Coral Gables — Restaurant in Saugatuck

The only reason this is getting the 5 stars is because of a staff member by the name of Nate. If it wasn’t for him it would maybe be a 1 because you can’t rate 0 stars.

We don’t get to Saugatuck area very often. The first time we went to Coral Gables was 2 years ago after visiting a beach with our infant son. We had good food and a nice waitress. This evening we went up further to visit family leaving for the military. This time we have our 2.5 year old and 11 month old with us. It had been a long day and the kids needed to eat. We called to see if they were open as it was a Sunday and it was about 6:30 ish. They said part of the building was open until 7:30 and the other part was 9 pm. So we figured we’d visit again. We got there about 7:30 exactly and there were people dining still, the door was open so we go in. I go the front and speak to the hostess/waiter at the front. We asked to dine in, and almost immediately someone from the kitchen yelled very angrily “we are closed I don’t know how they even got in the door was locked”. I said back I apologize the door was open, and I told them what we were told when we called. The waiter/hostess standing there said I got you and got ready to seat us. His name was Nate.

I can’t stress enough Nate was AMAZING!! He saved us this night. If it weren’t for him I fully believed we would have been turned away and had to find somewhere else to get our hangry toddler food. He was so helpful and fast, he repeatedly told us not to feel bad as the kitchen hadn’t turned anything off yet and was still making a to go order so it wasn’t a problem at all. He said they were just tired from being here all weekend, and eager to go home. He took the fall and waited our table for us as others were angry about it. Nate made us feel welcome when other staff didn’t.

If an owner, or manager is seeing this please know NATE was again OUTSTANDING. He is really the only reason we will consider coming back in the future. The food is only as good as the service, so while the food has been very good, it isn’t worth feeling unwelcome. Thank you for the wonderful...

Though the food was very good, we drove three hours from home to see Saugatuck (it's where my family settled in the early 1800's). We came into the restaurant, were seated, and wait for a server to come. We were asked by staff if we were helped, asked for drink order and we said that we were ready to order our food, ordered. I asked about a soup or salad and if my son could have crayons. Drinks were brought, no straws.... Got the straws ourselves. Entrees came out. I asked if the food runner where the salad and the rolls that we ordered were and was immediately snapped at. Still no silverware. Server comes to the table and asks what the problem was and I just said that I asked about the missing items. Instantly offered 10% discount or a free dessert but not answered about what I asked for. Still no silverware. Management comes to the table and told us that she was sorry the server was rude. Told her that it wasn't the server, that it was the food runner. Server came to the table and was yelled at and corrected by the manager. Told by the manager that she was going to make it right. But never returned and got the bill, drinks and rolls ordered were taken off. If the staff wouldn't have escalated the situation into such an odd experience, we would have been fine. But in the end... the manager was the most unprofessional person in the situation we had to go through and that is what made it such a horrible experience Managers should not be correcting staff in front of patrons and making excuses about staff due to age, being the manager you are to take responsibility. It's honestly too bad the service was bad, because the food...

Saugatuck/Douglas offers very limited dining options on Mondays and Tuesdays, thus we ended up here. The interior is fusty, uninspired, and old. Water was consistently dripping from the ceiling above the entrance to the bar onto the floor - no bucket, no obvious attempt to mitigate. I greeted the hostess when we approached and she said nothing - literally nothing - just picked up two menus and said ‘inside or outside?’ Once seated, our waiter, Noah, arrived promptly. He was really, really nice. Friendly, young, attentive, and generally fun, his energy was in direct juxtaposition with everything else. I ordered a glass of wine, my husband ordered a beer. Noah delivered the drinks swiftly and pleasantly. The menu is unimaginative. For lunch I ordered the crab cake appetizer and a side salad, my husband ordered a chicken salad. The two crab cakes were about the size of two flattened ping pong balls. They were served atop a wilted lettuce leaf with a dollop of sauce that looked like an afterthought. I was pleasantly surprised by the flavor but the presentation was just lazy. The salads were basic - romaine, a few cherry tomatoes, shredded cheese, rock hard, old school croutons from a bag, etc - the Midwestern predictability was almost charming. Almost. The whole experience felt very dated and pedestrian and not at all on brand with Saugatuck’s quirky, artsy charm. We are in no rush to go back.

Noah, if you’re reading this. get out of there! You’re too young and fun for the...