Hercules Bar & Grill

Had a great steak tonight and a great recommendation on a bottle of wine. Will be back next time I visit from Chicago.

The soup was a bit thick, rice and lemon but tasted fine. The mixed appetizer plate was a salad of hummus, grape leaves stuffed, yoghurt, olives. Mediocre and the grape leaf was cold n hard. Olives weren’t top n the feta ho hum. The guys ordered trout w baby sweet taters n lollipop lamb chops. The side salad was a close repeat of appetizer plate minus some things but generous, the shrimp cocktail was great and the service was too. Disliked the wine list. No good affordable reds. The avail reds under65 $ were nine dollar rotgut unfortunately. No walleye. Full bar. Tiny tiny tables for 4 and no room for food n drinks just frustrating. Expensive food n good service but missing mark. Cute Halloween touches n warm setting. We were left uninspired by the main food n drink products.

The best pork chop I’ve ever tasted. Paired with a very nice glass of peisporter, I was in heaven. We started with the saganaki and then a bowl of lemon chicken soup. My wife had the white fish which replaced the walley, (disapointing), potato crusted with the skin on the bottom which was overly fishy. All in all, a very nice meal tho.

We enjoy dining at Hercules for special occasions. Food is always good & service excellent. Whether seated inside or outside in the garden, the atmosphere can’t be beat.

We made reservations for our anniversary based on recommendations. We were seated byt the front door and it is extremely loud and disruptive as people walked in the door and were greeted by the manager. There was a large table on the other side of the door and they were having fun but they were loud.
It took several minutes for the waiter to take drink orders. It took many more minutes to get the drinks. The waiter did not return for an extended period of time and was not in the least attentive. The service was terrible; my entrée was very fishy and not edible; others in the party enjoyed theirs. It was over an hour from the time we ordered to the food being served. My husband asked the manager what was wrong with our order since it had been so long from the time we ordered. When the manager served the food he said that the pork chop takes a long time. That could have been mentioned when we ordered. When the waiter picked up my uneaten plate he did not ask what was wrong — just asked if we were done. We were there for over two hours and spent a good amount of money for poor service and for me, no dinner.
Not one apology. Not ever going back. I have never written a negative review but with a bill approaching $ 300 this is simply wrong.

Great food, great service. Place is popular (!), so if you’re there during busy times on busy days of busy months (tourist season) yes, they get busy but do their utmost to provide a great dining experience. It’s local restaurant with quality food where they strive for excellence; it’s not McDonalds. They have a fabulous patio area that’s beautifully landscaped for days when weather permits eating outdoors. Highly recommend.
Please notice the majority of mediocre or bad reviews are from people from Illinois. And some more specifically from Chicago. I live in this area and am a West Michigan native. People in southern Michigan don’t like Illinois tourists, have nicknames for those people that tell just how we feel about them, and if people here see an Illinois license plate or can tell you’re from there — and usually we can — you’re not apt to get the warmest reception. Why? Too many of us have had the misfortune of encounters with too many of you who are rude, loud, the worst drivers on the planet, and entitled. In your little world in Illinois you may be some big deal. Here, you’re not. You’re just one more rude, pushy tourist
The service here has always been great. One evening we had dinner here, it was very hot out, we’d been out walking in the heat, and suddenly I wasn’t feeling well — head spinning, too much heat, etc. We asked the waitress for our check and she was even so thoughtful to drop off a couple pieces of peppermint gum she got out of her own pack of gum for me, saying the peppermint might help me feel better — how sweet is that???
Richard has been our waiter several times. Yes, he’s muscular and tall, and will ask patrons their names after he introduces himself by name. This is meant to provide good service by addressing patrons by name as opposed to «Sir» or «Ma’am.» It’s known in Michigan as being personable. We like charm here. And friendly people. For those who came in ordering ice water and asking to split one entrée after surely showing displeasure — be it through body language, facial expression, or something you said — because he offered you a bottle of wine or introduced himself and asked your names in turn, he may have thought you were too unpleasant to deal with — and he’s a very popular, professional waiter who is one of the few in a position to not have to put up with people acting that way in a restaurant where he is well liked and a successful part of the business. You might want to ask yourself if your behavior had any part in what you received back from him. My guess is it did. And if you ordered ice water and one entrée for two, you may have seemed annoyingly cheap. It’s a restaurant, if you’re not there to EAT — stop at a snack shop and get a 99-​cent bag of chips and drink water from the public water fountain. In Michigan, what you did would be seen as bad behavior. We have consideration for people who make their living owning or serving at restaurants. If you’re going to order water, you should at least order food (2 people, 2 dishes). If you’re going to split an entrée, order a Pellegrino or something that adds to the tab. I would have never done what you did, and if I did? I would expect to tick off my server and probably have my service reflect that. Servers make most of their money in tips, and are often tipped on percentage of the total tab. Your $ 10 tab at one of his tables probably resulted in a $ 1-​$ 1.50 tip (if you do tip, that is) when every other table at dinner probably ran up a $ 30 – 100 tab for which he’d get a $ 5-​$ 15 tip. From a Michigander’s perspective, you were wasting his time –and talent.
For those people who got the manager and griped over the way the fish was prepared, your waiter made a mistake, apologized, explained it was his first day. Have you never been on a first day at a new job? You probably really embarrassed him and left him feeling his job was in jeopardy because of you making a point to get his boss and b*tch about him. I’m not surprised at all the manager pointed to a place down the street. That wasn’t a social faux pas. That was likely a clear message. I chuckled when I read he did that. Remember, by the time he’s having to deal with your kvetching, he’s already dealt with several dozen other demanding, obnoxious Illinois people over the past many days, weeks, months. It gets old. Could you maybe have handled it differently? Been kind to the person trying to do a good job on his first day at a new job? That might have turned your night around. That’s how Michigan people handle it — a little kindness and understanding go a long way here. Without it, well… you’re likely to be sent down the street to another establishment, and in such a case, it’s likely to be a place known for it’s poor quality food and service because you’re being shown a lesson.

We just had dinner at Hercules café. Richard is the best server I have had in years. I’m a seasoned restaurant professional and highly recommend this establishment for anybody who wants good authentic Greek food served with a tremendous amount of style and cachet

Nice atmosphere and very friendly service. They did not rush is for a single second. We (four women) spent over two hours there and enjoyed every minute thanks to our hilarious server, George. The saganaki, Greek salad and gazpacho were all wonderful. The grouper special was salty, but decent. The Roasted duck was overdone, which was a disappointing bc it had very good flavor. I would return and try something else.

Food and ambience – 4 stars. Service – 0 stars. Averages out to 2 stars.
Our first night in Saugatuck, our host recommended Hercules. The owner/​manager was very pleasant, but our waiter, Richard was just weird. The first thing he asked (in a very aggressive way) was «a bottle of wine?» And when we said that we just wanted a glass each, he looked disappointed. It go weirder after that – he asked our names and was very pushy about saying the names repeatedly. He’s also a very big, muscular guy, and he stood uncomfortably close and stared at us in an overly familiar way.
What was most distressing was that we decided that we weren’t that hungry, and asked to split an entrée. After that, Richard disappeared – he was clearly disappointed that we weren’t going to order more and felt that we weren’t worth the bother. The manager brought our food, and we didn’t see Richard again until he brought the check. Then, he disappeared again. One of the waitresses picked up the credit card and brought us back the receipt to sign.
It was very disturbing and off-​putting. The food was good, but the evening was very unpleasant.

This review is not really about the food, but about the service. I asked our server how the house special, the haddock, was prepared. He replied char-​grilled & I said perfect. The haddock came & wasn’t remotely grilled, was over-​cooked & had a strong, pesto sauce on it. I told him that he had incorrectly described the dish & I would prefer something else. He apologized profusely & said it was his first week there. We also suspected he had never been a server before, too.
In any case, I replied no problem & ordered something else. My husband had been served his food & of course, proceeded to eat while it was warm. 35 minutes later, I still did not have my dinner & by this time, my husband was long done with his. Our server had not returned, even 1 x, not even to refill coffee. We decided to just leave.
My husband went to the manager & explained the situation. The manager said, while he was sorry, the kitchen was busy with a party of 14. I mentioned that usually, a re-​order gets pushed ahead, in order for the party to eat somewhat together. No response except another apology.
I even told him that I would still have to seek dinner elsewhere AND he pointed to another restaurant down the street??? I gave him every opportunity to at least offer to get me something that would be fast, like an appetizer or ‘something’. We still cannot believe he told us to go somewhere else.
To top it all off, he only took my unreceived dinner off the bill & didn’t even offer to take our appetizer or beverages off, as a courtesy.
Having been in food service for 27 years, I can assure one & all, that this is not how you treat unhappy customers under any circumstances, especially when it’s not through any fault of their own.

Went for the 3^rd time this past weekend, and have yet to be disappointed. The food is fantastic, and the service is the best in town. If you love a good steak you will love this place especially, but the menu is varied so there is plenty to offer for every taste. They have real servers taking care of you, not teenagers who can’t wait to get off work — a real plus in Saugatuck. They also take reservations — one of the few places in town that does. A bit pricey for an everyday dinner out, but for those special occasions — this is the place to go.

Great place with delicious food and excellent service; we dined in a large group and the server was so fun and personable while also not minding splitting our checks — - which I know is a pain. The Kobe burger was EXCELLENT as is their saganaki. The lemon chicken is also very good — — no one in our group had anything but excellent comments re: the food and, again, you would be hard pressed to find better service.

Love the new addition of saginaki on the menu. Hercules and their staff never disappoint us. Had steaks today they were cooked perfectly service was superb

Great food good service! Bartender/​owner a bit cranky! Richard is awesome! You need to try his famous Crab Cakes!

Ask To Sit in the Garden
This restaurant is a lovely place for lunch whatever time of the year you visit, but in nice weather it has a lovely garden in back with about 10 tables. The landscaping is beautiful, the area is quiet, and the food is very good. My husband and I just had lunch here recently and this continues to be one of our favorite spots in Saugatuck because the food is always good quality and the servers are friendly and attentive. We had saganaki to start and then each had a gyros sandwich. I had a glass of rose and my husband had a beer and with tax and tip it came to about $ 25 each.

One of my favorite places to dine in the area. The food is simply amazing.

Fabulous place with great food and I overheard a nice couple say that they’ve been here several times and always enjoy the food.

Good food and great service. The waitstaff is wonderful. You can tell they enjoy working there and enjoy each other. As for the food, Get the walleye it is delicious. I had the lemon chicken which was really good but the walleye is better. Also try the crab cakes for an appetizer. My only issue was they ran out on Lienenkugles Summer Shandy that night. But can’t wait to go back.

I really liked the garden area in the back of the restaurant.
All the servers were very friendly, but the actual service was a bit off.
It felt like they kept forgetting our table! (Maybe it was because we were outside?)
At any rate, the food was good but on the heavy side.
My husband ordered the artichoke chicken with the sauce on the side. The chicken looked like it was slightly breaded and pan-​fried but that wasn’t mentioned in the menu. Gluten-​free freaks beware.
I ordered a greek salad. My only complaint was there wasn’t a good house dressing. When you go out to eat, who wants plain old oil and vinegar? But, the ingredients on my salad were fresh.
Next time we visit, we will sit inside and see if that makes a difference on our drinks and table being cleared.

I love Greek food! Yet another stop on our tour-​de-​Michigan, The Hercules didn’t let us down. We stopped in for a quick drink and appetizer and we ended up staying for an hour. The staff is very nice and friendly, all the guests seemed to k now each other, its a small town so I guess that makes sense.
We got this appetizer sampler thing, and it was soooo good! You have o try it! It has Greek cheese, stuffed grape leaves, hummus, peppers, pita, and all kinds of goodies. We all fought over each bite.
The ambience is great, simple but elegant, and a nice coat rack up front.
Again, another awesome looking patio, that I would have loved to sit on, had it not been sub zero temps outside.
I for sure recommend Hercules for anything you are looking for.