bread+bar — Restaurant in Benton Harbor

The bread + bar in Benton Harbor, Michigan, is a restaurant owned by the same people that own Bit of Swiss bakery, which is a world-renowned bakery. If you’ve lived in Southwest Michigan for a while, you may recognize the location as the former Alberts Insurance building, but with a whole new look. Large windows and an outdoor patio give fantastic views of sunsets and boats traveling the St. Joseph River. I also like that they have a giant parking lot. As usually, we did a lot of sharing. Our meal began with a Smoked Whitefish Salad comprised of crisp lettuces, almonds, Minnesota wild rice and an occasional sweet blast of cranberries. The salad is served with a maple vinaigrette which was very fragrant, yet mellow and smooth. The subtleness of the maple and smoke flavors enhanced the salad instead of overpowering it. According to the owner, everything they prepare is from scratch, including smoking their own meats and fish. What’s better with salad than some bread? Bit of Swiss bread! Technically, the name of the restaurant is bread + bar by bit of swiss. (The all lowercase and + signs are themed throughout their menu and marketing.). When you’re a world-renowned bakery, you might as well take advantage of your brand. The artisan breads are baked fresh daily. Next course was Grilled Skirt Steak resting on a savorous knoll of polenta, roasted tomatoes and grilled onions. I don’t know what the steak was marinated in, but I want the recipe! I did learn that the grilled onions were marinated in a red wine vinaigrette that offered a sweet burst of contrast to the salt in the polenta and steak. Their menu is fairly simple, but has something for everyone; soups, salads, small plates, kids’ menu and dinner entrees. Dinners range from $14.50 up to $29 for the Kurobuta Pork Chop. The lunch menu offers soups, salads and sandwiches made on their fresh-made artisan breads. They open up daily at 11am, except for Sundays when they are closed. Along with their regular menus, they typically have specials. We had the Hot Smoked Fjord Trout special, served atop soba noodles, edamame, greens, cashews and a hint of ginger. This dish had so many of my favorites! If you’re watching your diet, choose fjord trout when you can. These fish store their fat in their belly, making the flesh lean and firm. Soba noodles are Japanese noodles similar to spaghetti but made with buckwheat and packed with both protein and fiber. Edamame is young soy beans before they ripen and become hard. They too are an excellent source of protein. Fresh. Flavorful. Healthy. Along with breads from Bit of Swiss, the restaurant also features desserts fresh from their bakery. We finished our meals with a superb crème brûlée with a rich custard base sealed with a contrasting layer of crisp caramelized sugars. We also demolished a mixed-berry cobbler that tasted like grandma just picked the berries and baked it up just for us. When in Benton Harbor, you’ve got to give it a try. Great cuisine and great views...

Let me start by saying the others at our table thought the food was good. For our starters,they all got brought out at weird times. My wife got hers quickly. So quick that the rest of us who had soup and or salad got to watch her eat her entire starter before ours came. I received my soup and salad at the same time. The french onion soup has a partial tomato base which takes away the rich onion taste. It was bland and easily the worst french onion soup I have ever had. Our drinks with dinner were the same. Some brought with garnish, some without. The waitress didn't care. For dinner....I don't like risotto or anything chimichurri. So that takes away half the menu. I wanted the filet special but they were out by 630. The only other beef was coffee rubbed flank steak with, you guessed it, chimichurri. If I wanted my steak to taste bitter (coffee rub) just burn it. Chimichurri was exciting in 2017. For my dinner I went with the siracha chicken with noodles. Who knew the noodles were served cold? I missed that on the menu. But really this dish is a homage to college leftovers. Think reheated buffalo wings with cold ramen and you can imagine how this dish tasted. The others who did order the flank steak weren't given steak knives. While tender, a butter knife just mashes around a tender flank steak. It's so loud in the restaurant that the server can't hear orders and messed up the second round of drinks. We were offered dessert but they only had three boring selections left. After the check came our waitress gave the usual "enjoy the rest of your evening" but it was disingenuous as she was already turning away halfway through saying goodbye. Highly overrated and not worth a...

Breadbar hosted the most beautiful spring rehearsal dinner for us and our families. We were lucky enough to enjoy the evening out on the patio during a classic Michigan sunset—everything about it felt fresh, warm, and completely unforgettable. The atmosphere was relaxed and perfectly set the tone for the weekend.

The food was absolutely incredible—every dish was full of flavor and beautifully presented. Our guests couldn’t stop talking about how delicious everything was. And the raspberry chocolate tart? Our personal favorite—people are still raving about it!

One of the most impressive parts of the evening was how smoothly everything flowed. Matt had such a natural, welcoming way of guiding everyone from dinner into welcome drinks while the staff did a quick room flip behind the scenes—many of us didn’t even notice it happening. It was effortless, professional, and allowed the evening to keep its energy and momentum without missing a beat.

But what truly made the night stand out was the staff. Their service was outstanding from start to finish. The team went above and beyond with thoughtful details, kind compliments, and an energy that made everyone feel welcomed and celebrated. It was so special to see a team genuinely excited to be part of such a meaningful moment.

Breadbar is a special spot for us—our family has celebrated so many moments here over the years, and hosting our rehearsal dinner in a place that already felt like home made it all the more meaningful. A night we will cherish forever. Thank you...