Thistle Pub & Grille

Go for the Scotch Eggs! Delicious! Not many restaurant choices in Crystal Mountain. This is a solid choice. Good food. Good beers. Wine by the bottle is a little pricey but lots of Michigan wine choices.

Came here on Christmas Eve and it was dead. There was no snow so I guess a lot of people cancelled their vacations. The service was great. Of course got a table for the 9 of us right away and food came out very fast after ordering. I tried the pulled pork sandwich because one of the other reviews mentioned it. So glad I read… the pulled pork sandwich was probably one of the best pulled pork sandwiches I’ve ever tasted. I tasted a bunch of the other people’s foods as well. The chicken special was very tasty as well. The dessert was ok. The prices were decent considering it’s inside the village. It was an average of about $ 12 per plate. Definitely worth eating here if your in the village.

We are frequent Crystal Mountain visitors, have been to The Thistle quite a few times and has always been a good experience, from the food, service, and ambience! Today I went in for a few lunches to go for the fam and sat at the bar, Gage was the bartender and was very friendly and efficient! I ordered chicken strips, Pulled Bacon Sandwich, and Scotch Eggs… all were eggscellent (hehe), especially the sandwich and Scotch Eggs. Thanks for the recommendation of the Pulled Bacon Sandwich Gage! Will be going back… Sorry no pics as we were starving and didn’t think about taking any.

I went to the pub and grill today it was a bit of a fancy meal out that we have once a month it’s a fun time anyways I was turned off in the bread was absolutely delicious unfortunately were watching our weight using the Skippy that right now so we could only reach it was really good bread and surprisingly one of the best parts was there all of oil and vinegar I think it’s called the Blackstock whatever that it was white so nothing we have a taste for normally I hate the black stuff or vinegar whenever you call aunt and this time I loved it it was really great and so I had it with vinegar and the oil I suppose he is having oil and then for my meal I had a 14 ounce New York strip steak we could absolutely delicious the best New York strip steak I’ve ever had anywhere a smothered in butter going to probably order calories and it was delicious the Greek mass potatoes and Merrimack squash and mashed potatoes would you give me at which you can go to healthy and overall just really bored and was $ 31 but you have to expect it with a stick of this quality of the presentation on the plate from point of pesto sauce and the plates were beautiful the whole atmosphere was just classy are the golf shop close before we could get there so we can get it on the way out but I like it I think you call the pro shop sometimes to send Josie but got to Navasota that I would bet it was good based on a map place service was great very friendly waitress she can fill the water a lot my girlfriend got my girlfriend got any pasta which she liked a lot but only half of in the fellowship to leave it there but it’s OK because let’s be honest were people and yet so wrong overall it was a four star review thanks for listening.

The last time I visited The Thistle was 15 years ago. Different building, different menu. It wasn’t very good the last time around, and I’m surprised that it’s even worse now.
Check out the menu before you go. The appetizer selection is truly bizarre, and the entrees are sparse. The whole experience reminded me of that New Year’s Eve event that we’ve all been to (and wouldn’t do again) that has a poor, limited menu and is vastly overpriced for what you get.
My walleye sandwich was truly lame. Expecting a nice slab of walleye on a bun? Nope. It was 3 skimpy walleye medallions, each about the size of a half dollar. Artfully arranged on the bun, of course.
It didn’t help that a swarm of fruit flies was camped out in the place.
Realize that you’re a captive audience at Crystal Mountain, and there’s no other place on the property. I say skip it and order in a pizza from the place down the street. The Thistle offers no value whatsoever.

We ate here a few times this past weekend while up at Crystal Mountain for a golf weekend. Surprisingly good food at fair prices for a resort.
My hunger level was high, so I may be rating the walleye sandwich higher than it should be, but it was pretty solid. The server did a good job of handling our large, somewhat rowdy group as well.
The Michigander panini was alright, good for a quick lunch. Again the server did a great job of turning our lunch service around in less than 40 mins before our next tee time.
They could be gouging with resort prices, but it doesn’t seem like they do (as far as lunch goes). Solid service, worth the visit if you are staying at Crystal.

Came in for dinner at 8pm and witnessed the worst customer service ever! We stood at the podium waiting to be acknowledged while the hostess was whispering with a server that there weren’t enough servers for the tables they had to accommodate. The server appeared angry and very unhappy to be there. Finally after standing at the hostess’ podium for about ten minutes, the hostess seated us. We waited another ten-​fifteen minutes before being acknowledged by a server who ended up not being our server! It was ridiculous and we should have left but we had two hungry kids and we were desperate. The food was ok but the complete lack of customer service when we first got there was inexcusable! We recommend going into Frankfort for meals while staying at Crystal Mountain.

Thistle Pub and Grille is a cozy little place inside the Kinlochen Building at Crystal Mountain Resort. They offer a great selection of local craft beers and the service is usually spot on. The food is usual pub fare with nothing that will blow you away, but it’s solid. Overall, the cozy atmosphere adds a lot of charm to the pub and it’s a great place to grab a pint.

Ok, we have a place at Crystal and have been to he Thistle many times, mainly because it’s the only option at the bottom of the ski hill. Here’s only a partial beak down:
1. Get ready for a 20 minute wait and see open tables. After the 20 minutes, those same table will still be open.
2. Once seated, prepare for 3 – 5 employees to walk past and not even acknowledge your existence. You will need to grab someone’s attention.
3. Do not order the pretzel fondue unless you like large croutons as your pretzel pieces.
4. The Thistle fries are just fries with parmesan sprinkled served with mayo and ketchup. There is no truffle sauce anywhere.
5. Twisted Thistle is there in house special beer on draft. However, it always runs out. Have a backup on the ready.
Alas, since there isn’t anywhere else to go unless you want the cafeteria, you have to deal with apathy in service and the kitchen.
I do have one exception for service, Kelli as a server is the exception, thank god. She is super kind and sweet, and will bust her butt. Its hard to get her section, probably makes sense why.

We ate here after skiing at Crystal Mountain. I would say this place felt more like a restaurant than a pub. We had the calamari, which was well marinated so it was very soft then breaded so the outside was crispy. For dinner, my wife had the NY strip sirloin which was perfectly flavored and cooked medium rare perfectly. My daughter had the tenderloin tip steak which was well flavored in a gravy. The yellow squash and zucchini squash was well seasoned. One son had the Venetian seafood which also very well cooked. The mussels were good and the same calamari was sautéed but was still very soft and good. He did not like the sausage, which I thought was good (was like gyro meat but softer). I had the spinach salad which was also good with very sweet apples and candied pecan pieces. I was talking how everything was so great. My older son had the appetizer rib stack and he said it was good. However he could not finish the last ¼ so I ate it. Because of how great everything else was, I expected it to have been marinated and slow cooked. The ribs were baked dry and plain then dipped in barbecue sauce which was slightly burnt. I was frankly disappointed. The endpiece was as large as a chicken breast. However it was so dry and flavorless, nobody finished it.
For dessert, we had crime brûlée which was good. The bananas foster my two kids loved it. It was covered with burning rum which fortunately mostly flowed off the glass to the plate it was on since my kids did not like the strong rum flavor at the bottom plate.
Overall every dish was 5. except for the runs stack which was ³⁄₅. The crème brûlée was 4 and the bananas foster was 5. If we did not get the ribs, I would have given 5 stars.
My son wants to come back to get the tenderloin tips and my daughter want to grit again too. The wait staff was very attentive and filled out glasses 4 times (glasses were about 6 ounces and we were thirsty after skiing 3 hours.

After a relaxing day at the spa we had a wonderful meal at the Thistle! The farm to table was unbelievable choice starting with pumpkin soup then short ribs, Gouda potatoes and fresh veggies (can’t remember the name but a cross between broccoli and cauliflower — different but great) and finishing with peanut butter pie. A must do!

Really 3.5 stars. My food was great — I got the lamb. It was overcooked but still good. I love the farm-​to-​table local food they provide. The service was very slow. I understand that slow service is more acceptable at dinner but we waited 30 minutes to be greeted and get drinks. I would eat here again, though! Don’t come here starving because you’ll wait awhile.

Wow… how far Crystal Mountain’s restaurant has fallen. This used to be a nice spot to grab a beer and a great meal. While the service is still above average, the kitchen couldn’t keep up with a moderate crowd. Were seated at 8:30 pm, and at 10:15 pm, all the food has yet to arrive.
The ribs were more sauce than meat, the bun on the veggie burgers were like rocks. Service, while pleasant, made mistakes and was slow. Recommend driving away from the resort and finding a better alternative.

Seated at our reservation time but now waiting 45+ minutes for our food. So far I am disappointed at the service. Our appetizer plates are still on the table, and our teenagers are dropping like flies.

Resort restaurant, resort food. The ribs were good, not great, they had a blue cheese cheesecake appetizer that really stole the show and was outstanding.
hangar steak was good, nice local beer offerings, very nice ambiance inside the place as well. we’re here off peak but in the height of ski season it would be a great place to hole up and watch the weather outside.

Many good things… But Mako Shark on the menu?!? That should be right next to the Panda pâté.

Spent the day hanging out in the Thistle Pub while the kids were skiing. Food and service were great. Try the grey goose ice bar on the patio this winter, very cool! Yes pun intended:-) LOL

There aren’t many options at this resort to sit down and grab a drink so we decided to just try this one out first. We sat at the bar and ordered a drink. The staff was somewhat friendly but made us feel incredibly awkward. We asked to then just take our drinks to the patio. They have about 15 tables outside, 2 of which were taken, but they made it a huge issue for us to move because they had «reservations.» Keep in mind this was about 5 pm. After we informed our hostess/​server that we were just finishing our drinks, she became incredibly rude.
I understand it’s a high class pub, but it was 5 pm and empty.

This restaurant is located on the Crystal Mountain Resort property. It’s more upscale compared to the other dining choices, and it shows. The Thistle makes you feel warm and cozy the minute you walk through the doors.
I started with a cosmo which ended up being stronger than I thought. I ordered a filet mignon with steamed veggies and yukon potatoes. Everything was delish, and very filling.
One star taken away because our service was a shade slow, and I felt my potatoes weren’t completely cooked. However, all in all, I definitely recommend The Thistle after a day of skiing.

Crystal Mountain’s most elegant dining. Its Celtic-​inspired ambience and northern Michigan accents are home to signature appetizers, authentic dinner entrées and dessert dishes, as well as a full bar featuring Scottish ales and flavored martinis.