Waterfront Restaurants You Can Reach by Boat

Half the fun of a boat on Lake St. Clair is lunch at a place you pull up to by water. The lake has a real dock-and-dine culture, thickest along the Nautical Mile in St. Clair Shores and up in Anchor Bay by New Baltimore. Here is how to do it and where to go.

How dock-and-dine works

• Guest docking. Some spots have a courtesy dock or transient slips; others you hand-tie and hope for room on a busy night. Call ahead on weekends.
• The approach. Watch your depth coming in. A lot of these places sit up shallow canals or marina cuts, so idle in and read the water.
• Timing. Sunset on a Friday is the whole scene and also the busiest. A weekday afternoon is a lot more relaxed.

The Nautical Mile, St. Clair Shores

The Mile has the largest concentration of boats in the Midwest, and the restaurants are built for boaters. Mike's on the Water is a classic dock-and-dine bar and grill with live music. Brownie's on the Lake sits in Emerald City Harbor with big open views of the lake. Fishbone's brings Cajun seafood and sushi to the strip.

See the full run of dock-and-dine and lakeside spots on the waterfront dining page, or browse everything on the Mile from the St. Clair Shores area page.

Anchor Bay and the north end

Up by New Baltimore, the Anchor Bay waterfront has its own scene. It is a shorter, calmer run for boaters at the top of the lake, and the New Baltimore page lists the marinas and waterfront spots up there.

A few ground rules

Tie up like you would want the next boat to tie up. Watch your wake in the canals and marina cuts. And if you are having a few, leave the boat and grab a ride. Same rules as a car, same reasons.