The Southerner

Let’s start with the good. The food is delicious! It is really quite tasty. But it is slow. Very slow. And last night, they completely screwed up a dish. We took out of town friends who had never been, the kitchen had to redo the dish (not because of any special requests, but because of mistakes on their part), which led to his entrée being brought out after we were all done. They didn’t comp it, didn’t come a round of drinks, but decided it was appropriate to send over a cup of banana pudding, 2.5 hours for four people to eat, with lackadaisical service and a lack of appreciation for their mistakes leaves us wondering whether we will be back, even in light of the good food.

What an amazing gem tucked into an unassuming long yellow trailer! I came to Saugatuck, Michigan to celebrate a friend’s 30^th birthday at a rustic cabin. After a day of snow shoeing at the picturesque Saugatuck Dunes National Park my group and I were HUNGRY! After pursuing the Unilocal reviews of restaurants in the area we settled on the Southerner and I am so glad we did. We were greeted to excellent service and even better food. It was happy hour so my drink was only $ 7! I had the chicken biscuit sandwich (which I highly recommend you get Nashville hot) with a side of mashed potatoes, and shared my friend’s order of mac and cheese and greens. The food was so incredibly flavorful and the drinks are well mixed. Our server was patient and knowledgable and the restaurant has French doors facing the Kalamazoo River. If you are in the area GO!

Love the Southerner! This is authentic «south» right here in West Michigan. The biscuit sandwiches are amazing and so is the chicken. I could make a whole meal of the sides as well… delicious baked beans and awesome greens.

My partner and I ate here right before we moved to North Carolina. I expected the food to be good, but it totally blew me away. I got a bacon biscuit and some grits, and honestly I have not found better food in NC. Every time I have a breakfast in North Carolina, I compare it to the Southerner. I definitely recommend this place, especially brunch. They know what they are doing.

It was the first time I was ever there and I have to admit we were there while two parties of 20 people were there some of which were kids. It was so noisy in there I couldn’t wait to get out of there did not enjoy my breakfast there because of the noise plus I had ordered the grits with greens. The grits seemed to be on the watery side but maybe that was because the greens were so watery. Don’t know if I’ll go back to give them another chance.
They have call ahead service so call ahead if you’re still planning on going there otherwise you will wait

They have a break between 3−4pm.
The only sign they have is next to the road and it’s small so you may miss it. It’s a yellow metal rectangle-​block-​looking building, located next to an inn. You will definitely notice the inn.
We tried the steak & eggs and chicken biscuit sandwich. The steak was tender. The chicken is also tender. I was disappointed that the chicken biscuit sandwich literally just came as a chicken between 2 biscuits, nothin else. But boy that tender juicy chicken made it all up.
Service was great.

Arrived in Saugatuck with the family on Sunday afternoon and searched Unilocal for dinner suggestions. Decided to try The Southerner and I am so glad we did! The five of us decided to go «family style» and share a bunch of different things. Standouts were the fried chicken, shrimp and grits, biscuits (oh my!) and macaroni and cheese topped with smoked whitefish. Not mention the number of delicious sides: mashed potatoes and gravy, greens, Brussels sprouts with bacon! Slaw, baked beans and did I mention the biscuits? They are served with honey butter and apple butter, delicious.
Atmosphere is homey, service was excellent and you would swear your grandma or Aunt Tillie was back in the kitchen cooking. It is obvious they take pride in good food done well. We loved it so much we went back for breakfast before we left town. Pancakes are off the chain. Support this glorious little restaurant!

Pretty good. I’d do 3.5 stars if I could, but can’t. We arrived right at 4p immediately after they had opened for dinner. Restaurant was cold and empty, but that’s cool — we were super early.
To keep it short. The pimento cheese was great. The fried chicken was ⁶⁄₁₀. Wasn’t super crispy, wasn’t super magical, and lacked a bit of flavor. The biscuit was pretty good… But more of a croissant than biscuit. That’s cool if that’s your thing. I want that dreamy soft tangy buttermilk interior though.
IMHO Phil’s broasted chicken down the street is better. Always hot and crispy.
This place is nice though. Nice interior, nice service, good drinks, just not ⁵⁄₅. Will visit again, because I have a feeling they can do better. Next time will come in the middle of service when they are hopefully pumping stuff out left and right. Everyone deserves a second chance.

I loved it!
I had the hanger steak and eggs with warm potato salad. This dinner comes with 2 additional sides and I selected the cabbage salad with boiled dressing and the baked beans.
Everything lived up to the reputation this restaurant has earned in the last few months.
They now have a liquor license and wonderful cocktails are available.
I’m hoping that this summer tourist town will be able to support this restaurant throughout the winter so these marvelous breakfast and dinners don’t disappear… And that I’d have to wait for the summer season for this jewel of a restaurant. I believe they are open Wednesday through Sunday presently

Fine casual dining in a simple setting. Waitress a bit snippy — didn’t want to heat up dessert for us. Good beer selection. Lots of locals. Give it a try.

My wife and I stopped at The Southerner for Sunday breakfast en route from Holland, Mich., to Wisconsin. I had read some positive things on Unilocal about the restaurant, but I wasn’t prepared for how good it really was. It’s beyond good.
I loved the way the building looks like a dump from the road, but it’s so charming inside. It was December, so we got lucky and were seated in less than five minutes. I’m sure the wait can be a lot longer in nice weather, but they have a small bar where you can wait.
We split a cinnamon roll, I had the biscuits and gravy, and my wife had the bacon and eggs with grits and beans. The cinnamon roll was fantastic. Other reviewers have noted how the bottom of the roll is still a little crispy and not soggy like a lot of cinnamon rolls. Quite right, and it was delicious.
The biscuits have also received a lot of verbiage, and they deserve every word. Flaky and buttery – just great. I may have had better biscuits and gravy somewhere, but I don’t remember where that might have been. I pretty much inhaled a full order, which comes with two eggs.
The bacon, from somewhere in Tennessee, and the grits, from North Carolina, were both excellent. The beans are kind of like traditional Southern baked beans minus any sweet element like brown sugar or molasses.
We got an order of fried chicken to go. It was all I could do to not eat that on the way back to Kenosha, Wis. We split our order between buttermilk and Nashville hot. The hot brine sort of overwhelmed the wings, but it worked much better on a larger piece, like a thing. All in all, I liked the buttermilk version a little better.
The beverage selection is wonderful. Really, really good dark-​roasted coffee, a small but well-​thought-​out beer and wine list and some fantastic-​looking New Orleans-​type cocktails. I admire both the beverage list and the menu for being small and thoughtful, like The Southerner itself. The owners have settled on a few things they do well and limited themselves to being great at just a few things. I’d go back in a heartbeat.

So good. Unassuming yet perfectly done. Service was great. Drinks were awesome. Biscuits: perfect. Nashville hot chicken was the best fried chicken I’ve ever had. House made sausage was awesome. Eggs Benedict were the best I’ve had in the state. Their country sausage was also amazing. They aren’t afraid to put a nice kick of spice in things. Highly recommended, we will be back.

Oh My God!!! This was amazing! AS I WRITE THIS, we in the restaurant, talking about when we’re gonna drive from CHICAGO to eat here again. It was amazing!
The service was amazing and the food was to die for. We’ve never had better breakfast!

From the outside you would probably just drive by… But don’t. It is probably the best thing about saugatuck.
When we entered we immediately could smell and see why there was a half hour wait. We didn’t mind the wait at all because you can sit or hang around the bar and grab coffee or drinks while you wait. Mimosas and bloody Mary’s were both very good and reasonably priced.
The food is what really stood apart. We started with a very good cinnamon roll– it tasted fresh and oven baked, not too sweet.
The real star of the place was the biscuits. These biscuits were some how flaky and moist at the same time. My favorite biscuit dish was the honey butter and fried chicken biscuit. It was just unreal. The eggs Benedict were also very good.
Overall awesome place.

From the homey décor to the miss-​matched plates this place feels and smells like grandmas. Don’t let the outside fool you, it is right on the water with great views and even more important great food. I am from a southern family so when I order biscuits and gravy I know my stuff. They were peppery and perfect. The biscuits were tender and flaky. We split a cinnamon roll for later and with its cinnamon and sugar crunchy glaze it took us right back to grandmas on Sunday morning. The coffee was also very good. My husband got the eggs and loved how fresh they were. So happy this place

My husband had the Nashville chicken sandwiches, which he loved — just the right amount of spicy (quite hot) and sweetness added by the additional honey butter (make sure to ask for the butter!). I had the yogurt pancakes, which were extra fluffy, with 100% pure maple syrup. Loved the early-​American feel of the place.

I can’t say enough about this place. The buttermilk fried chicken was terrific, had sides of: greens, cole slaw, biscuit, and grits. The greens were great tender but not overlooked. The biscuit was flaky even better with butter and honey. The cole slaw was great the dressing wasn’t too think or too heavy. Now the grits Wow, they were corse ground had great texture and flavor best I’ve ever had. Mind you this was during breakfast… My girlfriend had a terrific breakfast as well, eggs cooked perfectly, and biscuits and gravy. I had more then a taste and the biscuits and gravy were amazing they are a must have. They were as good as the ones I had as a kid on my first hunting trip in Southern Illinois. I think we heard the chefs talking about getting rid of the breakfast menu in the next few months, if you are reading this please don’t or only do it during the off season. Come next year you will have a full house all day every day you are open. I can’t wait to visit again.

Charming Appalachia restaurant on the water. Food is excellent (as below), service is quite good, and the setting on the riverfront is sublime.
Highlights (in rank order):
— Biscuits and gravy — spicy gravy with artisan sausage and their hallmark flaky buttery biscuits. Eggs as copilot. Simply the best breakfast item.
— Nashville Hot Chicken Biscuit — chicken is tender, lightly breaded, and supremely spicy, but just shy of overwhelming. Biscuit again is outstanding.
— Benton Benedict — potato bread base and a mustard hollandaise make this brunch staple a standout.
— Nana’s Cinnamon Roll — large enough to split, nicely glazed, and crispy instead of the typical soggy at other places.

With the Southerner, Chef Matt Millar has proven culinary excellence doesn’t mean you need to serve highfalutin’ food. The Southerner is a love letter to working-​class Appalachian cuisine. The dishes are not cutting-​edge or trendy — they’re done correctly. But the ingredients are phenomenal and locally source, and the food is prepared with care and reverence. The result is real joy at the table.
Specifically…Nana’s Fried Chicken is so good it’s nearly obscene. The Nashville hot is *really* spicy — which is my bag, but might not be yours. The ribs coming out of the giant smoker outside are tender and meaty. The biscuits, the greens — everything is wonderful.
The service is friendly, the water view is breathtaking… even though it’s new, I don’t think any visit to Saugatuck will be complete without dining at the Southerner.

I’ve been looking forward to this place opening since I heard about it. Luckily it didn’t let me down! Been a fan of Chef Matthew Millar since Journeyman in Fennville and followed him to Reserve in Grand Rapids and now we can add The Southerner to that list.
The food is an homage to where his family is from in Appalachia so expect a lot of southern comfort food when you come in. Luckily that’s right up our alley! They’re brand new so at the moment they’re really only open for breakfast/​lunch so we stopped in on a Friday afternoon to try that. I had the Shrimp and Grits while my fella got the Farmer’s Breakfast. We also got a cinnamon roll to split. It was all outstanding.
The shrimp and grits are smothered in a delicious gravy and the shrimp is huge. There are also big hunks of Benton smoked ham dropped in for good measure. The grits are Antebellum grits so they’re a bit coarser than what you may be used to but I loved the texture. The Farmer’s Breakfast came with scrambled eggs, sausage patties, baked beans and a biscuit with honey butter. The biscuits!!! They’re really SO SO good. The cinnamon roll too. The baked goods are fantastic.
As they wait for the permanent liquor license they’ve managed to secure a temporary license to allow for dinner service on the weekends. That means Friday-​Sunday from 2−8pm they’ve got a cookout you can drop in on. Since we were in town we figured we’d try that too! So the next day we swung by for the dinner service. The menu is small but perfect – fried chicken, ribs, house made sausage, etc. We got the three aforementioned plates to sample it all. It’s all amazing. Some of the best fried chicken I’ve had in recent memory and the sausage is beautifully juicy and garlicky. The ribs are also excellent. All three plates come with baked beans, coleslaw, and a biscuit so I got to go round two on those amazing biscuits! I also had a mint julep which was served in a lovely copper cup.
The restaurant is located in the old Elbo Room space and they’ve done some upgrading and renovating. The best part is that it’s located right on the water so you have a beautiful view of the river as you eat as well. Prices are also really reasonable given the portions and the delicious food.
They’ve only been open for about a month but they’ve already dialed in some great food. I think once the liquor license comes in and they’re doing dinners every day they’re really going to knock it out of the park I can’t wait for my next visit already!