We don't live anywhere near Fort Wayne. We're 2 1/2 hours away in Frankfort Illinois but we go…read morethere once in a great while to exchange grandkids with my son who lives in Hudson, Ohio a suburb of Cleveland so he picked this place Charlie's to meet us for a lunch repass and it was very good. They have a very short suite menu, but what I had was terrific I had a a salad with salmon on it and a lot of other veggies. It was terrific. The salmon was jerk, salmon, and the whole thing was a delicious repast. We had a appetizer of a couple bowls of their homemade chips. Unlike many places that don't salt them. These were salted just the right amount not too salty and I can't say anything bad about it. Our server was terrific and his name was Alex and the place is shaping up. I guess they just took it over from someplace else. The walls are a little bit bare needs a little more decoration and the ceiling is bare, but the chairs are very comfortable so it's an easy five star.

Charlie's Place - another place with a nice patio...and good to watch the game…read more I confess...the open and covered patios draw me right back to Charlie's place. If you want sun...sit out on the patio. If you want sunny shade and a breeze..sit under the outdoor cover/bar area or grab a table with an umbrella. You can't really go wrong here. Charlie's is also good for larger groups...and kids! Charlie's place is a large facility with lots of seating. The hosts are friendly. Making an on line reservation is easy. They always seem to have plenty of staff to serve and make you feel comfortable. Kudos to the team for developing a more attractive and welcoming lobby area! Sunday afternoon is brunch. They have a different menu than a normal lunch or dinner menu. Those menus are usually large and full of great choices. The brunch menu is much narrower and dominated by breakfast items. There are some non breakfast items...but not many. My wife had the breakfast tacos. She really liked the egg and bacon mixture. The sour cream and salsa sauces blended the tastes nicely. The Cobb salad was very fresh and tasty. There were lots of side ingredients such as egg, avocado, bacon, blue cheese, tomato and cucumber. The grilled chicken was plentiful and moist. Just enough grilled and seasoned taste to blend right in with the ingredients. The home made honey mustard dressing was consistent with what you would expect from honey mustard.

10/10 the steak sandwich I had was amazing and would recommend time and time again. the deviled…read moreeggs flight was also amazing. quick service and ambiance was all there

We went at 5 pm on a weeknight and were the only guests outside of one other person. The service…read morewas wonderful. She made great recommendations and helped us decide based on our time constraints. She was attentive and gave us a lot of information about the food, live music, DJ and art for sale on all the walls. We weren't super hungry, so we tried the flatbread - sooo good. I will be back because the whole menu, including the drinks, sound wonderful. They offered zero spirit, GL and other substitutions if needed which is nice. The atmosphere has a moody, darker hang out vibe to it. I loved it and can't wait to bring some friends and family back! She recommended reservations on the weekends, especially on "First Fridays" as that's when they do events and an art crawl on Broadway when the weather is nice. We parked on the street in front of the building so I'm not sure if there is a parking lot. They do have outdoor seating as well in the front of the building. I remember when this location was a food co-op waaaaaaay back in the day. They did a great job transforming it into a relaxing bar and restaurant. We will go back and I highly recommend you check it out!

Laker's Landing was formerly Laker's Food & Spirits. I no reference to the former owners…read more Laker's is a moderately small restaurant tucked behind several buildings on the Main Street. I didn't see any signage on the main road or on the street where you turn. There isn't any good signage that helps you definitely know that you have arrived at Laker's. Once you get there you will scramble to find a parking spot on a busy night. Again the signage for where it is okay to park is not good as well. Laker's is set right on the lake. The deck only sets three tables. The view is great. However you better make a reservation if you want to secure an outdoor seat. Once inside....the view of the lake isn't bad. There are lots of windows to share the view with those outside. The interior of the restaurant is broken up into three areas - east & west dinning and a bar. All areas have an attractive multi-colored wood walls. This is complimented by the wood floors and dark furniture. The interior is welcoming and comfortable. The bar is very attractive. The east dinning room is VERY LOUD for some reason. The west side was much quieter. The staff we encountered were very friendly. The hostess doubles as a bus person so we had to wait to find out what happens after you arrive - again "hostess will seat up" sign. I was surprised that half of the staff didn't wear shirts with the Laker's logo. Our waitress Katie was excellent. She knew her menu well and had several spot on recommendations. She was concerned about our dinning experience and advised us that a large party was coming so she wanted to make sure we got our orders in ahead of them. Katie was right on top of the refills as well. We ordered the jalapeño crab filled wontons to start. The jalapeño wonton was not hot or over spicy. The filling was creamery with a slight crab taste. The wontons were a bit crispy. Overall a nice appetizer but no rememberable flavors here. My side salad was very good. The salad was a nice size presented in a fashionable bowl. The Ingredients were very fresh. The right amount cheese mixed well with the homemade honey mustard dressing. The dressing had a slightly sweet flavor with a creamy smooth consistency. The taste mirrored a high quality store bought dressing. My wife had the Cobb salad. Again the salad was a nice size with plenty of fresh veggies and lettuce. The homemade raspberry vinaigrette dressing was outstanding. The dressing was slightly sweet with small pieces of raspberries in the sauce. Overall the salad was very good. For dinner I ordered the breasted chicken and Mac & Cheese. The Mac & cheese was a bit dry. You kind of expect a creamy oozing sauce on elbow noodles. The noodles were perfectly cooked. The cheese was thin and stuck to the noodle with a darker color (looked like well baked on but not overly baked). The chicken was outstanding. The breading was thin and slightly crispy. It did hold a bit more grease flavor than you might like. However the breading was simply delicious! The chicken was extraordinarily moist. It could be easily cut with a fork. Overall Laker's Landing does a pretty good job with dinner. The cocktails, which we didn't have, looked very attractive and tempting. You will find the prices to be very fair and a moderately sized menu. Give them a try!

A group of 10 Hamilton High School class of 1967 alumni recently met at Lakers Landing for a…read moreclassmate's going away party. We had a great time. Our waitress, Jhurni, was very efficient and friendly. The food was delicious and served in a reasonable time. We had excellent treatment throughout the initial planning and during the party. We would certainly choose this scenic location for our next event.

We visited again on this last trip to Kalamazoo. I do still wish there were more gin and vodka…read moreoptions. I feel like they all were kind of similar? I wish that the lime and orange came through more, they both leaned very heavy on the bitter end which I wasn't expecting for both (one, sure, but not the other) I hope I find some brighter, citrus flavors on the next visit. We will always come back. It doesn't stay open super late so we gor kicked out lol but we always have a good time.

Top spot in Kalamazoo! Creative drinks, knowledgeable and friendly bartenders, and a fantastic…read moreamaro selection. The meat and cheese board is perfect with cocktails. The team make the experience fun without any arrogance highly recommend!

Spoke + Ivy (west Main Street, FW) - another locally unique dinning experience that deserves a try…read more Spoke + Ivy is located on west Main Street - across the parking lot from Redwood Inn restaurant, if that helps. This restaurant is set in an old building that used to house a pharmacy. It retains the character of the building via the hardwood interiors, tall ceilings, large window views of the street and concrete/industrial ceilings. The interior is nicely decorated with inviting green, brown wood and black accent colors. Table settings were very attractive as well. You can park in the small side lot or on the street. Reservations are easily made on line. The team is very friendly and welcoming. All set the stage for a fun and relaxing dinner experience. Spoke + Ivy has a very small food and specialty cocktail menu. This is the second time we have been here. Each time we found the food to be delicious and the cocktails are uniquely designed. Here is a run down on the food items we ordered: -Focaccia Bread: a mildly sweet, dense/firm bread, slightly airy with a touch of herbs to accent. It is cut into blocks so it is easier to share. The vodka sauce is thin in consistency with a smooth Italian seasoned tomato appeal. Both make for a deliciously simple starter. -Lobster Roll Rangoon: decided to give this a try. It comes out as one large Rangoon - not individual pieces. This means that you must awkwardly cut this shareable into pieces. The slightly crispy & oily wrapper is similar to most crab Rangoon pieces. It has a nice crisp. The inside has shredded pieces of lobster. It was not filled with creme cheese sauce like traditional rangoons - just plain. The green lemon parsley sauce was simply outstanding! It's very fresh, moderately thick and has a slightly tart taste. This added "the sauce" to what the inside of the Rangoon was lacking. -Milanese: nicely breaded chicken that was very moist. The breading is slightly sweet. The fresh bed of arugula salad is a nice add -Prime Rib Pho: this sounded really interesting. It's a smaller/healthier dish. The medium rare prime rib was sliced thin and tender. There wasn't many pieces of prime rib in this dish. The add-ins were fresh and much like you would expect from a Pho dish - just not as much volume. The broth has a chili oil base that gives it a spicier flavor. Overall we really enjoy this relaxed atmosphere and character of the building. The delicious food and cocktails are excellent.

This is the restaurant on the MAIN level, NOT the speak-easy in the basement. We were there at 5:30…read moreon a week night. We were seated in a very awkward corner table for two where the tables were really close together. Since it was our Valentine's celebration, I would have been uncomfortable with the tables next to us having people at them because it didn't give you any privacy or space for private conversation. We did not get drinks or appetizers. Our meals were very good (salmon and chicken). The server was good but didn't refill my water and that' a big deal to me. Also, it's supposed to be an upscale place and they were out of paper towels in the bathroom. I feel like that is just basic service they should check on regularly.

I visited Coterie on Saturday, November 15th. The primary reason was to listen to the Straight up…read moreChumps, an alternative rock band. The band was incredible, as expected! The added bonus was the atmosphere, service, food and fun of Coterie Kokomo is a mid-sized city about an hour north of Indy. The venue is a local favorite for music and great burgers. They did not disappoint this out of town visitor! The staff was welcoming. The menu, while limited, had a great variety of sandwiches and salads. I chose the Coterie burger which is served with fries. It was fire . The music venue is next door to the primary bar and is full service for food and drinks. The entire evening was so much fun - I highly recommend Coterie for an evening out!

Apparently, we couldn't bring our baby in to sit and eat with us. They have booster seats for…read morechildren up in front by the doors/windows. Their website has no indication that they are a bar or don't allow people/children under the age of 21.... Don't advertise that you are a burger joint if you're not...

Yesterday was the most beautiful warm spring day so my sister, friend, and I went straight to TBA…read moreto enjoy cocktails and apps on the patio. It was heaven. We're lucky that we got there early because it filled up quickly, but the servers were always friendly and quick to check on us or clear our table. I enjoyed the Pimm's Cup, my friend loved her Moscow Mule, and my sister liked her cocktail from the new Spring menu. We also had the whipped spicy feta app and the charcuterie board - both were great.

The Bourbon Affair gave speakeasy, cozy and sophisticated vibes. It was packed when we came in but…read morethe server found us and seated us easily, the great service definitely stood out. It was a little loud for us but the outdoor patio area with the gas fire was perfect, we could still hear the band and it gave us more space. This is a great place to get a night cap like a White Russian, which was sweet and delicious. The friends in the group that knew more about whiskey and bourbon really enjoyed their drinks. I would definitely come here again for a night out!

This place lives up to the hype! Amazing cocktails. Great happy hour specials. Dope music and…read moreimpressive 70's decor. We had: gimlets, the bees knees, daiquiris and avalanches. All were fab. If you love honey, get the bees knees. A quick walk to Thompson & co or plant based coneys after a few drinks. We will definitely return.

Waxbar has been a favorite spot for the past few years, and even though it's changed ownership in…read morethe past couple of years, it's still an excellent spot to grab a drink and wind down for an evening. Waxbar's ambiance used to lean heavily into the record store aesthetic, but now embraces the neighborhood bar/ dive bar style -- the upside is that there's a lot more seating available now! The drinks are still great, and represent a fairly good value overall! I appreciate the low-key nature of Waxbar, it's always a relatively cozy environment, the staff are friendly, and you can tell the regulars love it and will stay regulars for many years (if not decades) to come. I've sampled a lot of their drink menu in the past few years, but in the recent shift of ownership, I haven't tried as many adventurous cocktails. The most recent trip to Waxbar included a Black Manhattan, which was fun and a nice spin on the standard Manhattan. I'll definitely be back!

Sidebar is a posh cocktail place that's in downtown South Bend. Quite different from all the lowkey…read moreplaces, it's one of the few places that you can be transported to a completely different scene to relax and enjoy a curated drink. I wouldn't say that anything was overly creative but sometimes you just need a solid cocktail in an elevated space. I'd rate it a 4/5.

We went for the Holiday Pop-Up and the vibes here are immaculate! We did go on a Friday night so it…read morewas busy, but honestly the service left a bit to be desired. I do understand that they serve specialty cocktails, so maybe that's why everything took so long and we were in a large group. However, when my drink was empty, the server took orders of the people sitting next to me at my table and then walked away without asking me if I wanted anything. I had to flag her down later for another drink, which I usually feel rude for doing. Overall, it just felt like the servers weren't very attentive, but the drinks were good and the people that had food liked it so I would come back!

Rated within its niche, our meal deserves every one of its five stars for the authenticity,…read morequality, flavor and quantity. Even its location just off the city center--within a Mexican grocery store-- added to the experience. One server/cashier and one cook handled the small dinner crowd very well. We had heard raves about their salsa so we expected a bowl of salsa with our chips. Instead we got squeeze bottles, one orange, one green. The green salsa had some kick, and the orange had wonderful layers of flavor. Although we did not need it, we noticed a bar for extra toppings. In 2025, most of the entrees seem to be in the $14 to $16 range. Again, the quantity of food was way more than we could eat in one meal. I originally told my companion we were not leaving until I ate every delicious bite of my nachos. That proved impossible. Since we were traveling we could not take any leftovers home, so I mourned the deliciousness I left behind.

Absolutely delicious…read more I had the beef plate, and though I was warned it would be spicy I found it to be mild (though very flavorful!) No one thing stood out above the rest; everything was consistently high quality. Would stop here again eagerly!