10 it was a nice setting but we had hoped for a better view of the sunset.

Overall we had a nice time but if we were to come back I would personally hope for some improvements in the dishes being made here. I was informed that the menu changes regularly and while that can be nice so everything is in season when you order it this change could be felt in the kitchen staff

Our overall score...

To say that we had a wonderful dining experience at Artisan in Delamar Traverse City is an understatement. For nearly a year, we have been looking forward to trying the new and highly-anticipated restaurant that was slated to open in what was formerly the Holiday Inn West Bay. On an occasion of drinks in late winter 2021, my husband and I were invited to preview the still-under-construction space where the general manager gave us details of the restaurant’s layout and the features that would soon be completed.

Finally, after several months of Artisan being open, we made a reservation to celebrate an early Valentine’s Day, and I can say with certainty that the restaurant more than met our expectations.

First, I want to say that a welcoming ambience and warm atmosphere is high on my list of must-haves in high-end dining—just below food quality and creativity. From the moment we passed beneath the glowing chandelier in the foyer, I could tell I would be in a place of true comfort while eating at Artisan. The overall design of the restaurant pulls you in while you enter, particularly the lighting and color choices. From the entryway, you can see a gorgeous bar, several varying styles of seating, and a beautiful fireplace with conversational couches.

We were taken to the second dining room, one that during the day would feature a beautiful view of the bay. Though it is separated by a wall, from our table, we could see through the glass partition and into the bar, which made the space feel larger. In the summer, the restaurant also has outdoor patio seating and an open concept from that second, beautiful room.

Beyond the service—which was superb in attentiveness and warmth—we enjoyed a truly delicious dinner. Our menu had a large section of Valentine’s Day options with entrees that would satisfy any palate. I almost chose the gnocchi, but opted for the Scottish salmon from the regular menu while my husband chose the filet from the holiday features. After a shared Caesar salad and a helping of bread from Common Good bakery, our entrees arrived and we barely spoke a word until we’d cleaned our plates.

One thing I appreciate and often don’t mention in reviews is portion size. The dishes at Artisan are absolutely perfect in size. Nothing remained when I’d finished (quite ravenously) my delicious salmon, and yet, I was satiated. My husband gleefully ate his filet while I occasionally dipped my fork into his truffle sauce—because honestly, who could resist? And after two cocktails, the bread, and the salad, we had had one of the best dinners we’ve ever had in Traverse City.

Being a resident and seeing new restaurants spring up across town opens the door for new dining experiences, and this one was one to remember. We can’t wait to dine at Artisan again, encourage our friends to do the same, and even do a staycation at the hotel. Delamar has done an exceptional job redesigning the entire space to offer something that is updated without being cold and overly modern. The warmth radiating out of the hotel and restaurant would make anyone want to return, and we plan...

Edited: I am changing my review from 2 stars to 5 after a wonderful experience tonight!

I am so impressed with how Artisan handled the concerns I outlined in my previous review. Within less than an hour of posting it, they called the phone number on the Open Table reservation (my husband) and apologized really genuinely and encouraged us to come back again. Tonight we did, and the food and service was the best it’s ever been in all our times of going to Artisan! We had some of their cocktails, mocktails and wines by the glass, as well as the shrimp cocktail which is always a fave of mine. Then, we enjoyed the chefs tasting menu. It was seriously 5 courses of heaven. I can’t believe I have never tried it before, as every course was better than the last! They were beautifully plated and full of creative and delicious flavors. The standouts were the maitake mushroom (I am normally not a fan of mushrooms but this dish may have converted me!) and the scallop crudo. The dessert was also phenomenal. Our server was super attentive and knowledgeable, and we felt very spoiled. Artisan is definitely going back in the rotation and I’m so so glad that our last visit was just an off night!

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We ate here tonight and sadly we were pretty disappointed. This was our 5th time at Artisan and we literally recommend it to everyone we know in town and bring all of our out of town guests here, until now. Last time I took a friend here in October, she and I were offered sparkling or still water, given an amuse bouche, the filet mignon was perfectly medium rare and SO tasty, and we received complimentary gourmet chocolates with the bill. Tonight my family went here to celebrate my birthday and didn’t receive any of these delightful goodies, weren’t offered any upgrades on water, and the steaks (we sprung for 2 of the wagyu NY strips at an eye popping $95 each) was really quite disappointing. It was cooked closer to medium or medium well than the medium rare we ordered and it wasn’t butchered very well, reminding us more of a flat iron than a strip. I would guess that the filet mignon, listed at a fraction of the price, would have tasted better. The potato pave was the best thing on the plate, and it was very, very good as usual. We would have certainly sent our steaks back if we didn’t have kids with us who aren’t old enough to wait for a re-fire of our entrees. The value for the cost was just really far off.

The good news is that the rest of the food was fine, and seasonal cocktails were good. Service was just okay.

I think I will give it one more try and hope that tonight was just an off night, because this was previously my favorite fine dining restaurant in TC and I really really hope it’s not...