The Stray Dog Bar & Grill

We wandered in here for lunch yesterday because it’s right near where we were staying. What a beautiful space! Whoever did the interior design definitely did a great job, with the whitewashed walls and stone fireplace. The décor is kind of «beach chic,» with seasonal touches. Too many TVs going on a non– game day, but that’s another story… The menu is broad and has some surprises. There are a number of salads but also burgers and tacos and seafood. I had the grouper sandwich, which was grilled and very nicely spiced. They have a decent beer list and specialty cocktails. Sadly, no dessert menu but here is a tip: the back of the kids’ menu lists out milkshakes and floats. They seen to have a soft serve machine somewhere on the premises! And if you really love dogs, you will appreciate all of the dog drawings, photos and art, as well as the shirts, mugs and other promotional «gear» they sell next door. But like Cape Cod or the Hamptons, none of it is cheap.

Great atmosphere and food! Beer list is excellent. I would most certainly go back when in New Buffalo again!

So what started out as a terrible experience in New Buffalo at Jimmys ended on such a high note at Stray Dog. That you Matthew for fantastic service. Thank you for making our night out so wonderful.
Our food was literally taken right out of our mouths at Jimmys and we get to Stray Dog and they compt us our food because of our prior experience at a totally different establishment. How frickin cool
is this. This is why we keep coming back. Learned my lesson. Don’t STRAY from the Dog

Always a great meal here. Had the grass fed burger this weekend. Fabulous. Highly recommended.

Top quality bar food. Great diverse eclectic menu. A must place to go to if you are looking for lunch or dinner in the area, or if you are traveling. Great merchandise store for hats, shirts, etc.

First place that I have been to that had the option of Grass-​Fed Beef with burgers, was excellent. Waitress told me it was a special on the menu last winter, was so popular it’s now a regular item.
Walking in for lunch we were quickly seated by the hostess, later she stopped by to see if everything was OK, leaving she was sweeping floors. I admire a restaurant that takes pride in giving their customer the best possible dining experience. Our waitress did a great job frequently stopping at our table making sure everything was all right. Highly recommend the Grass-​Fed Burger!

We ate lunch at stray dog today and it was very good. Great atmosphere and the server was very nice and efficient. The Butternut Squash soup was delicious… very good. My husband had the beer batter fried cod sandwich and he said it was great as well.

We always stop here either going to or coming home from Chicago. The food and drinks are all great and the roof deck offers a great view of some Lake Michigan marinas. Wait staff is always polite and quick. A very well run establishment with plenty of return customers to prove it.

Cute décor!
Good burger and good nachos.
Decent beer list. Too busy to get seated on roof top.

The wait looked daunting the first time we tried to get in so we gave up. The next evening we decided to wait. It moved faster than expected. We got a high top table in the bar area which was perfect for us four girls. The cucumber martini was refreshing and I would get it again. The burger was just ok and I probably would not order it again. Service was ok. The store has lots of clothing items.

OK, so this place has a ton of reviews, and I really don’t know if I can add much. One sentence summary– this place is a must-​try if you’re in New Buffalo. Awesome beer/​cocktail selection, terrific service, and consistently great bar food. Definitely nicer and classier than some other places in town, but it never gets pretentious or anything.
During our annual trip to New Buffalo we always eat here at least once. It’s also close enough to Chicago that you can come for lunch and enjoy the beautiful view of Lake Michigan from the rooftop deck (if you’re 21).
Wait times can be really long, so plan ahead. This is definitely a must-​have if you’re in New Buffalo.

Now look, this is really 3.5 stars. Best thing about this place is that it’s in this awesome
Town. Just get here, make sure it’s nice out, or not, who cares? It’s a freaking paradise! Now bout this joint. Families loovveee this stuff. Drunk tourists looovvveee this stuff. I liked it. Staff is super nice, like, you want to tip them extra for being chill ass folks. Food was ok, I mean, I didn’t go, «Wow.» But I didn’t hate it. Oh and get the tacos and get yo self a seat at the beach.

I can’t complain. Food was bar which is to be expected. Wait wasn’t long for a Friday night. Bathroom was clean (#1 priority). And service was good. I’m satisfied with this bar and grill. 5 stars I can’t complain other than the parking is limited.

What an awesome atmosphere!
The Stray Dog is located very close to Lake Michigan and certainly has a beachy vibe. We stopped in right around sunset and really enjoyed the view from the rooftop patio. We sampled some cocktails, which were unique and refreshing. We also had the nachos, which were a very big portion and were quite tasty. I had the buffalo chicken flatbread and the sauce was just spicy enough.
Our service wasn’t great and we felt like we had to get the waitress’ attention several times, but I still feel that based on food and atmosphere this was a 4 star experience. Definitely a spot to check out if you are in the New Buffalo area!

Not impressed. Place was well reviewed but underwhelmed. Was getting 2 stars until manager came and offered to comp the cold fish tacos. Waitstaff and manager were nice and atmosphere okay. Nice outdoor dining. Signature hot dog was really no more than a bacon wrapped dog. Prices on most of food was reasonable, $ 6 for hot dog and fries. Seemed to have good choices on menu, but would rate everything we sampled as mediocre. Margaritas WAY overpriced ($ 10 for 8oz). Chips and salsa was $ 6 with no refills. Service was extremely slow (2 hours overall) in addition to 30 minute wait. Not sure what all the fuss was about but won’t be headed back and recommend you find another joint.
One last redeeming quality. My son forgot his electronic device and waitress was nice enough to bring it back. Still nowhere near good enough to garner it a 4.

Like they even NEED my review.
This place is so well loved that when I got there just after they opened there was a line around the building. But I didn’t have to wait long for a table and though there was a little delay on the food, it was all fantastic.
We split the jalapeño poppers and I had the siracha chicken sliders — fantastic. My husband got the stray dog (a bacon wrapped hotdog topped with caramelized onions) and for $ 2 extra was able to upgrade it to 2 stray dogs. I believe my husband also had a very good fruit tea. Passion fruit, maybe.

This was my favorite stop out of everywhere we went during our Bachelorette weekend this past weekend. They don’t take reservations and we were a party of 11 so they quoted us about a 1.5−2 hour wait. We headed upstairs, got some drinks and waited on the rooftop patio. Most of our group was actually able to sit down while we waited which was nice. They will not serve any food or appetizers to you while you’re waiting at the bar which sort of was weird, but no big deal. We waited almost the quoted time, but again, we were a large group. It was a nice night with good company so it was fine. They also had the Blackhawks game playing at the bar so that was nice.
We finally sat down on the patio and started with drinks and appetizers. The menu had lots to choose from and I think everyone got something different. The hummus plate was decent, the nachos were very good and the jalapeño poppers were insane. they were VERY hot. I had half of one and that was about all I could do. Their portions of food are HUGE so my friend and I shared the turkey club sandwich. It was really good and fresh. It came with fries as well. I got a side salad beforehand, which had plenty of fresh veggies and homemade dressing.
After we ate we sat for a bit, people ordered more drinks and we just talked. There was a great breeze and the patio lights went on so it was just a great, relaxed setting. I would for sure go back! Service was good and prices were decent. They also have a store across the street where I got a cute Stray Dog shot glass.

I remember coming here all the time as a child when we vacationed in New Buffalo, and the important parts haven’t changed a bit. The food and drink is still great, the location can’t be beat, and the gear they sell is still high-​quality and great for all ages.
We came on a Saturday and they told us the wait was 30 – 45 minutes. They took our cell number and we went next door to the gift store to peruse. 15 – 20 minutes later, we received a text saying our table was ready. I appreciate restaurants who over-​estimate their wait times.
This trip, I got the fish tacos and a small Caesar salad. People in our group had a pizza, grouper sandwich, veggie tacos, a pulled pork sandwich, a fried fish sandwich and clam chowder. All around, the food was great and service was speedy. No complaints!

Had to wait about 15 – 20 mins for a table, but it was a Sunday so that’s no big deal. The hostess was very nice and accommodating. There were 4 of us sat in the backroom. It was nice and bright and we were all happy to eat at here. My Mom had talked about it for years and we detoured our trip home specifically to stop and eat.
The food was good. My brother ordered a french dip and mom ordered the blackened chicken. My sister and I shared a medium rare burger. The burger came and was over cooked– almost well done which was a surprise to our table because our server, Blain, when asked why our food was taking so long said he «put it in 14 minutes ago» and «the grassfed burger takes longer to cook».
Could have done without the snarky server.

Great place to stop by a have a great meal with friends. My friends and I were on our way back to Chicago and kept seeing signs to the restaurant so we gave it a go.
The restaurant itself had a lively feel and their bathrooms are covered with collages of dogs. Nice theme! They have very cute merchandise too and a cool patio for those warm days.
Service was great. Our server was fast and very nice. I got the kale salad with chicken and we also split some nachos. Was really tempted to get a shake there as well but I saved it for some other day!