I'm a country fan. Actually, I appreciate most styles of music. Musical tastes aside, I wanted to further explore Toby Keith's I Love This Bar and Grill restaurant at Great Lakes Crossing in Auburn Hills. I went there when it first open and returned recently - camera in hand.

Click here for a photo gallery of Toby Keith's I Love This Bar and Grill at Great Lakes Crossing.

If you enter Toby Keith's I Love This Bar restaurant from inside Great Lakes Crossing, you will see the store filled with Toby Keith merchandise when you first walk in. The humungous restaurant soon follows. There's a stage for performances, an 85-foot guitar-shaped bar serving drinks in mason jars, and a mechanical bull - yes, I was tempted, but I need to draw the line somewhere when it comes to public humiliation.

The sheer size of Toby Keith's restaurant at Great Lakes Crossing is impressive. It seats up to 400 people and also features luxurious VIP rooms for parties. I've only gone there for off-hour lunches and the place seems cavernous. I'd like to go there when a band is playing or on a busy Saturday night. Still, I enjoy the clean atmosphere and wide-open spaces. If you're looking for something intimate, you may want to go elsewhere.

The Toby Keith's I Love This Bar menu had just a few typical burger and sandwich items. The rest was southern-style fare including the singer’s own favorites, such as pulled pork sandwiches, meatloaf, crispy fried mac n cheese, catfish, a fried bologna sandwich, and deep fried twinkies for dessert, just to name a few. Another Toby Keith's I Love This Bar meal worth mentioning on the menu is the American Soldier burger served up free of charge to active military personnel with valid military identification. One last honorable mention is the food challenge (I love these and am a big fan of Man v. Food on the travel channel) - if you can finish the big steak, you get a discount on your next visit.

There is a wine list and an Auburn Hills Drink menu with creatively and locally named drinks such as Cowboy Cadillac, Detroit River, Upnorth Sunset, and Michigan Rawdog.

Pricing was mid to high range. The lowest priced Toby Keith's I Love This Bar burger was $9.99. The kids menu featured 6 options for $3.99. Pretty standard, but the portions were hefty.

I'm a sucker for a good chicken sandwich so I tried the Toby Keith's I Love This Bar grilled chicken sandwich with jalapeno mayo, green chiles and pepper jack cheese. It was a quality sandwich and the fries were great as well.

Text "country" to 411247 for free offers, special announcements and other offers not available anywhere else.

One warning - if you are a people watcher like me, you won't be a fan of the booths at Toby Keith's I Love This Bar. They are super tall and you will be hidden inside. You won't be able to see anything outside around you since the height of the booth literally goes well above head level. It's amazing to me that the wait staff even knew we were sitting in their section, or if we needed a refill, etc.

Toby Keith's I Love This Bar and Grill at Great Lakes Crossing
4698 Baldwin Rd
Auburn Hills, Michigan 48326
(248) 454-8629

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