Longstory Wine Bar & Restaurant — Restaurant in Three Oaks Township

I tried to find a direct way to share feedback with the restaurant via their website or social media, but couldn’t find one—so I’m leaving my thoughts here.

I grew up in New Buffalo and come back a few times a year to visit family. I’ve been wanting to try Longstory since it opened and decided to finally make it my choice for a belated birthday dinner. The location is great—tucked just off Main Street—and the renovation and design are beautifully done. We were greeted promptly and seated right away, which set a nice tone for the evening.

The food itself was solid—on par with other good restaurants in the area—but I felt the seasoning could use more depth. The dishes were beautifully presented and satisfying, but could benefit from a touch more spice or richness. My mushroom sandwich, for example, relied heavily on the cheese for flavor, which didn’t quite balance out the dish. That said, the rest of my group enjoyed their meals, and the wine selection was excellent.

Where the evening really fell short was service. Our server was polite but seemed focused more on cleaning and closing than on caring for our table. We arrived around 7:30, and throughout the meal, beverage refills and follow-ups were rare. At one point, she even came to the table while eating something herself, which was surprising. An order was also missed, and although she apologized several times, the dish didn’t arrive until everyone else had finished eating—and by then, we were ready to leave. We took it to go, but it felt like the situation should have been handled by a manager.

Overall, the space and menu have great potential, and I’d come back for a glass of wine at the bar. But based on this visit, I’m hesitant to return for a full dinner. Hopefully this was just an off night, because I really want to see this place live up to...

Our very first and probably last visit. We made reservations for 4 and drove 90 minutes to eat here because we had heard it was worth the drive. We walk in and there’s 40 or more people crowded around the bar making it almost impossible to get to the back of the restaurant where the tables are. It was so loud we couldn’t even have a conversation once we got seated. And then there were the flies. There were SO many flies we were constantly swatting them away the entire time. Now for the food. My wife ordered the chicken shawarma and it comes with a side of pita bread. The shawarma came but the pita did not. I had to ask for the pita bread 3 times! And by the time it finally came we were almost finished with our meal and the chicken was cold. We ordered dirty martini but it was so loud that our server thought we said double martini. We had to ask a manager to take it off our tab and she wasn’t apologetic or friendly. She made us feel like it was our fault. Oh, and the shrimp and noodles? Don’t bother. Zero flavor or seasoning. Tasted like something you would get at Applebees on the kids menu. Something drastic would have to change for us...

Longstory is a true gem of a restaurant. I love the interior design. It is simple, artful, elegant without being pretentious. The lighting and overall ambiance is soothing to my senses.

I have many food intolerances and have not been able to eat in restaurants for five years. At Longstory I found dishes I could have. The halibut is so amazingly delicious, moist and very well spiced that I had it two days in a row.

There are many healthy choices for vegetarians as well as carnivores. My halibut was on my request cooked in olive oil instead of butter without any problem.

Service is excellent.

A theme of stories, books runs through the restaurant from artful vintage books wall display to book exchange library to receiving checks inside a book and being able to write comments inside them.

Friday evenings are especially lively at Longstory with its cocktail hour. Longstory is a gathering place for the locals and visitors alike. We are not from the area but felt welcomed and at home.

This restaurant is very unique and a true gift to the community of Three Oaks and Harbor County. A must visit if you are...