chill, nice views of the water, and friendly service. they're known for their perch - which is a mild freshwater fish. Would recommend getting it with Cajun spice (not spicy at all). Their fries are also quite crispy. First come first served and it's a great spot for lunch. Nothing to sing home about, but it's a great spot to hang out if you're in the area. read more

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Unfortunately I was deceived by the 4.3 stars on Google. This must be due to locals that frequent this place and have location loyalty. The food came out about 5 mins after ordering. This was the first sign that it wasn't going to be good. Tasting the food reinforced my fears. The breaded shrimp tasted microwaved ($19), the sweet potato fries were cold and soggy ($3 "upgrade"), and the shrimp tacos ($16) were bland. My wife and I were in the area for our anniversary from Friday to Sunday and this was the only disappointing meal we had. read more

Very limited fish / seafood menu. Poor parking. Views of water are nice, however. Charter boat docked next door. read more

Ordered the fish basket and upgraded for sweet potato fries (wrong choice). Fries came out lukewarm and soggy. Spicy margarita was fine but not nearly worth $17. read more

Captain Lou's - New American Near Me - South Haven, Michigan

Ambiance was exactly what we were looking for for a waterfront bite! Food was delicious! Only note is all seats outside are high tops and not super conducive for small children or people with disabilities. read more

We went to Captain Lou's for an early dinner with our kids on summer vacation. It's completely remodeled since the last time we were there. The outdoor patio was great, very laid back summer vibes. It's a no reservations and seat yourself place. We couldn't find a table at first and a couple got up to give us their table since we had kids, they grabbed seats at the bar instead. Very cool of them. We sent them a round of drinks! They have lots of Michigan craft beers on the menu. My husband had beer and I had their South Haven Spritz. I liked the Soha Sunshine better. We started with their Captains dip. It's a creamy smoked salmon dip served with pita chips, it was good. I had their Manistee Mama, it's their fried perch sandwich with a cajun tater sauce. It was great and not overly battered. It was actually a pretty lite sandwich considering it's fried. My husband had their Beachside wings with Spicy Ranch Sauce. The "Spicy Ranch" Sauce intrigued him. He loved the wings and the sauce tasted just like it sounds. We had a great dinner. Captain Lou's is a great location on the river by the bridge, but parking is tough. We had to park off Black River St. and walk. Another option is to park in town and walk over the bridge. We were waiting for the check and noticed another group of four looking for a table so we got up early to give our table, pay it forward! The guy offered to buy us a round of drinks. We passed on the drinks, but such a positive vibe all around. read more

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Love the upgraded building! Good was great, drinks were flowing, it was a perfect to sit outside and watch the boats go by, and the service was wonderful! We rode our bikes over and it was all super smooth. We will definitely be back! read more

Super fun dining, the place was packed! They seated us at the bar and we had so much fun chatting with the servers. Our food was hot, fresh and plentiful. I had fish tacos and my husband had the perch basket both were outstanding. The music was a bit loud and that would be our only complaint... Shoutout to the bartender Amy, you rock! read more

It is what it is. A fun boat-up waterfront bar for salty dogs and summer people alike. If you are looking for a big old basket of onion rings, a cold beer, and some Jimmy Buffett tunes - you are in the right place. Luckily for us that is exactly what we were looking for. I would humbly suggest, from personal experience, avoiding the cocktail menu. Service was friendly and efficient. read more

Captain Lou's - New American Near Me - South Haven, Michigan

Service was great, vibes were great (love the seat yourself on the harbor), but damn--the food needs work. We paid $15 for a "homemade chips and salsa / dip tray" appetizer and got literal Tostitos across the board. The fish sandwich was mostly fine. Cocktails were also awful. Just not worth $80. read more

Great ambience and amazing staff. Love the vibes of being on the river. Try the Perch. A great Summer time hangout. read more

Fantastic food and service. Neat spot right on the water. Walls and ceiling decorated with dollar bills. Highly recommend the fish sandwich read more

This bar is not a safe place for young women. My group was immediately sexually harassed by at least ten men upon our arrival at the bar, and left within ten minutes because we felt so extremely uncomfortable. We told a female employee about the comments that had been made towards us, and she said she would talk to the patron which was very helpful, but we continued to be harassed by other patrons after we spoke with her and decided to leave for our safety. read more

The service was great! And the food was great! I would go there again, it was cool eat on the old boat.

Great bar but the bouncer took my brother's real ID and held it until the cops came and verified. If you look young be wary

Cajun Perch was beyond amazing! I can't wait to go back!!! The staff was so nice! And you can't beat that view!

Service was amazing and so was the fajitas. Had the chicken steak and shrimp fajitas. Would recommend!

Perch basket was a huge portion. Onion rings are definitely worth the upgrade. Server was great

Atmosphere was fun. Wish I had better service . The service was terrible. I dont even know who my server was. Some stocky muscular mean mug girl. Had to ask another server for her. I watched that server go tell her. She continued to sit and talk to her friends. Never came back. So we got up and left. read more

Solid bar in South Haven with late night hours on the weekends. Lots of seating especially outside near the water. There's a vast food menu and even non-alcoholic beverages which I was appreciative of! read more

This restaurant meets the hype. It is accommodates a large number of customers, but is laid out so that it doesn't feel overcrowded. They have the best iced tea that I've had in a restaurant in years. The service was fast, and the food came out QUICK. Like, we hadn't even finished our appetizer and our meal came out, and there was quite a crowd there. The fish Reuben was out of this world, holy wah! The best part was watching the drawbridge go up and down as boats passed under. read more

Mediocre food. We had the perch basket, blue burger, and spicy cheese curds for appetizer. Was satisfying but not awesome.

Came in and sat at the bar at 3pm on a Sunday. It was fairly packed but we got to sit down quickly! Great service, nice breeze and the food was excellent! read more

We sat at the bar and ordered food and drinks I ordered a lite beer - a plain lite beer well the bar tender decided to give me a small brew company beer How can you screw that up? won't be back here soon read more

I went to Lou's for a calm time but the server we got was an MSU frat girl who I have history with and she requested I be escorted out by the bouncer, wasn't given any reason other Then she didn't like me. Awful service. read more

I loved both the food and the ambiance at this riverside restaurant. I ordered the fried fish basket and picked tater tots as my side. With four pieces of fish, the basket was plenty of food and I probably ate more than I should have because it was so good. This fish was pike perch, which is a new kind of fish for me. I also tried a Mer Bear cocktail, which was nice and fruity. We sat outside and enjoyed a beautiful evening overlooking the water. read more

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Captain Lou's is a hot spot for waterfront dining in South Haven. They have mostly outdoor seating overlooking the river. It was a rainy day when Nate and I visited, so everyone was huddled beneath the circular outdoor bar. We managed to grab the last two seats at the bar and had good service from the bartenders. The other parties around the bar were definitely celebrating with lots of rounds of shots, so it got pretty loud. I know this place can get super packed in good weather and later at night, so it was nice to experience it in the afternoon. The menu is typical of these waterfront, beach type bars with fish baskets, handhelds, etc. I got the "famous" fish basket, which comes with fried perch and your choice of fries, tater tots, or slaw. Nate got the fish tacos. Our food came out pretty quickly and I was impressed with the generous size of the fish filets and crispy tots. I've eaten a lot of perch and it's one of my favorites, so I was pleased when I realized this was one of the best perch baskets I've had in awhile! The filets were huge and meaty, and perfectly fried with a light coating, no heavy batter here. The tots were nicely seasoned. I'd definitely come back for more perch in the future, it was that good. We were walking but the parking situation at Captain Lou's looked a little hectic! read more

Captain Lou's - Lindy Lou tacos (fish tacos) - New American Near Me - South Haven, Michigan

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We were able to find a table despite the summer crowds. Staff was kind but because it was busy the food and drinks were super spaced out and one drink was forgotten. We liked the spot since it had great views of the lake and the boats. Be prepared to have one bill for groups larger than 8. We expected this and just paid each other back afterwards. I had the spicy cheese curds which were delicious and I would recommend adding them to your order if you enjoy cheese. read more

Captain Lou's - Spicy Cheese Curds - New American Near Me - South Haven, Michigan

Fun environment, but don't plan on a quick meal. My salad tasted great, the blueberry vinaigrette was fabulous, although I had to send it back because it came with walnuts despite my specific request for no walnuts. They did a decent job of correcting it fairly quickly. My friend ordered the Lou and substituted a chicken breast for the burger, which she said was good. We did enjoy our Mules. Would I go back? Sure read more

Captain Lou's - 2nd deck - New American Near Me - South Haven, Michigan

The location is the highlight here and the pickle Bloody Mary. It's located right by the drawbridge with an outside sitting area so the location is prime. They have mostly burgers and fried perch dishes. The fried perch isn't overly seasoned and kind of bland. Pricing is okay, as portions are big. The service was spot on and I have nothing to complain about as they do a team style which is always preferred in my book. We got there right at the opening and it quickly got busy. Each time I come, I do have fun because of the ambiance, view, service and company but I'm always left disappointed about my meal. read more

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Terrible service, Terrible vibes, decent food/ drinks. If you are a tourist you will be mean mugged as soon as you enter the restaurant from locals and staff. Bartenders are rude. Tables were dirty and we asked for them to be bused and received a dirty look from the bartender / staff. There was one good waiter from Kalamazoo ! The 2 stars are for her! Ive been here almost a dozen times and its the same experience. Sadly, there arent many other riverside bars in South Haven. If there was this one would be out of business. Go to Admiral Jacks, better food, better vibes, better people! read more

Captain Lou's is definitely a fun spot on the water in South Haven and a must if you're looking for a lively spot on the Black River. I opted for their famous Fish Fry dinner, and it absolutely did not disappoint. Paired with Cole Slaw, which was fantastic, the service was also great even when it was rather busy on opening weekend. Can't wait to come back! read more

Captain Lou's - New American Near Me - South Haven, Michigan

They have a very nice patio they refuse to allow you to bring your dogs. Any place that doesn't allow your dogs. I give a one star and a bad review. Sorry you have a choice. read more

Took awhile to get service, & everything was taking a long time to receive. The view on the waterfront was nice tho, as well as the mozzarella sticks, those were fire! read more

The appetizers were all good starting with the spicy cheese curds. They were approved by the group as some damn good cheese curds, and the mozzarella sticks had a really good batter and also really cheesy. The Captains Dip had smoked salmon and paired well with the pita chips being soft yet roasted with some seasoning to really bring the best out of the bite. Only thing I'll say is that the ratio was off, and not in favor of the dip itself. The mains we pretty much all got the fried fish basket which had solid fries, and delicious fried pike and fried perch filets. I loved both and the fish was gone too soon, I liked the tartar sauce but the fish tasted better in my opinion on its own. Fun and pleasant experience overall. read more

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Excellent service by Aubrey! Fantastic drinks and the best place on the river! Amazing experience!

We love to pull in in the boat order to go. We have someone jump off and gather the Carryout order. Very easy and Accommodating If you are in town stop by. It's such a great spot to enjoy the vibe on the water and have a drink and food! read more

Food was hot and tasty it was typical bar food but tasted fresh. The food came out quickly we were seated quickly and our drinks came quickly also. I like how they all worked together as a team to get orders and drinks out. It was a great location the decor was quirky but it being odd the water was nice and we would definitely go back. read more

We make it a tradition to come to Lou's every time we come to South Haven. Not many things beat relaxing in the sun...beside the water...watching the boats come & go and the draw bridge go up and down. Today was an extraordinarily busy day. We wanted a LONG time for our food. We sat inside and the tables were positioned too close. The dad and kid behind be were constantly in my back. Despite that...I watched the team of 20 something la hustle their tails off. They did a great job helping to serve each other's customers without neglecting their customers. The were very well organized at clearing tables, bottles and debris. The manager should be proud of the team work I saw today. For lunch I had the All Season sandwich. The sandwich was piled high with turkey. The bread was slightly toasted/grilled..maybe a little too much. The topping on the sandwich were just right. The sandwich was good and refreshing and light. The pickle spear was crisp and semi tart - just perfect! The slaw was also very good! Mayo based with finely chopped slaw. Another excellent side! I hate to recommend give Captain Lou's a try as I hate to wait. However,.,they are worth the try and wait!! read more

Captain Lou's - All Season Sandwich - New American Near Me - South Haven, Michigan

Great ambiance, service but Not Great burger Loved the atmosphere and was so happy they had Impossible burgers but food was sub par. Patty wasn't cooked well and bun was low grade. Wanted to love this place but Meh read more