Brennan's Fish House - Grand River, OH — Restaurant in Grand River

Stopped for lunch at Brennan's Fish House at 102 River Street in Grand River, Ohio. There is plenty of free parking at Brennan's Fish House. My wife and I stop here a couple times a year when we visit nearby Headlands Beach State Park. Today, I was in the area on business and opted to have a solo lunch at Brennan's Fish House. Today is a rainy spring afternoon. When I arrived, there was lunch crowd of customers finishing their lunches. Even post lunch time, there was a steady stream of customers. The staff is friendly and helpful and the portions are large and tasty. The saying, "You get what you pay for" is true at Brennan's Fish House. Again, great tasting food in large portions with great service for a price - a fair price. I started with a bowl of Clam Chowder. The Chowder was so good and tasty. The Chowder comes with a packet of Oyster Crackers and a large bread basket. The bread basket has a variety of breads. I had a beverage of unsweetened ice tea. They have a full bar plus a selection of beer and wine, too. I followed the Chowder with Brennan's Fish House's Yellow Perch Sandwich. YUMMY. Three excellent tasting pieces of Yellow Perch served on a round bun. I ordered the sandwich with 'The Works' - lettuce, tomato, onion and pickles. 'The Works' comes with an additional fee. A container of tartar sauce comes with the sandwich so you can add tartar sauce to taste. As a side, with an additional fee, I ordered the 'half' order of hand-cut fries. There are a lot of fries in the 'half' order. The condiments on every table consist of Malt Vinegar, ketchup, hot sauce, salt & pepper. I knew my wife would be mad at me for going solo to Brennan's Fish House. Brennan's bake their pies and cakes on-site. My wife is in love with their Coconut Cream Pie. Of course, I ordered her a slice of Coconut Cream Pie to-go. "Happy wife, Happy life." We almost always share our desserts. Except Brennan's Fish House's Coconut Cream Pie. The first time, on a previous visit, when I reached out with a fork for a small taste of HER Brennan's Fish House's Coconut Cream Pie I almost lost my hand and did not get a taste. Today, I ordered a second slice of pie to-go for myself. The atmosphere of Brennan's Fish House is great - plenty of nautical items and pictures are mounted on the walls and the ceiling. Fun to look around while you enjoy your meal. There is seating at the bar. There are several distinct eating areas with various size tables. The restaurant is very clean. The staff clear the tables quickly since there is a continuous stream of customers coming in to Brennan's. The Men's room is clean. The staff do not wear face masks - March, 2022. Most diners do not come in wearing...

Disappointing Experience at Brennan's Fish House.

My recent visit to Brennan's Fish House, while offering some bright spots, ultimately fell short of expectations, leading to a 2-star overall experience.

On the positive side, the Crab Cakes, Cajun Catfish, and Frog Legs were genuinely tasty. The core flavor of these dishes themselves was quite enjoyable. However, several significant issues detracted from the meal.

The portions were noticeably limited, leaving us wanting more, especially with the delicious frog legs. More critically, the frying quality was poor and lacked any discernible flavor, which significantly impacted the overall taste profile of the dishes. It seemed to add nothing but greasiness rather than a complementary crispness or seasoning.

Adding to the disappointment was the service. Despite tipping VERY generously, our waitress seemed disengaged and unfamiliar with the menu and its offerings. This lack of knowledge made the service feel unpolished and detracted from the dining experience.

While the inherent taste of the main dishes had potential, the combination of limited quantity, subpar frying, and uninformed service made for a less than exceptional visit. I had certainly hoped for more.

[EDIT]

Hi Tim,

Thank you for your response and for taking the time to address my feedback.

I appreciate hearing that you strive to check on tables and would have made an effort to rectify the situation if we had brought it to your attention during our visit.

However, the issues we experienced, particularly with the consistent frying quality and the disengaged service, felt like fundamental aspects of the dining experience that should ideally be consistent regardless. We were hoping for a smooth and enjoyable meal without needing to interrupt it to address multiple significant concerns.

My review was an honest reflection of our experience on that particular day, and I believe the overall rating may be harsh but, it accurately conveys the visit we had. I hope my feedback can still be helpful for future...

Baked haddock basically dried fish. Shrimp scampi slimy. Told we didn’t bring it to their attention soon enough and had eaten some (a few bites). You judge whether we ate it all as the manager asserts.

Tim, We raised issue to server and manager when we stood up from the table and sought her out. We eat out a lot at seafood places in Florida so we know seafood; we also fish a lot and cook it ourselves. Wife has worked and run restaurants her whole life. I waited tables as seafood restaurants in Rhode Island and cooked for a hospital for a decade. We understand what right looks like. The manager made an incorrect judgment that too much had been eaten based on her view that the shrimp had been removed from the shell; the pictures of the baked haddock make it clear that none of it was eaten. This was a table of 11 (3 checks), and due to food allergies the server was asked many questions and found answers to all (good service). Of the 11, only the shrimp and haddock were problems. The restaurant got busy at 5:45 so server was less attentive after taking our orders. Wait of 50 minutes to receive order. I had to ask the gentleman who brought the food out for a water, my ice tea never got a refill. Shrimp was not good (slimy) and brother in law opened them just looking for a good one. Haddock was bone dry. Attempted to wave down server to let her know but could not get her attention. Was with a family who had been coming to Brennan’s since it opened and have lived in Fairport Harbor their whole life (they are 77 and 78 years old). They were embarrassed because Brennan’s has been their favorite place forever. Managers offer was a couple deserts as we were walking out. Hope this helps you sort this...