Blue Fish Kitchen

This is our goto bar and restaurant in Manistee. Awesome beer and wine selection, crazy good martinis. Try the Ginger Pear. Get the special… whatever it is… or the steak salad. Bread and soup are standouts too. Sit on the back deck and you may catch a freighter coming in. Too cool.

Ok. So I really like this place. I’m kind of a creature of habit. If I find a dish I like at a restaurant, I usually stick with it because I don’t want to risk something that isn’t as good as what I usually get. At the Bluefish I usually get Champagne chicken which is always very good. It comes with a risotto and veggies. Lately though, I have tried the Kassler Ripchen, which is just about the most awesome pork chop you will ever eat. I think I have had it three times now including tonight. It really is excellent, and it is not something you will find anywhere else, nor would the average bear be able to cook it at home.
First, it is locally sourced from a nearby farm, which is nice to know that it didn’t come from some massive pig factory somewhere. Then I think it is smoked because it has a lightly smoked flavor, though not too much. It is served with some incredible chutney made with apples, raisins, onions and some spices — I usually ask for extra, because it is so tasty and I want to make sure I come out even with each bite.
It is also served with potatoes and veggies. Really, really good. If you find a better pork chop, I want to know where.
The restaurant rarely looks full, although it is a pretty big place. I think that can actually hurt them because people think a restaurant has to be packed to be good. This is a small town, so to fill this building would be tough. Tonight at 6:00, there were probably 30 or so patrons. Not bad for a little town. The bar is gi-​normous and usually has a game on. The staff is always friendly.
Enjoy!

Fantastic!
My family’s new favorite place. We enjoyed an upscale lunch. Excellent service, ambience, and food.
We will be returning again and again.

Let’s compare this place to a Miami restaurant. In Miami Blue fish would be price prohibitive. In Miami Blue Fish would be packed. In Miami Blue fish the staff would treat you like dirt.
Blue Fish is a place with tremendous potential. Locally sustainable foods. A killer staff and a great menu. I can’t figure, where are the crowds. Yes, good for diners, but the chefs can knock it out here.
Pork Belly was fantastic, cheese plate was excellent and filet mignon was with au pouve Was excellent.
This is a place I’d hang out all the time, if it weren’t 2700 miles away.

Had lunch there yesterday. Walked in and was immediately greeted and taken to a table. I had a glas of water within a minute. The waitress followed up and took my order almost immediately. This is important for lunch because typically you are on a schedule. I had the penne bolognese, which I had before and it was excellent, hot and tasty. I had carrots in it which I like. It came with a salad. I chose the Caesar. The Romain was very crisp and fresh, the dressing a bit sweet for my taste, but not bad. Overall a very nice lunch experience.

Good atmosphere, but other than that nothing good about it. Too pricy for food that isn’t up to par.

Fantastic food. Really good interpretation of the food styles. The Kassler Rippchen (German style smoked pork chops) are definitely worth a try! You won’t regret it. Check the photo of my dad (who grew up in Germany eating this) to see the proof!
Great ambiance and Sean, our server, handled our table of 14 (8 kids) with aplomb!

Waking in to this restaurant the visuals are very nice; high cellings and a rustic yet modern feel. It took a few minuets till someone greeted us and sat us at our table. The waitress was not very noligbal of the drink and food menu. The fall drinks that our table ordered lacked in flavor and and mixology. We weren’t sure who was the bartender during our time there though, everyone from our server to the host who sat us made drinks. On the other hand I have no complaints about the food; every thing was presented very well and had a good combination of flavors. Hats of to the chef.
Minus the fact that our server was a hovering mother on her child’s first day of school this restaurant was okay.

Everything we ate here was delicious. The sausage and polenta appetizer was amazing. So what’s the soup of the day, which was the corn chowder with sausage and a creamy base. For entrées, I had the lemon scented pan seared perch. It was fresh and very tasty, served with great sautéed vegetables and risotto. Hubby had the black and white fish served with the same size. His was also delicious. Service was friendly and fast, without any obtrusiveness. We sat on the back patio, which overlooks the river. A lovely setting. Highly recommend this place.

A tourist trap. Over priced for what you get. The risotto tastes like kraft instant out of a box. Very disappointed.

Terrible customer service, awkwardly quiet outdoor seating. You’ll get bread and butter 20+ minutes after being seated and good luck if you’d like a refill on water.

I admit to being initially biased against this place when I opened the menu and saw a $ 35 fish and ramen special. What a gouge! But the lemon perch with risotto changed my mind. Delicately flavored fish, coated in a light cornmeal crumb – delicious! This is one of the best dishes on the menu, and it’s under $ 20 to boot. Clearly others love it too, as there are many of photos of it here on Unilocal.
It’s nice to see downtown Manistee bustling with businesses like this, but it’s definitely on the far upper end of the Manistee price point.

Excellent ambiance, and very classy. Price was higher than I expected based on Unilocal classifications. Came in for a lighter dinner, and was extremely disappointed that the waiter had no interest in providing good service.

Wow! 10 plus experience! We rented top part of restaurant with 21 people with full bar and piano! Paige and Andrew were professional and fast servers! Food moved quickly when needed and paused for presentation! We live in Los Angeles and hosted grandmas 80^th birthday! Could not have flowed any better! Food was terrific and NOBODY complained! (Rare in our family!) We’ll be back same time next year!

This was a good spot and a pleasant quality dining experience for what we were expecting in Manistee (please don’t be offended, Manistee).
Local flavors — good fish. We enjoyed the pork belly appetizer very much. I had the seared whitefish which was perfect. My daughter had the stuffed trout which was good too (she devoured the ‘stuffin’ of gnocchi and spinach, which is a surprise since she usually goes straight to the ‘meat’).
My wife had the scallops which were tasty. I think the chef was extra cautious about over cooking the scallops because the tops could’ve used a little more sear. Good sides, good drinks (a local ‘grapefruit’ brew, a wine, and a root beer).
Excellent view! If it had been a few degrees warmer, we definitely would’ve sat outside on the deck. We LOVED the décor inside the restaurant and the flexibility the hostess showed in catering to our table request (we didn’t have a reservation). Well done.

The place has nice finishes and looks expensive. The food was awesome and reasonable priced.
I had the grilled sausage hogie. Fantastic flavor and has a unique slaw. My wife had a bbq sandwich with a cherry bbq sauces. Again fantastic!
Sit on the deck during th summer for a warm breeze.
I want to come back!

I like the Blue Fish more and more every time I go. The atmosphere is beautiful — definitely classy for Manistee. You get a view of the river, the bar is big enough, the bathrooms are nice and clean, and everything just looks right.
The food and service when they first opened weren’t AMAZING, but they have come a long way. I recently just had the tomato basil soup and a house smoked salmon salad and the flavors were spot on — I couldn’t stop eating!
They have a small, but quality wine selection for the right price.
We usually go to Blue FIsh at least once while we’re in Manistee. Nice spot to class it up.

I really love this place. I eat here regularly and the food is great — consistent and tasty and always something new on special.
Today I ordered something and for the first time ever, sent it back. What makes the difference between good restaurants and great restaurants is how the kitchen and the servers handle a snafu. The bartender, a server and the chef all apologized profusely, brought me more food and were consummate professionals. I love this place and this is why I will always come back!

I stumbled upon this fabulous restaurant while driving through Manistee Michigan on vacation. Stopped at a stoplight on the highway, I looked to the left where a historic riverfront district on the Pere Marquette River beckoned. I’m so glad I visited because I found Blue Fish Kitchen and had an amazing meal.
The restaurant is huge, situated in a restored riverfront building. It’s almost two places in one. One the left is a charming period dining room with linen tables, upholstered chairs and the feel of a bygone ballroom era.
One the right it’s purely contemporary, industrial open ceilings, a modern open staircase and high ceilings. Open bar and tables.
I was seated at a table overlooking the river and started with the appetizer, salmon crostini. Who makes house — smoked salmon? This place. It’s absolutely unlike anything store-​bought, tender, moist and delicately flavored.
It was almost a meal in an of itself, but next I had the pan — seared tilapia, dusted with cornmeal and served with seasonal zucchini and a bed of risotto. Perfectly prepared, delicious and beautiful to behold.
I was on vacation after all, so I treated myself to dessert — a slice of dense and fudgy flourless chocolate cake. I can still taste the fresh raspberry sauce served on the side as I write this. I had the meal a month ago!
Meals this good are hard to come by. A meal like this while on vacation? Icing on the cake!

Wow Manistee!!!
This is a big city restaurant in a sweet small town in Michigan with extremely fresh ingredients, on a great menu with a really nice staff and urban interior.
This will be my regular stop when in the area.
Great job!