Principle Food and Drink — Restaurant in Kalamazoo

Definitely and easily the best food I've had in Kalamazoo. Everything was incredibly delicious, brilliantly executed and fairly priced for the quality.

I ordered the grilled broccoli, caponata toast, lamb ragu and the banana cream tart. I also got to try the roasted beets, oishii shrimp, biscuits and peanut butter banana split from my fiancé's plate.

I really can't pick a favorite here, the flavors are incredible without being overwhelming or violently salted. Whoever made this menu really knows how to elevate a dish.

The grilled broccoli comes with a spicy sauce and some chopped nuts - spicy but not too spicy. The caponata was out of my safety zone but I'm glad I took the risk, it was yummy and had great portion size. I really could have just ordered 1 app with a main and been satisfied, personally.

The lamb ragu was incredibly cozy. I had expected a red sauce but it was a white sauce with delicious chickpeas, celery, and house made papparadelle noodles in some kind of broth.

The dessert was so creative and really made me smile, just an adorable, refreshing dish. Who knew banana and mint go so well together?

As for my fiancé's dishes, the shrimp really blew me away. The sauce is just out of this world delicious. He loved the peanut butter gelato the most and we both enjoyed the biscuits.

Our server was super kind and thoughtful as I would expect from a place of this caliber. She even asked us if we wanted all the dishes out together or separately. Love that she gave us the option, I honestly think this is the first place I've been to that actually asks and I really appreciate the gesture.

The decor is perfectly intimate, lots of dark wood, the music is just the right volume and taste, and the bar is very inviting and warm. Love the servers uniforms as well, very sophisticated without being stuffy or staunch.

Looking out from the inside, I thought the tables were too tight together, but upon seating I was proved wrong and it was quite spacious with comfortable seating. I didn't hear a peep from the conversations on either side of us and we were able to have a nice intimate conversation without fuss.

Highly recommend this place to anyone for date night or just an awesome meal in general. It was so delicious we didn't even take a breath to reach for our phones to take pics, so what does that tell you? This is very high quality food and flavors at a reasonable price and I mean, what's not to love about that?

If you need a place to park, there's a big lot down the road on the left hand side a little bit past the theater. It's roughly a 2-3 block...

Principle is my husband and I’s favorite restaurant in Kalamazoo for a variety of reasons. We have visited several times over the years with a wonderful experience every time.

The food is delicious and cooked to perfection every time. I know the menu is smaller, but I believe this helps Principle to focus on creating high-quality meals each time. I enjoy getting the market fish with their seasonal spin on it—usually it’s some sort of salmon fish with an in-season vegetable.

The drinks are probably the best part about Principle. The menu is expansive, the bartenders are very knowledgeable and willing to make anything for you, and the drinks are also presented in such a beautiful way with dried fruits, smoked pieces of wood, etc. Even while pregnant, I’ve enjoyed delicious, beautiful mocktails from Principle!

The atmosphere is so dark and moody, and I absolutely love it. It gives a classic, speakeasy-ish vibe. There’s a very small lounge downstairs with intimate seating, and my husband and I have enjoyed sitting down in that area a few times.

We’ve also had superb service each time. I think one thing they could do is provide an additional “elevated experience” for special occasions like anniversaries, birthdays, etc. by providing a more private and nicer experience downstairs (though it’s already excellent as is). They could provide a linen wrapped table downstairs, candles/flowers, and other complimentary items as part of an elevated experience for a fee. I would totally book it!

Make sure you book a reservation as Principle isn’t too large and books up quickly. The wait can be long for walk-ins, especially on the weekends in summer. It is definitely worth the wait though, or at least grab a cocktail if you end up getting dinner somewhere else. This restaurant is a...

First off I would like to say that Principle is and has been our go-to restaurant in Kalamazoo since we moved here 8 years ago. We are always pleased with the unique menus, service and quality of food and drinks. The prices are reasonable for the quantity and quality of the food. Last night was a slightly different story. Our server, Alex, was great and attentive to our needs. When the drinks took an excessively long time to be delivered, she not only corrected the order for how my husband prefers his Manhattan, but she also took the charge for the appetizer off our bill without us asking. Kudos to her, and honestly we weren't that worried about it, the bartenders were clearly busy. However, the entree my husband ordered was AWFUL. He got the Butternut Ravioli which was described as served with kale, mushrooms and sage. What came out was ravioli that tasted like pure brown sugar. It was sweeter than many desserts, and I'm not sure how that qualifies as an entree, especially when brown sugar was not mentioned on the menu. It was a big bummer, because it looked delicious, and if it had savory, I'm sure it would have been. The menu either needs to indicate that it is a VERY sweet entree or have brown sugar listed as a first ingredient. Again, Alex took care of it with the bill and also said she would be sure to let other patrons know when they ordered it. My scallops were wonderful. We will be back, but thought it was worth mentioning that this particular menu item does not fit...