Rare Bird Brew Pub

One the better bars with food in TC. Popular. Interesting multigenerational crowd.

Visiting from Chicago, and I have to say this is easily one of my favorite places. Great atmosphere, beer, live music, interior design and GREAT food!!! Pork Belly Nachos are to die for. Sit in one of the booths, and enjoy a great date night. Oh and local craft beer at a reasonable price

The food is phenomenal. I’ve gone with friends twice, we all got something different and everything was amazing. It was a small menu, so you have to be a little adventurous. The only reason I only gave four stars is because they don’t have a hostess. The first time I went it was a weekday and it was no problem, but the second time was a Friday evening and we had to stand by the door watching every table ready to jump on one that opened. We couldn’t wait at the bar, unless we wanted the group behind us to snatch up the next table. It didn’t make for a great experience, but luckily the food made up for it.

Went cross country skiing last weekend in Traverse City. Were looking for a late lunch and a beer, and the folks at our B&B recommended rare bird. We were oh so glad they did. Tasty deviled eggs, and a curry bowl that vastly exceeded expectations. Beer was good too. I had the stout. Nice atmosphere as well. We were sufficiently taken with this place to the point that I bought a T-​shirt!

Pub burger was amazing. French fries amazing. Service was not very attentive and took a long time to get our bills… But if you’re not in a rush it’s great!

Great food and such a wide range of inventive, delicious beers– I always find something I want.

Everything was really good. Menu is a little small, but the perfect what they do
Service: Laid Back, but attentive
Food: Excellent
Price: Average
Atmosphere: Clean & Cool
Will definitely go back when I’m traveling that way.

Deep fried cheese curds, like manna from heaven. (Washed down with beer, chased with some chicken tacos…) Oh yes, I’d do it again.

WOW.
We came here on our way back to Detroit from visiting family, and the menu looked good. and IT WAS.
I had the pork belly nachos and they were absolutely phenomenal. Probably the single best plate of nachos I’ve ever ordered. One of my friends ordered a burger, and the other got the Mac N Cheese. Positive feedback for the burger and the mac and cheese was also incredible.
I had the Coco Puffin and it was light and delicious.
If you’re in TC, definitely check it out. I can’t wait to go back!

I stopped at Rare Bird while on a road trip with some friends. We happened to be there during trivia night. Quite a spirited crowd but fun. I elected to drink a Bloody Mary that evening instead of a beer. The BM was very good. I also tried some of the house porter that a friend ordered and it was delicious. For dinner we shared some wings, deviled eggs, cheese curds, and pretzel sticks. I also ordered the Pork Belly Bahn MI. The wings had great flavor. The pretzel sticks looked slightly burnt but were perfect once I took a bite. The Pork Belly Bahn MI had a great flavor but I ended up eating it with a fork because it fell apart when I picked it up. I would order it again. The ambiance was typical of a micro-​brewery. I’d go back if I find myself in Traverse City again soon.

I wish I had more time in TC so I could have a real meal here. They partner with a farm that uses their spent grain to feed their cows that then turn into burgers!!! How cool is that? Alas, I had just eaten lunch.
We had to try the cheese curds with avocado ranch. They were quite tasty. Would recommend.
Order the T&A stout. Don’t be afraid of the 8.5 ABV. Just get it. Or get a half pour like I did. You will be so happy. It is rich, creamy, smells delicious. I savored it like I’ve never savored a beer before. And you will too.
My husband got the Rye Meow! He liked it too.

Love coming to my hometown just to eat and drink here! I love the atmosphere, it had a great vibe here. Good, friendly service. Great beer and cider options on tap. Food is ridiculously good… parm dusted fries… blue cheese smothered pub burger… heaven. You can’t get any better than that! Love it.

Beer quality and selection is fantastic! But let’s talk food (appetizers)… been there twice. Never thought I’d lead a review with Deviled Eggs, but these are special. Now, throw in the Frites (truffle oil and garlic dusted), calamari, cheese curds, wings and pretzel sticks, and you will keep coming back.
Look forward to returning again next year and having a full meal — menu selection looks awesome!

Overall… I like this brewery.
It was a bit intimidating at first. I walked up to the bar and sat myself. No greeting. Bartenders kept mostly to themselves. Eventually someone came and asked if I’ve been helped.
The beer list is extensive and great. Amongst their house brewed beer, they have other local beers. Whether it is their collaborative effort with the local breweries or they decide to just have other beers available, it’s a good touch. You can taste Michigan regardless. I had their housemate Wit Bier, Whip Pour Well. My go to beers are usually low on the IBU level so if you’re like me and like malty/​citrusy this is the beer for you. Big fan! Not too sweet and big on flavor.
Food is where a star was lost. I had the cheese curd (yum) and the Pork Bahn Mi (meh). The avocado ranch aioli with the cheese curds was a great pair. Can’t mess this duo. The pork Bahn mi could’ve used more tartness in my opinion. The pork belly was cooked to perfection! I mean crisp, charred, fatty chunks of pork belly sliced thick was my fat hearts dream come true. The bread was lack luster in comparison to the pre fly executed pork. Something this good needs to be held in a crisp, fresh, French bread! true to the traditional Bahn Mi. The pork is very fatty so the sriracha aioli on the sandwich was very much overboard. I almost wished that I had an IPA to cut through the fattiness. The pickled vegetables could’ve supported more in this as well. They were «pickled» but barely. I couldn’t taste any vinegar in the red cabbage, pickles, or daikon. I don’t know if the owner/​manager/​chef would read this review but if you do… Pickled vegetable more and easy on the aioli. If you need spice maybe sriracha BBQ sauce instead. To still add the spice but without the fat. Vietnamese food in my opinion always encompasses both tart, sweet, salty, savory in their dishes.
I’d come back for the beer for sure, and those curds.

4.5 stars? Best thing we ate in Traverse city.
The place wasn’t obnoxiously loud or busy while we were there, so you could actually hear your own conversation.
Tried the:
Pork belly banh mi– one of the best spins on a banh mi that I’ve had.
Braised short rib tacos– paled in comparison to the banh mi, but still delicious
Peach cobbler– a bit messy, and the ice cream? whipped cream? couldn’t tell because it had already melted all over the cobbler. womp womp.
Despite this being a brewery, I got a cocktail that was spot on.

Bring a deck of cards or a game. Grab a booth. And make an afternoon/​evening of it!
This place is super cool. The pretzels and dipping sauces were luxurious. I ordered a flight of beers and pretty much everything they had on offer was solid. The place is a little dark inside, so it feels weird to be in too long during a sunny day, but in the evening the vibe is perfect!

The Rare Bird was a great first stop on our spur of the moment trip to Traverse City! We had a mmm… citrusy ale that’s brewed in house and the Pork Belly Nachos that were both outstanding! Check this place out if you’re in the area!
Great beer and food selections!
My boyfriend liked it so much he ate the paper under the nachos and didn’t mind!

The 5^th star was missing due to the inconsistentancy of the service.
We visited 3 times in our week in Traverse City, the first and last time we ate here the service was excellent, the second visit it was awful.
On to the positive, great venue, with the Traverse City, industrial vibe, clean and bright.
Beers were great the «Orange you Witte» was my favorite.
The food, whilst being pub grub style appetizer and snacks were amazing.
The Harissa wings were the best I’ve ever eaten, the sauce was delicious
The Hahn Mi — pork belly sandwich was downright devilishly good. It blew away my taste buds.
Pork Belly Nachos — large plentiful and delicious
The only thing we tried which didn’t blow our socks off were the short rib tacos — they weren’t bad by any means but they didn’t stand up to the flavours and tastiness of the other dishes.

Big, BIG fan of this place! It took a little investigating on where to take our big group when we were in town, but this place definitely delivered. They kept their word with our big reservation and were able to seat us as soon as we arrived. We were greeted within minutes and given some suggestions for beers, of course emphasizing their own. I was very excited that their 3 – 4 beer list of in house brews were all citrusy and hoppy, a perfect compliment to the warm summer night that we were there. Everyone found something they liked and so we placed an order for beers and some fries to start.
What we quickly realized is that the table we were sitting at was MASSIVE. Gorgeous wood table, yes. Easy to sit and have relaxing conversation? Not at all. We were probably a good 2 – 3 feet away from each other and the metal construction of the walls provided no sound absorption from those around us. We essentially were using our «outside voices» and even then, it was tough to hear. But, the beers and fries came and that shut us right up.
Next was the food, which was downright amazing. I had the fish tacos which were 2 good sized tacos on fresh corn tortillas (stacked double, the way it should be). They had a good chunk of mahi mahi inside with a mango salsa and fresh jicama slaw. All topped with a house sauce. A friend of mine had the pork belly nachos which she finished the entire (large) plate. Another friend had the calamari salad which she said was great but the calamari was a little chewy. But all the while we had another few plates of fries and beers, so we didn’t complain too much.
All the while, the service was excellent. I’d definitely come back, but maybe take the opportunity to sit outside so I could hear everything and not feel like I was yelling.

Top notch.
It was dead in here on a Friday afternoon when we stopped in. The bartender was knowledgeable, nice, and was cool about answering the questions we had about the brewery. We tried the nachos and tacos. The nachos were unbelievable. So good. I’m not sure if they have rotating tacos or what, but when I was there it was a mahi mahi taco. They were quite good as well.
Got to try and enjoy a couple different beers. Really enjoyed the atmosphere of this place, too. Seems like its wide open enough to have a major social feel to it, but they have really tall booths as well if you’re looking for some privacy. All-​in-​all, one of our favorite stops while we were in the area. If you’re around, do yourself a favor and get the pork belly nachos.