The Butler

Visited with a friend for lunch. I ordered the Fish n’ Chips which turned out to be the best of the 2 items. My friend ordered the Smothered Chicken with Mushrooms and crab. This came with a salad and vegetable which the server advised was Asparagus. She asked for her dressing on the side and the salad to be put in the microwave for 10 seconds. The salad arrived crisp adorned with the dressing (not on the side as requested). When the entrée arrived it had a mashed assortment of kale and other vegetables and the server advised that there was a mixup in the kitchen and did she still want the asparagus? Yes, please. She started to try to eat the chicken and it was so dried out she could barely cut it. We attracted the server and told her and she just took it away. We wondered what was going to happen next. The waitress reappeared and asked did she want something else on the menu, so a cheese burger without the bun was ordered. We were advised that it came with chips and she requested the asparagus instead of the chips that came with it, which still had not arrived from the entrée. The next thing to arrive was the asparagus and shortly after that the burger, with chips, arrived. It had 2 pieces of cold unmelted cheese on top of it and the condiments on a separate small plate. The server stopped back to check and removed the condiment plate before the burger was finished. When the bill arrived she had been charged for the salad, the asparagus and the burger. When we questioned the server she said she would send over the manager who basically said you ate them so pay for them.
I must say this is the worst restaurant experience I have had in a very long time. The management seemed indifferent to customer service and never apologized for the bad entrée or our experience. We won’t return. There are plenty of other places to eat in the Saugatuck/​Douglas area.

Great atmosphere. Sat at a window table overlooking the lake. Visiting the area with my son from Brooklyn, NY. We each ordered a cheddar cheese burger. He ordered the onion rings, and I ordered the Butler fries. Food was fabulous! Burgers were cooked perfectly to our desired doneness. Fries and onion rings perfect.
Special shoutout to our lovely waitress Abby. She was very attentive and friendly. Elderly woman at next table complained about what she was being charged for every bite she certainly enjoyed. This woman stiffed our lovely young waitress who had clearly explained to her exactly what would be charged for the items she ordered.
People. PLEASE TIP YOUR WAITSTAFF! You have an issue with the cost of your meal, don’t take it out on the server!
I will return when next I visit the area!

The fish tacos were great but not quite the taste of those from The Dock in Naples, FL. Great chicken Marsala.

Nice views and good food can be found here while in Saugatuck. We ate here and found the staff pleasant and the food fresh and well prepared. Seems they call Crayfish «Lobster» tho as that was what was in my «Lobster Mac n Cheese» … The Walleye (a local favourite,) was tasty as heck too! Decent prices and good drinks too!

We’ve been coming here for the last 4 summers and always found it comfortable, with friendly staff and simple fare. The food is simple which means it is diner style food and not gourmet, artisanal or hand crafted. All that is fine. But lately the quality of the menu and ingredients has been going down. The last meal there was disappointing and a bit too greasy.
But the most disappointing aspect was not the food but the gruffness, lack of appreciation and general lack of customer focus of one of the owners. This evening, the AC was very chilly so we opened a window to even things out a bit. He came over to slam the window shut. It would have been so nice if he asked how we were doing, or if he could be of service, but instead he was gruff and not friendly. He did turn down the AC which I am thankful for. But he could have achieved the same goal AND not alienated a regular customer. Too bad, but it’s time to take a break from the Butler. Hopefully Mr Phelps won’t be sharing his vast charm with others any time soon.

Sat out on the deck on a sunny afternoon. The drinks were good, however the spinach artichoke dip was lackluster and the Cherry walnut salad seemed like it was missing something. It was a great afternoon, but next time I’ll be ordering differently.

Airport food at airport prices.
The «view» doesn’t justify the price points either. Almost everything is deep fried and the rest is from a big box supply company.

Good burgers love the outdoor deck the wait staff are very friendly and always come back to check on you. Plenty of room for People on the deck and eating inside the restaurant.

Food: Sizzler-​Great steak! If you like pepper you will enjoy the seasoning! The baked potato and Texas toast on the side was absolutely delicious too!
Atmosphere: Relaxed, warm atmosphere. we sat by the window in the evening and were able to enjoy the boats coming and going.
Service: great! Attentive, friendly, kind, and made sure we had everything we needed.
We absolutely recommend this restaurant! We hope to go back for lunch before we leave town.

Why do people bad rap this place…
IT IS WHAT IT IS… IF U DON’T LIKE IT, SAY SO… AND MOVE ON…
NOW TO MY REVIEW…
We like this place… We can always count on the consistent food quality and great cocktail’s…usuall sit at the bar and have a drink and appetizer, then sit it dining room for lunch or dinner… Sitting in their restraunt always reminds me of being in the new england towns that i have visited… Keep up the good work BUTLER!!!

Someone please! Buy the Butler. Gut it. Get rid of the Gordon Food Service and Sysco food. Make it amazing! I had the clam chowder. It was good. I had the most disgusting, fatty, overcooked steak I have ever attempted to eat. The legendary Butler sizzler.
The «demi-​glacé» had actually gelled and there were canned mushrooms in it. It came with a baked potato. How can you screw that up? Love the little packets of butter and sour cream — classy. My daughter had a salad right out of a bag and GFS chicken tenders. This place is on an amazing piece of property. So sad.

Nice location not the best food. I ordered grilled chicken. Not sure what kind of chicken it was. Very rubbery. Had to send it back. Friend ordered a burger she wasn’t impressed either.

I have only been here once, but suspect that they have not changed the menu in decades. The same goes for the décor. I felt that I was visiting my grandparents house, but eating food from the Elks lodge. Just get a burger and be on your way. You will be the least disappointed with that choice.
Disclaimer: check the demographics of their reviews. I suspect that the 70 and over crowd rate it highly.

So many mixed emotions about the Butler… As landmark to the town of Saugatuck, I love the history behind the place, serving as the towns oldest most continuously used building since it was originally opened as a saw mill. Now as a restaurant, this is a popular tourist destination in the summer and I’ve been coming here for years, during both the on and off season. The staff is always wonderful, kind, welcoming, and responsive. The building itself is full of history and an interesting place to bring guests from out of town… however over the years I feel like the food has lacked in taste and quality. While I’ve never had a «bad“meal here, or even a bad experience for that matter, I can’t help but feel that somewhere along the line they changed food suppliers or perhaps got a new chef and the food has somewhat lacked ever since. Example, their chicken wings (appetizer), I remember them being crisp and crunchy on the outside, and juice on the inside… now they taste more like a frozen Gordon Food Service product that, while still maintaining that level of crispness and crunch, is really only enjoyable when covered with copious amounts of sauce.
In the end, this place is a local landmark with a rich history, the staff is great, and in the summer the outdoor patio is a great place to sit back, enjoy a drink with friends, and watch the boats go by.

Went here with a good friend to get some dinner. This place is expected to be extremely busy but when I went it was the off-​season. To start once you walk inside it is a bit dark on the inside. Based on the first few steps you will see the bar on the left and open up to plenty of sweets on the far back side and on the right. Once inside the waitress seated us and Iesha came to take our orders. She was very sweet and seemed like she enjoyed working there.
I ordered clam chowder and 10 oz sirloin with onion rings. I decided to just drink water but they do have a list of beverages to choose from. To start the clam chowder that came with my entrée was delicious even though it did not have that many pieces of clam. My sirloin was cooked Medium rare just like I like it. It was well seasoned with notes of salt and pepper put on the meat before it was seared on the grill. It was juicy and delicious. Overall this was a good place to have dinner based on my experience.

I can’t understand all the negative reviews on here. My wife and I love eating at the Butler. Every Wednesday they have liver and onions on the menu. It is my favorite by far. So tender you can cut the meat with your fork. Saugatuck is a fun town to visit, many small and novel shops to visit.

The jalapeño burger is one of the best burgers I’ve ever had. They cooked it a perfect medium rare. My friend got the prime rib which was okay but the leftovers made a good breakfast with toast and eggs.
There was a 15 – 20 minute wait so we walked around the pier until the table was ready. Perfect location with great views.
Our waitress was great, took good care of us.

I was very disappointed in how my boyfriend and i were treated today at lunch. One of things we were looking forward to by eating at Butler was the view of the lake and boats. When they seated us, they put us in a corner where the windows were blocked by pine trees. We politely asked to be relocated to an empty table by the window so we could view the lake and they said they would not move us because there was only two of us. However, there were multiple window tables open and not a single table other than the window seats were being used. The restaurant was more than half empty and they would not move us because they said those tables with more seats «fill up fast.» Well thats funny because the table nearest to us that we asked to be moved to didn’t have a single soul sitting in it during our entire visit.
The food was mediocre at best and the hostesses were complaining about other guests as we left.
We wont be visiting this establishment ever again.

Nice outdoor patio on the water and well staffed. This is the main reason to come here IMO. Come for simple drinks and to sit outside. Don’t expect much from the food. I ordered lite but everything was premade and brought to the table as fast as my beer was. Peel N eat SWIMPZ are worth a try. Stay away from the chips/​salsa N quauc unless u luvz red white and brown dyed stale chips and brown guacamole.

While on vacation in the Midwest, we visited a small lakeside town in Michigan called Saugatuck– a village of quaint shops and restaurants. Per recommendation by my hosts– we decided to have lunch at The Butler– a Great Lakes institution since the late 1800’s.
It’s a rustic old building– once a three story hotel but in the 1960’s the hotel was closed and the top two floors were removed– leaving just the one story restaurant and bar.
I had to start with the clam chowder which was thick and buttery– very rich for an appetizer.
My hosts decided on a simple but classic hamburger. Though my boyfriend Chad and I rarely eat meat, I have to admit that this burger was cooked perfectly medium rare for me. It looked tasty and according to my hosts– it was.
Chad had the Grilled Salmon sandwich with a balsamic glaze. The fish was served on a Kaiser roll with lettuce and tomato. The salmon was plump and juicy while the bun and veggies were fresh.
Sweet potato fries was his choice as an accompaniment. Crispy and sweet– he enjoyed these as well.
I ordered the beer battered cod sandwich on a French roll with lettuce and tartar sauce. I am normally not a big fried fish person, but this sandwich was light and flaky though generic. Not too much different than the fried fish sandwiches you’d find at a fast food establishment– only less greasy.
The restaurant had a great view of the boats in the harbor, allowing one to overlook the dark and drabby seaside décor and old wooden tables inside. However, it was cozy and the food was tasty and fresh– worth a visit at least once.