Gatsby’s Saloon

It was just OK — nothing special. The atmosphere was nice, but the food and beer list were basic, and we waited quite a long time for our food, even though they weren’t really busy.

I’m in the downtown Bay City area frequently, and twice in just the past week, there have been different patrons seated at Gatsby’s outdoor patio tables openly smoking. They’re not only creating an unsafe and unpleasant environment for other diners, but are in fact breaking the law.
Michigan’s Smoke-​Free Air Law clearly and specifically prohibits smoking in outdoor dining areas. Despite being on the books since 2010, this part of the law apparently escapes enough folks that the FAQ at
has even highlighted in yellow the relevant passages that smokers and business owners prefer to ignore. Here are a few key portions for reference:
«Smoking is not allowed in any indoor area as well as outdoor areas such as patios or rooftops during periods where food, beverages, or both are prepared, served or provided to patrons. An outdoor area is an open area that is part of or adjacent to a fixed food service establishment, such as a restaurant or bar. Service includes, but is not limited to delivering or retrieving food, beverages, glassware and/​or tableware.»
As maddening as the smokers’ behavior is, the lack of action on Gatsby’s part is what prompted this post. Apparently they care more about profiting from inconsiderate law breakers than about the health and enjoyment of their other customers and those dining outside at other nearby establishments. If you check out the «What do food service establishment operators need to do to comply with this law?» section, Gatsby’s isn’t doing any of it. There aren’t conspicuous «no smoking» signs, the wait staff and management do not tell smoking customers to stop, and they certainly aren’t refusing service.

Are you kidding me? A steak dinner with 3 courses for like 13 bucks? The steak was tasty and cooked how I asked. Super juicy and the food was great! I was visiting from out of town and can’t wait to go back!

Went to this place for the first time when we visited family in Bay City. What a great place! Service was awesome and food was even better. Will be going back when we visit next.

Just ok. On the plus side, everything is pretty inexpensive — we paid $ 41 before tip for an app, 2 dinners that came with salad, a dessert, and a beer. The crab cakes had way too much Old Bay seasoning and were predominately cake. The seasoning on my salmon was bad enough that I scraped it off and the Caesar salad dressing was so sour that I only took a few bites. However, my companion enjoyed his steak and maple mashed sweet potatoes and the portions were pretty big. The atmosphere was interesting.

Very rarely do you find such a perfectly prepared meal. Tonight was one of those rare occasions. Both the surf and turf and sirloin were perfection, right down to the grilled veggies! The steaks cut like butter and tasted like heaven. The server was friendly and prompt and the atmosphere was charming. I highly recommend Gatsbys.

We stopped in for lunch on our long drive home. We thought the food was just average but good. Our server was really great. We had a pleasant experience. She was very attentive to us. It appeared she was all alone but that didn’t stop her from giving us great service.
I had the Chicken Caesar wrap and it was pretty good. My husband had the Italian Stallion and it would have been better but the bread wasn’t cooked all the way.
The atmosphere was great. It was décor from the 20’s and 30’s. The place was very warm and inviting. We would stop in again.

One of my all time favorite places to eat in Bay City. I’ve never had a bad meal. The jumbo smoked wings are unique and delicious. The wait staff is always friendly. The atmosphere is cozy and inviting.

This place was great! While in town camping we decided to try it out. After seeing the menu it looked like a good place with a well stocked menu. We were created quickly and given a booth. The food was excellent! I had the pasta and meatballs and my wife had a sandwich. We were pleased with the portions and everything had flavor. Will absolutely visit again when I’m in the area!

My husband and I love this place! The food is always wonderful and the wait staff is very friendly. I highly recommend them.

I had the Sals Pita Pizza and Sweet fries. Food was okay but the service was horrible. You could tell the waitress was not uses to a table full of people on Wednesday night. Rum and Coke was decently priced (3.25). I do not think I will be back. On to the next place!

Excellent food for very reasonable prices! I would recommend this restaurant to anyone. The staff is very friendly and the turkey burger is the best in town. Delicious!

Very affordable and delicious food. A must stop! The rations are also generous and the staff is very friendly.

Great food for a great price and the cocktails are delicious too. Love what they are trying to do with the vintage décor 1920’s feel — although perhaps they could extend this to the music they play too.
Service was lovely and friendly, perhaps the kitchen was a little slow but the food made up for it.
Will certainly be back the next time we’re in Bay City.

Good food for the price, friendly waitress, interesting atmosphere. Not one complaint from the 5 dishes we all ordered. we aren’t big fans of beef ribs in general but these had a good taste! Our bill was $ 62 and fed 5 people really well. We had a steak and ribs dinner, a chicken and ribs dinner, a ribs and shrimp dinner, a chicken Parmesan with pasta dinner, and a burger. All were very good! Would definitely recommend eating here.

Great food, and great service every time we go. I really think that the food here is great. We never wait for a table, and the service is fast and prompt. The food always tastes original. I didn’t order any alcohol, but the do have a full bar. I will be returning again and again.

This place was awful. The salad just out if a bag. My wife got a Caesar salad and she said the dressing was disgusting. I got a steak and my wife got a chicken pasta. The steak was under cooked and it came with fries. The fries must have been cooked in the same grease as fish because it had a very fish taste. The chicken was smoothered in cheese and it was supposed to have a white wine sauce. The pasta was stuck together like ramen noodles. It needed to be rinsed. The pasta had very little sauce on it. The garlic bread had no garlic on it, and it really was flavorless. As for the service, there were only two tables of people and it took forever to get drinks. Then when we did it was obvious that the soda lines for the fountain pops hadn’t been cleaned or the holder for the pop gun was never cleaned or both. The bartender took better care of us then our waitress. Overall it was a terrible experience and I can’t imagine ever going back.

Good food for the price, everything is freshly prepared when you order it. I enjoy their onions rings and their meatball subs are great. The service is nice and it’s very cozy.

Decent food and a comfortable atmosphere.
Don’t come here if you’re looking for a wide selection of beers on tap, but what they have is ice cold.
The garden salad is good… including tomato, onion, cheese, cukes, croutons and their house ranch is tasty.
The grilled chicken on the Key Largo Chicken was tasty but they put too much much sauce on the angel hair pasta.
The server was friendly. The kitchen was a bit slow.
It’s a good place to try. Be prepared on Friday nights because it gets loud!

I can appreciate what this place is trying to be… BUT it sucked! I had a lunch date with a good friend and we decided to sit outside. My friend asked the waitress if they had «Shocktop Lemon Shandy» The waitress kept repeating that they had «Lemon Shandy» but every time my friend would ask «Is it Shocktop» the waitress would just keep responding «its Lemon Shandy» She finally settled for a Blue Moon.
I ordered the Turkey Burger with Sweet Potato Fries, my friend ordered a Steak Medium Rare with Fries. We also wanted to start with the Brushetta which took forever to arrive at our table.
About 30 minutes after we finished our appetizers, our server finally came out with the Steak and Fries and my Turkey Burger minus the Sweet Potato Fries. She then explained that someone had taken my burger and she had to start all over so I would have to wait for my fries. SERIOUSLY?!!
My friend’s Steak was «Well Done» and when my fries finally arrived they were completely mushy! We had to flag down an employee to get our server so that we could inform her about the steak being cooked too long.
The service was horrible and the food was bad. Not a great choice that day!