Cozy Eats on the Shores of Walloon Lake

Barrel Back Restaurant serves up lakeside views and smoked flavors all winter long

By Laurel Manke | Feb. 11, 2023

Tucked on the southeast shoreline of Walloon Lake, Barrel Back Restaurant is a lakeside diner’s dream. May through October, vacationers and boaters flock to Barrel Back’s open air dining room and dock bar in the Village of Walloon Lake’s marina. Even the name is a nod to summertime and the “barrel back” boats—like Chris Crafts—that cruised the inland lakes in the 1930s and 1940s.

But even when temperatures drop, Barrel Back remains a haven for snowmobilers cruising through town, skiers, locals, and traveling foodies.

Dinner with a View

Barrel Back is owned and managed by the same group that owns the charming Hotel Walloon, a boutique property built in 2015 with 32 guest rooms. Located next door to the hotel, Barrel Back serves breakfast, lunch, and dinner seven days a week for hotel guests and the public. The magnetism of Hotel Walloon carries over to Barrel Back, as they both offer picturesque views of Walloon Lake and a welcoming staff.

Guests come to Barrel Back for the view and the atmosphere—think panoramic, floor-to-ceiling windows and a fire crackling in the center of the dining room—but they stay for the extensive tap list, wine offerings, and heartwarming menu prepared in the restaurant’s wood-fired rotisserie smoker, oven, and grill. 

“We’re known for our slow cooked meats, brisket, chicken, and ribs,” says Hotel Walloon Sales and Marketing Manager Emily Jensen.

The aroma of Barrel Back’s smoked meats and wood-fired pizzas hit you as soon as you enter their cozy dining room, and the menu embodies the essence of comfort food. The best-selling winter dishes are exactly what you crave after a frigid day on nearby slopes and trails: house-smoked brisket, chicken wings, and a beer-battered whitefish sandwich, to name a few.

Their wood-fired pizzas run the gamut, from the more traditional BBQ Chicken and Mediterranean to the Beer Cheese (Stella Artois beer cheese, bacon, and jalapeños) and Ryker’s Island (pepperoni, pineapple, coconut cream sauce, pickled jalapeños, red onion, and “sweet and spicy” coconut glaze).

For those craving lighter fare, Barrel Back’s menu rounds out with gourmet salads topped with fresh cheeses, veggies, nuts, and proteins. We like the West Arm, which has bacon, bleu cheese, avocado, apples, and garden greens dressed in a sugarcane vinaigrette.

Something for Locals

This time of year, locals who want to avoid summer crowds at Barrel Back come in to enjoy quieter date nights with inviting live music (offered Monday-Wednesday), a happy hour special, and cozy brunches with bottomless mimosas. 

The breakfast menu is available from 8:30-11am and features all the classics, from Eggs Benedict to French Toast to Buttermilk Pancakes. But you’ll also find some specialities—the Brisket Poutine stands out with its cracked pepper gravy, as does the Breakfast Quesadilla packed with scrambled eggs, veggies, Plath’s smoked bacon, and a cilantro-lime sour cream. 

And then, of course, there’s the happy hour menu, which runs from October to April from 4-6pm daily. You’ll find several carryovers from the main menu, like the Smoked Wings and the Black Bean Nachos, but also happy hour exclusives, including a Loaded Mac & Cheese (layered with brisket and chipotle BBQ) and the Barrel Back Skewer Set, where you can choose from chicken, steak, and shrimp to sample the house meats and savory sauces.

“Our happy hour is very popular in the winter months. We offer food and drink specials, including $2 beer, wine, and liquor pours,” Jensen says.

A Winter Destination

Although the resort town setting cools off in the colder months, Barrel Back keeps the fires roaring and the customers coming all winter long. 

The restaurant is located on the second floor of Tommy’s Walloon, a boat shop that offers winter sport rentals. Guests can rent snowshoes or cross-country skis from Tommy’s and hit the snowy trails surrounding Walloon Lake before returning to Barrel Back for a warm meal by the fire. Just outside of Barrel Back lies the Village of Walloon Lake’s adorable lakeside ice rink, and skaters can also find rentals at Tommy’s.

Other winter sport enthusiasts find their way to the restaurant, too.

“We are popular with snowmobilers because they can fuel up their snowmobiles in the marina and stop in for our $15 burger and beer lunch special,” Jensen explains. “They also use our side patio and dine around our heaters, so they do not have to take off all their gear.” 

The restaurant also attracts skiers and snowboarders from Boyne and other area resorts by offering 15 percent off to anyone with a lift ticket.

At the moment, Barrel Back is gearing up to participate in the sixth annual Walloon Lake Village Winterfest on Feb. 18. The festival is a free community event with live ice carvings, free skating, and plenty of warm soup and hot chocolate to stave off the chill. During the festival, the Petoskey Snowmobile Club hosts an Antique Snowmobile Show where the “Best Vintage Sled” is crowned. Barrel Back will offer an all-day happy hour, and festival-goers can sample more than a dozen Michigan craft breweries, wineries, and distilleries inside. (Get more details about the festival at boynechamber.com/events.)

Later this spring, Barrel Back will host an Easter Sunday Easter Bunny Brunch complete with an egg hunt and egg toss, which Jensen says is a big hit with area families. And looking ahead to the remainder of 2023, she says the team is excited for another fabulous summer on one of northern Michigan’s most beautiful lakes.

“We always have an incredible summer. This year we are excited to make our offerings even more welcoming to boaters and people enjoying the lake with our dock bar and our food truck,” Jensen says. 

Find Barrel Back Restaurant at 4069 M-75 in Walloon Lake. (231) 535-6000, barrel-back.com