Addison Township, MI –For several weeks at the tail end of summer, a friend I’d gotten to know through my previous job and I were organizing a dinner to catch up. Despite having to reschedule a few times because of life and me catching a brief head cold, we finalized a day for me to head north and meet for dinner at a beloved local restaurant, the Lakeville Yacht Club!
The Lakeville Yacht Club sits at the corner of North Rochester Road and Lakeville Road. Lakeville is a community in Addison Township, between Oxford and Romeo in Northern Oakland County. I hadn’t ventured to this part of Oakland County before, so I was excited to visit this region to explore and check out a local favorite among foodies and community members. My friend, Gretchen, and her husband frequent the Lakeville Yacht Club fairly often, as they live nearby in the Washington Township area.
When deciding where we would dine, Gretchen highly recommended the Lakeville Yacht Club, noting not only the consistently great quality of food, but also pointing out that it had great views of the area and Lakeville Lake. Plus, I was intrigued to learn more about the history of the establishment, which had been around for quite a few years before being recently bought and brought under new management to continue the operation.
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For many years, the corner restaurant was known as the Celtic Knot until Kirk Knobloch and Tim Kelly acquired the space in October 2024 and reopened it as the Lakeville Yacht Club in early 2025. I would later learn from Tim during dinner that the duo actually expanded the place quite a bit from its original footprint, including the second-floor rooftop patio.
As I drove north along Rochester, just crossing West Romeo Road, I was pleased to start seeing some early indicators of the leaves beginning to change color for the season in Michigan. I sometimes forget how beautiful Michigan can be once you get outside of the Metro and suburbs and can appreciate its nature and scenic landscape. I pulled into the Lakeville Yacht Club’s huge parking lot across the street from Lakeville Lake and snapped a couple of pictures, capturing the beautiful beginnings of the sun setting, which cast a fiery and golden hue upon the horizon and backdrop to the restaurant as I headed in.
I spotted my friend Gretchen sitting at a corner table with her husband, Michael, immediately to my right as soon as I walked inside. We caught up collectively, and when our server, Josephine, came by, I was surprised to learn that she was also Gretchen’s daughter! So that was a cool surprise!
We were fairly quick to place our orders, as I got a quick rundown of some of the menu highlights and crowd favorites from Josephine. One particular menu item, which was listed as one of the specials, caught my eye: the Nashville Hot Honey Chicken and Tortellini. After we placed our orders, Gretchen’s daughter gave me a tour of the space and even took me upstairs to the outdoor rooftop patio so I could capture some golden hour photos. The Lakeville Yacht Club has a warm, welcoming vibe and ambiance. It’s the kind of place where everyone knows your name and is your best friend by your second visit, and a reliable destination for great food in a comfortable setting for folks who come in from the surrounding communities.
I really enjoyed the rooftop patio views, both of the lake and of the sunset on that mid-September eve. I could tell that rooftop patio, which will eventually be getting its own bar, must be a highly sought-after spot during the peak summer months. With a sizeable lake to the north and connecting rivers and streams scattered all around, the Lakeville Yacht Club gets patrons coming in via land and sea! Rooftop views are always a bonus, and while there have been additions made over the past two years, more renovations and expansions are in the pipeline for the patio, according to Tim.
I headed back downstairs and sat back down at the table with Gretchen and her husband. The timing was perfect, as the first waves of food began making their way to the table.
The Food
The first dish was the daily soup special, ordered by Gretchen’s husband. It was a Mushroom Soup, with a copious blend of criminis and oyster mushrooms. The soup was also generously seasoned, with notable flecks of black pepper throughout. Michael offered me a quick spoonful before he commenced, and I was very impressed by the amount of flavorful kick this earthy and simple dish packed. Even though I only sampled one spoonful, I was in love with this soup and would happily order it on a future adventure so I could enjoy and gulp up the whole bowl!
Michael also ordered a Fried Chicken Sandwich, but blackened, and upgraded his side to fries, while Gretchen ordered the Boursin Salmon Sandwich, also blackened. While I didn’t try either of their main courses, they both looked very hearty and delicious, with both Gretchen and her husband stating their orders came out perfect.
My eyes lit up like fireworks during the Fourth of July when my order of the Nashville Hot Honey Chicken with Tortellini was placed before me. This dish had everything working for it and was firing on all flavor cylinders. I quickly forked a tortellini or two and shoveled them into my mouth and experienced a rupture of buttery, cheesy pasta, which was cooked to a perfect Al dente.
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I easily sawed a chunk of the crispy chicken off, amazed at how juicy and moist the interior remained. It was a hefty and thick chicken breast, with a ten out of ten delivery of Nashville hot, with a hint of sweetness to the crispy exterior, which was fried to a perfect golden brown. The extra dash of cheese on top is always bonus points in my book, and when devouring a bite of chicken with tortellini, I was in foodie paradise! I loved the concept of this dish, combining a bold and scrumptious take on Nashville Hot Chicken with pasta, because at the Lakeville Yacht Club, they know how to cook up some seriously top-tier food!
We all finished our meals and continued chatting for some time. One of the owners, Tim, who was back in the kitchen cooking up everyone’s dinners, was able to come by to introduce himself once the dinner rush had died down. Tim was already acquainted with Gretchen and Michael, but I was glad I got to meet him and praise his dish of the Nashville Hot Honey Chicken with Tortellini. Tim caught up with Michael and Gretchen for a bit before needing to head back to the kitchen, and said goodbye and thanked me for coming in.
I thanked Gretchen and her husband immensely for dinner, and was really glad I made the adventure north to not only enjoy a meal with friends (including meeting some new ones!) but to also experience a community gem tucked away in the northern part of Oakland County. I wished Gretchen and her husband farewell and hopped in my car to begin driving back south toward Ferndale. Even if you rarely find yourself in Addison Township or the Leonard area, it’s worth making the foodie adventure for the Lakeville Yacht Club, which is a great gathering spot for the community and food all around!
For more information about Lakeville Yacht Club, click here.
