J Paul's Restaurant was one of the highlights of our trip! We had a group of 13 people, and I was amazed that every meal came out at the same time, hot, fresh, and perfectly prepared. That's no easy task, and the staff executed it flawlessly. The food was exceptional. The prime rib was tender, flavorful, and honestly one of the best I've ever had. We ordered several appetizers for the table, and every single one was delicious, but the baked Brie absolutely stole the show. It was incredible! The atmosphere is warm, romantic, and comfortable--perfect for a date night or a special occasion. What really sets J Paul's apart, though, is the hospitality. The owner was out on the floor making sure every guest was happy and that everything was perfect. That personal touch made us feel genuinely cared for and welcomed. The combination of outstanding food, exceptional service, and a beautiful atmosphere made for an unforgettable dining experience. If Michelin stars were awarded solely on the experience they provide, J Paul's would certainly deserve to be in the conversation. We can't wait to come back the next time we're in town! read more

Everything about the restaurant is amazing! Chef is excellent and very creative. Great cocktails and very friendly staff. read more

We were there on a recent Tuesday evening to celebrate a family birthday. They were slammed (we had reservations) and we sat on the porch on a nice summer night. Our server was very good, kept us informed that two parties of ten had just ordered before we did, which we appreciated. The Oysters Rockefeller were outstanding- seasoned perfectly and came out hot. The dates were also a delicious appetizer. Several of us had the Diver Scallops and they were gorgeous and delicious. Unfortunately, the Halibut was a little overcooked. We'd go back in a h read more

J. Paul's Dining Room - Diver Scallops with a Sweet Potato Croquette and fresh green beans. - New American Near Me - Douglas, Michigan

Charming dining room with a great menu. On Mother's Day it was quite crowded but we were able to be seated in an alcove near the rest rooExcellent seared scallops. read more

Yum! I ordered the 8oz. Prime rib and they gave me a huge cute. It was cooked to perfection. The mango Moscow was incredible and refreshing as well. read more

J. Paul's Dining Room - Prime rib - New American Near Me - Douglas, Michigan

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Everything is always amazing here! Great crab cakes and clam chowder! The brisket ravioli is to die for too!

We went to dinner last night for the first time at this restaurant. It's in an historic hotel. The atmosphere is nice with a couple small rooms to dine inside as well tables in the small bar area. There's also outdoor dining. We sat in the bar at a small table for two. Our server was Melanie, the bartender. She was very nice but service was slow since the bar seats were all filled. There were only a handful of tables filled in the entire restaurant when we were there so a server could've taken care of us vs the bartender. Melanie suggested a Pinot noir to me, which was good. We started with the brioche rolls and shared the oysters rockefeller. They were fabulous, the highlight of our dining experience. Next we each had a cup of creamy asparagus soup. Disappointing. Lacked creaminess and seasoning. It was more a broth based soup. I asked Melanie for salt & pepper to add something to the bland soup. For our entrees, my husband had the 12oz prime rib. He requested it cooked to medium rare but it came out medium. It was tasty, though. The potatoes that came with the steak were dense and not creamy. That was a miss. I had the Japanese scallops. They were cooked nicely but I only had 4 on my plate for $33. The caramelized onion & leek risotto served with the scallops was very good. I'm on the fence with this restaurant. I don't think I'd come back. However, our innkeeper in South Haven says it's hit or miss. Sometimes it's very good but other times mediocre. So I'll see. After dinner, we walked outside to the back deck and saw a fawn. We were told the deer come by in the evening. So cute! read more

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Had dinner with friends. We all thoroughly enjoyed our meal. Clam chowder - so yummy. Brie - one of my favorites ever. Tuna and oysters Rockefeller - so good. Main course prime rib - off the chain. Chicken terrific and my friend declared the halibut her favorite. Desserts just as amazing. Love that they take resies! One of the best places to dine in Saugatuck/Douglas. Plus parking is easy! Definitely a plus. read more

Great place for a nice dinner. We sat on their front porch on a very pleasant evening - cozy and fun. Highly recommend their lavender martini - and we really enjoyed the appetizers and dinner - but you must get their rolls and garlic butter! OMG! Highly recommend and we will definitely be back the next time we are in town. read more

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Absolutely incredible. One of the best dinners I've had in quite some time. To start, this place is on the bottom of a bed and breakfast. They have both indoor and outdoor seating. We came on a chilly weekend, so we sat inside. It is decorated so nicely inside with cool art and light fixtures but still has the touches of traditional B&B. They offer cocktail, beer & wine options. I got the halibut. My husband got the mushroom and beef dish. Both were so delicious and some of the best food we had in quite some time. Service was very friendly as well! A must stop if In Saugatuck read more

J. Paul's Dining Room - Braised Ribeye with Truffled Mushroom Raviolis - New American Near Me - Douglas, Michigan

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We sat on the back patio which has a beautiful view of a water spring and some deer and rabbit. Our server was very attentive and made some great suggestions for dinner. We started with the baked Brie which was fantastic. Then we split the Caesar salad which was yummy. I got the beef boulionaise with ravioli and my husband got the duck. Both were excellent. Will definitely come back. Also, drinks were good and reasonably priced. read more

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Just had dinner there. It was delish. I had the clam chowder for a starter and as a east coast snob I thought it was very good. My wife and I had the prime rib and thought it was some of the best I have eaten. We ate on the back deck it was a wonderful evening the service was Impecable. Chef Chris knows what he is doing and I will give it 5 stars read more

I have already raved about J. Paul's at the Kirby. I write again, because it is the best restaurant in the area. We go every year. They should be on your list if you want a nice meal out. We come from St. Louis (and Columbia, Missouri), San Francisco, and New York City, and members of our party have traveled far and wide. A couple are excellent cooks. Every single member of the party was satisfied by J. Paul's. Consider this the most enthusiastic write up. Our family has been coming to Saugautuck/Douglas/Fennville/South Haven for years. That is 14 people over 3 generations, with 2 dogs. The youngest twins aged 15. I believe they have never not known of this summer vacation. So that is a week. 15 years, 7 days, would make 105 days. Then you figure lunches and dinners, with some grilling, and you have easily 100 opportunities to try the many venues. Most of them, we have been to a half dozen times or even more. With the range, we also sample the whole menu. The food was all excellent. We had several starters: bread, crabcakes, brie, and grilled oysters. They were consumed in an instant. I want to say specifically the crabcakes were moist, with not too much filler, and, outside of places were it is local, this is as good as it gets, and you would not go wrong trying it. The grilled oysters, I was surprised were as good as they were, and they were excellent. For a main, I had the duck. I have had that dish here before. Duck is rich. It was prepared perfectly. It had a side of gratin. That was especially tasty. We also had drinks, from the cucumber gimlet and a cosmo to the wine (sancerre and pinot noir). We were seated at a long table outdoors. It was a perfect evening. I want to mention three things. First, the waiter, Jeffrey, was friendly and enthusiastic. He was fully attentive. He helped us take a photo. Everyone who has ever helped us has been liked that. Their attitude is another reason to patronize the business. Second, the chef is easy to work with. We had a teen with a severe peanut allergy, which is not uncommon nowadays -- someone who needs to carry an epi-pen and be careful, to avoid death. We also had an older person on a limited salt diet. Neither of these dietary restrictions was an issue. They were very accommodating. My wife called. She arranged everything. Third, they are LGBT friendly. That is important. You can't be sure. Saugautuck/Douglas in general is good. But it's nice to know they are explicit in welcoming people. There is, in our experience, no rival within a reasonable drive of the Kirby. This is where to go for your nicest night, with a date or a group. read more

Can I say how disappointed I am that we never came here before!!! We drive past this restaurant/Inn daily and had never stopped for a meal. My husband had the Salmon which was really good. I had the best Prime Rib I have ever eaten! The only drawbacks for our group were that the salad was a bit too small and having to pay for just ordinary rolls was not to our liking. But, since the Prime rib was so amazing I will be back. Looking forward to their back porch dining in the summer. read more

We happened upon this Restaraunt after a long wonderful boating day... with kids in tow and picky parents (my husband is native French and particular w fine dining) this was a respite from the hustle and bustle of downtown Saugatuck. We were able to park our car and boat near by and experience an amazing menu that pleased all our appetites. Service was amazing, great cocktail list, ambiance was 5+ It was such a special experience. Prime rib was AWESOME as was the risotto and duck. May I add I recently dined at a similar caliber Restaraunt in New Buffalo (kids had burgers not prime rib) and the bill was more expensive and underwhelming. We will definately be back when we want to feel like me and my hubby can be on a date w the kids in tow (18,14,11) super special. read more

J. Paul's Dining Room - Seared Duck Breast amazing! - New American Near Me - Douglas, Michigan

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We started with the brie, which was delicious. The raspberry sauce went well with the creaminess of the cheese, and the pastry was nice and crisp. We ordered the beef bourguignon, the crispy duck, and the pork belly, and every one of them was excellent. We were all sharing bites with each other, and it ooh-ing and ah-ing over how delicious everything was. We are not easily impressed, and we were very much impressed with J. Paul's. The duck was done perfectly. The skin was crispy, just as promised. The gratin side was done perfectly. I'm an excellent cook, and just last week made an almost identical gratin (which I was rather proud of), and this was every bit as good as mine. The pork belly was rendered well, so not greasy or fatty at all. A nice bit of crispness, and the brussel sprouts that came with were also flavored beautifully from the pork belly. The braised beef bourguignon was tender and flavorful with a nice beefy flavor that was not overwhelmed by the flavor of the wine, as it sometimes is. The ambiance is very pleasant--nice, but not stuffy. The seating is comfortable and the tables are spaced appropriately so you're not elbow to elbow. We sat in the bar where it was nice and quiet. We've been coming to Douglas/Saugatuck for a week every year for 20 years now, and we've dined at just about every restaurant here. J. Paul's is without question the best experience we've had, and that's including the place in Saugatuck which is more formal and pricier. I'm just kicking myself for not discovering this place sooner. We've really been missing out. A special thank you to Melanie, who took such a wonderful care of us tonight. read more

Incredible chef and service, love the food and elegant historical home. Chris & Courtney are the best. The Kirby house is wonderful.

Great atmosphere and friendly staff in a very neat setting. Nice menu choices but it comes down to the food which was not hot, spoiling a beautiful experience. No matter what the dinning experience is, it always comes down to the food. read more

The baked Brie we had as an appetizer and the beef bourguignon and duck entrees were delicious. Lively atmosphere and attentive server.

Always an excellent meal with great service - the kitchen simply does amazing work- best choice in Douglas

OMG! What an amazing hidden gem in Douglas. My wife and I absolutely love this place and we feel like we are at home when we are there. Jeffery is an amazing man and the staff is top notch and the chef is so amazing with his menu selections. We absolutely love this place and it's perfect for our date nights. read more

I feel this is more 3.5 Stars, but that is not an option. They were able to accommodate a party of 8 and we were able to sit on the lovely patio in the back. The menu is limited, but they had options for just about anybody. My partner and I had the trout with Yukon gold potatoes. The rest of our party had the steaks except one of the kids who had macaroni and cheese. What brings the star down to 4, is I felt the food and drinks were decent, but not worth the price. Many of the steak were over cooked and the service was quite slow. Slow to the point where those who got medium well steaks instead of rare, felt that sending it back would take too long. Everything was also under seasoned. Some of us had desserts and they were good. My final complaint is that I think we were charged an 18% gratuity and were never told (due to the party size), but since I cannot confirm or deny this (we were not given a receipt), I'm just chalking it up to my fault for not asking. read more

J. Paul's Dining Room - Trout with tomato jam and Yukon gold potatoes. - New American Near Me - Douglas, Michigan

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We were in town for Labor Day weekend glamping. While our cabin had a full kitchen and the fridge was stocked with bubbles, I wasn't feeling the whole cooking thing as there was only so much roughing it in the wild that I could deal with. The folks we were hanging with suggested this place since it was close to where we were staying. The restaurant is in what I believe is a bed and breakfast situation in a house built in the 1800s. The restaurant is on the first floor. Very lovely decor (high back white chairs) with great light fixtures. Tables are dispersed throughout the rooms of the house. We decided to start out with the crab cakes but were informed by our waitperson Kim that they were out of those. That turned out to be a very good thing as we decided to get two orders of the smoked whitefish pate. It has a little bit of a twang to, smoky and good. It was served with toasted bread that was great. So great in fact that we had our second server, Mindy, keep bringing us bread out to spread that pate on it. Those two bowls of pate went to the kitchen clean. For dinner, I got the Berkshire Pork chop (mashed potato, cider reduction, veggie). My only complaint would be there were not enough mashed potatoes for me as I love them. The pork chop itself was very good, nice, and tender. My friend got the Roasted Chicken (mushroom spaetzle, truffle cream). Very nice blending of flavors and the spaetzle was good. Chicken kind of fell off the bone, which is good. The Doctor got the Linguine (ramp, (wild onion) pepper, tomato, basil, Parmesan. Had some of that as well and it was good. Our other friend got the Baby Lamb Chops with Mediterranean couscous. Didn't get to taste that, but between my two friends, there were nothing, but bones left...going to assume it didn't suck. For dessert we got a key lime cake, which I wasn't expecting. I read the menu but didn't see cake as my brain shuts down after key lime and assumes pie. Gotta say it was a pleasant surprise...very moist and creamy at the same time. All in all, it was a lovely dinner and good time. If you go, ask for Kim or Mindy or if you luck out, you will get both. They were amazing and friendly and funny. The Doctor and I ran into Mindy the next day at the grocery store and she immediately asked us if we wanted some bread.... HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! I could see us going back there again the next time we are in town. read more

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It was our first time since the new owners and chef took over. Our cocktails were amazing, our appetizers were outstanding, and the entrees incredible. We had fondue, salad, ahi tune, and blue cheese encrusted filet...every course was perfect. We would highly recommend this new restaurant. As an added bonus, the chef came out to our table and explained exactly what we were eating and what we could expect with the next course. I would highly recommend this restaurant to year long residents and especially those visiting for the season. You will read more

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Terrific find in a tourist weekend city The food service and ambience were excellent We had tender and tasty prime rib and vegetarian squash risotto. Wild mushroom soup hit the spot on a chilly rainy evening read more

We were a group of 6, service and ambiance was great as was the food. Would definitely recommend.

Service was great. The Kirby Houses's website emphasizes fine dining. Food was good and straightforward. It's a stretch that this is fine dining - fine dining establishments don't serve coffee mate with tea. Also the cocktails were unbalanced. read more

Last minute reservation on July 4th. Delicious cocktails, great wine list too. We enjoyed a shrimp cocktail appetizer...wonderful. Our entrees were very good. Halibut with a sweet potato risotto cake excellent & the beef with mushroom raviolis were good. Beef was shredded. A bit like pulled pork? Service was very good read more

My wife and I went to J. Paul's Dining Room for the first time Labor Day weekend 2021 and will be back. There are lots of varied seating options and some great back patio space. We chose the porch and loved it. The cocktails were very well done (thank you, Matthew!). I got the Peachy Keen bourbon cocktail (pictured below) and now I want to figure out how to make it. My duck was very good and my wife's steak was just perfect. They can be short staffed but just enjoy the ambience, have an appetizer and roll with it. read more

J. Paul's Dining Room - Peachy Keen Cocktail at J Paul's Dining Room - New American Near Me - Douglas, Michigan

Service was slow...this way they sell you more cocktails. Food presentation was poor...a hunk of meat on a plate. Had a hard time cutting our meat...poor utensils. read more

This was a gem in tourist Michigan. The food was amazing and well plated. The drink menu was the most varied we have seen in our Saguatuck/Douglas, MI vacation so far. The pork chop was just as good as the owner-s picture. The charcuterie board was shaped like Michigan which is charming. The outside of the house looks country, but the inside is very modern 80's. The music had great remixes of 70's and 80's plus modern songs. The inside chairs were very comfortable which is important if you are staying more than 1 hour. The bar area was adorable. This is a must do if you a are in the area. Open Table reservations were a plus. read more

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Had dinner here last night. Party of 5- sat outside on veranda- very pretty- a few wild turkeys hanging out - added bonus! Busy night & think they are a bit understaffed as most places are but they were super friendly. Vanilla lavender martini a bit sweet for me. Decent wine list. Food was very good- had multiple things from appeys, entrees, & dessert. Would def. Come back again! read more

Disappointed that we booked this restaurant on OpenTable for a nice dinner, the reservation was confirmed and then when we arrive we found out they were closed, upon seeing a boarded up dining room. read more

Wonderful food and great service.! Beautiful atmosphere. Highly recommended. I had the risotto and my husband had the prime rib- both entrees were the best we've had anywhere! read more

Hidden gem. The back patio was perfect with a cool comfortable vibe. Everything was delicious. We had the Caesar salad with blistered tomatoes and fried mushrooms (I hate mushrooms and these were really good), the duck was so tender and we loved the flavor of the filet mignon. The cheesy grits and mashed potatoes were wonderful accompaniments. We finished with the Creme brûlée cheesecake. The staff and chef were very knowledgeable about local ingredients and using seasonal resources. read more

Food was excellent. Service was great! Inside a older well maintained bed and breakfast. ( you don't have to stay there to eat there!) read more

We had a wonderful meal in this 130 year old mansion. The food & wine were excellent and service was professional and friendly. It is very obvious that the chef is talented and knows how to pair flavors with great skill. It's also obvious that they take joy in what they do here, something that is getting harder to find anywhere. As they change the menu with the seasons, using local ingredients, veggies and herbs from their own culinary garden. Great signature cocktails, local beers and ciders as well as a thoughtfully curated wine list that pairs very well with the menu. So, rather than recommend any specific dish - just go! You'll see something(s) that make your mouth water! read more

Dinner on Friday night for party of 3, did have reservations. The table they offered us was in the entryway, long table could accommodate 6 but had 4 chair. There was empty tables, it took about 10 minutes for them to decide to put 2 table together to accommodate us. Not a good start. Wine selection is excellent however the cocktails were a small pour and served in wrong glasses. The starter was very good a brie in pastry. One salad of fennel and cucumber had potion of a 1/4 cupof the fennel slaw on a big bowl of bitter greens, presentation was bad. Our entree included prime rib which was excellent, halibut was over cooked and dry, and truffle ravioli with ribeye shredded meat on the side, the ravioli was excellent however the meat did not taste like ribeye more like chuck roast. It was a birthday celebration and we ordered desert, could have put a candle on it. They forgot the coffee and when we reminded, there answer was "well it was not on the bill". I live in the area and was very disappointed in both service and quality of food along with presentation. There are many other options in the area for dining with better service and quality of food. read more

We found this restaurant during a review of restaurants in the area. We come in to town once a year and know the regular restaurants. We like trying new places. It is set in the Kirby, a hotel. Decor is simple but pleasant. Our party was 7 people, and we did the full gamut. Appetizers, drinks, wine,salads and entrees. Jack was our server. It was apparent he was " over his skiis" from the start. He had all the right jargon but was not confident in his skills. This became apparent as the the meal progressed. Mussel broth was spilled down the back of one of our party. Frankly, little effort was made to help/rectify the error. Plates were left uncleared and a dessert forgotten altogether. The food was fine, much attention paid to the presentation while flavor was only okay. One order of mussels had 4 unopened shells. Overall I don't think we would go back for a full meal. For $550.00 our expectations were much greater than could be met by this restaurant. Drinks at the quaint bar with the bartender would be interesting. read more

J. Paul's Dining Room - Mussels - New American Near Me - Douglas, Michigan

Disappointing experience! Beautiful environment, very understaffed, the two waitstaff working were very pleasant but clearly overwhelmed and very apologetic.Chef came out and yelled they were alone in the kitchen! Food way too expensive for what was served. Alcoholic beverages restricted to two mixed drinks.We were there from 6:00- 7:45 and barely got out for another event.Management needs to get their act together! read more