Michigan's High-End Lakefront Restaurant Is Bucket List Material With European Techniques

Imagine yourself sitting on a patio of a restaurant on the shores of a glistening lake. There is condensation running down your chilled glass of wine, and a plate of gourmet morsels in front of you, waiting for your first bite. If this sounds absolutely dreamy, you may want to hop a flight to Michigan. Right on the shores of Lake Michigan sits Blu, a restaurant in Glen Arbor which was nominated for a James Beard Award for Best Chef-Great Lakes, and received a DiRōNA Award (Distinguished Restaurants of North America) — something less than 400 restaurants have nabbed. This high-end restaurant has a menu that changes daily, indoor seating with a view of the lake, and an outdoor patio — if weather permits its use. 

Blu has a 4.4/5 rating on Yelp, with one reviewer raving, "We had a fantastic dinner at this small upscale spot while in town for a visit. With its elegant setting and abundant windows featuring Lake Michigan views, it makes for a memorable evening." Another reviewer recommends looking up when sunset is before making reservations, as everyone heads out to the beach to take pictures. It's around 171 miles from Gerald R. Ford International Airport. Once you're there, however, Glen Arbor is a very walkable Michigan Lake town.

Blu was opened by the Chamberlain family almost two decades ago. It's now run by Brandon Chamberlain, who took over from his parents in 2024. The restaurant uses European techniques, with dishes like escargot, Ibérico pork rib rack lollipops, and a roasted beet salad. To add onto that overseas experience, one of the chefs recently completed a culinary internship at L'Auberge de Cassagne in Avignon, France.

Blu is a bucket list sort of restaurant, where you can experience the sight of Sleeping Bear Bay on Lake Michigan and the Manitou Islands, as well as great food. The restaurant also holds events like a Wild Game & Bourbon night through its Sleeping Bear Bay Supper Club Series. Adding to the experience is not knowing what will be on the menu that day. (You can, however, call ahead and ask them to text you the menu if you want to decide what to eat before visiting.) Despite this being a high-end restaurant, dress is resort casual, so your walk over to the beach for the sunset may make you feel like you're in the tropics if you visit in the summer. It's recommended as a proposal spot in a thread on Reddit's r/Michigan, so if you have something sparkly to offer your date, this might be the place to present it to them.

Before or after your meal, you can enjoy the view of another lake. The vacation town of Glen Arbor also has Glen Lake, across from Sleeping Bear Bay and less than seven miles from Blu. Finally, while you're in the area, make sure you take some time to explore the nearby Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore, one of Michigan's best national parks.