I'm a local and have been there many times as I enjoy the atmosphere and friendly staff very much. Today, was no exception, but I felt the need to review a dish that I had as it was so underwhelming: GNOCCI ALLO PESTO GENOVESE potato dumplings tossed in a Genovese style pesto with basil and pine nuts, house made ricotta, and marinated grape tomatoes 10.95 Even though this dish is a "feature" of the month and the month is nearly over, I feel the need to express my disappointment, nonetheless just in case it's recycled another month. Although the flavor was good, the gnocci were the size of a cherry tomatoes and there were all of 12 of them, there were no pine nuts that we could see unless they were blended along with the basil to make the pesto and the "s" at the end of tomatoes is a suggestion that there is more than one, but do know that there is only one lonely cherry tomato cut in half on the top as a garnish along with a teaspoon of the ricotta. Price relative to size were not in line. Granted, this is an "antipasto" (appetizer), but seriously, satisfaction is based solely on expectation and the description was off! I will return, but I will ask more questions in the future. read more

Very hit and miss lately. The food is always good but the service has become less then desirable. They appear to be consistently understaffed thus causing long periods of sitting around to order and get drinks. This was once a great place to go but something's changed recently?? read more

From 5 stars to 1 in less than a year. In the last year, I've been to this restaurant three times. The first dining experience in July was fantastic. We went just for dessert. The bread pudding was amazing, as was my companion's flourless chocolate torte. Staff was wonderful that night. 5 stars! We returned in November for my birthday. There were 5 of us, and although we were there early... They made it clear to us that since we didn't have a reservation, there was really only a short time to accommodate our dining experience (90 minutes). Ok, fine- thanks for getting us in. We had appetizers and dinner, not sure if we ordered drinks. The waitstaff seemed to forget about us often- even though there was a timeline. Food was delivered... And it was so so. Apps were ok. Dinner was ok. I had the filet. Nothing spectacular- just average. Whew, made it out in time. We did talk to the manager on the way out. They apologized for the service and the remark about us needing to hurry and we said we wanted nothing out of it, just to let them know. 3 stars. Third visit was tonight and it was bad enough to warrant me signing up for a Yelp account. Our friends suggested we meet there. Because if our previous experience in November- we suggested we get reservations. All set, 5 days ahead. We arrived on time. We were seated. No waitstaff for awhile... That's fine, we weren't in a hurry. She stated that she had just been informed that she had a table that had been waiting for awhile. We all ordered drinks and then appetizers. Nice enough waitperson. Drinks were good. Apps were ok. Probably the best part of the meal, other than the company. Weird, my app plate was not cleared with the rest. We were informed that we should probably order quickly before they got a rush of people, otherwise we would be waiting a long time for our food. Ok- again, we were not in a hurry. Bread was delivered to other tables, not ours. The bread arrived after we finished our appetizers, but we no longer had small plates, the waitperson disappeared- no one to ask! No plate, but I still wanted to try that bread! I took a few bites.... Nothing worth eating- nevermind! :( 3 salads ordered - 1 salad was ordered with dressing "on the side". Had to send it back because it was brought with dressing on it. We eventually had to ask for that salad to be delivered to the table....for more than 10 minutes there were just two salads on the table. The third one arrived. Oh but it gets better- when my friend's salad arrived, we were informed that they had another reservation for our table in 30 minutes and that since we were only on our first course, that essentially that was causing them a problem and other people would be waiting on our table. (Wait a second- this was the same issue they had when we didn't have a reservation.). She said they would "try" to work something out for us. Who sets the timeline? Ugh, my knife was taken with the appetizer plate. No waitperson to be found, I needed a knife for my salad- waiting again. Got it. House salad and Caesar salads were very good. Another bright point. Plates cleared. Our entrees arrived. I no longer had any utensils and asked for more. My friend didn't have a knife and so she asked for some as well. The waitperson said, "isn't that your fork on the table?" My friend politely said, that she no longer had a knife and needed one. Why did that conversation happen? I don't really know why, because the waitperson brought the napkin-wrapped sets back to us. The entrees were nicely presented. One walleye- it was good. Ravioli was good. My pork was dry, but edible. I didn't pay for the meal and I don't know if it was worth what was paid- my guess is no. The food was just average, not great, really 3 stars. The next table was empty. Empty and not cleaned off for quite some time. (So what was the rush?) We finished our meals and our plates remained on our table for an extraordinary amount of time. Finally, she came back. She Half- heartedly offered to clear our plates. She didn't offer to box anything, but one person asked for a box. She offered us a dessert menu, which we took but declined after all - even though I still remembered how good those desserts were last summer. We left about 45 minutes after the deadline we were told we needed to adhere to. No one waiting in the lobby. ??? It wasn't until I started writing this review that I realized how many things were just wrong at this dinner. We still enjoyed ourselves because we were with good friends, but this is the last time we will dine at this restaurant. read more

I remember this place as The Black Swan. Same decor. Same feel. The bruschetta was ok but my husband really liked it. The bread was fresh. The meals were very good. I had the chicken Marsala. I would have preferred fresher mash. It was a bit stale. The dessert was flour less chocolate cake and seemed to be from a frozen pre purchase rather than fresh made. The house red was excellent. read more

Peaceful and beautiful in the winter. Great place for a late lunch. I can't say enough about this place...I Love the owner, Food and Wine.

This is a place where the people know what they are doing. Outstanding food and terrific service,every single time. A variety of seating locations keep it interesting too. You can choose elegant but casual fine dining, outdoor tiki's, or the bar where "everyone knows your name". My wife loves the new healthy menu options and I love Jodi's Hendrick's Gin. read more

My wife and I love the burger and sweet potato fries at Martell's. They also have delicious soups and weekly specials are usual fantastic. We are gluten free and we had asked for gluten free buns a couple times in the past. We are extremely grateful that the chef found an excellent gluten free bun that we think is the best in Kalamazoo! read more

My family has enjoyed Martell's for many years, even when it was the Black Swan. The restaurant is in a scenic, relaxing setting, so you are surrounded by water and wildlife, and can sit outside in nicer weather. Unfortunately, over the last year or so, the quality in both food and service has declined dramatically. Despite severe disappointment in May, when we took my parents there to celebrate a birthday, I decided to try it there again with a group of professionals who were celebrating summer. Our group of 5 ordered a couple of salads, a couple of sandwiches, and a burger. The salads were the only good food. The burger was by far the worse, from being over-cooked to having lettuce, tomato, and cheese that was specifically asked to leave off. The waitress never came back after delivering our food, so I had to ask for the bill as well as change to leave a tip. Everything is far below the high standards that could once be expected from this restaurant, and this seems to be the same that we have found with other restaurants in the area that have become part of the Millennium group, including The Roadhouse and Fieldstone grill. Thankfully, we have an abundance of options to enjoy dining out in the Kalamazoo area. My work group and family are DONE with all Millennium group restaurants. read more

It's really difficult to get good food and service when you come into a restaurant with a large group for a business mtg but we were pleasantly surprised at how well Martel's handled the group. the food was very good and the wait staff was excellent! we sat outside at sunset, overlooking the pond and green trees...very pleasant. read more

Had enjoyed it when it was The Black Swan (and the Bar was known as Martell's) and always enjoyed my meals there. Although more common good food, from hamburgers to Prime Rib, without the expensive and eloquent chef creations, Martell's now provides reasonably priced food in an indoor or outdoor environment off a beautiful lake in Parkview Hills. The ambiance is excellent for a couple or a large party and it is good for good dining or light eating. Staff are excellent and enthusiastic and the food choices varied. My son and daughter-in-law recently had their Wedding Reception there and it was perfect for our 55 guests. Every meal was outstanding with choices of a huge Prime Rib, Salmon, Chicken, or Ravioli! Servers kept out of the way but were professional, attentive and personable. It was a great evening with wonderful food and magnificent ambiance. All the staff involved were wonderful as well. For casual dining, meeting friends, a fine meal or just drinks, this place is great and highly recommended! read more

Food,,fantastic, Apps,,,,amazing,.....Service...stupendous, Atmosphere,,,,astounding, Music in the tavern after 4:00 PM weekdays......BRING EARPLUGS!!!!!..the Monkees..Sorry, Neil Diamond............Agh!!!!!!!! I don't know who picks the songs but it's time to hire an entertainment director!!!! The Mushroom soup is to die for. Go on a Wednesday evening (early) for the Wine/Beer "outside on the patio pairing" of drinks and appropriate food on the grill. A different, flavorfull treat, as long as Michigan weather permits..Plus I don't think the "music" from the Tavern can be heard out there..with any luck ! read more

We love this place, it's very convenient for our family to meet there, and we're seldom disappointed. Favorites include Caesar salad, mussels, any of their soups (unfortunately, the wonderful mushroom soup is too rich for me), crab cakes, and we had a really terrific Beef Wellington which was a special in December. Service is always good, and the view is lovely. However, today we were going to meet there at 4, and 2 of us checked their web site this morning to make sure they were open. Web site said yes. Got there - closed!! Why have a web site if you're not going to update it? read more

I was looking forward to trying this restaurant, but I was disappointed with my experience. The food was so sad. I had a salmon sandwich and the salmon smelled fishy. The sandwich was dry, no flavor whatsoever. I also tried the baked brie. I don't see what the big deal is with that. It was so bland. They need to change some things in this restaurant. read more

We normally love Martell's, but tonight was a huge miss for us. We rarely dine out, but for our 2nd anniversary we chose Martell's and ended up leaving very frustrated and disappointed. Our drinks, appetizers, salad and entrees were served to us too quickly- literally overlapping each other. We were in and out in under and hour. Our cocktails, appetizer and salad were delivered to our table at the same time. Our undercooked green beans AND New York Strip steaks came to our table while we were still eating our appetizers, salad and bread. No steak knives came with our steak and our server didn't come check on our steak temperature for over 10 minutes. My steak needed to be cooked more, and that left my husband's steak to cool as he waited for a steak knife (and felt bad eating in front of me while I waited for my steak so he stalled). Our cocktails sat empty until our meal was done. We were in and out in an hour. Our food came to us so quickly, one course after another that it left us little to no time to enjoy our courses or have any small talk with each other. Super sad experience all around. No Tito's at the bar on this evening - which we normally can roll with that, but it added to this negative experience. We won't be back......I guess it's time to try some of the newer restaurants in town. read more

Took our WMU freshman for his last great meal before a term of dorm food. We were not disappointed. Great steak and fish. Excellent crab cakes started out our meal. Stack Oscar is considered the signature entree. We will be back during parents weekend. Yumm! read more

We had our son's rehearsal dinner at Martell's last Friday night. First, accolades to the kitchen. The food was phenomenal. The salmon was probably the best any of our guests had ever had, and the same could be said for the prime rib and pasta selections as well. Unfortunately the service left a bit to be desired. Many guests had to ask 2-3 times for drinks. When one guest asked at the end of the evening, in the lobby, if we had been charged for the four bottles of wine because they had been charged for wine after asking for a glass from what they thought was the bottles we had purchased. The girl who was waiting on our room overheard and jumped in to the conversation and said they were "over the limit" of allowed wine and that's why they were billed. Prior to that my husband and I had not really paid attention to the bill, but when we looked we saw that rather than being billed by the bottle (as requested) we were billed by the glass and were not charged for bottles as we asked both ahead of time and again we thought clarified with the server before the guests arrived. So, fabulously wonderful food - servers that are mediocre. I would recommend for a small dinner group but I think they either understaffed the room or gave us inexperienced servers who didn't understand our requests. read more

I've been to this restaurant at least 10 times and had nothing but good food and good service. Their crab cakes were the only thing I've had that I think could use some work, and I try to get something new each time I go. Though everything else I've had has been stellar, the rissoto cakes app and almond crusted walleye are my favorites! The prices are reasonable considering this was once the home to the Black Swan. In the warmer months, I like to sit outside on the patio overlooking the lake. If you're looking for a dark, cozy spot, the bar area is where it's at. The main dining room over looks the lake and the fireplaces give it a nice warm ambiance. read more

Joined family for a nice Thanksgiving dinner. Great environment and the food was very good. Was surprised to see brie on the menu and it was as dated of an appetizer as I suspected it would be. Loved the beet salad and the turkey and dressing was as good as mom used to make. Not a fan of the bread pudding and would have preferred one of the pies. read more

Unless are you easy to please and don't get out much I would definitely pass on going out to Martells. We ate there last Saturday night and were disappointed and won't be going back. There is no atmosphere , no relaxing music and for the price they charge I expected a lot more. When you can prepare a meal at home that is better and less expensive it pretty much defeats the purpose of going out. The table was extremely sticky and dirty which made the whole experience start on a sour note. read more

Love Martell's outdoor patio. One of the best restaurants for a great outdoor ambiance. Sunday Lasagna special and a deep red sets the place off perfectly. Great place to frequent. read more

In really enjoy going to Martell's. The ambiance is very pleasant and they have a nice variety in the menu. I never have to wait long, and the drink menu is great. The staff is also great.each server I've had has been friendly and attentive. I'd definitely recommend Martell's if you're looking for a quality meal. read more

Went there Friday night to celebrate sister selling house and moving. I had called earlier in the week when i made the reservation to ask that we get a quiet table in a corner somewhere as my sister has vertigo badly and noise and light make her ill. I was assured that we would be in a corner but if it was too loud, speak to someone and we could be moved. As the restaurant was very busy, it was extremely loud where we were so i went and spoke with the hostess. She totally blew me off and said there was nothing she could do. Wasn't interested in even trying!!! One of us ordered medium prime rib and it was rare. The waiter said to check the bills when he brought them as he wasn't sure they were correct and sure enough they weren't. Other food was average, service was average, and customer service poor. Will definitely not go back! read more

Good service, yummy food! *Mondays you'll want a reservation!* We've eaten in the restaurant, the bar area and even ordered a take-out Thanksgiving dinner. All of our food has been SO GOOD!!! Having visited when it was Black Swan, I like the change. Martell's offers a better over-all experience. I appreciate their varied price points. I find it's up-scale offerings work for a special occasion, yet hubby can find something to please his more conventional tastes as well. Great date night spot. read more

My family had dinner there last night. It was the first time we dinned at this establishment. The food was presented well but the ingredients were very cheap and some of our meals were not cooked. I had a house salad with cheap grocery store packaged greens and a slice of cheese drenched in a salad dressing. The entree was salmon and it was tasteless. My wife ordered the prime rib and it was mostly fat and the green beans were raw. Her salad was the same as mine. We Both were served instant mashed potatoes that were tasteless. My daughter ordered a pasta dish and asked if they would leave out the spinach. Spinach was included in the dish and she did not eat her meal. The service was very slow. Not enough employees. read more

We were in from San Antonio , Texas and we were looking for a place where locals dine and we found this place through yelp. The food was delicious my boyfriend LOVED the cucumber salad with a vinaigrette dressing. The place is sort of hidden but worth the find. We would come here again. read more

My husband and I went to Martell's to celebrate a birthday and were so disappointed with our meal and service. I can honestly say this was one of the worst meals I have ever had dining out in Kalamazoo. Not only was the food nearly inedible but our service was subpar. Our waitress never came back to our table after taking our order so we could not even explain what was wrong with our food or order an additional drink. My husband,who's birthday we were celebrating, had asked for his meat to be cooked medium well and it came back as close to raw as it could be. I ordered the tomato roasted ravioli and I can't even describe how bad it was. My drink was not served until well into the entrée course and bread was never delivered. As previous reviewer said the Millenium group restaurants are certainly struggling in quality. We are moving on to other options. read more

This is one of the most over-hyped restaurants in Kalamazoo. The food is over-priced for its mediocre quality. I have eaten there 5 times, and after giving it a fair chance, I am finished. The best things there are the setting (woodsy, pretty) and the servers, who are friendly and attentive. The food is the problem. Most of the meals I've had there were unremarkable: adequately cooked, but nothing special. A few items were frankly BAD. The bruschetta appetizer was served on whole slices of bread (not small squares, as it should be done) and they were completely soggy. This is a freshman-level mistake that no serious chef ever makes. The coconut shrimp appetizer is deep-fried in a heavy batter that destroys the shrimp's flavor, and they serve it with marmalade. If you like heavy, flavorless shrimp, with a common household garnish, then maybe you'd like it. I have had superb coconut shrimp with delicate, aromatic flavors, in other cities. Kalamazoo -- like most of the midwest -- doesn't know what to do with seafood, except to batter & fry it. What a waste. The entrees I've had there were only as good as what I can make at home, and I'm no chef. I adore good food and love eating out because I want to taste things that I *can't* do myself. Martell's never delivers that. I won't be going back. read more

WOW, This is one of the worst places I have ever eaten. The service was mediocre at best. My date and I ordered a variety so we could get an idea of their offering as we were considering Martell's for hosting a wedding dinner. First was the Coconut shrimp and Crab Cakes, both arrived and were very dark brown. Obviously the grease was filthy or the food was way over cooked or a bit of both. The Shrimps were like crusted hockey pucks, over cooked and chewy. The crab cakes were the opposite. The crust was soft like bread and the center was more like a spreadable for crackers than a quality crabmeat. Next was the House Mushroom soup and House Wedge salad (which was kind of a special order as the steak had to be taken off) The salad wasn't too bad actually, but it's kind of hard to mess up a salad, right? The soup tasted like half and half cream with mushrooms in it. Solid in color but runny like broth and little to no flavor. The entrees were filet and chicken piccata. The filet was burnt on the outside and med to rare (ordered med) and would've bled had it not been so dried out. The meat itself was a tough cut, but the center was mush. The chicken was terribly seasoned and the dish was not prepared as piccata but as a roasted chicken dinner. The skin was rubbery and the chicken was very dry. The only juice on the plate was from the plain, wilted, lifeless spinach. Needless to say we couldn't even eat more than a couple of bites of our meal. Not once were we asked if there was an issue, but they did offer to box up the meal :) The final price tag: 76.00 for a meal that I would gladly trade for McDonald's. read more

Slowwww service, but then four different people interrupting my dinner to ask how it tastes. So-so food on a wobbly plate. Decent drinks. Nice location next to a pond. Not as high-end as it would like to be. Apparently there was some kind of waitstaff issue right when I walked in, too, because a woman came out of the back with an imperial attitude and yelled at a waiter to follow her, and another woman said over and over, "Accountability. Accountability." I'm not really looking for your restaurant drama in my dining experience. read more

had the prime rib in petite cut which was big enough! great meal super bartender. Overall wonderful environment with the pond behind.

3-3.5 stars. solid food, a bit on the pricier end but it could be a lot worse. steak was cooked to perfection, salad was average, burrata could be creamier. read more

Martells has been one of my favorite restaurants. However, based on my last two visits this is no longer the case. We had the same waiter for both visits. We waited forever to be approached by him...yesterday the hostess finally brought water and then we waited some more. At the end of our meal he said he would be bringing the bill, however, we waited and waited again on the terribly hard and uncomfortable chairs (on the patio) until my elderly companion said she could not take it any longer and we gave up and took our bill inside. When our waiter saw us speaking to another wait staff he finally approached to do our transaction. He did not apologize for keeping us waiting. On the way out I mentioned to the hostess that the chairs had been very uncomfortable and it would be nice to have cushions on them. She unkindly said that they cannot provide cushions everywhere and pointed to some tiny throw cushions in the lobby that she said could be used next time. I brought my elderly friend there to have an enjoyable lunch in the beautiful surroundings. Instead, we left with sore backs and bruised spirits. Extremely disappointing! ** I live near Kalamazoo, MI...not Alabama. read more

Martell's has gone down hill over the past year. Service was very slow and the food was served late and cool. The quality of the food served did not fit the price. A place to drink but not to eat. read more

The server was knowledgeable about the menu, and the food was great! I had the Atlantic Salmon entree and the split pea soup.

Excellent when it was black swan.. Still great.. Need to expand the menu a little please.

Not many vegetarian options. The veggie burger and bruschetta were ok.... not really exceptional. The outdoor seating by the pond is what you really pay for. Great place to hang out when the weather is nice. read more

Good food, good prices, great service. Really nice on the inside, great place for a date. ;)

Last Friday my wife and I had a very disappointing meal at Martell's. I had the Osso buco which was cooked well, but the rice was over seasoned with citrus and inedible. My wife had the Steak Oscar which was not cooked well enough (very rare - not medium), and arrived cold. The service was great but the meal, as I said disappointing. Interestingly I was at Martell's on business a few weeks earlier and it was great. Seems like if you hit it on a bad day - look out! read more

The best steak I have ever had, it melts in your mouth! Fantastic for a dressed up date night, or nice dinner with friends or family. Randomly came upon the restaurant one day, and wasn't expecting it to be good, but everything was great. I would definitely recommend this place to others and go here again! read more