The Butler - American restaurant in Saugatuck - 40 Butler St, USA

I got the Lake Perch Basket. It was very good, not oily at all, very light and tasty batter. The rest of the sides were delicious also. My wife got the pork ribeye. Wow ! So tender and juicy. And full of flavor. The server (Em) was great. All in all, it was a great meal with great views of the lake.

The atmosphere is definitely better than the food. I got the soup of the day, lobster bisque and it was just not good. My mom got the clam chowder which looked a lot better. We split the fish sandwich because most of the stuff that wasn’t an entree were burgers or salads. There wasn’t much diversity in options. The pickles that came with the sandwich were soggy. They also tried to first seat us next to the server station when most of the restaurant was empty and we had to ask for better seating. They accommodated . But you don’t go to a restaurant with water views to sit next to the server station…

There is a reason this place has been around since 1961. The Butler has added a 2-story outdoor dining pavilion that / patio. We ate inside but the patio seeting was very popular. We both got the Oberon Burfer. It was savory, juicy, and delicious. Highly recommend. My beer-battered onion ring side upgrade was perfectly crunchy. My dining partner went for the Butler fries, a thick cottage fry.

Great outdoor space in the summer but you’ll have to wait to get a table. We sat inside which took longer than expected (over an hour - they had enough table space but not enough help and were backed up in the kitchen). That being said, you could get a drink at the bar and the food was really good with nice sized portions. Terrific location and often live music outside in the summer. Would definitely return next time we’re in Saugatuck.

First read then look at the pics followed by make your own decision if you do eat here. The place is outrageously beautiful with lake Kalamazoo as your backdrop. Go sit upstairs, the patio, and enjoy the breeze. It does gets windy up there. Waitresses and waiters were dealing with tumbling and flying cups. A waitress dropped a table's order of wings. Unsure how that happen. Couldn't imagine the wind was that strong. Did see a lot of wait staff, some are in training. Our wait staff was friendly. We ordered the Cajun shrimp pizza and the fried perch sandwich. The perch lack seasoning and being such a thin fillet, it's tough to control the frying process. It was too fried and dried. Onion rings were absolutely disappointing. The batter was so thick, tasted more like cornmeal batter. Please see pics. The manager told us that these rings were not even made in-house. Straight from the vendor. They just fried and served and wanted to charge $3.00 upcharge! They told us they'll inform the vendor on the quality issue. The pizza is tough to describe. The shrimp was well seasoned, unfortunately, ruined by the cheese used for the pizza. The manager described later that there were 4 cheeses- cheddar, mozzarella, Parmesan and Monterey Jack! I guess these folks just throw it all in. The cheese texture was odd and not at all soft cheesy. More like clumpy cheese. Please don't even tell true Italians that they did that to make pizza. It is such an insult to Italian pizza. Trust me when I did have seafood pizza in Italy. So, putting shrimp in pizza is not off at all. It's the cheese they use,very odd combination! The dough was more like bread consistency not pizza light and airy. Overall, very disappointing for $16! So, go there and drink or just get the appetizer not real meal. But,be prepared to pay for the drinks, pricing pretty steep. Most come here for the view. Please like if you appreciate the information.

HEARTY portions which I loved! We ordered the crab stuffed mushroom which was so cheesy and divine, and I highly recommend. Definitely hit the spot, and I would go there for that dish alone. It was very unique and flavorful! I loved the Ambience as well.

Love this place, miss the old Tiki bar but the new one is just as good if not better. Good service good food. We got married into the large oak tree. Five years ago. Love this place. Definitely stop by. To the management please never cut that tree down. That park is the best.

A great local stable in Saugatuck perfect for a warm day overlooking the river. My favorite items were the build your own Pizza: basil pesto, fresh mozzarella, roasted garlic, pepperoni, Italian sausage and the blood orange margarita.