RyeBelles Restaurant & Bar — Restaurant in Saint Joseph

Unfortunately the food here is fantastic. However the management is horrid, and the way they run their restaurant and how they seat people leaves a LOT to be desired from.

I called up this past weekend asking for a reso for 5 people around 6PM. The host on the phone told me that they were done taking reservations for the evening because "they wanted to save room for walk ins". So my party drove the 30 minutes to the restaurant only to be told that it was about a 45 minute wait. I asked to speak to the manager that evening, who happened to be Matt.

I told him it did not make sense to say that "we are done taking reservations for the evening so we can accommodate walk ins", and then not be able to accommodate me as a walk-in table. By me calling and reserving a table, that's guaranteeing money for the restaurant,. which should be a priority. But they were banking on walk ins wanting to come in and eat, which is always hit or miss. He told me that " we are not concerned about the money, and its not about that". From a business standpoint, that's the dumbest thing that could ever be said from anyone who works there. Businesses exist to make money and to satisfy the customers. He did nothing to try to rectify the situation or my displeasure in the experience so far. The host did not inform us of the wait over the phone. I informed him that it was very baffling for me, since I work at a successful predominant restaurant chain in Chicago and that is NOT was customer service looks like. He replied "well im happy you work for (omitted)" and then walked away.

So we went up to the rooftop to see if they were busy, and were told that it was also about a 30 minute wait for a table, even though there were 2 empty tables up there and no line by the host stand waiting to be seated.

We went back downstairs trying to figure out what to do, when we saw that the bar downstairs was completely empty. So we grabbed 5 chairs there for dinner.

So my question is, why didn't the manager suggest us sitting at the bar? Why did he not take a moment to check and see if it was empty for me when I took him aside? That would have displayed his willingness to go above and beyond for me as a customers to make sure I was happy, instead of being hostile and unwilling to resolve a conflict. What FURTHERMORE baffled me was once we sat down at the bar and ordered a drink and our meal, I saw Matt sitting across the bar from me shooting the breeze with a couple that was over there. If the restaurant was so busy that you couldn't accommodate tables and had a wait list, why was the manager over at the bar sitting down? He didn't make eye contact with us, although it was impossible to NOT see us, and he did not come over to check in on us to make sure that we were ok.

A lot is left desired from RyeBelles, and this story is unfortunately not the only complaint that I have had with them this summer. I also have been told to try the food at 221 Main. I will for sure be doing that this weekend instead of continuing to give $ to a business which is unwilling to strive for good...

I wish there was a 1/2 point on the rating scale. It would be a 4.5 overall for me. Came here today, Saturday, at 4:30 pm so it wasn’t busy yet (it got quite busy after dinner). Hostess was very friendly and so was our server. I believe his name’s Christian. Everything was good, with the exception of the appetizer, Calamari breading was light enough, but it was too salty, and the calamari itself was a tad overcooked. Pretty much every where we go, I try to order calamari because I really miss a proper Italian calamari such as the ones we had when we lived in Italy. Unfortunately, it is very rare to find a perfectly cooked calamari. The calamari here is also unique and a welcome change to the usual as it had fried lemon slices, red and green bell peppers, and banana peppers. It came with a dipping sauce, but I still prefer just a squeeze of fresh lemon juice.

I had the Walleye and it was very good, moist, flaky, and seasoned to my liking. The only downside is the numerous fish bone throughout the filet, so BEWARE of that when ordering. Moreover, the rice pilaf that it came with was a little too wet from what I’m used to. Otherwise, it tasted good. Their vegetable of the day was sautéed green beans, which was nice and crunchy.

My husband had the Beef Stroganoff and he really liked it. I had a little taste of the pasta as it looked perfectly cooked. I wasn’t wrong. He also had the Beets Salad before his main entree. It was delicious, but the quantity was quite a lot, especially if you order a main course. He couldn’t even eat half of it!

We brought our very picky young child with us. She didn’t want anything from the kids menu. She wanted only sautéed shrimp and French fries. So, we special-requested 4 sautéed tiger shrimps for her. They were happy to accommodate that request. They were bouncy and crunchy—-perfectly cooked!!

Overall, I would happily come back to this place and maybe try something else from the menu next time. I read some of the reviews on here who rave about the rooftop view. I wish today wasn’t so cold and windy to sit up there. We will definitely come back and try the...

Nestled in the the heart of breezy, clean, safe and beautiful, downtown St. Joseph, and less than a block from St. Joe's historical landmark steps on top of the bluff, rests Rybelle's. Rybelle's has easily stationed itself itself towards the top of my Top 5 Restaurants 🌎 World-Wide.

Last time I went our party of two shared 2 entrees and 1 appetizer. Our parmesean crusted Walleye 🐟 was a huge portion, and the scallops, being a delicacy, had a smaller portion. The scallops were seared perfectly, and the walleye was such a hearty portion! They are both excellent dishes that I highly recommend! The firecracker shrimp was a very large portion appetizer and had the most remarkable tangy sriracha sauce. I am a sauce afficionado. I love excellently flavored sauces, and the Rybelle chefs have that Firecracker shrimp sauce down to perfection! But all that said, the perfect crunch on every shrimp is even better than the sauce!

Our waiter, Christian H., was well-dressed, highly informed of of the ongoings of his restaurant, intelligent, helpful, and kind.  A good server really adds the sparkle to an already excellent restaurant experience - and Christian H. was just that.

But Rybelle's brings more than just excellent food.  Being a multi-levelled restaurant and rooftop bar, it feels more like being in a multi-level cruise boat dining and breezy social bar experience.  I love this restaurant.  The rooftop bar Terrace is 2nd to none for rooftop bars- frequently featuring high-quality live music, as well! 😀

PREVIOUS TIME: Tonight at Rybelle's, in my breezy hometown of St. Joe, on a warm evening, at the rooftop bar - was very pleasant. Bree, the bartendress, was great. I had the privilege of meeting, sitting, and conversing with four kind, pretty, and friendly ladies. The live musician, "St. Joe Jack" was marvelous and very talented. It was the perfect relaxing evening after a long day of travel.

Rybelle's...