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Great Lakes Culinary Institute, Traverse City, MI

Great Lakes Culinary Institute

4.9
4.9
76 Reviews
$30 and under
Contemporary American

Make a booking

2 people
11:30 pm
Experiences are available.
  • Great for scenic views
  • Good for special occasions
  • Innovative
At Lobdell's, a Teaching Restaurant, you'll enjoy food prepared and served by Great Lakes Culinary Institute students and beautiful bayside views. Lunch is served regularly during fall and spring, while bakery and coffee service is provided in summer. Special events throughout the year include farm to table and world cuisine dinners, as well as cocktail and charcuterie events.

Additional information

  • Dining style
    Casual Dining
  • Price
    $30 and under
  • Cuisines
    Contemporary American, American, Bistro
  • Hours of Operation
    Lunch Tue, Wed 11:30 am–2:30 pm
  • Phone number
    (231) 995-3120
  • Website
    http://www.nmc.edu/lobdells
  • Payment Options
    AMEX, Discover, Mastercard, Visa
  • Dress code
    Business Casual
  • Executive Chef
    Chef James Morse
  • Location
    715 E Front St, Traverse City, MI 49686-2619
  • Area
    Traverse City
  • Cross Street
    Front Street and Barlow
  • Parking details
    Private Parking
  • Public transit
    In front of the building on Front Street
  • Additional
    Beer, Cocktails, Counter Seating, Full Bar, Gluten-free Options, Non-Smoking, Vegan, View, Wheelchair Access, Wine

Experiences

  • Cocktails and Charcuterie

    USD 39.00 per person

    Multiple dates available
    It's cocktail time! Students' knowledge will be tested as they learn experientially at the Cocktails and Charcuterie series at Lobdell's. Sip on small batch cocktails and mocktails served by the Beverage Management class while enjoying sharable appetizers crafted by the Garde Manger students. A wine and beer selection will also be available. Menu includes 2 beverage selections plus a three course sampling of cheeses and assorted charcuterie.

Menu

View menu on restaurant's website

What 76 people are saying

Overall ratings and reviews

Reviews can only be made by diners who have eaten at this restaurant

4.9
4.9 based on recent ratings
  • 4.8Food
  • 4.9Service
  • 5Ambience
  • 4.8Value

Noise • Moderate

Loved For

  • Northern Michigan / Upper Peninsula

    Best Overall

  • Northern Michigan / Upper Peninsula

    Best Food

  • Northern Michigan / Upper Peninsula

    Best Service

  • Northern Michigan / Upper Peninsula

    Best Ambience

  • Northern Michigan / Upper Peninsula

    Best Value

  • Northern Michigan / Upper Peninsula

    Great for brunch

  • Northern Michigan / Upper Peninsula

    Innovative

  • Northern Michigan / Upper Peninsula

    Good for groups

  • Northern Michigan / Upper Peninsula

    Healthy

  • Northern Michigan / Upper Peninsula

    Good for special occasions

  • Northern Michigan

    Best Overall

  • Northern Michigan

    Best Food

  • Northern Michigan

    Best Service

  • Northern Michigan

    Best Ambience

  • Northern Michigan

    Best Value

  • Northern Michigan

    Great for brunch

  • Northern Michigan

    Innovative

  • Northern Michigan

    Good for groups

  • Northern Michigan

    Healthy

  • Northern Michigan

    Good for special occasions

Review summary

AI-generated from verified diner reviews
Great Lakes Culinary Institute offers a "wonderful dining experience" with "impeccable service" and "beautifully presented" dishes. Guests rave about the "incredible" food, "friendly" staff, and "beautiful" views. While reservations can be challenging due to popularity, the "outstanding" quality and engaging student servers make it worth the effort.

76 Reviews

  1. Don

    Northern MI

    3 reviews

    5.0

    3 reviews

    Dined 3 days ago

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    Lobdell’s Culinary Restaurant has an excellent menu. The entrees are always excellent with great variety.The sandwiches and salads are delightfully presented and always delicious. The Lobdell speciality desert is 5 stars and more. A quiet atmosphere, beautiful view, and friendly staff makes Lobdell’s the best place to eat in Traverse City.

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  2. Anne

    Grand Rapids

    1 review

    5.0

    1 review

    Dined 3 days ago

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    What a wonderful culinary experience! We had the beef bourgnion, leek tarte, the best ice tea! Attentive and knowledgeable staff. Truly the best restaurant in Traverse City. We will be back! Thank you Courtney for your hospitality!

    Is this helpful?

  3. Rebecca

    Northern MI

    3 reviews

    5.0

    3 reviews

    Dined 4 days ago

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 4
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    We enjoy sitting barside for lunch, but wherever we sit the waitstaff are always attentive and well informed. The unique culinary features are well planned out for a variety of taste. The bakery items like the menu features are creative and delicious!

    Is this helpful?

  4. Anita

    New York City

    2 reviews

    5.0

    2 reviews

    Dined 4 days ago

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    Excellent food and service, and a marvelous view. We sat at the bar, and the bartender did a great job balancing her duties. All of the staff we encountered were professional and friendly. The food was amazing! Highly recommend.

    Is this helpful?

  5. Joan (Jody)

    Northern MI

    1 review

    5.0

    1 review

    Dined on 13 November 2024

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    We had a beautiful lunch at the Great Lakes Culinary Institute today. The food was top quality and our waitperson, Caroline, was just outstanding.

    Is this helpful?

  6. Margaret

    Northern MI

    1 review

    5.0

    1 review

    Dined on 13 November 2024

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 4
    3. Service 4
    4. Ambience 5
    We always have a lovely meal here. I enjoyed the trout I had last time more than the chicken gnocchi. Chicken was too dark for me. Wait staff was very pleasant. View was spectacular.

    Is this helpful?

  7. Karen

    Atlanta Metro

    1 review

    5.0

    1 review

    Dined on 12 November 2024

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    Wonderful celebration lunch! Everyone remarked how delicious the food was, particularly the soup and entrees. And desserts! Thank you NMC’s Culinary Institute for setting, and meeting, such high standards!

    Is this helpful?

  8. Richard

    Des Moines

    4 reviews

    5.0

    4 reviews

    Dined on 5 November 2024

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    Great ambience, attentive staff (and most are students of the trade), food was delicious and well presented.

    Is this helpful?

  9. Eva

    Northern MI

    3 reviews

    5.0

    3 reviews

    Dined on 30 October 2024

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    Lobdell's, in our opinion and everyone else who dines there, is outstanding. There is no place to compare. The food, the staff, and the ambience are incredible. The only negative is that it's not open enough hours or days.

    Is this helpful?

  10. Elisabeth

    Northern MI

    1 review

    5.0

    1 review

    Dined on 30 October 2024

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 4
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    The view is lovely. The service was delightful. I especially enjoyed all the attention. Lots of eye contact and careful listening. Affordable fine dining!

    Is this helpful?

FAQs

Great Lakes Culinary Institute is rated 4.9 stars by 76 OpenTable diners.

Yes, you can generally book this restaurant by choosing the date, time and party size on OpenTable.

Make a booking

2 people
11:30 pm
Experiences are available.
Google Map for Great Lakes Culinary Institute

715 E Front St, Traverse City, MI 49686-2619

Additional information

  • Cross Street
    Front Street and Barlow
  • Area
    Traverse City
  • Hours of Operation
    Lunch Tue, Wed 11:30 am–2:30 pm
  • Price
    $30 and under
  • Cuisines
    Contemporary American, American, Bistro
  • Dining style
    Casual Dining
  • Dress code
    Business Casual
  • Parking details
    Private Parking
  • Public transit
    In front of the building on Front Street
  • Payment Options
    AMEX, Discover, Mastercard, Visa
  • Executive Chef
    Chef James Morse
  • Additional
    Beer, Cocktails, Counter Seating, Full Bar, Gluten-free Options, Non-Smoking, Vegan, View, Wheelchair Access, Wine
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