Woods Restaurant is located a short, scenic horse-drawn carriage ride into the wooded interior of Mackinac Island. This opulent Tudor mansion with Bavarian charm provides a unique casual dining experience for all Mackinac Island visitors. Before or after dinner enjoy freshly popped popcorn and test your skill on America’s oldest operating duckpin bowling alley. You may also enjoy before and after dinner drinks at Bobby’s Bar opening at 11:00 a.m. daily. The dinner menu includes appetizers, soups, salads, entrees
European & American foods in a Bavarian-style 1905 home that’s reached via horse-drawn carriage. Based on 370 reviews, the restaurant has received a rating of 4.5 stars. Price $$$
✔️ Dine-in ✔️ Takeout ✔️ No delivery
Address:
8655 Cudahy Cir, Mackinac Island, MI 49757
Phone: (906) 847-3699
Hours
| Monday
(Labor Day)
|
11 AM–2 PM, 5:30–9 PM
Hours might differ
|
| Tuesday | 11 AM–2 PM, 5:30–9 PM |
| Wednesday | 11 AM–2 PM, 5:30–9 PM |
| Thursday | 11 AM–2 PM, 5:30–9 PM |
| Friday | 11 AM–2 PM, 5:30–9 PM |
| Saturday | 11 AM–2 PM, 5:30–9 PM |
| Sunday | 11 AM–2 PM, 5:30–9 PM |
Menu
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Photo Gallery
Reviews
Brittany M
Enjoyed the piano playing in the background as we dined on some excellent dishes with great service. The duck was delicious although I would have loved a larger portion and the elk chop was also pristine. Was a very nice diner with a very attentive server…. only thing I might say could use some improvements is the reservation process, the taxi service to get there(not the restaurants fault but also challenging to dine there without it), and the interesting looking taxidermy.
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Madison DeLacy
This is the best place to go on Mackinac for a true fine dining experience. The restaurant is true to its name and is tucked away in the woods, typically only accessible by a taxi carriage. The ride to get there is a really charming part of the experience, going past the Grand Hotel and the many historic homes with a stunning view of the Mackinac Bridge. As others have said this is a cash only ride (bring a tip!), but I believe if you call the taxi service yourself to book the ride you can request to pay with card (they will then text you a link to pay online).
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David Simkins
Enjoyed our visit to The Woods. The host staff and wait staff were friendly and accommodating. The food was good but not 5 stars. We had the Tuna tartar as a starter and it was good a nice portion to share. It did lack some flavor as the tuna was left to its own for the most part. The mushroom ravioli was well prepared and adding the black truffle brought the dish alive. This is a $25 upcharge but it brought the dish home. The filet was good, tender slightly undercooked for medium rare with a cool red center but this was not the time to send a dish back. More to the point, get it right the first time. We didn’t stay for dessert as the meal ran 1.5 hours and were catching a late ferry. Of course the buggy ride back into town is a unique feature of Mackinac Island.
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sherrie morrissey
The place was 1/2 full on reservations. We told the host we were celebrating our 42nd anniversary. We sat for 30 min without one person addressing our table. My husband had to go tell the host. They put our wine in a glass that shouldn’t be served with wine (31 a glass) and took our beautiful wine glasses away, that were on our table. I ordered the sole (50) which was breaded and pan fried and it was so tough that I had to cut it with a knife. When we were there on our 34th anniversary, they came out with a beautiful dessert (picture attached). Nothing this time. It is definitely not what it used to be. But I heard that and chose not to believe it. The ride there and back was beautiful (50 round trip with tip). Take the ride, eat somewhere else. Disappointing anniversary dinner.
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M R
Recently went for lunch with the family. Started off with a wonderful carriage ride from the Grand Hotel through the beautiful enchanting woods to the restaurant. Our ride cost us $10/person (one way) – cash only. The driver was not very chatty and grumbled when asked to break a bill. Top tip is to bring lots of cash. The Woods is a charming little secluded restaurant with a lovely dining room. Lunch, however is served in an outdoor courtyard, which was nice, but I suspect the best experience is when you come for dinner. We felt that the food was good, but the staff were a little strange. About halfway through our meal we were told that their systems were down and if we weren’t a guest at the Grand Hotel we could pay in cash. We had cash so that was not a problem, however when we asked if they could break a $100 bill our server sheepishly told us no. We queried why and our server sheepishly replied that he’ll ask his manager if it was possible! He eventually returned with change. All in all, it was a very weird experience. The cynic in me would say that they want more than a 20% tip which they would get it they provided a good service, but they did not.
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Fabriana Verdesoto-Frucci
We had low expectations for the food after hearing mixed reviews but decided to go anyway for the ambiance…but it ended up being the other way around. The food was absolutely delicious (our best meal on mackinac) and the service was super great and friendly, but the ambiance bordered on kitschy/Disneyland and being given dirty menus didn’t help. However. Having amazing food and being seated by the live piano music and roaring fire made up for it. We also ended up doing the 20-minute walk to the restaurant from the Grand instead of the horse-carriage journey and we were so glad we made that choice. So pretty and you really got to see all the houses.
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Raychelle Grooms
They have delicious food!!! We had a lovely apricot butter on our bread. The beef tartar was presented well and tasted great! My husband had the elk chop and I had the lemon sole. It was very well done! Our waiter Lawrence was very attentive and friendly. I’m not sure if he is the senior waiter there but you could tell he was very professional and was helping others. Overall we loved our experience and would definitely come back. It was a long drive out to the restaurant but well worth it!!
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Katie Fiola Jones
Really unique dining experience! It’s in the middle of the woods of Mackinac Island and we rode carriage taxi to it. It is very expensive and an upscale dining experience. It feels like a hunting lodge from the 1800s. There is very minimal lighting. They have a bowling alley you can play with for free. And there was live piano music. The food was fantastic. I had the asparagus soup and some brussle sprouts. Very delicious and great service.
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Tari Heath
Such a magical experience starting with the horse ride there, the atmosphere of the dining room, the wait staff Michael, the food, pianist, the wonderfully prepared food. And then the clip clop of the horses as we rode back to our motel in the dark. Wonderful!
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Joanne Block
Our party of 6 dined there on 6/7. Two of us ordered the Trout dinner. Warm at best. No flavor. Looked more like a salmon filet. Potato pancakes greasy with very little shreds of potato. Two dinners of Mushroom ravioli and Lamb chops were good as well as a schnitzel which was good but barely warm. We only spoke to the waitress about the trout. I didn’t even eat but a few bites of mine. There was no response at all from anyone there. For what the cost is there, we expected more. Very disappointed that there was no response.
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