Pelletier's Restaurant & Fish Boil — Restaurant in Town of Gibraltar

I took my wife up to Door County this year, it was her very first time visiting! Of course the Number One thing on my list of things for her to do and experience was a good, old-fashioned Door County fish boil. I had no idea where we should go for the experience, but after doing a bit of research, decided on Pelleteir's. It was the first time visiting for the both of us. So I called up the restaurant, made the necessary reservations. I do believe reservations are mandatory for the fish boil itself, so do make sure to call ahead, and follow their instructions as given. Very important.

Now a fish boil is exactly what it sounds like: a bunch of fresh caught Lake Michigan white fish are cleaned and cut up, then dumped into a giant kettle full of boiling water, as it's sitting on a wood fire outdoors. But before the fish are placed in the kettle, whole onions and potatoes are dumped in first due to their longer cooking time. The night I was there, they also were boiling corn on the cob! The only seasoning used is salt, and when the meal is served, melted butter.

You would think that watching a bunch of veggies and fish cooking in a giant kettle would be rather boring, but restaurant owner & boil master Matthew Peterson does a fantastic job explaining the cooking process, the sources of the food, and the history of the fish boil in that part of Wisconsin. Of course the best part of the process is final part: when the fish and veggies are done, about a quart of fuel oil is poured on the fire, creating a giant fireball, and causing the kettle to boil over. As the water spills out of the kettle, the oil and impurities of the fish go right with it, into the fire. Simple, but very effective. Now dinner is served!

Even though it's a very simple meal of boiled white fish, boiled veggies, and cole slaw, I was pleasantly surprised how much I enjoyed it. But don't fret if you have a non-fish eater in your party, as Pelleteir's has a full menu of other options, with something on it for every taste; very thoughtful and effective.

Do be aware that the boiled white fish are just big chunks of fish, NOT fillets, and there will be bones in the meat. However, it's a relatively simple process of finding the backbone, and removing it, as the fish is very tender. As your remove the backbone, all the other bones will come out with it.

I really loved and enjoyed the food and the atmosphere of Pelleteirs, and found the service to be wonderful. I highly recommend this place to any first time visitor to Door County, as it's part of the fun of visiting, and they do an excellent job taking care of their customers.

HIGHEST...

In the first 15 minutes of the fish boil experience at this place I was ready to give it 2 stars, but the friendly staff and excellent food turned me around. This is the first Door County Fish Boil I've been to and I'm happy to say it was an overall success. I think the key to enjoying this place is expectation management and understanding the process.

The reason for a one star reduction and my initial disappointment comes from the way the restaurant is laid out. We had a reservation (something I highly suggest) and were greeted by a "hostess" of sorts. The "hostess" gave us our tickets(?) and quickly explained that we could grab a drink from the bar and go outside to watch the fish boil process. We went to the bar and asked to open a tab. The "bar-tender" looked at us like we had two heads and told us that that's not something that they do(?) and that our waitress(?) would take care of us. This is where our confusion ended as we realized that part of this experience was watching the food prep and cook and then finding a seat to eat. This may seem simple but, hey, it was my first fish boil and if the "hostess" would have taken 1 minute to explain the whole process to us it would have saved some frustration on my part.

The cook doing the actual fish boil was friendly and knowledgeable. If someone asked him a question he would stop what he was doing to answer in a friendly manner. The actual cooking process was very enjoyable and I recommend hanging out to watch.

The food was surprisingly tasty. White fish is not the known for it's flavor and the process of boiling is not one of the most flavor enhancing cooking methods but there is lemon, salt, pepper, and dill (recommended by the chef) on the tables for extra flavoring. The fish are fresh and caught in the bay daily. The are served with the bones still in but this adds to the experience in my opinion. If you don't like fish or have a hard time with bone-in fish then skip this Door County classic experience and save us all your ridiculous comments complaining about obvious things that you should have known...

This is my first time dining there. This place is a dog friendly establishment, which is nice. The only part I like about my experience is the fish boil demonstration they have on their outdoor patio. The food was average, but the customer service is terrible. I ordered one of my order to-go because they couldn't guarantee if they have enough space for us to sit on the patio. When I checked in for my reservation, the lady told me the server would bring the food to our table, but it is best to wait for the to-go order at the check-out counter. While they made the food, I went out to the patio to see the fish boil demonstration. When I went back in to check if the to-go order is ready, the chubby girl with the long curly brown hair (different server) gave me attitude!! Without saying anything, she snatched my tickets away. After a few minutes, she came out with all my orders (including the dine-in orders) in to-go boxes and bags. Seeing how busy they were, I didn't want to check my food at the counter, so I grabbed the food and went out to see if my orders were correct. They gave me 3 pieces of toasts, which I didn't order. And they forgot to give me my drinks. When I went back in there again to confirm my order with the girl, she just said "Everything is in the bag. Take it and leave!" All I got the chance to say was "I think you gave me the wrong order." I didn't even get the chance to ask for my drinks or tell her I didn't order toast!!! Another family member went back in to ask for the drinks. This is not an acceptable way to treat a customer, let alone a FIRST TIME customer. I felt this is an act of racial discrimination. She treated me like that just because I'm not white like her. I didn't see her treat other customers like that. This girl should be fired!!!! Seeing how busy they were, I didn't want to make a scene. Because of the treatment I received, I WILL NOT come back to dine at the...