The Cove

Pros: The fish sandwich — wonderfully fried and juicy! Quirky fishing décor inside and great outdoor seating on the canal. Our waitress was above average.
Cons: The chowder. It’s not bad, it’s just not special. Skip it.

Service was good. Food was less than mediocre and way over priced. The Scallop meal consisted of 3 small scallops and rice for $ 28. The scallops were over cooked and over salted. We’ll be dining outside of Leland on Sunday in the future as there are no other choices on Sunday.

Great Whitefish. Wife had fish n chips I had Whitefish Tacos. Good service great view

Didn’t even get a chance to eat here. My boyfriend and I got seated right away as the restaurant was not busy at all for lunch. There was one other table on the deck with us and the server did not great us or tell us she’d be with us shortly after she had gotten things for the table next to us (I myself am a waitress and always make sure to do so if I know I’ll be a few minutes) about ten minutes later when the waitress took our drinks we didn’t see her for another five minutes (we got soft drinks and waters) so we just left and told her to cancel it on the way out. Went to cheese shop (get the north shore on pretzel bread, I alway get guacamole on mine too) and the service was a lot more friendly and so much quicker even though the line to place an order was up to the street and the staff was visibly swamped. Maybe we’ll come back to the cove for dinner, but the chances are slim.

Atmosphere can’t be beat. Leland, MI is my favorite place on earth. The seafood chowder is delicious! It’s rich and filling, so it’s generally all I get.

Can you say whitefish, 6 different ways. Interior décor is nothing like any other and outdoor seating can make it the best atmosphere on Lake Michigan

There are 3 reasons to come to the Cove:
— Nice patio views in the summer the soothing sounds of rushing water from the damn falls.
— To try the Chubby Mary — or as I like to call it, the Bloody Chubby. Many people have posted pics, so I’ll stop short of a long description. It’s an average Bloody Mary, but has great kitsch. I don’t love smoked fish, so the Chub was a novelty for me — but my friends did eat it.
— You like battered and fried fish.
Our large group felt like the food was m’eh, but we may have higher expectations than average as we all eat a lot of meals out.
I’ll come back for patio drinks if I’m in the area or maybe lunch on the patio, but will probably find something else for dinner (if we want something a little nicer).

Great place to eat! Wonderful menu with great local wine selection and great specials. Great spot to watch the sunset while dining. After leaving my bag at the restaurant, they mailed it back to Detroit to me. Great people. Will eat there again next time I’m in Leland.

This place was great! The spot is right on the water and you can hear the waterfall in the background. The service was beyond great (they offered to give us a new glass of wine on the house when a small fruit fly landed in a glass!) and the food was very well priced for the quality. The only real downside is they have a limited selection. If you’re not looking to get fish you will have very limited options — something to consider if not everyone in your party is into fish!

Stopped in for lunch and had a seat on the covered patio. Loved hearing the sound of the waterfall.
Group ordered:
Whitefish Caesar-​my dad insisted this was his new fav restaurant from the trip.
Perch-​very flavorful, better than the dinner we had the night before
Whitefish grill foil pouch-​hubby said you could taste the flavor of the fish and was very happy.
Cherry chicken Salad wrap-​very light mayo and smaller wrap, just the right size. Lied the fresh cut fries.
Sadly our picky kid didn’t select anything to eat; he doesn’t eat meat and buttered noodles weren’t his thing. Maybe add a grilled cheese?
Expected a little better beer selection given the area and other restaurants selections.
Service was prompt. A nice stop to our day in Leland.

If it’s the ambiance experience you’re seeking this is the place! Food is good and the view is better… a little crowded during weekend tourist season but worth the wait to sit outside and get a famous «chubby Mary». A little intimidating but delicious if you like smoked fish… seafood chowder is amazing. Perfect pair in my humble opinion. I come here every time I’m up here and I’m never disappointed…

We stopped here on Fourth of July evening. We had reservations for which we were a little early but were seated right away at a table overlooking the water– it was beautiful.
I was worried from looking at reviews and photos on Unilocal that the restaurant would feel like a casual tourist trap but I thought it was a great semi good dining atmosphere.
I had the white fish with almonds and butter and it was fantastic!
I would definitely recommend stopping in for a meal while in town.

We’ve been here many a time over the last 25 years when vacationing in Glen Arbor but last night knocked our socks off. It was the whitefish sprinkled in almonds broiled in foil that did it. We began with a dark and stormy (enough caramel rich Goslings rum and ginger beer to qualify as a double, mmmm) and yeasty homemade wheat rolls with a perfectly chilled caesar salad — just the way we like it: freshly shaved parmesan and lightly dressed. My walleye was lake fresh sweet and crispy, lightly battered, my husband’s scallops gently browned (but just 3 and not the giant ones either) on a bed of rice.
But it was our daughter’s whitefish sprinkled with toasted almonds that left us raving — huge portion buttery and nutty, clearly pulled from the lake that morning. Oh my goodness.
We ended the evening with a Yankee Doodle Daiquiri to celebrate the 4^th of July (piña colada, strawberry daiquiri and much too much curaçao) and an amaretto coffee down on the riverside deck next to the rapids.
As the charter fishing boats bobbed at the wharf a grandpa helped a little girl reel in a perch from the rapid run. A Hollywood ending for sure!

Was looking forward to the meal, as we traveled 30 minutes from where we staying, because we were told it was good. We called the day before for reservations and the lady had no idea what she was doing and wasn’t very friendly. Our waitress was not friendly either. The food was below average, not even close to mediocre. I had the filet; it came with three pieces of asparagus and a spoon full of mashed potatoes for $ 31.95. The fruit cup came with two miniature strawberries. Food is very overpriced for the amount you get with very low quality.
We made reservations for a spot outside, and were seated inside with no one there and many seats open outside. Not busy at all on a Saturday night.
Overall, very disappointed.

Excellent food and service.
C’mon people, 3 stars and you didn’t even eat here? Must be some relative of a competing restaurant owner, maybe his mom or dad.

Cool spot on The water good beer list not great cocktail list basically gin and tonics and barcardi lemon and cranberry lol
Didn’t get a chance to eat but will try nest time food looked good

Would definitely recommend this place to leland visitors. Great views and very picturesque. The chowder and fish and chips were on point. One of our friends got the fish taco which was great as well! Would definitely try this place again on a visit up north. The town is so cute. Very quaint shops and comfy feel overall.

We had a very friendly server, an excellent white fish for dinner and a superb home made cherry pie for desert.
The atmosphere at the cove is great. It has a bright and airy interior with a beautiful view out over the historic canal.
I will definitely come back here, and next time I will NOT be sharing my cherry pie :)

We ate here while visiting Fishtown. The location was very nice as we sat outside and had a great view of the water. And the food was very good. I ordered the whitefish dinner and my wife got fish and chips. Both were delicious and very tasty. Would have rated it a 4 except for the service. Our server was awful. She was not very attentive even though she didn’t appear to be overworked. Took forever to get the check and when we did get it, it took forever for her to collect it. We’ll still go back because the food was great.

Good place, fun atmosphere, neat setting and pleasant service. The food was good too but we both felt like it was an $ 8 dollar plate versus the $ 13.95 we each spent on our dishes. My wife had the whitefish and chips and I had the perch, both were good but a tad on the heavy batter and fried taste. The piece de resistance was the chowder, a great bowl of bliss.
Fishtown is a neat and unique step back in time that offers an enjoyable experience that we will be back for and the soup.