The Vierling Restaurant & Marquette Harbor Brewery — Restaurant in Marquette

This is absolutely the place to go if you’re visiting Marquette. Recommended by all the locals as an experience spot, it truly is in the view from the restaurant. That said:

Upon arrival, I was walked past by the hostess without being greeted several times. Another party that came after me was attempted to be seated before I let her know I was ready to be seated. When I asked to sit near the windows with a view, I was asked how many people were in my party—I answered just myself—and then was asked if I had a reservation—I said no. She then declined to seat me in the upper area with a view without explanation. It was super off-putting. When I asked her if I needed a reservation to sit up there she said no, and then immediately started with a condescending attitude while I kindly and patiently asked several questions—because I WANTED to sit with a view and NEEDED the information so I could return another time and get it. After several attempts to get the answer that you do NOT need a reservation and that the area was just full with already made reservations, I accepted a seat available—with the intention to return on another day to get the view and an alternate menu item that is highly recommended (the Whitefish Bites appetizer). The hostess rolled her eyes at me as she walked away—I saw though I’m sure she didn’t think I would.

My server Marissa came to my table shortly after being seated and she patiently described the differences in the style of each whitefish entree as well as the special option of such. She was exceptionally friendly, attentive during my visit, and checked back to make sure everything was to my liking—this is service!

The food:

I ordered the whitefish picatta with a baked potato (green beans come with the meal). The baked potato was perfectly baked—not overdone like many restaurants and not underdone. It would have been nice if I didn’t have to open tiny individual packages of butter that came swimming in the butter sauce from the fish—that was messy. That little thing could easily be avoided by serving butter in the same small container that serves the sour cream. The green beans were obviously fresh, but overcooked (but not completely soggy). The whitefish was good. It appeared that I was served a smaller serving than other reviews, but it was actually the perfect amount of fish for me—still a lot of fish—I ate it all. The capers were perfect on it, two lemon wedges would have made it perfect (it was served with one).

Overall, it was a good dinner with a fair price point for both the VERY FRESH fish and the mediocre rest of the presentation of food. I would say definitely DO go but make a reservation so you can get the view along with...

Four friends from Kansas University Law School and an internationally known author and his wife, who happen to live in Marquette, met for a Friday-night dinner in September 2025. Earlier that day we all did our book shopping at Snowbound Books on Third Street, and followed that visit by dining at The Vierling. As other reviewers have noted, the place is busy, and reservations are recommended. And as others have noted, the food is very good.

Around our table we had soup (the whitefish chowder (cup, $5.75) came out piping hot – perfect with a dash of black pepper and Tabasco), some salads (gluten free, $5) – I wished someone would order the whitefish bites, but not this time.

While all of us had dined at Vierling in the past, this was the first time our group was seated in the space immediately adjacent to the bar, accessed through a walkway. The space includes what looks like a still for beer or spirits, and impressive and imposing sight. We arrived at 5:30 p.m., when the space was empty, so sound levels were good. By 6:30 sound levels went up, probably due to our own conversations as well as those around us.

Three of us ordered the locally sourced whitefish (grilled & lightly seasoned, $21); others ordered the grilled salmon ($21), and the beer-battered cod basket ($16.75). Those of us with room left after the entrée shared servings of chocolate peanut butter pie ($6.50, with a crushed Oreo crust, whipped peanut butter filling and fudge ganache top).

Service was prompt, friendly, and everyone’s order was filled without flaw. We tend to talk a lot, and I think we probably overstayed our reservation when our host explained, at close to 8:30 p.m., that the table had been reserved for another seating that evening. Our host was courteous and diplomatic, and I’m glad she spoke up, as we really did occupy the space for close to three hours on a very busy Friday night. Hope to do it again next time we’re all in Marquette, but maybe be a bit more mindful of the length...

My husband, daughter, and I went to this restaurant after a day of hiking, and we were very excited for some good food based on the reviews. We were greeted by an awesome team of hostesses, and really felt the service was very warm and kind. However, the food was an utter disappointment. We started with nachos which were fine but really how much can you mess up nachos? After that we had pesto pasta and we had the veggie black bean burger. The pesto pasta was dry and the tortellini was over cooked and there was no taste whatsoever- I could have made better pasta with the pesto and tortellini you get from Costco. The garlic bread was burnt on the side. And then the black bean burger? Don’t even get me started. I’m pretty sure I could’ve made it better if I took a frozen patty and laid it out in the sun for a day to dry. It was honestly the worst food I’ve had in a long time which was very disappointing because we went out for a nice meal with the family on vacation after a long day. Overall, I really think again the hostesses were absolutely wonderful but please hire new stuff or teach them how to cook pasta and black bean burgers better. I’m sorry- I hate to be rude- but really, this food was absolutely terrible and very disappointing. Maybe the fish and meat dishes are good? I can’t comment because we are vegetarian. Drinks-wise we had the blueberry wheat and stout- both were fine but nothing to write home about. Again, waiting staff was great and definitely the best part of...