The Mulefoot Gastropub

I absolutely love this place and five stars is not enough. Their food is very fresh, tasty and served well. The service is top notch. It’s very hard to say what exactly is good here because their menu is constantly changing, due to fresh food and availability of the local farms. I will say they do have the best burgers I’ve ever had.
We have been here numerous times with the family and never had one complaint. Great for families large parties and kids as well.

This is a farm to table restaurant and it really shows in the quality and freshness of the food. The inside of the restaurant is very charming it’s crisp white walls and reclaimed barn wood with huge sliding doors closing off the banquet type room. They have an eclectic collection of paintings on the wall that are done by local artists and can be purchased. The wait staff from the hostess to the bartenders to the waiters and waitresses are outstanding. The waitress we had had a deep understanding of how the food is made where the food comes from and how to pair it with starters and desserts as well as wine. We ordered a kale salad to start and split it between us, the goat cheese that they used tasted as if it was made that day and the kale was extremely tender and fresh. Between the three of us we ordered the salmon, the duck, and veal piccata. We have had a taste of each other is food and all of us agreed that all three meals were prepared perfect with outstanding flavor. The presentation of the food was like art, and the taste was like heaven. Probably a good idea on the weekends to call ahead for a reservation but during the week usually you can just walk in. Highly recommend checking this place out.

Overall it was a good experience. I made a reservation online and we were seated immediately. The service was very good. They have a great beer selection and other creative cocktails. The food had problems. First of all it’s a limited menu and if you are someone that doesn’t eat a lot of meat then you are out of luck. I tried to be adventurous and ordered the duck appetizer. I thought it was okay but my husband who really likes duck did not enjoy it. He wished it was a breast instead of a leg. I ordered blackened salmon and overall it was a good meal. It didn’t really seem blackened to me but I still liked the flavor. The salmon was undercooked. This is partly my fault because I know some restaurants cook salmon this way so I should have mentioned to the waiter I wanted it cooked all the way through. My husband got the French onion soup which he loved and the beef short rib dinner. He was not impressed with the dinner. He said the beef was fatty and flavorless. Plus the lighting made it difficult to tell if he was eating fat or beef. What I loved the most were the things accompanying the protein. The carrots with our meals were so flavorful and slightly crunchy. Both meals had some type of slaw that was excellent and I loved the beets! I also loved the celery that was with the duck. But who wants to pay $ 100 for some great celery and carrots? The short ribs were over $ 30! I wanted to love this place but considering the prices and limited menu we likely won’t be back.

I am really hoping the food is better than the service so far. Called for reservations, was told via a voice recording to go to the website. I submitted a request for reservation online and was told I would receive confirmation. Waited an entire day and still heard nothing. Called multiple times without anyone picking up the phone. Left multiple messages. Decided to call before we needed to meet up and leave with friends, only to find out «they have been having issues with the online reservation system…» and then placed on hold for another 11 minutes. The lady on the phone seemed very awkward and almost seemed annoyed I was calling to validate our reservations. They didn’t have the time available, so we had to push our time back. If our friends were not excited about going, I would not even bother making the trek out there. Hope the food is good and not $ 300 for 2 people like I have seen posted by others.

Let me start by saying the the Mule foot burger is incredible. The fries? Well they are gone! I will be back just for this menu combo. My wife had the filet. It came with a blueberry topping and sweet potatoes and was cooked to perfection. I know, your thinking blueberries on steak? Believe me, they know what they are doing. I was a bit turned off by the menu items with all if the fancy ingredients. But our party of 12 finished everything on our plates and we all sampled each other’s meals. Except for me. No one touched my burger as I was not offering any free samples. The things I did sample were very good. We are defiantly going back.

Agh, why must this be so far?! We need more of these farm to table restaurants in the city!
This place is awesome. Everything was fresh and oh so delicious.
All the food is great. You don’t feel guilty eating it before and after. It’s a awesome place to gather and try fresh food. The concept is great here. The menu is all dependent on what they get from the farm that day. Truly a great place to dine.
If we ever come back this way, we will
Be back!

I was super excited to try this place however was let down. The burger I had was great cooked perfectly and super flavorful. The burger comes with french frys that are very tasty and seasoned well. The tomato bisque was great as well however pricey for such a tiny portion.
The let down was the filet that my father got. It was over cooked and had zero flavor. It was also very chewy for a filet. He mentioned it to the waitress and she let him know that she had never had anyone complain about the steak before. Kind of rude I thought. My father finished the steak although not pleased he was just starving.
Not sure that I would make the trip back for just a burger.

Amazing food once again. Exceptional stand out was the French onion soup with Parmesan cream. Big bowl of that with some great crusty bread would have made a great cool night dinner.
Maria once again rose to the mixology occasion and made a great after dinner herbal bitter digestive. Remains food that is worth a drive and competitive with coastal big city food.

So happy to see a farm-​to-​table option, especially in the Thumb area. These guys are rocking it. We have now eaten here twice and have been very pleased with their creativity, presentation and quality. They also have a decent wine and beer selection. Their pork dishes are delicious and virtually all ingredients are locally sourced and raised.
The only knock during our most recent visit was an inexperienced waitress (Emily). We were just tucking into a delicious entrée when she appeared and asked whether we were ‘saving any room for dessert’. We were both puzzled at the timing of this. She then reappeared (when we were less than a third of the way through our dinners) with the actual dessert menu and interrupted our dining experience with her complete run down of the entire dessert menu «before she forgot about the details». While this sounds like a minor issue, it marred our enjoyment of an otherwise awesome meal. And let’s face it, these chefs are turning out some delicious food which should be savored. It’s all about the experience and I’m shocked that they have someone so inexperienced and untrained on staff. This seems like an oversight they will want to remedy.

I have been here three times. And if Imlay city wasn’t in the opposite direction of basically everything for me, that number would be much higher. The food and drinks are awesome. You can tell the two chefs really enjoy what they do and want to provide an awesome experience.
I went one time on a whim, thinking, «we never go to Imlay city, let’s go see if there’s any reason to go». And we were so excited we did. (I live in romeo, so it’s only twenty minutes north. But my work, family, friends, and social life are all south of Romeo). Either way, we may our way up here and had never even heard of a Gastropub before, so were intrigued. The first time we went, it was right after they re-​opened for dinner. No one was really there, maybe a couple tables (it was a Tuesday or something during the week at like 4 o’clock) so we sat at the bar. And one of their bartenders let us know all about how awesome this place was. Educated us on their food and drink and what Gastropubs were. I know a decent bit about food and am a (cicerone) certified beer server so I know drinks/​beer too, but I learned a lot that day.
They make all of their food as fresh as possible. And I mean: FRESH AS POSSIBLE. They use local everything as much as they can. If it can be found locally, they’ll cook it. And they’re so creative too. Some stuff they have, you absolutely cannot find on any other menu in Macomb county. (Hell, even some 4&5-star restaurants in Detroit won’t have some of this stuff). My fiancé won’t try some of the stuff as it can be rather «too creative». But I’m always down to try anything and everything. Don’t worry though, they have a lot of dishes that even the pickiest of eaters would love.
The bartender made me a truly «craft» cocktail. Complete with Michigan whiskey, fresh squeezed lime juice, homemade simple syrup, and just as you’d expect AN EGG! There may have been a few more ingredients, but that’s all I remember. All of this created an original whiskey sour. Not jack and store bought sour mix, a legit cocktail. Perfect to compliment their «pig of the day» which was made of local pork and local veggies. I love local. So this made the experience all that much better.
I don’t abandon good taste for the essence of local fair though. So this wasn’t me being hypnotized by the term Michigan-​made. It was genuinely delicious, craft food and amazing craft cocktails. My fiancé had to work at night, so she didn’t have a cocktail, she did have a grape Faygo, which perfectly complimented our Michigan meal.
Anytime I have a free night, which isn’t often, I legitimately consider going to the Mulefoot. But I like to spread out my visits, otherwise it may lose its luster… though I doubt it. I have sent many people this way, and the last few times my family were in town, I took them here, hence my second and third visit.

3.5 stars
We had been keeping the Mulefoot Gastropub on the radar for the longest time. I think the first time we had heard about this place was about a year ago, but we just never got around to trying it until recently. We had a nice time, but there were some key things that were lacking.
First off, if you plan on coming, make a reservation, or be prepared to saddle up to the bar. We didn’t make reservations, but were totally happy to dine at the bar. It’s not a very big one, but it seats about 10 people comfortably.
Our server was also the bartender (forget the name already but he was a nice guy that offered great service!), and after we had a chance to look over the menu, we decided on 1 appetizer and 2 mains.
Appetizer: Corn Dogs ($ 12): This is not your average corn dog. The meat mixture is a maple pork sausage, and the batter is classic. I really liked the consistency and flavor of the batter, but it just didn’t mesh with the meat that well; it was just too sweet. Add the molasses-​chili reduction sauce and it felt disconnected. Great attempt, but it just needed more acidity.
Mains #1: Mulefoot Burger ($ 14): Great flavor, moisture, and the bun was really well-​crafted. I couldn’t find the pickles, but the sun-​dried heirloom tomato was super tasty. The cheddar cheese complemented the meat patty well and wasn’t overpowering. Fries were pretty standard, and nothing special. I wish there were more though.
Mains #2: Duck Breast ($ 24): Whenever I’m out and see a duck breast option, I will almost always order it, as I loooove duck! It’s such a treat to find restaurants offer this, and unfortunately, Mulefoot’s was pretty disappointing. It was overcooked, and the skin wasn’t rendered fully so it had a mushy texture. The lentils that it was paired was nice, but didn’t have any uniqueness to it. I thought maybe some cumin and thyme would enhance the flavor and pair well with the duck. The vegetables were surprisingly lackluster, and didn’t exemplify the farm-​to-​table element that I was expecting.
Their selection of microbrews is pretty good, and they feature some of the less well-​known breweries, which I appreciate and admire. Husband had the Perrin Brewery Grapefruit IPA and thought it tasted great, but would have been better in a smaller volume (probably part of a beer flight would be ideal). By the way, you can customize a beer flight to your liking, which is nice and great for sharing.
Overall, the staff was great, hospitable, and accommodating. The chef was somebody whom I was familiar with, and I admire what he’s achieved thus far. However, I think this gastropub needs a bit more focus in terms of flavor profiles. I am not sure if we’ll be repeat customers, as the prices are steep considering the execution, but I appreciate the effort.

A truly exceptional example of the farm to table ethos coupled with a creative and fastidious culinary mind at play. Every ingredient is fresh and almost all are locally sourced; every bite is rich in complex but deeply satisfying flavors. The freshness of the produce, and the reverence for the meats, especially the signature pork that lends MuleFoot it’s name, shine through in «northern soul food», that enchants the eyes and sings on the fork. The poultry (especially the sensuous duck) is perfectly prepared, and the sausage and pork are world class, but even usually pedestrian sides like lentils, are deliciously seasoned and elegantly rendered.
The clean, fresh and cool casual atmosphere is appropriate for the quaint, sleepy little farm town surroundings.
The wine list and the abundant Michigan craft beer selection is in excellent harmony with the menu.
The staff is friendly, helpful and efficient, though the unbuffered front room can get a bit loud, and gentle smoke from the kitchen can fill up the dining room.
Don’t be mistaken; this is one of the finest dining experiences in the state at the moment, but with an unfussy, new rural sophistication is exciting and relaxing simultaneously. Worth the drive.

This was one of the best dining experiences I’ve ever had. My wife and I drove from Clarkston for our anniversary. Our server Allison was fantastic. Attention to detail, helped explain the concept, the specials and the menu. Even worked closely with the bartender to recommend new beers off their huge list of Michigan Craft Brews that complimented our meal.
My wife had never had pheasant and absolutely lover hers. The pork special I ordered had just run out, but because they were butchers a pig in house Allison was able to get the chef to cut me a filet instead of the chop they had just run out of. The filet was great, but the ground pork sausage with zucchini and wrapped in greens that they served it with was my favorite part. The could throw 3 of those on a plate and serve it as an entrée it was so good. I can’t speak higher of this place, the food or the service. For sure worth a drive.

Wow…
Can’t believe we waited so long to stop in.
I started with a couple of craft beers and the fried bologna. The fried bologna was amazing… The black mustard was great with the bologna & chive English muffins.
My wife had the corn dogs which were not what you get at a fair. These corn dogs came with an amazing molasses chili sauce that went great with their house made maple sausage.
My entrée was hay smoked pheasant and it did not disappoint. The pine nut pesto and the gnocchi was great.
My wife’s entrée was the smoked pork joints over potato sausage hash with a yogurt mint sauce. Flavors I’ve never experienced but I’m glad I did.
For desert we shared the flour less cake. The Carmel pieces were awesome…
A bit pricey compared to anything in the area but well worth it.

Love this place!!! Everything was perfect from the service to the food. Hostess, server, manager were all accommodating and really made our experience extra special. Impossible to get a bad dish here. All of the below are fantastic!
— kale salad
— duck confit
— filet with blueberry compote
— grass fed burger with bacon fries
— pulled pork
— smoked root beer float
— rhubarb Danish
— coffee brewed fresh at the table

This restaurant has absolutely amazing local food and the service was fantastic. Initially disappointed to be sitting at the bar as the dining room was full, that turned out to be the most enjoyable part. The bartenders let us sample food and were inventing new cocktails that they kept sharing with us! We were really pleased with the entrees (pheasant and duck, the pheasant with a celery root gnocchi that was out of this world) but the pork belly appetizer was fantastic as well. I don’t know if you can go wrong with anything on the menu. The décor and ambiance are also really cool with a rustic barn like feel. The prices are also quite reasonable for what you are getting. This is my new favorite spot for sure.

Farm to Table (Quality Local Ingredients) in Imlay City. Locally owned by brothers, the attention to detail is apparent from the moment you are seated.
The best service, and most knowledgeable staff, our party of four had ever had. Ask questions, talk with your servers, it makes the dining experience even better.
Excellent food at a fair price, The Mulefoot Gastropub is amazing. This is a must try if you are ever near Lapeer County, Michigan. Be aware, quality comes at a price, so count on $ 75+ per couple. It’s a special meal, not an everyday thing…
Also — make reservations, it’s hard to ever get walk-​in table.

Seriously phenomenal food! I live an hour away but I occasionally go up to the thumb on the weekends. The restaurant is right on M53.
First off, I love the farm to table restaurant concept. That is how we should all eat on the regular. It sounds silly to mention but even the soap in the bathrooms are from Mirror Lake Organics (a locally made beauty brand). Some Unilocalers mentioned that they would have liked a fancier décor, but I like the rustic charm and ambiance. It can get a bit noisy in there, but never that bad.
Secondly (and most importantly), the food is really tasty. So far, I have tried two soups (Red Pepper Bisque and Chowder with duck and potatoes). They were both really rich, but really good; this is coming from someone who normally hates heavy soups. As for entrees, I have tried the Filet Mignon, Cut of the Day (Boston Pork Butt), and the burger (not in one visit mind you, cast those eyes of judgment away). Filet was well seasoned and well cooked. As for the pork, it was a super moist and excellent cut of meat; I usually am nervous about ordering pork and for being such a thick cut, it was cooked perfectly. I do have one complaint about the dish. It came with jasmine rice that was very undercooked. It was still crunchy. But I wasn’t planning on eating the rice, so I didn’t send it back. It wasn’t a big deal for me. Lastly, the burger was everything a burger should be. I usually don’t order burgers out because they are always okay but never super impressive. Their burger surprised me with how good it was. It was juicy and well seasoned. W-​o-​w.
Word of caution for those trying Mulefoot for the first time is that you should make reservations. Some days, it does get super busy and you are told that you will have a 45 minute wait. As for high volume days like Friday and Saturday, do it a week in advance if you could. You will be surprised by how limited or lack of options you have even two to three days before time.

Came here for my boyfriend’s birthday. Had a great deal on groupon and I had heard about this place. Figured it was a great opportunity to try it.
The inside is great, although I don’t think all of the décor is in sync.
The service was good, but I do not like how they wear jeans and any flannel shirt they want. I saw one girl in «ugg» boots. A huge turnoff for me. The patrons were dressed well and paying a lot of money, I don’t want to feel like I’m at outback.
What really got me was the food. We both got steaks. I got the filet, medium rare. He got the. ribeye, same temperature. The place was not busy AT ALL and I’d say medium rare doesn’t take 25 minutes, but sure. Everything made to order, I’ll relax. My meat was cooked great, his overdone. Like medium well overdone. He sends it back. Here’s the kicker: IT TOOK THEM 30 MINUTES TO BRING A NEW STEAK! which was again, medium well.
Overall, I’d rather stay in the city where there is more to do and get a pretty good meal, then chance it here in the middle of nowhere.
Really two of the stars go to the sommelier. He was the real hero. Gave us a great shiraz, and when he noticed how long my guys food was taking, brought him a scotch. If I could I would give more stars just because he is great.

This place is amazing!!! The kale salad is to die for! My girlfriend and I went here for a date night and we will be coming back. She ordered a shrimp dish and I had the meatloaf with the fig sauce, both dishes were perfect. The apple cobbler desert is perfect along with their selection of Michigan beers and wines!
I wish this place was open when I lived in Imlay City because I would have been here everyday!