Marina Ristorante & Lounge

This place used to be good when I was in high school.

Love, love, love the baked fettuccini Alfredo! Handmade pasta and house made sauce. And I can’t get enough of the rolls. This place is definitely a local fave. It’s fun to go by boat in the summer! The restaurant offers a view of the lake and an ice cream store next door. :)

This restaurant is open Thursday through Sunday evenings, and I had last gone to it almost 40 years ago, so it has impressive staying power. It is still run by the same family, and still is notable for its commitment to fine Italian cuisine. Although a resident of Kentucky, I spend quite a bit time in Cadillac and have been to most of the restaurants there in the last couple of years, and this is where to get the best Italian food in town, easily. Hand-​made and rolled pasta with your choice of sauces leads the way, the chicken florentine, which needs to be requested a day in advance is superb, and the prices are more than fair for the quality of the food. The wine list is solid, too.
If you choose restaurants based on décor, which I don’t, you will not be wowed. If you like to have the choice of taking either your car or your boat to a restaurant and enjoy a fine lake view while dining, you can do that here.
I have to react to a recent review posted here, as well, from a person who seems to have visited the place only 4 days before I did. Yes, you are ordering a la carte at The Marina, but most of the meals on the menu come with very good salads and exceptional freshly baked rolls, and one person in our party requested green beans – the chef produced them. Yes, maybe you are going back to the 70’s décor-​wise. Overpriced? Our check (before tip) for two fine meals and two glasses of a legit chianti was under $ 50. Perhaps Olive Garden would be more to your taste?

Wow, I thought I was walking back into the 70’s coming in here! The restaurant is so dated, the food is overpriced, and nothing comes with the entrees.

We were impressed with the quality of food. We had ravioli, penne with meat sauce, lasagna, salmon with pasta. All were outstanding! Fresh homemade rolls rolls were delicious and was hard to stop at one. We ordered 3 Tiramisu and 1 Brown Derby. They were tasty. Unfortunately the Tiramisu were all partially frozen. Bummer!
They give away free dessert for birthday person.

The best Italian outside of the Detroit metro area! Special love for their chicken marsala. Great homemade pastas too! And can’t leave out their homemade peanut butter pie! Nom nom. Authentic home cooked Italian. Love the eclectic décor and the view of the lake. I make trips up north just to get my fix!

Im only giving this one star because i have to. The décor needs updating. The music has to go. The one waitress is old and slow. The house bread was delicious, but the salad was bland. We ordered the spaghetti with meat balls and the tortellini with meat sauce. NO FLAVOR WHAT’S SO EVER. GROSS!!!

This place is fantastic! The owners are super nice and likely to come and greet you at the table. Plus they actually know how to speak Italian and most of them have lived there, so you know it is the real thing! They make their food from scratch, and how rare is that these days! And the view is really nice since it is right on Lake Cadillac. This place is a must if you are going to be in Cadillac for a day or two!

Handmade pasta from scratch! Table with a gorgeous view of Lake Cadillac. Menu with a cute story of how the Grandmother and Grandfather met. Italian salad dressing made from scratch!
No heavy over-​done typical small town Italian here. The handmade pastas are light and have a texture that immediately tells you this is NOT out of a box.
My fiancée had the agli olio with shrimp over fettucine. It required ground pepper and a bit of salt, but otherwise perfect.
I had the linguine with putanesca — a spicy homemade sauce (family secret!) that delighted the buds.
Atmosphere is unassuming. Waiters are dressed casually and non-​matching. Fake vines adorn the staircase. And when a table cleared behind us, the young bus-​girl squirted too much Windex and we nearly choked from the downdraft.
But come on, handmade linguini? This place is a must visit.
P. S. They don’t take Amex.

AMAZING.
Every time I come back to Cadillac, my parents and I make it a point to dine at the Marina. We’ve known the DeJulians for a while so it’s always nice to see them.
I’ve searched far and wide and CANNOT find a better veal marsala than Loretta’s. Pastas are handmade, bread is served piping hot. Prime ribs are delicious as well. Great food, great view of Lake Cadillac, and an atmosphere difficult to match in Chicago.