Bluefish Kitchen + Bar — Restaurant in Manistee

We were on a quick visit to the area (with our canine companion). Asked several of the business employees for a dining recommendation. Bluefish was #1. I went in to ask if they allowed dogs on the patio, they did. The hostess was wonderful, seating us quickly, after this, the service was horrible. We waited about 10 minutes before a waitress came to take our drink order. When she brought the drinks, we were asked if we were ready to order. We had not been given menus. The table across from us then handed us theirs. The waitress just laughed and walked away. We ordered entrees and I ordered an appetizer, which was brought to us fairly quickly. Then we waited for our dinner...and waited...and waited. There were people seated well after us who were receiving their entrees already. The waitress came to the table a couple times, commenting they were really busy inside and shouldn't be much longer. It was starting to get dark and chilly, we didn't expect to be there after it got dark. After well over an hour of excuses and waiting, my boyfriend went inside to find our waitress and asked to speak with the manager and asked to have our dinners put in to go containers. He (the manager) came out saying it takes a long time to prepare and saute the whitefish (What? It was blackened whitefish, a simple prep, or so I thought) then apologized, saying he would compensate us for having to wait so long. The waitress came out after him with our food and bill, very rude and with an attitude because we complained about how long it was taking. We paid cash so we wouldn't have to wait any longer. We did eat the food for lunch the next day and it was very good. Too bad the service was so bad. We will...

First I’d like to say we were told about your restaurant from some business friends over here in Onekama. We drove over today and walked thru town and on our way back decided to stop in to grab early dinner, and were Immediately greeted by a wonderful hostess that’s been there for 3 years. It was a little too sunny to sit on the patio so she guided us to the bar, laid down menus and said enjoy! Menus in place my wife came from the restroom she sat down and a few minutes went by with several people walking by but not one said hello? A female bartender started to lay down menus and had noticed the Hostess did her job she gave them back to the hostess and walked away! At this point I am baffled how such a beautiful establishment could hire a bartender like this? She didn’t say hi, hold tight I will be right back, how’s your day, nothing? 1 maybe 2 people at the bar rail. This is a HUGE problem across the country not just at your restaurant. This kids have either not been trained properly or there is a disconnect some where with Customer Service Standards. We ended up leaving telling the hostess she was great at her Job….her coworkers dropped the ball. It’s our 2nd anniversary and probably would have spent a couple hundred bucks...

The Bluefish, positioned right on the river in Manistee is an interesting place. We were seated outside on the porch with a beautiful view of the river and even caught a glimpse of a cool freighter coming down the channel while we were eating. That said, I personally didn't enjoy my food. I got the Chicago steak, which was flavorful, but cold in the middle still. The sides were either overcooked or had far too much seasoning for my liking. My friend got the whitefish and found it to still be raw in the middle. I might be willing to give them another chance someday though, as perhaps the cook was just having an off day. The restaurant was packed, which tells me that they likely have good food, we may have just chosen poorly. You'll spend a bit of money on their dishes, so be sure to bring your wallet as they're a bit pricey. I would recommend trying them for yourselves and see what you think. The wait staff is excellent and friendly at least, and they have a good selection of top shelf alcohol to choose from. Though I was underwhelmed, I wouldn't write them...