Dead End Saloon & Fish Factory

We came here on a Saturday around 12:30 pm. We were seated right away and it became busy afterwards. We waited about 40 minutes for our food to arrive. My father-​in-​law said his soup was not hot and my mussels were room temperature. A big portion for just an appetizer. I love the way they prepared the broccoli. Not mushy and not too crispy with a huge cluster of it. The cream sauce over the mussels was very tasty. I took a couple of my niece’s sweet potato fries. Big slices, and tender on the inside and crispy on the outside. The table we were seated at had a great view of the water. Very casual atmosphere. The servers looked very rushed and busy. My guess is that they were understaffed on a holiday weekend.

Bad customer service. Service was sooo slow! Manager didn’t seem to care when we complained. Steak was undercooked and we wanted to send it back but the food took so long to begin with. Waitress had a bad attitude. Manager needs to be replaced with someone who has a clue about customer service.

Yeah, we have been back several times to see some live music here and end up ordering food and then I remember that I shouldn’t every time I do. Terrible service twice after this review. What’s the deal please give us forks and knives to eat the food. If you’re on your boat and starving and can’t get into Joseph’s or the waterfront I guess this could be ok as it’s accessible by the ICW.

I loved the food and the atmosphere was wonderful. It was in beautiful Southport and absolutely worth the drive. Worth the drive and you can see a little bit of South Haven

Great food! The cream of crab soup and crab cakes are my favorite. The location gives a nice view of the waterfront and the marina.

My wife said the crab cakes were excellent. I had a buffalo wrap which was pretty standard. The onion rings were better than average. The highlight of the meal was the bloody mary that arrived garnished with cucumber, celery, a shrimp, and a piece of bacon. The bloody mary mix was a good balance of spice and tomatoey goodness. Upon arrival we were informed it would be a 45 minute wait on a busy Friday. After a 20 minute stroll through the yacht basin we checked back with the hostess and we were seated immediately.
Looks like a good bar to hang around in and watch sports with like-​minded companions. I will be back for a NFL Sunday in the fall.

Great food, great atmosphere and friendly staff! When they say no fillers in their crab cakes, they mean it! It was wonderful. The staff was awesome. Their mixed drinks were strong and delicious. Thumbs up! We will be back again.

I absolutely love this place! The food always good and the drinks are well made! I would recommend the fish and chips and the crab toast! Casual fun atmosphere and great service. There will be a wait for a table but that’s a sign of excellence

Stopped in before heading back to Ohio. I had searched Unilocal for «best fish and chips» and after taking into consideration location, price, speaking with a couple locals, and if this place was dog friendly– I ended up choosing here. However– their website does not specify if they are dog friendly or not– we tried it out anyway. We arrived right at opening time (11am) and our waitress let us in the side gate, because our dog. We were alone on the patio that overlooks the inlets and bridge into southport. It was so quiet and peaceful. Perfect for our last meal. And because it would be the last place checking before heading back north– I feel like we saved the best for last. I had the fish and chips and it was absolutely delicious. By far the best fish and chips I had in years. It’s pricey 17.95 but worth it. Definitely try this place out.

Docked boat right off ICW. Great service. Do yourself a favor and order the shrimp scampi! If you like maryland blue crab this is THE place to get it. The food takes a little longer to get out because it is cooked fresh and does not sit around. We love this place.

Half the meal served. Half the meal.,.well we waited so long we canceled it. Shrimp scampi over cooked. Bar tender tried to save the day… and where was the manager?
Forget it.

We decided to check out this cool little restaurant because it was right down the street from where we are staying– we were not disappointed!
We were seated right away at table with a great view of the water. The place had a cool vibe and really, the view is hard to beat.
I ordered a the burger and the waiter asked how I wanted it cooked– I said medium. The burger tasted good and everything, but it was far from medium. Closer to well done than anything, barely even any pink at all. I’m not too picky when it comes to these things, but if you are be aware that they really missed the mark on that.
My wife got a blackened chicken sandwich. She said it tasted great, but the heat level was just a little bit high for her comfort level. She still ate it and really enjoyed it, she just said her mouth was on fire afterwards.
We both got French fries, which were a really interesting wavy cut. Like crinkle cut, but perpendicular, if that makes any sense at all. Anyway, we really enjoyed them.
The service was… Let’s say laid back. We weren’t in a hurry so it didn’t really bother us, but it took us about 30 minutes to get our food, and the restaurant wasn’t exactly packed. The waiter kind of alternated between hanging around looking bored, and being nowhere to be found. Like I said we weren’t starving or in a rush so it didn’t really bother us, but it looks like other reviewers have had similar experiences.
We would definitely eat there again– just not if we’re trying to be quick.

Awesome for the area. Love the prices and the pours are great and then some!!! Want more laces around here.

A good local spot that is open year round. Mostly seafood but burgers are hard to beat. The View is excellent on the InterCoastal Waterway. Good beer and wine selection plus daily food specials. Can get real full during peak seasons so plan accordingly. Not truly a kid location, better for the adults.

Take this review with a grain of salt because we never made it into the restaurant. After waiting for 15 minutes for the host to show up (with no apology for taking so long to greet us) in the world’s smallest entry way we finally got our names on the list. Although the place was at least ¹⁄₃ empty (it was a Tuesday at 7:30) we waited for another 20 minutes and then gave up and left. We weren’t too impressed with the menu, the lack of top shelf alcohol, or the general atmosphere so when the host couldn’t be bothered to smile or thank us for waiting we went to Turtle Island instead. It was a great decision… go there instead of this oddly overrated place.

I wanted to givie this place 0 stars but Unilocal won’t let me. My party of 4 arrived around 7 on a Tuesday for dinner. The unmanned hostess stand was positioned so close to the door it was hard to enter and even harder to stand there for the subsequent 40 minutes. There was a party of 2 and a party of 8 waiting ahead of us. There was no hostess in sight. It took her 15 – 20 minutes to show up and take our name. She then dissappeared again. We attempted to order drinks from the bar while we waited and there was no bar tender. After another long absence the hostess came to seat the par
ty of 8. She was grouchy and unapologetic. The restaurant was not nearly so crowded as to merit such a wait, the menu was limited and over priced, the staff was absent and rude. I can’t review the food because we gave up and left.

Thought it would be a hole in the wall but pleasantly surprised! My son’s fish on the kids menu was plentiful and I thought the Jerk chicken and sweet potato fries were excellent. Situated by the marina and overlooking the waterway with a casual bar and grill feel, it was the perfect spot for the end of the day. We were not there for the live entertainment but I heard from others that it’s a nice added touch in the weekends.

We have been to Dead End several times. They have a bartender Crystal who is amazing. First time we went, we sat at the bar because the place was packed. She was whipping out drinks, got ours quickly with menus, and promised to remember us next time. And she did. And slipped my hubby a piece of cake on his birthday.
They have the best crab cakes with lots of crab and very moist. Good burgers and great cheesesteaks. The fries are the big kind, crispy outside, mashed potato like inside. I had a 12oz ribeye one night that was great, but the heart of angus not so great.
I don’t care for their sides so much. No baked potato. Their steamed broccoli is the big hunk size and slightly steamed, so you have to try to saw through it without it flying across the table. The salad is sea urchin food. I want normal lettuce.
Prices are high.

Went to dinner at Dead End last night and was told it would be a 20 – 25 minute wait. Wait ended up being 40 minutes. Once sat, the waitress was very prompt in coming to take our order and she was also very friendly. My six year-​old ask her how long it would be until she got her salad because she was very hungry and she said, «Like two minutes.» We also ordered a bowl of she crab soup as an appetizer. We waited 45 minutes and still no salads or soup! We went 20 minutes without even seeing our waitress.
The tables around us had begun to complain about the wait and lack of food so we knew we weren’t alone. A woman who I assumed was the manager came near us to set-​up for another party and I could hear her making rude comments to the hostess about the other tables who were complaining. I thought then that this was very unprofessional for her to say where we could hear her.
I turned around and said, «We’ve been waiting 45 minutes and haven’t gotten anything.» She comes over and gets down in my face and says rudely, «It says on our menu that our food is prepared fresh.» I said, «Right, but we haven’t even had our salad.» Her response was that she would go check, which she did. When she returned, she got back in my face and said, «You had a chicken tender and that is at least 25 minutes, do you want undercooked chicken?» To which I responded once more, «It’s been 45 and we have nothing!»
At this point I am getting hot because of her attitude and the lack of care that she is putting into customer service. I told her I didn’t remember seeing it on the menu and could she show me? She brought the menu over and at the very back where it talks about gratuity for large parties it says, Fresh food takes time to prepare, please enjoy the view.” I told her that it said no where that we would be waiting 45 minutes and that I didn’t appreciate her speaking to me like a child or being so rude. She continued to harp on and I had had enough. I told her, «I am sorry, but you are acting like a royal bitch!» She said, «You won’t curse me in my restaurant, you need to leave.» I responded, «Gladly!» and left money to pay for my drink on the table.
I told people as I was leaving about the wait and poor customer service. We went to another restaurant and ran into another family who waited beyond the time given and when they asked about when they would be called they were told they must have skipped over their names, but it would be awhile.
Please do not support a business who couldn’t care less about customer service!

Clams appetizer was delish just wish there were a few more. Seemed a little skimpy. The broccoli tempura special app was perfect.
Soft shell crab was great but very very very pricey at 25 bucks. Blackened Grouper was a bit mushy for my taste and also extremely overpriced at 23… I like when there is a little crisp to fish. The mashed potatoes are fabulous. Little skimpy on the Cole slaw too… maybe two tablespoons at most.
In general a nice location and pretty good food. Worth a visit.