Karl’s Cabin

Overall, it was a good experience. Nice clean, cozy ambience and family-​friendly. The servers were super nice without being overbearing.
The location was perfect for Ann Arbor/​Ypsi people meeting metro-​Detroit folks for dinner.
The reason for the 3 stars is because of the food (especially for the price).
–The house salad was a decent salad; it came with dressing on the side by default; the plate was too small though for the amount of salad, and it was hard to mix the dressing & salad.
–The steak was overcooked (it was well-​done instead of medium-​well; there was no pink at all). It was even a bit charred.
–The bread was nice and warm, but came with hard (difficult-​to-​spread) butter. Minor point, but still.
My fellow dining companions’ meals looked delicious though, and hopefully, my next meal here will be too!

Set foot in the door and didn’t even make it ten feet inside. Went there on Saturday, January 16 at 6pm and was told by the three hostesses that their restaurant was completely full to capacity and that they do not put guests on a wait list, and that they do they take reservations. A party of 4 walked in right before me, and they were sat immediately. We only wanted a table for 2, and she said it would be HOURS before any table would be available. She then offered me a seat at their «full service bar» to which I declined. Now, I’ve worked in restaurants for YEARS. What kind of restaurant doesn’t take reservations and doesn’t put guests on a wait list, but instead turns them away? Good one, Karl, thanks! I will NEVER return to try this place, and everyone I know will hear about this.

Went here tonight, got there at 530, put our names in for 2 people, half hour wait, not bad, so we sat at the bar for a beer, at 6pm our table was ready. .when we were seated the hostess came back over and said just so you know you will need to be out of this table by 715 because we have a reservation coming in. What? So our waitress came over and we told her that was a bit ridiculous, I’ve never been booted out of a table before. She told us it was because there was a reservation later, but if we wanted she see if it could get moved to a different table. Well great now we just took her next table from her.
We ordered spinach dip, which was eh ok. Nothing great.
For dinner i had the bourbon rosemary flank steak. Not good. It was not seasoned, and did not whatsoever taste as if it had been marinated at all. No flavor, very disappointing. Chewy. Tough. Blah.
The atmosphere was nice, but to be honest, it cost me $ 50 for some mediocre spinach dip, a beer, and a steak. Not worth it.

Sadly, The food is way over priced for average bar food. The real bummer is that without telling you, they add $ 7 per person to your bill when they have entertainment in the dining room. I went for dinner and left after the entrainment started and was stunned to find that on my bill. For what I spent on mediocre dip and a beer flight (4 in flight), I could have went to an upscale chop house… disappointing!!!

Spaghetti and meatballs are to die for! Overall good food, but a bit pricey. Not really a bad thing, but it’s ALWAYS busy, so sometimes it takes forever to get a seat.

We went to Karl’s Cabin a few nights ago. I’ve wanted to eat here for a long time. Here’s the breakdown:
The good: I liked the décor; the inside, and outside, looks like a log cabin. The dining room is spacious and airy; it appeared that the room was divided into two — a shower side, and a regular dining side. We sat on the regular dining side.
Our waitress was prompt and personable. She handled our party of 6 with no problems.
I ordered the smokehouse stacked sandwich, which had smoked turkey, ham, Gouda, spicy mayo, lettuce and tomato. It was delicious, and filling; I ate half of my sandwich for dinner, and the other half for lunch today. I also got a side of the ale and onion soup. The soup tasted much like a good french onion; it was topped with Swiss cheese instead of Gruyère, still yummy.
My dining companions all ordered different entrees, from beef tips to the pasta, everything looked tasty, and nobody has any complaints.
The bad: I can’t think of any.
I would definitely eat here again.

I’ve known families who have come here religiously for years and was a bit skeptical or their allegiance having seen more recent negative Unilocal reviews. I was invited to come here for a Unilocal event in early 2015 and was able to sample some wonderful food and speak to some very passionate people manage and work here. Although I walked away with a positive experience, I didn’t want to review until I dined there on my own and off the menu when they weren’t prepared for someone who might review. I’m pleased to review that our more recent experience bringing my in-​laws here for dinner was just as good if not better than our Unilocal event.
We had similar tastes that evening and thoroughly enjoyed our choices of the Cabin Meat Loaf and the Lake Erie Perch. Notably, the mashed potatoes are super good. They have a great wine, domestic and craft beer selection and even offer flights so it made our drinking choices a little more interesting. I enjoy the cabiny feel to the place although some areas could use updating. Our service didn’t stand out but she wasn’t a bad server by any means. Bonus to coming here is that you can usually find coupons in the local monthly circulars!

I enjoy the salmon here. Nice meal reasonably priced. Nice atmosphere. Hit or miss on the service.

We heard from my wife’s parents Karl’s Cabin was good. We visited with our 1.5 y/​o daughter on a Sunday, around 4:30.
The first thing we noticed was we were the youngest folks there and probably had everyone beat by a few decades. It was early on a Sunday, I get that, but it was… old. I felt like I was at a buffet across the street from a nursing home when they let people out for the afternoon.
The staff were hit and miss. The hostess couldn’t be bothered to get us a kid’s menu and one of the gals busing tables looked like she was inconvenienced at the thought of clearing tables. I’ve never seen anyone so frowny at a restaurant.
Our server, waitress, whatever, was very nice, very patient, hustled our daughter’s food out immediately, and was extremely professional.
The place itself looked like a low-​rent hunting cabin and it was just on the wrong side of cheesy. It didn’t pull it off. The food was fine, the waffle fries tasted like Arby’s fries (That was a nice suprise), and the food was about a dollar more than it should have costed.
It seems Karl’s is tailored for locals and regulars. Every aspect of the place was so average as to be forgettable. Nothing was bad but nothing stood out, save our waitress’s effort.
Ultimately, I won’t be coming back unless I’m invited out by someone I like or can’t avoid. Karl’s just isn’t for us.

Waitress dumped two glasses of ice water on me during and engagement dinner and didn’t even try apologize. Had to go to the kitchen to get our own condiments & refills after waiting 10 minutes for the waitress to fulfill that request.
The food was good and the outdoor area was very nice but the bad customer service left me rather soaked and not wanting to return here.

Hearing I was coming here for a family lunch had me nervous because of the Unilocal reviews. Other than the place having horrible green carpet (CARPET!?) and smelling like an old outhouse, I enjoyed it.
The French dip sandwich was good, even though it cost more than it was worth. The au jus really «made» the sandwich. The straight fries (strange name…) were pretty tasty too, but could have been dabbed of grease — the waffle fries and their seasoning reminded me of Rally’s/Checkers or Arby’s fries.
The French onion soup was enjoyable too, but my mom thought it needed salt… of course, she’s the same woman who adds soy sauce to ramen noodles.
I also had a bite of what I think was yak meatloaf that my dad got, and it surprised me… I have some apparent aversion to meatloaf I think, but this stuff was great. In case you’re wondering, yak isn’t all that unlike beef (in my opinion).
The mac and cheese here is decent… mild and not super interesting, I’d say. Definitely not bad but I’m glad I didn’t get an order of it. If you’re a big macaroni and cheese connoisseur, you might be better off getting something else.
Service was fine, and the food was better than decent. Definitely a little expensive considering the small portions though, so that may keep me from coming back if I’m paying. Hey, at least there’s a nice beer list with very fair prices to sort of balance things out.

We came to Karl’s Kabin for a bridal shower, so had use of the large, beautiful back room for our party. I love the way the restaurant is decorated — upscale cabin in the woods! This is a great place for a group. Private, spacious and with lots of natural light.
We had a buffet, which included a lovely fresh salad with house-​made dressings, homemade potato chips which were heavenly, and a few sandwich choices. The chicken salad was really very good, and that’s something I would never order. It had apples and grapes, and was super fresh and creamy. All of the ingredients seemed to be top-​notch, and I have to day, this is the best food I’ve ever had at a shower.
I would love to come back for lunch or dinner, even in Plymouth, which is a bit of a hike for me.

I am a big fan of Karl’s Cabin and I have been for years. Today I was there for lunch and ordered the poached salmon salad I usually order at lunchtime. The salmon was perfect and I love how all the flavors on the plate seem to meld effortlessly. I also had a wonderful creamy asparagus soup. Delish!
Dinner is when I branch out more wrt to my selections. With almost no exception (and let’s face it, there is always a time or two over 15 years when something is not quite as perfect as one would expect it to be) their meals include great flavors, solid seasoning and the service is always friendly and personal. Their steaks and burgers are great and I have always enjoyed their fish dishes.
Over the years I have complained about the women’s bathroom, lack of a patio and sometimes slower times to get our orders. But here’s what I really appreciate about this restaurant … they listen. When customers give consistent feedback, they put their money where the customers’ mouths are and make great upgrades such as new bathrooms, the best patio in town and a brand new kitchen that is more streamlined and faster. I really appreciate that effort.
These are all reasons I keep going back despite it being a little farther away than the DTP dining locations.

One of the others that came here for a Unilocal event so take everything with a grain of salt.
Ambiance:
The restaurant was very comfortable and is a log cabin as advertised. The architecture is very good at absorbing sound and it seems like a casual place to enjoy a mean. I enjoyed the old-​fashion stained glass lamps especially. Service during the event was excellent and polite but I really can’t comment on what you can expect regularly.
Food:
We had a smorgas board of food at the event but my personal favorites were the meatloaf, mac n’ three cheese, and jambalaya. The meatloaf was perhaps the most unique and was great on its own although it was served with smoky ketchup on the side. What struck me most was the strong dark-​meat flavor which after finding out it was yak and sirloin makes sense. Despite using lean meat it was not too dry and texture which was light and crumbly, not the dense sponge/​brick you sometimes get. The mac n’ cheese was also quite good with the perfect creamy texture, a mild cheesy flavor (some places over-​do the smoked gouda), and moderate touch of bacon. It was the one side my wife and I kept coming back for more of. The sliders were well proportioned with a good scoop of moist pulled pork and a generic sweet-​tangy bbq sauce served over a fairly standard bun, it reminds me of Arthur Bryant’s in Kansas City but a little less smoky. I believe they serve this as a full-​sized portion, likely over a real artisan bun vs what we got. Perhaps one of the best dishes was the jambalaya which had copious pieces of chicken, shrimp, and sausage in a perfectly-​cooked wild rice pilaf (neither chewy nor mushy).
I will say that not everything was great however. There were fish tacos which I didn’t find on the menu that lacked flavor. The fish was lightly dusted with flour prior to frying to give it a nice crisp but the slaw was bland and it lacked a sauce to really give it some oomph. My wife said it tasted like eating fishsticks in a tortilla. The chicken wings were moist, tender, and meaty but were cooked independently of the sauces available. While this is more versatile for catering purposes, it means the chicken really doesn’t meld with the sauce. The bacon bbq chipotle and habanero sauces were perhaps the most balanced and flavorful while the ghost chili sauce was pure heat without any flavor. There was also a tortellini and sausage dish that was a little light on sauce and had gotten a little mushy/​adherent waiting for the event to start, really a dish best served fresh.
Overall I think there is some really good food at Karl’s Cabin, the technical cooking was impeccable considering it was essentially catered, textures were spot-​on, and dishes were hearty. I really appreciate the attention they put in using naturally– or locally-​grown ingredients. This is likely why the prices are in the $ 14 – 17 range. While the food was very solid, nothing was cream-​your-​pants good and when you’re considering places in the $ 15+/plate range, there are likely better options. I will say we had the priviledge of meeting the owners who were extremely friendly and dedicated to customer satisfaction, they really try to improve from their feedback which is reassuring. I may explore this place further if I am in the area but honestly will likely stick to places that offer a better bang-​for-​your-​buck experience.

Came here last night for a Unilocal event. Almost 6 years ago to the day, I was in here and gave this place a 2-​star review.
We showed up a little early and grabbed a couple drinks at the bar. Michigan craft beers were reasonably priced in the $ 4.50-$ 6.50/pint range depending on what you selected. The bartender was swamped but still managed to serve us efficiently with a smile.
During the event, the owner and kitchen manager came out and spoke to us and they seemed really genuine in caring about what is said (positive and negative) about Karl’s Cabin on Unilocal.I realize that they probably pulled out all of the stops for this Unilocal event last night, but they did a great job and all of the food I got to sample was quite good. Not sure if the grilled chicken wings are on the normal menu, but they were excellent. I tried the meatloaf without knowing that there was yak meat in it. I probably would not have been daring enough to try it knowing that ahead of time as I do not care for «gamey» food, but it was awesome.
I hesitate to give them a glowing review based on a Unilocal event, but in light of the recent negative reviews, I do feel like Karl’s Cabin is taking those comments to heart and working to fix their shortcomings. The space is nice and definitely has an «up north» feel to it. There is a patio that looks like it would be a nice place to enjoy a drink when the weather finally comes around.
One major drawback to Karl’s Cabin is the location. It’s a destination. You’re not going to be aimlessly driving around one day and say, «Let’s check that place out» because it’s in the middle of nowhere. If you live within 5 – 10 miles, check your mailers as there are always coupons for $ 5/​$ 10 off that I see. I’d like to give this place another shot in the near future on a normal night just to see if things are really coming around or if it was just all smoke and mirrors for the Unilocal event. For now, I’m going to give them the benefit of the doubt as I appreciated the execution of the event last night. It seem like the place is run by good people and they obviously have the capability of doing things well — it’s just a matter of doing them consistently every night.

Went to a Unilocal event tonight that refreshed my recollection of a previous time I had been to this restaurant. Quaint restaurant that makes you feel as if you are stepping into someone’s home for dinner. Had a tasting of so many delicious food choices like northern jambalaya — a fancy refined version of jambalaya with asparagus and wild mushrooms and local michigan made apple sausage; meatloaf made with yak meat (the beefier more nutritious beef) and organic chicken wings that would make vegetarians swoon. Can’t wait to return for a full dinner. Special shout out to Louis (the owner) who took the time to explain all of the above details and had such pride of ownership in his restaurant that it will be our pleasure to recommend it to all we know!

I was here a couple weeks ago after work as the location is close to my company and we would usually go here for group gatherings, farewells, treating our colleagues from overseas and etc… Bringing business. I always raved about this place. Always found any excuse to come even though it is a little overpriced. I didn’t care, as the service was awesome and the food melted in my mouth. The environment is cozy. Etc. But the last visit here was the worst restaurant experience i have ever had.
We ordered drinks to start off. Our waitress, young and careless, (I’m leaving her name out of this review, though tempting) spilled the drinks as she set them down on our table. Said she would be back with a napkin. I had to ask another waitress in the area because she neglected to come back and beer was running across the table. Then we ordered our dinners. My salmon came (this is what I have always ordered here). It was so crispy and burned i couldn’t eat the ends at all– way overcooked. I got the waitress’ attention and she asked if I wanted a new one. I kindly asked (because i understand these things happen inevitably) for her to have another filet made. She said she needed to take it from me and that the oven is new. *Apparantly the older oven worked just fine… lol*
It comes back to me. In the restaurants i have worked in, we would bring your re-​cooked meat with new sides, since the original sides are now cold. They did not. Brought the salmon. Walked away immediately without making sure it was cooked correctly, which it was not… :(
This time it was RAW in the middle. :(Disappointment. While i know that none of this was our waitresses fault, her attention to our table at this point changed to non-​existent. while we had been nothing but polite the entire time. I had to pawn my raw salmon off to another waitress who walked by. and she was very kind actually. Too bad i did not catch her name. She asked If i wanted anything else… I said no. I had given up on getting a properly cooked piece of fish.
From that point, our waitress never came back to offer refills or to check on my colleagues’ plates they were eating. She hung out by the hostess stand giggling with her friends and looking at us. It’s was blatantly obvious. She dropped our checks off to collect money… Never asking if we needed anything else. We paid and even left decent tips.
We hung out to visit for a bit as we normally would and then thought… Let’s get one more round of drinks (2^nd). It took a while to get her attention because i guess at this point she had gotten her tips and could care less. When we asked for a round she didn’t say a word. Stood there with her sassy attitude, pad and paper ready to write. It was very awkward and uncomfortable for everyone at the table. We never said anything to her, in the form of a complaint, as we just wanted to make the best of our night and enjoy what we could.
The drinks came and she literally slammed them down and walked away. Not a smile. Not a word. We watched as she went to the other tables and laughed and talked. It was clear at this point that she was angry at our table only. and was it because i had sent my raw food back?! We couldn’t think of another reason…
THEN, She came by to tell us that we needed to leave because there was a big party coming and they would need our table! HUH? We looked at eachother in disbelief that we were being told to leave after all of this. They never mentioned our time was limited when we came in. And now that she was being so rude it was just the cherry on top. She had brought our checks immediately after our last order of drinks so we took that also as a sign that she wanted us out of there. No dessert offered.
Kind of embarrassing to our guests from Austria that were here on business. When the tables were being moved around us for regrouping we decided it was time to go. We were clearly unwelcome. I never had a visit from the manager to apologize for the twice mistaken salmon, which is a common practice in restaurants.
*Where was management? It felt like a CHILD was running the show*
I was greatly disappointed. And it wasn’t just our waitress. The lack of attention from management, rushing us out without notice… The fact that the chef sent the food out like it was. Twice. The disappointment stretched across the board. Unfortunate for such a nice place to dine, and it was on the top of my recommendation list until now.

I was contacted on Unilocal but someone wanting to talk about my experience. Never called me. Makes me more sure my original review was correct.

Hi everyone, I guess I’m on a roll and not a very happy one. We went out the other night with our friends, for dinner. They do not have call ahead seating nor do they have a list of names or anything. So we just went on a Saturday night and took a chance. It was pretty busy but we got seated pretty quickly. We all 4 ordered cheeseburgers and french fries. Now you might say that there’s not too much they can do with a burger, right?
Well, my friend and I ordered our burgers, «not burnt but just not red inside». After about an hour, we finally asked where our food was and the waitress (who hadn’t been by to check on us at that point) went to check on it. She came back and said it «would b e done shortly». After another 15 minutes we received our cheeseburgers and when I bit into mine it was blood red! My friend had the same problem but even worse. The guys didn’t mind that theirs were a bit rare.
I don’t know how it was not well done enough because it took an hour plus 20 minutes??? So we waited and our waitress did not come back to check in on us… so I caught another waitress and asked if she would go and bring our waitress back to talk with us. She came back to the table and was very perturbed that we didn’t like our burgers. She rudely grabbed our burgers and then about 20 minutes later or even longer, she finally stopped in to tell us she was bringing the new burgers asap.
We did receive our new burgers and they were better but nothing to «write home about» so they used to say… Oh no, I’m dating myself… meaning that I’m letting you in on how old I am… lol…I will say that we received both mine and my girlfriends dinners «on the house» for the length of time and the rawness of the burgers. We also got a dessert and she didn’t charge for either item. For that we were surprised and very greatful. Hence the extra star instead of just one! This was my first time eating at this restaurant, by the way; except for a graduation party many years ago, that was wonderful! I might give this place another shot, because it was a very busy Saturday night. But I feel that if you don’t like being a server, you shouldn’t be one! Ours was just so ornery and unhappy!
Anyways, thank you very much for stopping by to read my reviews and I hope to have some good positive ones real soon! Thanks again!

I love their event calendar.
I went there recently for a bells beer food pairing and it was excellent. Of course the beer was delicious, but the food it was prepared with was equally as good. They make a huge effort to use all fresh Michigan ingredients and you can tell. The food tasted fresh and inventive.
The atmosphere is nice and quaint. We sat outside, which was a nice large area. The day turned out to be beautiful so it worked out perfectly.
The service was great and the owner was there and incredibly friendly.
They have many events and their website is setup so you can easily view them and purchase tickets directly from the site.
The final pairing was black note stout and cheesecake. It was a perfect harmony of delicious flavors.
I will definitely be back to enjoy another event.