The Stray Dog Bar & Grill Review & Bathroom Guide
New Buffalo, Michigan
It’s become my go-to stop between Detroit and Chicago, and honestly, I don’t see that changing anytime soon. Just know… if it’s a beautiful summer weekend, you’re probably sharing it with half the Midwest.
Source published July 2026
First-hand Shooki editorial
Shooki’s Review of The Stray Dog Bar & Grill
By Shooki · Source published July 2026
It’s become my go-to stop between Detroit and Chicago, and honestly, I don’t see that changing anytime soon. Just know… if it’s a beautiful summer weekend, you’re probably sharing it with half the Midwest.
The Stray Dog has become one of those places I almost can’t drive past.
If I’m heading to Chicago or making my way back to Detroit, there’s a good chance I’m pulling off the highway, grabbing a drink, stretching my legs, and letting the road wait another hour.
That’s the beauty of this place.
It sits right in downtown New Buffalo, close enough to Lake Michigan that you can almost smell the water, and somehow manages to become everyone else’s road trip stop too.
Now, the restaurant?
Different story.
The rooftop, the energy, people walking around town, boats coming and going, vacation mode fully activated… it’s one of those places where the first drink turns into lunch, lunch turns into another drink, and suddenly you’ve been there three hours wondering if you even need to make it back home today.
It’s become my go-to stop between Detroit and Chicago, and honestly, I don’t see that changing anytime soon.
Just know… if it’s a beautiful summer weekend, you’re probably sharing it with half the Midwest.
Best for
- A road-trip stop between Detroit and Chicago
- Rooftop drinks, lunch and New Buffalo vacation energy
- Letting the road wait another hour
Less ideal for
- A quiet stop on a beautiful summer weekend
- Restroom capacity and cleanliness when the summer crowd rolls through
The Shooki Bathroom Review
First-party restroom record · Source published July 2026
Restroom verdict
The restrooms weren’t terrible, but they definitely felt the effects of a busy summer crowd moving through all day long. Capacity and cleanliness bring it down to 5/10.
- Restroom inventory
- 1 reviewed area — 1 shared men’s restroom, 1 women’s restroom, and 1 gender-neutral room; total venue room count unknown
- Review coverage
- I reviewed one shared men’s restroom, confirmed by the MEN door. Photos show three urinals, two basins, soap and paper towel dispensers, and one toilet stall with grab rails, toilet paper and a folded baby changing station. A separate LADIES door and one FAMILY door with combined male/female signage are photographed closed; their interiors, privacy and fixture totals were not reviewed. Two corridor angles show the same FAMILY door, not two different family rooms. Other rooms, full building inventory and stall lock operation were not established.
- Room reviewed
- One shared men’s restroom from my Stray Dog Bar & Grill visit
- Accessibility status
- Unknown · Grab rails and a baby changing station are photographed in the men’s stall. Complete routes, measurements and accessibility compliance were not verified.
- Why this score
- This place gets packed. During my visit, capacity and cleanliness were fighting an uphill battle against the busy summer crowd. 5/10.
- Layout
- I reviewed the photographed men’s restroom. Complete venue room and fixture totals were not recorded.
- Capacity
- During my busy summer visit, capacity was one of the things that brought the score down. Complete venue room and fixture totals were not recorded.
Which leads us to the restroom.
This place gets packed.
Really packed.
And when that happens, capacity and cleanliness start fighting an uphill battle. That’s what ultimately brings the Shooki score down to a 5/10.
The restrooms weren’t terrible, but they definitely felt the effects of a busy summer crowd moving through all day long.