51 North Brewing
51 N Broadway, Lake Orion Township, MI, 48362
51 North Brewing Menu
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Address :
51 N Broadway
Lake Orion Township, MI, 48362 - Phone (248) 690-7367
- Website https://www.51northbrewing.com
- Click To Get Directions
Opening Hours
- Tue
Specialities
- Takes Reservations : No
Delivery : No
Take-out : Yes
Accepts Credit Cards : Yes
Good For : Lunch
Parking : Street
Bike Parking : Yes
Good for Kids : No
Good for Groups : Yes
Attire : Casual
Ambience : Casual
Noise Level : Loud
Music : Live
Good For Dancing : No
Alcohol : Beer & Wine Only
Happy Hour : Yes
Best Nights : Thu, Fri, Sat
Coat Check : No
Smoking : No
Outdoor Seating : Yes
Wi-Fi : Free
Has TV : Yes
Waiter Service : Yes
Caters : No
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Catherine C.
Visited this brewer for the first time yesterday. It has been open for around a month. The decor is unique. The building used to be a gas station / garage so it has that kind of feel. It did seem like some of the tables were just thrown in to create more spaces to sit. However, it wasn't overly crowded so that you could not move through the restaurant. The brewery only serves beer and wine (no liquor). We sampled a couple of the beers and the shiraz. The beer was good. The wine was good, but friutier than I would expect from a shiraz. I did enjoy the IPA. We also tried the beer cheese soup and the sausage and cheese platter. The soup was good and flavorful, but more like a french onion soup than a beer cheese soup. The sausage and cheese platter was large, but it did only have 1 type of sausage. Still - the portion was plenty for my husband and I to share. Actually - it was probably big enough for 4 people to have as an appetizer. The place was crowded since it was a Saturday night. It appears that they have bands appear later at night. The service was a little slow at first, but the bartenders were very friendly and knowledgeable about the beer and the food. All in all, I think this will be a nice addition to Lake Orion. I'm sure that they are still experiencing some issues because they are newly opened. We will go back, next time during the week, to experience this place again.
(4)Frank S.
I can't figure out what keeps bringing me back... It's either the beer or the food. Both can stand on their own merits quite well! I simply have not had anything here that has left me wanting or disappointed. Great collaboration on using fresh bread from the local Great Harvest Bread Company in the sandwiches!! Well played 51! The favorites: any of their browns or porters. The chorizo poppers. The thanksgiving turkey sandwich. Every one of the soups.
(4)Jennifer Q.
Where do I start? We've been here before and the food is ok... Definitely pricey for what you get, but ok. The beers are good - but nothing amazing, but as another reviewer said, they're not cheap either. However, we enjoy supporting local business and are happy to have a "hip" spot to frequent in LO so we looked past those things... We've had pleasant experiences in the past with the owner, Don, but recently things have changed. Maybe he has something going on at home, who am I to judge? But the way he treated our friends and family recently has virtually assured we will not be back. He jumped to conclusions, called them greedy and selfish, and verbally put down two of the nicest people I know - they would literally do anything to help someone out. We've turned a lot of people on to this brewery lately, but unfortunately next time 51N comes up in conversation, we'll be telling the detailed version of the above story instead. It's unfortunate, cuz we were happy to have something new and different here in LO. We will not be back. The owner, Don, needs to come off his pedestal and apologize, admit that he is not the beer god he thinks he is... And make some changes or I don't see this place lasting. Oh, and the staff is constantly changing - shouldn't that tell us all something?
(1)Alaina C.
So excited to have a brew pub in downtown Lake Orion. As beer brewers for our own consumption, we enjoy trying new beer. Dragon's Breath is phenomenal if you like a little heat and my fav is the chocolate oatmeal stout. Very rich! The food is great as well. A nice cut above typical bar food. My favorite is the chicken caprese sandwich. The decor is unique as well! We are now regulars there!!
(5)Jayson L.
If your going to eat you don't get much for your money. Either they need to increase the portion size or lower their prices. If your a vegetarian..... they have salad. The beer was good I had the Chocolate Stout and it was about $5 for a pint. All and all I would go for the beer and walk down to Sage for food.
(2)Christian W.
The stout is fantastic and it's refreshing to see a menu without fried food! I'd suggest the stuffed jalapeños and beer tasting flight to start.
(5)Andrew B.
I was informed this place finally opened last weekend so we decided to head up to beautiful Lake Orion and check it out. Let me start by saying this place will get better with time. They didn't have TV's up yet and apparently there was a problem with the heat. Give them a few months to put all the pieces in place and this place will be really solid. You go to a brewery for beer right? The beer here is decent. I wouldn't make a special trip to try anything they had but nothing was bad either. I especially like the brown ale. Nice and malty..mmmmmm.... We had some mead as well that was actually really good. Get the caramel apple, it's pretty fantastical. Our server was kinda funny in the way she presented the beers we ordered. She assumed we were all novice beer drinkers and explained each one and almost scoffed at my buddy who went straight for the stout. We had the wings which were good but not great and the potato chip app which was also tasty. The food looks like it will be pretty good if not a lil pricey. I will be trying more in the future. Speaking of the future, I cannot wait to check this place out in the summer months. Two walls are all garage doors and when they are open I can imagine chilling out with a beer, friends, and some board games. I'm looking forward to what 51 North can become. The potential is there.
(3)Olivia G.
My husband and I were excited to try a new restaurant in LO, unfortunately 51 North was a huge disappointment. Let me start off by saying, the Paint Creek Tangerine Wheat beer was fantastic, but that's it. We ordered the pretzel platter only to be given hard, stale pretzels from a bag with Nutella. Are you kidding me? Strike one. The appetizer options were so absurd that you would almost forget that you were at a bar. Get a deep fryer! The wings were mediocre and nothing special. I suggest expanded the menu to attract more people. I won't be returning. Ever.
(1)Brian N.
Beer was an A-. I had a flight of (6) 4oz pours for ~$10. I was impressed with 5 out of 6. The food was bad enough that it makes me not want to go back. We had: Chorizo/Cheese Stuffed Jalapenos - Interesting in theory, nothing special upon eating them. Kettle Potato Chips w/Blue Cheese Shallot Dip - Good dip, not worth $8 Bratwurst (Wed $2.50 special) - Horrible, worst Brat I've ever had... honestly, the texture was like tuna fish and bland Alfredo Pasta - Sauce tasted like cheap store bought BBQ Slider - Dry pretzel bun, dry meat, no sauce on it. Bad. Brownie Sunday w/ Stout over top - Good brownie/stout combination. Ice cream seemed a little freezer burned. The service was really slow for how empty it was in there.Though our waitress was really pleasant. I really want to like this place. It fits the requirements of places I usually dig. But the food was just such a let down. I'll probably give them a second try some time to see if it was just a fluke. But I have no desire to go back right now.
(2)Michelle S.
Grabage. Go to Sagebrush or Valentinos. The owner Don Gindhardt is a very unpleasant person as well.
(1)Neely G.
For someone who does not like beer, their karm-ale and coconut creme ale are amazing. I like the ambiance of the place, and the owner is always in there working. Trivia night is a lot of fun. The food is average. Never fully pleased with what I order.
(3)Lynn C.
Gave this place a whirl after driving by it numerous times. In fact, at one point we walked in for lunch, but was turned off a bit by the limited menu we never ate there. So glad we decided to go for dinner there last night. First of all..the decor is great, old converted gas station..modern, funky lots of cool things to look at even a give a friend a beer board. It was dead at 6:00 on a Sunday, concerned me a bit, considering Sagebrush down the street had a wait, but it was nice to sit right away and our server was super attentive. We did a beer flight...we were not dissapointed with any of the beers. In fact my husband who is not a fan of wheat style beers enjoyed their brewed ones. Menu: Limited yes, like the other reviews, I for one like to have an actual entree when I go out to eat, they had pizza, soup, sandwiches and slider options, which we knew going in, but it did make it hard to order since I am not a sandwich fan. Food: Chorizo stuffed jalepenos were fantastic, I will be back just for those. I had 3 sliders a shrimp, beef and asian pork all were great. The beer cheese soup is different than most restaurants, but had a unique twist and great flavor. They had this amazing salad with blue cheese, apples and nuts..but the dressing OHMYGOD was this apple cinnamon with nuts that I just could not get enough of. Probably one of the best salads I have had locally to date. My husband had the meat lovers pita pizza. I HATE meat pizzas but I sure did love this one. I really hope this place makes it. The owners seemed really cool, the concept is more hip than I think Lake Orion is willing to accept. This restaurant would of been perfect for an area like Seattle or Portland, but I don't MI is ready to embrace these off the wall little establishments just yet. I think maybe a few small entree items on the menu will get more people in the door, but I think its for more eclectic tastes, people that are willing to try things outside the box and once they go once, they will see the uniqueness of this restaurant and will be back for more. Bonus: Sunday is service industry night so my food was 20% off and my beers $1 off. 51 North..you have made big fans out of us!
(5)Tom G.
This is a brewpub with house made beer, wine, and mead. The food menu is a brewpub menu-sandwiches, snacks and a few hot appetizers, all competently done. 51 purposely does not have an expansive menu-or kitchen. They make award winning libations and let the fine local eateries specialize in food. The beer is outstanding, as are chats with the owner and brewer. Great weight staff as well.
(5)Mike L.
Service was lousy. Waited quite awhile before anyone acknowledged us or the people in front of us, who were not happy either. Beer was ok Cookies were just. Ok. Decor was basement like. Very noisy. Not likely to become a favorite
(2)Dan N.
SO PUMPED to finally have a trendy new spot in LO!!! Since this place is a brewery, I'll start with the beer. I've got to admit, I wasn't overly impressed, as I thought the beer lacked a bit of the flavor I was hoping for. The seasonal rye needed to be more "rye-y" and the IPA could have been a bit "hop-ier". But a beer expert I'm not, and I'm still very anxious to try whatever else they've got brewing here. As for the food, my fiance and I just tried a couple of apps and a salad, all which were unique and very tasty. As mentioned in other reviews, the Blue Cheese Dip was absolutely incredible, although I wish they would have served it with homemade potato chips, instead of just kettle cooked chips. The jalepeno/chorizo app was also great, but be prepared to order an extra beer to handle the extra kick!!! (also, these are NOT jalepeno poppers--not fried--more like jalepeno boats filled with chorizo and cheese). It was also VERY refreshing to see a brewery food menu filled with non-typical brewery food--more fresh and homemade items as opposed to fried, fried and more fried! One the weather warms and the patio opens, this place will be a GREAT spot to spend an evening!!
(4)Victoria Z.
I was so excited to see that LO finally has a new and unique restaurant! I read some reviews that say it's too pricey, however, I found the prices to be spot on. But this is from a gal who moved from LO to the DC area a few years back and whenever I'm back in LO I'm so happy at how cheap the food is. Also, there were comments that the food was "strange". All of DC food is strange. I prefer to call it "unique and flavorful" -which 51 North Brewing was. I loved the pita pizza selections as well as the sandwiches and appetizers they offered. I'm looking forward to going back and trying more. Only four stars because service could use a slight pick-me-up. Not bad for a new joint! I will be back next time I'm in town!
(4)Michael S.
Always great food and always spectacular fresh brewed beer. The Havana, and Turkey With Attitude sandwiches are our favorites. The seasonal brews offer variety, and the mead is a great follow up.
(5)D M.
Finally made it out to 51 North brewery, been waiting for this place to open for some time. Just stopped in to try a few beers and have a appetizer. The beers I had both were good, the IPA had the right amount of hops and the oatmeal stout had a nice smooth chocolate finish. Also if you are into meads they had good assortment of some delicious sounding flavors. From what I seen coming out of the kitchen all the food looked good, freshly made. Not some frozen, deep fried something slapped on a generic bun. I ended up getting the cheese garlic soup and some chicken wings. The wings were baked and had a nice homemade sauce on them. The soup was different but good with peaces of fresh garlic in it. The only negative thing I would put, was the wait staff seemed a little overwhelmed. They had a wait to be seated sign, but took some time before anyone even looked are way. But I'm writing it off as they are new, for now. Also I should note after seated the wait staff was very attentive. In the end the brewery is about the beer, mead and wine. The few beers I tasted would make it worth the trip back out to Lake Orion.
(4)Michael S.
I never heard of this place until my friend suggested a road trip the other day. I looked at their rather descriptive website (always a plus!), and looked forward to going there. I was not disappointed. As usual with visiting a new brew pub, I ordered a sampler, which consisted of six 4 oz. pours. I was able to substitute some of their specialty beers with those always on tap. A very nice option. All of the beers were good. i was impressed by the Brown and especially the Wee Heavy. The three varieties of IPAs were great, too. Having just opened in January, this speaks well to their craft. Sometimes it takes a while to get the recipes where they want them. The menu consists of sandwiches and salads. The sandwich I had, Caprese Chicken was good. The bread could have been better, though. it came with chips and a pickle. Service was great, as well. We were immediately greeted, seated and served. Empty glasses were removed quickly and we were kept well watered (no, really, water). prices were fair and staff was friendly and knowledgeable. They also make and serve their own wines and mead, but we were in a beer mood. It's too bad it's so far away (an hour) or else I'd go back more often.
(4)Elise F.
First of all you can't have a brewery without good food. The menu is pathetic. We had the mushroom pizza, pork pizza, chicken pesto sandwich, and heavenly Havana sandwich. The sandwiches barely had any meat on them, the pizzas were on pita bread, weren't hot and tasted awful. When we complained to the waitress she said "oh no, that isn't good", did nothing and offered us to go boxes. The beer is good not great, but don't waste your time here until they get an actual kitchen and chef.
(1)Laura B.
Delicious beer and great service from Cowboy Doug. Granted, when we went it was a Sunday afternoon so it was pretty dead. Nonetheless, the extra attention was welcomed. Only ate their chips and salsa and the salsa was delcious! Can't wait to go back.
(4)Aivilo E.
This place has such a great feel to it. I loved the mix of people in here, all different age groups, couples, friends, an obvious first (maybe second) date. Noise level was easy and comfortable until the live music started, and then it was either talk loudly or listen, or move to the back room. We wanted to talk, so we moved to the back room. On to the food - nice, imaginative, decent portions. Fresh, not just typical fried bar food, but some really nice fresh alternatives that utilize what is in season. Our food came out quickly and was hot. I was impressed. The drinks - this is a small brewery. It is trendy to brew now, and to brew a lot. Some items are good, some are just a bit odd. But give it a try. Mead? Sure, why not! Stout? You bet! But the wine - eh, it isn't terrible, but it isn't a Chateau Lafitte either. But really, the beer is good, it is. There is no hard liquor here, so be warned. Just beer or wine, and just their beer or wine. The beers change, so what was there one month may not be there next month, so you are warned. I love this place and the atmosphere really is awesome. It is a place for locals to hang, but can be a destination for non locals. I honestly hope it thrives because it deserves it.
(4)Cindy B.
Our first (but not our last) visit was such a great surprise. We were able to taste for free every beer before making the difficult decision as there were some very good choices. Everyone at our table chose a different beer. Creative menu with a lot of non-typical pub fare items. Service was super. The live music, while adding to the noise level, was most enjoyable as the singer was very talented. There is another room away from the music if desired. Since it;s housed in an old gas station, the original garage doors allow for outside light and an openness not usually found in pubs. Will definitely go back.
(4)Adam L.
I really liked this place. The beer is actually quite good especially the tangerine wheat which surprised me that I would like something in this style but hey it was good. We tried every one of the sliders and the beef tips appetizer. All of the sliders were delicious my personal favorite was the slow roasted beef. I sampled several of the beers along side the food and it was great. The atmosphere was really cool but I did think the height of the bar in relation to the stools was odd, it kinda made me feel like I was 10 again. The other thing I would say is the service could have been better. We had to wait for quite a while to be greeted as the bartender walked past us several times and then he was very short with us for the first half hour. After a while once he decided we were ok he warmed up to us but this is a service industry and if you're a bartender you should be friendly off the bat. But all said I liked the place and I will be back.
(4)Hayley S.
My fiancé and I are somewhat of beer snobs and so we were very excited to try out 51 North. However we were extremely disappointed. The service was super slow, we did go on a Saturday night so I know it won't be as fast as normal but it was excruciatingly slow. I started out with their apple pie mead. I was very excited to try it because I love meads. Unfortunately they hardly give you any, I'm sure that's due to the fact that meads have a higher alcohol content but they literally gave you about two big sips worth and charge you 5 bucks for it....not to mention it was absolutely DISGUSTING. I can't even believe they would serve it to people. If you want good mead try B. Necktar Meadrys stuff they are based out of ferndale. I also got a Lake Orion Light which was good and refreshing so that made up for it. The food was not good either. The beer cheese soup should be called a French onion because that's basically what it is....it wasn't bad it's just not a beer cheese soup. It tasted just like a French onion and wasn't thick like a beer cheese. I also ordered half of the roast beast sandwich which wasn't terrible but I'd never get it again. It was really hard to eat because it was a heavy sandwich and they put it on really thin flimsy bread that wasn't toasted. If you're going to make a heavy sandwich you need a good bread to support it, not two slices of wonder bread. My fiancé ordered the buffalo chicken pizza which looked good but they put SO much franks red hot on it that it was all you could taste. You literally couldn't taste anything else but franks red hot. Gross. Overall we were really disappointed. I feel like I'm being generous by giving them two stars. I don't think I'll go back unless they change a lot of things.
(2)Erika M.
I have to agree that the menu was ridiculously limited. No fries?! We loved the pineapple ginger wings but were extremely disappointed with our pizzas. They were bland and the cheese was awful (like the fake vegetable oil kind). Honestly I could have made better pizza at home! We won't be back except to maybe try the beer.
(2)Christine S.
I loved this place! A welcomed addition to the Lake Orion area. It was a nice day out and they had the garage doors open with a screen hanging down to deter any bugs from gettin' in-good idea. I had the Tangerine Wheat-yum!! I couldn't stop there, I also had the Honey Mead-watered down kind of saki taste to it basically the size of a shot glass for the same price as a full beer. I wasn't a fan of that and I do love me some mead. Now for the eats-I got the Half/Half (soup & sandwich): Garlicy Parmesan Beer Cheese Soup. Now that is some damn good soup, your breath will stink for days! The Veggielicious sandwich had eggplant, mozzarella, many veggies, balsamic spread on focaccia bread. The sandwich was good but what would have made it better is if the bread was grilled and had some crisp to it. It came with potato chips/pickle. My husband asked for fries, beware they do not offer those here at all. Other than that, I enjoyed my meal. I would most definitely come back here. I want to sample the rest of their beer :)
(4)Cameron H.
Love this place! It definitely doesnt have the typical restaurant type foods like burgers steak pasta etc but the sandwiches and salads are awesome. And of course their beer and meads are incredible. The last few times they have sadly been out of a few i was hoping to try but hopefully that will get better. Also make sure to try the sushi which they only do on certain nights. Its incredibly well done.
(5)Kate B.
Disappointing. I am being generous with the 3 stars. I went once for lunch I had the soup and half sandwich combo. The beer cheese soup was OK nothing exceptional. The sandwich left much to be desired. The chicken was lukewarm and under seasoned and the bun was freezing cold. Blueberry wheat ale was OK but not amazing, could easily buy a 6 pack of comparable beer at the grocery store.
(3)Marie C.
Attended Beer Education Night with Rex Halfpenny last night @ 51 North. Rex's talk was very informative and entertaining. The event was $25 and was to include "the first pint, full buffet and six ounce pours of six different beers." The dinner buffet and beers were good. My two star rating is the result of the event not being as advertised. Food advertised as being part of the buffet was missing, with no replacement, explanation or apology. The six, six ounce beer samples advertised came in 4 ounce cups and were closer to three ounces than the six ounces advertised. The last sample, a mead, was two ounces at best. In other words, the beer samples we received were less than half of what was advertised. The event was very well attended, and I feel all attendees are owed an apology from 51 North. I left a comment for 51 North on their Facebook page last night basically saying the same thing as I've said here, but it appears my comment has been deleted. I guess they are not interested in receiving feedback on the events they host.
(2)Tim M.
I will tell you what. Everything I've read from the previous reviews with multiple stars is pretty much spot on. I honestly cannot add too much more than what everyone has said. My story; I was out on a bike ride with a friend on the Paint Creek trail. Checked the GPS on my phone to see how far we had gone and had a text message from a friend. The usual routine is to grab a beer back at the start of our ride at Rochester Mills. The texting friend suggested if we were close to check out 51 North. Being the enjoyer of beer that I am, and willing to try new spots, I said sure lets do it (plus he said he would take my friend and I back in his SUV after we enjoyed a beer or two and some food). I was immediately sold, and was far far far from disappointed. Between our group we sampled their Chocolate Oatmeal Stout (Delicious), their wheat (also delicious), their Session IPA (yet again...delicious), their light (yep, still mighty good). So yeah, their beers were spot on. I could not have been happier after the 10 miles we put in to get there. We had some of their chips and a bleu cheese dip to get started, which I really enjoyed, my compadres were only so so on it, but one of the party was not a big fan of onions (and it had scallions in it...barely an onion in my book). For the mains, one enjoyed a salad, two of us had soups and their turkey sandwich. I don't know about the other people's sandwiches and not being overly content with their bread, but my sandwich had bread from Great Harvest, and I"m a big fan of good hearty bread. All in all, our first time is definitely not going to be our last time. Also, a side note, apparently they are the only microbrewery around that has stainless steel growlers...yeah, i'm going to be picking one up very soon! Check this place out and enjoy like we did!! I hope you are not disappointed (since we weren't)
(4)Jennifer M.
My boyfriend and I finally got a chance to try this new brewery, and was super impressed. I totally disagree with Ted W's comments about the beer, and food. My boyfriend and I are total beer snobs, and we found the beer to be robust, full bodied and full of flavor. Even the light beer that I would usually avoid, was very good. I do believe I may have even became an IPA fan last night! As with most micro brewery's, the focus of this new restaurant is definitely the beer. I recommend the brown ale or chocolate stout, both filled with subtle rich flavors of malt and chocolate. Smooth, silky and decadent. Although the focus may be the beer, the food is exemplary as well. The menu does lend itself to a healthier palate, having no deep fried food anywhere on the menu, it does offer lighter fare, made with fresh ingredients. You can tell immediately that the food is fresh, and a nice change from the typical fried garbage you get in most restaurants nowadays. We wanted to share some of their appetizers, and simply got too full to fast to move on to the sandwiches. We started with the cheese soup, which pleasantly surprised me since it was not your typical velveeta mixed with beer that some restaurants call soup. It was a lighter beer infused broth, weaved with garlic and parmesan and was awesome. Walking in from a super cold Michigan night, it was hot and delicious. My boyfriend got the wings, which he said were flavorful and meaty. We split the steak tips, that were served in a brown stout sauce and served with their soon to be famous blue cheese and roasted shallot dish, served with toasted bread slices, it was very flavorful, and a fairly large portion. I think we got a whole steak there! Lastly, our waitress recommended the chorizo stuffed jalapenos. They were so flavorful. My boyfriend even made the comment that he could "eat them all day, every day of his life". I expected some bumps in the road being a brand new establishment, but everything ran like a fine tuned machine. The host sat us quickly, our waitress knowledgeable about the beer and very friendly. The food came fast, and HOT! The flight of beers was a fun sample of 6 different beers available and I would recommend to anyone trying this place for the first time to find your favorite. The place was hopping, and even had a band playing later that night. We had a fabulous experience and will most definitely go again soon!
(5)Eric N.
I have been waiting a year for this place to open. Went there last night and it was worth the wait. The brown ale and stout were great. We will be back this weekend for a pint or two!
(5)Nick T.
Pros: I'm definitely a beer lover and their offerings are tasty (their wheat is one of the better local ones I think), cool location, nice bathrooms, fairly attentive staff the few times we've been there. Cons: The food is strong in idea but mediocre in execution. They need to add a fryer, it would be nice to at least have a french fries option with the sandwiches, the sandwiches need to be toasted, fix the beer cheese soup (it's more an onion soup), and it would be nice if they had patio seating (seems perfectly set-up for it out front) because it's a bit cramped inside. Overall it has great potential, and all of us locals would like to see it succeed!
(3)Rob E.
This is a great addition to Lake Orion. I love heading out on a bike ride on the paint creek trail and making this the midpoint destination. This is really more of a sandwich sort of place, although I had a burger tonight to celebrate some burger cook off they were having. We had kettle chips with blue cheese dip as well as chips and salsa as the appetizers. Friends had the stuffed jalapeños. I have had the stuffed jalapeños in the past and am a huge fan. Chorizo is excellent with most things, especially stuffed into half of a jalapeño before being covered with cheese and broiled in a salamander. I like this place. I enjoyed my piggy backer burger (1/3 lb burger topped with pulled pork, BBQ sauce with hot sauce, LTO, bacon and perhaps provolone). I like that the burger seems to be hand patted and had good flavor. Spouse had the black bean burger (said she would order it again). Friends had the piggy backer without onion and a guacamole burger. Children ate pepperoni pita pizza and chicken tenders. Beers here are decent and I plan to continue spending money here. Glad to have them as a neat option in the area. Previously I have had the Havana Cuban sandwich - if they still have the jalapeño mustard, get it with that. I have had the garlic beer cheese soup as well - note that it is like a French onion soup with Parmesan cheese. Good, but different from EVERY beer cheese soup I have ever had. Try this place because they are doing things their own way. And because you like beer. Also because there are more things to Lake Orion besides Sagebrush and Manny's bagels.
(4)David J.
Beers okay (it's been consistently getting better.) But the live music is super annoying. Not a good place to go grab a beer with a friend and have a conversation.
(2)Katie S.
I chose to venture into 51 North Brewing for drinks after dinner at Sagebrush for my birthday. i had never been here before and really hadn't heard much about the place but I'm always up for trying a new brewery since I love me some craft brews. This place did not disappoint. I got a flight which included 6, 4oz. flavor choices. Other places I've been to only include 4 choices so it's nice to try more especially at a brewery that I have never been to. I would rate the beer an 8 out of 10. It was flavorful and I liked everything from the delicious, full body brown to the light and airy coconut blonde. After ordering my flight I realized they had wine and mead as well. Unfortunately for me, I was so full from dinner, the flight was all I could drink. My better half ordered one of the meads, which I can't recall, but I had a sip and was immediately blown away with the light bodied flavor. Sometimes when you get a mead it's so thick it's like actually drinking a bottle of honey. This mead was nothing like that but yet still gave all those sweet flavors. I will definitely be back to try their Peach Apricot Chardonnay because doesn't that just sound refreshing?! Oh one more thing, I also liked the touch of bringing me a chocolate chip cookie with a candle in it and getting the entire bar to sing happy birthday to me as I exited the restroom. I would say this absolutely made my birthday one to remember! Thanks to the whole staff for making me laugh!
(5)Gary B.
Standard small rich city brew pub with okay to good beer and good pub food. The main room is small, as is the bar, but the staff is polite and fast. The food is standard pub, but good. The beer ranges from okay to really good (two of them are really good), with many on tap at a time. The patio area is the best feature of this brewpub. Parking is tough, and the local police are very into aggressive patrolling.
(4)Harris N.
I was there for lunch. Sat outside in a covered area that was fairly nice. The service is not terribly fast there. It takes a while for the wait staff to circulate, and the food took a while to come out. This probably has a little influence on the rating, but the real driver of it is the food quality. First the food was not hot...when it's supposed to be. I had two hot food items. The chicken wings and the chili. Both were luke warm. I'm not sure if it's because it sat in the kitchen for a while, or if it's a food prep issue? The chicken wings were cool throughout, so I'm assuming it was cooked and sat for a while. Then they probably tossed it in the sauce which made it worse. The chili bowl was also cold. It was fairly thick and meaty, which was okay, if you like that style of chili. My son's chicken strips were interesting. They're not fried, but battered and then looks like pan fried on a griddle. So the breading around the non-griddle surface is not exactly crispy. Maybe the restaurant doesn't have a deep fryer since there's no fries on the menu - especially as you would This restaurant won't be a destination eating place for me for sure, but if you're looking for a basic sandwich with potato chips, maybe it'll work for you.
(2)Kevin M.
Very small beer selection. The IPA I had was good. Service and chicken wings waaaaaaaay below average!!! I'd go back for a couple beverages but would sit at the bar and not eat. Other places within a couple minutes of walking for better food.
(2)nozmo K.
I Would love to love this place but. . . beer choices are pretty good although they're very frequently out of something. The food menu is okay, rather limited, and considerably expensive for what you get. The atmosphere is good and the patio is nice however, service is real hit or miss. Let me put it this way, I live walking distance from this place, I love beer, however and I've only been there about 3 or 4 times since it opened.
(2)Ricky P.
I wasn't too impressed with their selection. It all seemed to be the same. The service was similar to the Walmart Greeter that doesn't care about his job. You know what I mean? Just a, "Meh." when you got there and a sad "Thanks" when you leave. The decor was kind of cool. Nothing on the menu really jumped out at me though. I'm really not impressed and it doesn't take much to impress me really. Thanks anyway and I hope your bartender gets through the tough emotional time that she's going through.
(2)Patsy R.
Wanted to try this (new to me) LO Bar/restraunt after a concert in town. We were seated soon as we arrived. Wait staff took drink order quickly. I had the cranberry wine and Apple Riesling.$6:00 each. Both delicious but more like fruit juice than wine. No kick at all but each glass was not more than about two shot glasses. Menu was limited to say the least. I had BBQ sliders..ehh not good. They were cold, ask waitress for a "refire". Meat was dry and no sauce to speak of, bun was cold and hard. Husband's the same. Chips are just store bought type. They gave us cookies to compensate for the disappointing food. Our bill for four people was $85.00 plus tip. I'll give this place till Summer and try it again then to see if food improves. I'm giving 3 stars for the rustic ambiance and downtown location.
(3)Alicia S.
I'll start of by saying the food & the drinks get 3 stars, but the service really deserves only 2. Lets start with the bad and end with the good: Service: Incredibly poor and unorganized. Especially our server... They started off by getting our drinks all mixed up and would run away to check if they were out of food items as we ordered them. We never received our appetizers, which we mentioned as we got our meals. They acknowledged that fact, and instead of taking action to correct it, they walked over and started talking to another table. A few of our meals were mixed up so we had to switch around a bit. The server casually made their way back to us to check up, we mention the missing app again and they said "there was a cold app sitting in the window so the chef took it back, would you still like it?" No wonder why. At this point, we told them not to make a new one. We were a large group and the server never asked us how we wanted our check and just put it all on one bill making it hard to pay. Our server mentioned they had only been working there one month, but still, I feel they were unprepared and not ready to be on the floor on their own. Craft Beverages: 51 North has no problem with providing small samples for tasting, which I always appreciate. We all had ended up with a favorite, a few that stood out at the table were the Stout, Tangerine Wheat, and Barely Wine. Also, they make their own wine and mead! This is super awesome. The wine sounded absolutely amazing, but I didn't notice they had wine until I had already ordered a beer, bummer! They were also out of the mead, double bummer! Food: Everyone enjoyed their food. Show stopper- Beer Bites on Broadway! One guest got this as a meal and the Stout Beer with Blue Cheese and Shallot sound was dynamite! I personally ordered the Heavenly Havana- with Backwoods Mustard). Overall, it was a good Cuban style sandwich, but on deli wheat bread- the chunks of pork were nice and tender too! Atmosphere: Well executed. The beer garden is a beautiful nook, the drink menu boards are hand crafted, there's custom area for bands to play, and there's shirts hanging up in the rafters from other craft breweries. What's cool about this is if you bring in another brewery's shirt 51 North will exchange it for one of their own. The shirts hang in the rafters to help with acoustics! Cool stuff.
(3)John H.
Given the location of my nephew's wedding - Addison Oaks Buhl Estate - this place was as close as any for a wedding rehearsal dinner. My sandwich was good, and, as house salads go, mine was very good. I also liked the I.P.A and pale ale. Fun surprise: the Green Apple Riesling. Very good, reminiscent of cheap apple wine the girls in my high school liked, but in a form more balanced between sweetness and acidity.
(3)Gabe B.
Ok food! Really slow service! I went there with family and took close to an hour and a half to get food! And once I got food most of my group said there food was undercooked and wasn't very good! Might give this place a chance again!
(3)David P.
The beer is good. The food is tasty. It's a decent-sized place, and while it's not somewhere that I'd drive out of my way to get to, it's definitely a place that I'd pop into while in the area. Couple of things to be aware of: - Yes, it's a brew pub. Beer and wine only, no mixed drinks or shots available. - Parking is...okay. Wound up parking in a lot a bit down the street and walking up. Just something to keep in mind as the weather turns to snow and ice.
(4)M K.
Kind of a no frills brewery with reasonably priced quality food. Typical kids menu but when the food shows up you will be pleasantly surprised by the non manufactured looks compared to most restaurants today. Chicken tenders and pizza are great choices. Now I have tried many of the apps and the sandwiches. We have never been disappointed. The chicken cypress is my favorite but overall we love coming back.
(5)Sara B.
I'm really glad we decided to go out of our way for this place! It's a great little venue with plenty of outside seating for the summer and a gazebo as well as ample inside seating, live music, and nice tall ceilings. I also loved that they seemed to have put in some sound dampening as my friend and I could talk normally in a full brewery. I tried both the tangerine wheat and a spicy beer I can't seem to recall the name of, but I think it was a winter seasonal. I enjoyed both of them and ended up with a pint of the tangerine. My friend got the IPA and said that it was good, but not amazing. He also ordered some wings, and I got a house salad. The wings were very light on sauce and the skin wasn't crispy. It seems like they tried to bake their wings instead of frying them and got yummy meat, but inedible chicken skin. The salad was bigger than I expected and I thoroughly enjoyed the fact that they used mixed greens and decent quality parmesan. The ranch dressing was also pretty good. All in all I really liked this place and would love to go back in the summer.
(4)Becki B.
I liked 51 North more than I expected to. I'm a liquor drinker, so when I first arrived and found it was just beer and wine, I was like, yay. Swell. But the Paint Creek Tangerine (or something like that) was a yummy, fruity beer. The atmosphere was somewhat bright for an evening gathering, but I got used to it. The noise level was typical of a bar, more or less. I was able to enjoy catching up with friends. My burger was delicious. They got the 'medium' just right, and it was red, moist, hot and tasty. I shared some chocolate chip cookies with a friend afterward, but they were oddly not warmed before being served. Warm cookies would really have made the night. I look forward to bringing hubby back some time soon to introduce him to 51 North.
(4)Laura B.
Adorable location and a unique variety of craft beers. I had a delicious chocolate covered brewery ale, and my partner-in-crime enjoyed their tangerine wheat. We split a soft pretzel, which was decent. They offered several mustards as dipping sauce plus a chocolate sauce - that was pleasantly delicious! If I'm ever in the area again I'd go back.
(4)Jake W.
Phenomenal beer. I've met the owner, Don, and the Beer Czar, Adam, and they both seem to be great down to earth folks. I attended a tasting event and it was a great deal on top the fact that we tried some great brews and heard the story behind them. Adam had saved some for this event specifically. I come every couple of months and the food is getting better every time. The addition of burgers to the menu is huge.
(5)Melissa M.
It was.. decent. 1- Love the patio! We sat out there and it was pretty nice. It's interesting that they let people bring dogs on the patio. I can see some people not liking this, especially if they have allergies, but it's whatever. I was just kind of surprised. 2- Beer flight was wonderful! I was a fan of most of the beers, except the IPA (I typically don't like IPAs anyhow). 3- Service was mediocre, like a lot of the other reviewers said. Took us forever to get our flight and quite a while to get our check picked up. 4- We got nachos for happy hour and they were OK. I really didn't like the salsa, I found it flavorless. I would come back, but probably wouldn't go out of my way.
(3)Drew M.
One of the worst dine-in experiences I've ever had, The beer is OK but the roast beef sandwich I got tasted like the meat was over a week old, the bartender, and the owners were both rude, and the whole building smelled as if a sewage drain was pouring onto the floor, not to mention the gnat infestation. This place needs to be closed down, soon.
(1)Chelsea G.
My husband Dan and I had some time to kill before meeting our friends for dinner in Lake Orion. We were casually walking around their quaint downtown area when we stumbled upon 51 North Brewery. As we walked through their patio into the spacious bar, Dan and I both thought the same thing..."this is the perfect neighborhood spot." Once we sat down and looked around, we realized our intuition was spot on! 51 North has mug club memberships, open mic night, live bands and a fabulous menu of Michigan craft beers - all designed to keep people coming back. They even have their own t-shirts! Because we stumbled upon this little gem unexpectedly, we only had time for a beer - but this place was so enjoyable, I couldn't pass up telling you about it! They had a great drink menu, which ranged from $5-$8, with TONS of beer options and they even had mead! This place is simply decorated, comfortable and welcoming. The bar area is spacious with large garage doors that open up to the patio. They even have a small stage for their live music. It's the kind of spot you would feel comfortable hanging out at all night long.
(5)Peter H.
Solid beer, with solid food to go along with it. Like any decent micro-brewery they have a good range of seasonal offerings, and a few experiments that you won't find elsewhere. A couple of their refreshing summer brews were definitely welcome after finishing a 10-ish mile bike ride up Paint Creek trail on a hot day this July. Cool bar area, too - I could see it being a good place to hang out on a Saturday afternoon during football season. They also appear to have live music, and nice outdoor area. A reliable spot for sleepy Lake Orion, which, frankly, doesn't have a TON of good drinking options.
(3)Erin G.
Came here when the Dragon on the Lake fair was going on.They were super busy, and service was still fast, especially considering there was only one bartender serving everyone at the bar. I ordered the "turkey with attitude sandwich" and it was delicious. I loved the "buy your friend a beer board" concept. No one seemed to want to sit in the area to the left of the front door. There are some booths, but it's away from the bar and the live band. That would a more suitable section for guests that want a more private feel. So, I like that because it gives appeal to everyone. I came here with my boyfriend and first only found seating at a high top that could seat six people, but there was only one couple sitting there. We first sat next to them at the opposite end of the table, but it felt too awkward, so we ended up moving to the bar. I feel like there should be more seating for couples.
(4)Joseph D.
Great beer and food. Friendly service, and live music the night I ate here. Will definitely return whenever I'm in Michigan.
(4)Sasha O.
I wish I could say i love it, because I love local joints & always want small town businesses to succeed. They need to watch a few episodes of Bar Rescue however. Three stars is generous. Please decide the demographic you are catering to! The beer is decent, servers seem knowledgeable, but not attentive (training issue perhaps? they're all very nice). In my mind, I should never be waiting for a beer. In. A. Brewery. The food is, well, it's just not good. I don't have high expectations for bar food, but I've been here twice (hoping the first time they were just having a bad night) and both times were bad. The second time we ordered three appetizers, and it turned into a joke to decide which was the worst. It's all frozen, prepackaged, watered down sauces, no flavor. Nothing, and I mean nothing, seemed fresh. We did not order entrees; in fact, we went somewhere else. "Small town" or not, there are far better places for a cold beer & good bar food. Sorry 51! Please get your kitchen & customer service expectations up to par!
(3)Sara D.
The beer and live music were great! Only three stars because over the hour and a half we were sitting at a table in the bar, we were never acknowledged by any of the wait staff. After about 15 minutes we ordered at the bar. There wasn't a current mead selection, so I opted to try the Paint Creek Tangerine Wheat and he sampled a flight. Of the seven I sipped, the Tangerine Wheat was my favorite. I will definitely be back to give them another chance based on the fun music and the yummy beer, hoping for better service, though...
(3)Judith M.
Terrible service today so slow and not detail oriented. When the food finally came it was clear why the place was half empty while sagebrush down the street had a 2 hour wait. 51 North could be really great. It has the right guts as far as atmosphere and the microbrewery going for it but the food and service made me embarrassed that I invited my friends there.
(1)Chris H.
The Snowbank Rye is amazingly good. Their menu options have drastically improved and right now their live entertainment is right on the mark. I'm looking at an 80 year-old and a 2 year old at the same table. The music volume is at a reasonable level. And it's 100% family appropriate. This place is a cultural hotspot for community involvement. Get your butt here
(4)Nick T.
Small brewery in downtown Lake Orion with an award winning Brown (World Beer Cup). I'm a big fan of their different beers as well as their burgers; however, the kitchen is always slow. This is a place to go when you have plenty of time to eat.
(4)Meredith E.
I've gone from liking this place to loving it! All of the beers are fantastic. I recommend the Tangerine Wheat and Wind Walker Brown. The food has always been outstanding. However, at first the menu was a little too expensive. Since opening and now making money, 51 North has lowered their prices and updated the menu. I love their pizzas. I'm hooked on the goat cheese and mushroom one. On Tuesdays they have 75 cent tacos that rival any Mexican restaurant. The new patio is a great place to hang out on a hot summer day. I can't wait to return and order another pizza. Yum.
(5)Billy Z.
Food was ok, portobello mushroom appetizer especially. Pot stickers were frozen GFS style. Beer was horrible, worst craft draft I've ever had. I don't know if they needed to change the keg or what but I had a rye ale and a porter and bottle tasted watered down.
(2)Jeff M.
A huge THANK YOU to the very kind folks at 51 North Brewery. They couldn't have been more accommodating for my wife, my sister, and our group of friends and family that came to party for their 40th birthdays. We were able to decorate part of the bar with balloons and bring in a birthday cake. Our server, Keith, was awesome keeping up with the crowd. The band sounded great, and everyone loved the beers and food. We'll definitely be back. So, seriously... thank you. We had a great time.
(5)Susan M.
We bought the groupon and thought we would give this place a try. It was well worth it. The selection they have because they are a brewery was good and they even have mead mixed drinks. Yum! The food is all backed or grilled. Nothing fried here. We got a veggie baked pita pizza. It was really good and a sandwich which was also good. The staff was the best part. They explained the menu and the specials and made sure we had everything we needed. It was a good place and we will def be back.
(4)Kristen K.
I want to give the place more stars, but I can't. My party was sat about 7:00pm and ordered food right away... It is now 8:50pm and still no food. The waiter has come to our table about 5 times and keeps saying "10 more minutes." Other parties have been served and still no food.
(1)Amy Z.
Orange Honey Mead was okay. Portabella Mushroom appetizer was good. Turkey sandwich was extremely sweet, could have been dessert.
(2)Margo M.
Beer variety is perfect!!! I loved your "light" beer and had fun tasting with your flights! Nice to try 12 different types! Enjoyed our chips and Blue Cheese Dip! If you are a Blue Cheese lover this is for you!!! Staff was very friendly and very welcoming! We also enjoyed our little chat with the owners! I will say that the music was a little disappointing so maybe a different "band" would be a good idea!
(4)Andy L.
My Fiance and I went here for a quick drink before our final DJ meeting for our wedding. I thought since it wasn't busy it would be a quick grab of a drink, and then after we would come back for dinner. We sat in the bar area but got really crumby service. The waiter came right away with menus, and didn't return for 10 minutes. We ordered our drinks and it took another 10 minutes to get those. By the time our drinks arrived we were not impressed with the establishment. We didn't even look at the food menu, we had already decided that we would not be returning. On top of the wait the waiter got my fiance's drink wrong. We didn't bother with sending it back, we only had a few minutes to try to enjoy the drinks and figured it would take another 5-10 to get the right drink. When we saw her drink go to another table, that lady complained and sent her drink back. The waiter had given her my Fiance's drink. He didn't come and accept responsibility for his mistake at our table. I ordered the Chocolate Oatmeal Stout, it was alright, nothing ground breaking. If the bear was spectacular I would think about returning, but it wasn't. The drink that my fiance ordered wasn't good at all either. I believe what she received was the mead sunrise. All in all the only reason it got 2 stars instead of 1 was because I liked the look of the bar, and it looks like it had live music.
(2)Emad F.
If you like atmosphere, forget it. If you want to impress your date, forget it. If you like friendly staff and informed bar tenders, forget it. If you want value for menu items, forget it. If you like comfortable seating, forget it. If you like a beer list with description, yup forget that too! Unless its the Seasonal ones! If you want a caring staff, forget it, The seats at the bar are to low to the bar, your elbows are level with your shoulders. If your short you will have to look through your pint to see the bar. The food, what a JOKE! My burger for $7.50 was the same size as my wife's one slider appetizer. The picture I took is embarrassing. BTW, wife liked the slider. My family has been making pita pizzas for 45years, $9 bucks for 50 cent bread with pizza sauce and some topping. Won't fill a man with that, doesn't even make a decent appetizer. Why do I return, the beer. One of the best all around beer, If you can't find a beer you like, stick to your wine or town club, Am I going back. YUP! After I eat someplace else and only until I find better beer. I hope you guys realize that excellent beer and poor food is going to bite you in the ass! Forget the food or get rid of your so called chef.
(3)Holly J.
We really love this place!! We can bring our kids with us. Fun for the whole family. Great comedy shows on Thursdays as well! Super funny. Owners there all the time. Very friendly. And great original food! Not your typical bar food. Yummy salads and funky pizzas. Five stars!!
(5)Jake W.
Great place to grab a beer and a snack. I met the owner, Don the first time I went in and he was incredibly nice. It's an old converted gas station and the interior is very cool. Even the bathrooms are tastefully decorated. This place has only been around one year so far but I hope it stay and flourishes. I just moved to the area and will be visiting this place a lot.
(5)Matt S.
The servers are friendly, as is the owner. Good beers, expanding menu and they have Sporcle Live trivia on Wednesdays at 8!!
(5)