Best Places to Eat in the Saugatuck Area
When it comes to traveling, food is one of the best parts of the experience! My BFF and I love to travel together because we have similar ideas about what makes a great vacation. On top of our list is food! In fact, searching for restaurants comes right after housing. To find highly recommended restaurants, we rely on the recommendation of friends and we use online resources such as Yelp and Google. We absolutely love to try new restaurants and we enjoy giving our opinion to others. So here it goes…a list of our favorite places from our most recent trip to the Saugatuck area.
Best Places to Eat in Saugatuck Area:
Wild Dog Grill (Douglas) – Wild Dog Grill was our favorite eating spot on this trip. This casual dining restaurant has both inside and patio dining. If the weather permits, I suggest sitting in the quaint covered patio area. Wild Dog features Italian, French, and American cuisine which means there is something for everyone. The restaurant is open for lunch and dinner on Friday-Sunday (noon-10 pm). They are open from 5-9:30 pm on the other days. As far as food, I highly suggest the Wild Dog Burger (as do many others on Yelp). This 8-ounce Cajun-seasoned grilled Ribeye and Sirloin Burger is topped with Gorgonzola, Avocado-Mayo, Grape Tomato Jam, and crispy Haystack Onions. Pair it with either a side of skin-on fries or sweet potato tots. I had the skin on fries and my friend had the tots – both were delicious and worth the extra cost.
Saugatuck Brewing Company
Featuring great food, drinks, and entertainment, Saugatuck Brewing Company has so much to offer couples, families, and large groups. The restaurant features a large pub with an extensive food menu and 16 taps along with hard cider and wine. There is also a seasonal patio for outdoor dining. The newest feature to be added to the Saugatuck Brewing Company is The Barrel Room. The Barrel Room provides customers with a close look into their Barrel Aging Program, along with 15 rotating taps of specialty and barrel-aged beers. Enjoy a game of shuffleboard, bumper pool or pinball while you are waiting for a table or having a snack with your friends in the Barrel Room. I’ve dined here a few times and each time I’ve left satisfied and full. During this recent trip to the Saugatuck area, we dined here twice. The first time I ordered the Bavarian Jumbo Pretzel which is found in the shareable portion of the menu. It is served with beer cheese and house mustard. I enjoyed both toppings and couldn’t decide which was my favorite. During the second dining experience, I had the Southwestern Club which is grilled chicken breast topped with chipotle aioli, pepper jack cheese, bacon, lettuce, and tomato on a spent grain roll. The chicken was tender and the flavors of the toppings meshed perfectly! I would definitely order this again. If you are looking for a casual dining experience, some great beer, or entertainment, I suggest checking out Saugatuck Brewing Company. Visit their website for the entertainment and free brewery tour schedule.
The Southerner
This restaurant located on Kalamazoo River is known for its traditional southern food, especially its fried chicken. The fried chicken comes in traditional, Piedmont Dip, Nashville Hot, or Habanero Hot. The Nashville Hot (which I tried) is not for the faint at heart! In fact, they have a disclaimer to order with caution! The fried half chicken comes with your choice of two sides – of which the flaky biscuit with Hasselman’s honey butter is a must-try! Although I love their chicken, I really wish they offered other options besides a 1/2 chicken. I could easily be satisfied with one chicken breast (especially since I only eat white meat). Summer hours are 9 am-3 pm for breakfast and lunch and dinner is served from 5 pm-10 pm. Reservations are not accepted and the restaurant is very busy at dinner time, so I suggest getting there when they open at 5 pm or visiting during lunch.
Have you been to any of these restaurants? If so, which is a favorite of yours? Do you have a favorite in the Saugatuck area? For things to do in the Saugatuck area, please visit my other post.
The Southerner is one of my favorite restaurants in all of Michigan, and their fried chicken is fantastic. I visited friends in Portage recently and we drove an hour to get there. When Stephanie and I go to Grand Haven in a few weeks I will have to check out some of these other places, I haven’t been to the other ones yet.
Wild Dog is worth checking out, although Stephanie has already been there.
Your are my perfect travel companion. We have the same exact schedule. Those were my favorite places as well. I think the Wild Dog was the best. The ambiance and food were amazing.
So glad to have you as my travel buddy and day to day friend. Love you!
Sounds delicious, miss the girls weekends 😢
Those all sound great! Now I’ve got a hankering for a pretzel and mustard – LOL. We visit friends near South Haven frequently, but haven’t been to Saugatuck in a while. Thanks for sharing!