We came in Saturday, 2/15/25 around 12:30pm - just in time to still order breakfast. Whitlow's only serves breakfast until 1:00. We sat at the bar (as always) and Sarah took great care of us (as always). AND, because it was Saturday I could order the stuffed hash browns! I had never heard of this delight until I started visiting Michigan. Shredded hash browns with sautéed veggies and breakfast meat, cheese and either ranch dressing or sour cream. This was the first time I've ordered them here, and I was REAL happy with my order! I went with the 1/2 order - and it was a lot of food. Ham, bacon, onions, peppers, cheese and I subbed sour cream for the ranch and added 2 over easy eggs. My Mr had the all meat omelette and really enjoyed it. Our toast was hot and buttery. We come to Whitlow's A LOT. It is our favorite breakfast place when we want classic breakfast. There is nothing fancy, but everything is really good. And their prices are very reasonable. read more

Whitlow's Forerunner - All meat omelette and sourdough toast - American Near Me - Muskegon, Michigan

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The food wasn't bad, perhaps good even. It would have been worth a 30 minute wait. It was absolutely not worth a 90 minute wait. Especially considering one of our omelets wasn't cooked through fully. That was disappointing after hearing so many good things about the breakfast here. The waitstaff were very friendly and did a great job, no complaints there. Had we not waited so long, I'd have given it 4 stars. I could be persuaded to try it again as again the food was pretty good. read more

I ordered a grilled chicken sandwich. The waitress asked if I wanted anything on it. I'll admit I said no, because I thought she meant extra, because the menu had cheese list as an extra charge. All I wanted was what normally comes on a grilled chicken sandwich, lettuce, tomato, mayo... When the sandwich was delivered, it was literally a grilled chicken fillet and a bun. That's it. Nothing else. I told the waitress I was disappointed, and she said that's how it is, and she said she asked if I wanted anything on it and I said no. I explained I thought she meant extra, because I've never been to a restaurant that serves chicken sandwiches with nothing on them, not even any condiments. The menu doesn't state that there is nothing on the sandwich except a chicken fillet. It doesn't list lettuce, tomato, etc. as options to have put on it. Very disappointing. read more

The perch looked like minnows! They know they are small because they try and add another one. Wait for food too long. Needs updating same as 1970 when I came there as a kid! read more

This place is a Muskegon institution. Not that, that is a good thing. It's just been around for a while. They have a room of taxidermy animals I heard the founder was a big game hunter. Not that I care....I'm here to eat. They have a big crowd on Friday night for their perch fish fry. So there are plenty of servers....don't know if that is the case on other nights. I ordered the perch dinner.....6 pieces plus baked potato. Tater was good. I've been here before....it was great. Not so much this time. Fish was bigger, but not tasty. Tarter sauce was not tangy....but sweet. Our server was great, but that won't make me return. read more

Whitlow's Forerunner - Salad bar was small, but had all the fixin's. But had to be replenished often. Not a good thing. - American Near Me - Muskegon, Michigan

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Brad was the bartender and took good care of me. Happy hour is $.50 off of any drink you order. The food everything fried was perfectly cooked and delicious. The garlic toast was white bread and pub cheese on the side it surprised me how tasty it was. The salad bar did not have many choices. I didn't see any TV and no music was playing . They do have a pool table and keno. Overall it's a nice local place! Give it a try. read more

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When I walked in, I was not greeted, that alone should've told me to walk out of the restaurant. I didn't mind paying $19 for a plate of fish but for the fish to be purely tasteless I just couldn't stomach it. Literally, I did not even finish my food I do not recommend this to anyone but locals who do not know anything better to eat than this. read more

Whitlow's Forerunner - Seafood combo - American Near Me - Muskegon, Michigan

Great food, Great waitresses, Caring family owners with fish on the walls and mounted animals in their room

Whitlows has been my favorite place fir decades! I travel for work all across the US. I always order perch or walleye. No one was better although Hobos and BLT came in close. Since Covid they say they can't get unsalted crackers which was included in their well loved recipe. Now, that they've changed their recipe this is no longer the best. It's ok but nothing special like it was! I doubt they even know how popular they were. They were the place to go for perch! Not any more! Although it's still good it has lost its special unique recipe and draw. Too bad, the service, atmosphere and prices are all good. I'm really disappointed and miss the original favorite! Hobos is better now. BLT is also good but ridiculously over priced! read more

Went there this past Saturday at 2 pm, about 6 other's dining there. Ordered grilled ham and cheese with fries and a perch sandwich. Grilled cheese was really small and very thin. Had to catch the waitress later to remind still haven't received the fries. The Perch sandwich was over cooked and really dry even with tomato, lettuce and mayo. Also the waitress never came back to ask how are food was or to ask if we needed a refill on our Cokes. Bill came to $22. We did leave a $5 tip anyway. read more

don't get the fish. everything else was good, except the walleye was not good. Cheese curd were good burgers good fries were good.

An icon that I stumbled upon while camping. Was not expecting it to be as interesting and fun as it was.

VG food and s Service, lost my wallet on the table inside saturday 9 am. phlpblss@gmail.com a reward offered. I read more

Perch and there fries are amazing, the salad bar is so fresh and delicious especially with their homemade bleach, cheese dressing!!! Their servers are excellent. We always get Wendy and really enjoy her service. She takes care of us so well always on top of anything we need especially drinks, but all the servers are wonderful. read more

Haven't been here in years, was always quite good and the place for perch. Service was great. Disappointed with the perch, though the walleye was great!!! Avoid the asparagus bites. They are the ends that are very woody and hard to eat. read more

Wow, this place is "different." When you first walk in, there is a room to the left that houses several stuffed animals. And not the kind you give to your child when they go to bed, the kind that you shoot on a safari and bring back. WOAH. The menu is very basic, but I was excited to learn that they still serve breakfast at lunch time. So I ordered 2 eggs (over easy) and hash with a side of toast. The eggs were cooked perfectly and not covered in oil, but unfortunately the hash was way too salty and not good at all. The toast was ok, 1 piece was too burnt to eat. My coworker ordered a turkey sandwich and was pleased when it was real turkey instead of deli meat. We ordered a piece of peanut butter cream pie to share as a finisher. The server brought us a larger piece since she knew we were sharing it. It was the best part of the meal! For decor, I would give this place 1 star. My meal was only worthy of 2 stars but my coworker's sandwich, the pie, and the service had me bump the review to 3 stars. read more

Whitlow's Forerunner - 2 eggs, toast, hash. I would skip the hash... - American Near Me - Muskegon, Michigan

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Where should I begin? The front door isn't marked, we came in through what appeared to be a service door down a dirty hallway. Sat in the "tavern" area. There were two servers for the whole place, which, from reading other reviews, seems like the norm. Salad bar was actually decent, thank goodness I ate that. The bread they bring to your table is literally white bread toasted with garlic powder on it... and it comes with cheese spread.... Ok! I am not from Michigan, so maybe this is a thing up there? I am thinking not. Boyfriend's mom had lake perch, he had popcorn chicken, I had fried chicken. Prices are super low, you can get a half fried chicken dinner for $9! But, hey, you get what you pay for!! So, we all got fried items. Boyfriend's mom's was a beautiful golden brown, mine and boyfriend's were DARKKKKKKKKKK. My pieces of chicken were shriveled and DRY. His popcorn chicken was the same. He got mashed potatoes and gravy and their gravy was DISGUSTING, looked like yellow jell-o and tasted like nothing. He and I are big eaters and we barely touched our food, only eating our potatoes. I tried to eat the chicken but it was so dry. I asked for honey mustard to dip it in and it was still too dry. It was like that scene in Christmas Vacation where they are all fighting over the gravy boat because the turkey is so dried out. Dessert time! We saw there was pies in house, we asked what they had and we ordered. Peanut butter pie for me, cherry pie for boyfriend, strawberries and ice cream for his mom. Minutes later, another server came back saying they may or may not be out of all the pies (?????) but what would we like? We repeated the order, and were told, "Right, but we might be out of them." I told her fine, if they only have one slice of PB, give it to my boyfriend, I will have apple. I guess they only had one slice of PB because I got a slice of apple, which is fine, but it tasted bad so I didn't eat it. My boyfriend is a pretty chill guy, but he was getting irritated and I didn't want him to make a scene with his mom at the table, so I asked server for check and took it to the front to pay, and asked for a manager. This man belongs on a patio yelling at kids to get off his lawn. He has no business running a restaurant. I explained the situation to him, how terrible the food was, how terrible the service was (no one knows menu, asking four times for a box, having to walk up to the bar to get a soda refill) and how I will not be paying for meals we did not eat. He claims we ate our food. Fine. I bring the food up to him our full plates, show him our dried up chicken and ask him, "Would you eat this?" This man picked up the chicken and ate it right off the plate saying, "I think this is fine and you are lying about the service." I tell him I have been a server for 5 years and he says, "That means nothing to me." !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I try to give BOD always, but with only three other tables in the restaurant, I cannot give them the BOD, I will pay for our drinks and my boyfriend's mother's meal, he says, "FINE I'LL TAKE $20." This place was the worst. Would not recommend. This manager stinks and I feel bad for his staff who probably deal with his nonsense on a daily basis. They are in my thoughts. read more

Same place it has always been. Good food, especially the perch. Keep missing the meatloaf day, Wednesday or Thursday I think. I'll keep trying. Anyway. Love the decor, nothing like eating an animal while admiring those that may have hunted us humans. Yes, I'm being funny but cool to see the animals just as it was 30+ years ago. read more

FYI, some staff do not wear their masks properly. Also, the owner was comfortable following into the parking lot and calling me a bitch. I love the perch, staff not so much. To be fair this was the day staff. The evening staff have always been friendly and professional. read more

Peggy and I met her sister Pam and husband Jim at the restaurant. The parking lot was jammed full and patrons were waiting to be seated - a typical Friday evening. We waited about 15-20 minutes before seating and a table became available. The restaurant was full and it took another 10 minutes to order drinks and dinner. The ladies ordered the perch dinners and Jim and I opted for the liver & onions dinner. We have dined here many times. The perch is delicious, but the liver sounded really good. This is further complimented by their large salad bar options. The food arrived together for all of us. It was delicious! I also had a bite of Peggy's perch and found it hot and tasty. The liver & onions was delightful and very good. Yet another satisfying dining conclusion at Whitlow's Forerunner. I would highly recommend enjoying their menu options. read more

Average, at best. Service was SLOW. Two of us on a Friday at lunchtime. Took 30 minutes to get a burger and breakfast (eggs, bacon, hash browns). Food and price was average. read more

This place needs a good scrubbing! I couldn't stomach my food after seeing how filthy dirty it is... cobwebs everywhere

We love Whitlow's...good food and even better prices which is hard to find. Every time we're here we're pleased and we visit Whitlow's bi-weekly read more

Excellent 1/4# burger hand formed and fresh! I had well done and they did right for me with light crust and no pink. And the fries where wonderful for my taste. Batter dipped and perfectly fried. The service at the bar where I sat was great! Thank you Ashley! I just finished breakfast here. It good. American fries with onions and scrambled eggs with raisin toast. Potatoes freshly sliced fried nicely although a bit on the greasy side. The scrambled eggs, were the 'omelet type' not a scramble. Over all the service was friendly and efficient. However the food did take a long time to arrive. If come back to this area I for sure would stop back and try another entree. read more

Whitlow's Forerunner - This the well done 1/4 pound burger with fries. - American Near Me - Muskegon, Michigan

understaffed. ordered 2 clam dinners. portions very small for the price. potatoes were instant, rolls were cold, garlic bread old and like a brick. The owner should keep his political views to himself, refuses to wear a mask. He was sitting at a table in the restaurant near us. I won't be back. read more

perch at witlows been eating $ 16.95 perch at whitlow's for years, went there tonite and perch was not the same at all, very small and cheap, different breading. not that good and not worth the money. wife talked charlie the owner about it and he said thats the way its going to be from now on, and basically turned his back on her. she told him to his back , thanks for letting us know so we wont come back! check it out for yourself. read more

First off, the food was decent. I had the patty melt and i wasnt blown away by it, but it was good. However, i cannot say that the service is good. I ordered a glass of wine and gave my ID to the waitress and was hackled a bit by her. Rude. Last, the theme of the place doesnt make any sense. Kind of a strange atmosphere that doesnt tie together well. Probably wouldnt go back. read more

Been ordering breakfast and supper from here. To go. All has been great! Hubby loves their perch and walleye. They do a killer hot turkey sandwich. And I've had the French dip lately. Great au jus! read more

Came here for liver and onions. It was delicious! The perch is also great! Dinners come with a trip to the salad bar which was a nice bonus. We had apple pie for dessert that was wonderful. Our waitress was awesome! Very helpful and kind. We will definitely come back! read more

Whitlow's Forerunner - Stuffed wildlife - American Near Me - Muskegon, Michigan

After waiting for 15 minutes for someone to at least acknowledge our existence, we left. At 5:00 in the evening you should have more than one person working the entire bar and restaurant area. The table next to us said they almost left too. They wish they would've. This would be a good place to open a restaurant. read more

First off, I've only been to Whitlow's for breakfast, so can't speak to any other meal. But since I've had breakfast here more times than I can count, I whole-heartedly recommend it for that. The food is almost always cooked perfectly (once, and only once, my over-easy eggs were over cooked; the "wild style" potatoes with onions are consistently outstanding, though), and the staff is so friendly and welcoming. The breakfast clientele is definitely a bit of an odd hodge-podge of locals (present company included, of course), which adds to the old school, neighborhood feel. The taxidermy collection and painted red ceiling are the cherries on top of this quirky, off the beaten path diner. read more

I went to this place after reading the rave reviews on here and on google. For the prices to be honest, I cannot rate this 5 stars, or 4. The food is average, the prices a bit high. It is better to hit this place for lunch, or breakfast, I don't really recommend dinner. As so many restaurants advertise, their 'best perch in town' did taste very fresh, but I've paid less for just as good of perch at other restaurants, though none very nearby (which may be why this place is still popular). The rest of the food is average - garlic bread which appeared to literally be dried bread brushed w/ butter instead of toasted, packaged rolls and cheese dip that looks like frosting, not something your grandma would make. Felt I needed to review for those who are visiting and unfamiliar with the area. I can see how this is still a descent place as the taxidurmy is pretty fascinating and the service is very friendly and professional. For good home cooked dinners at descent prices, I'm not so sure this is the place. To be fair breakfast and lunch could be another story. read more

Great food at a fair price, and they're pretty speedy. We love their breakfast, perch, and prime rib!

Knowing we would be in Muskegon this Friday, I researched best places for fish fry and discovered Whitlow's. I have nothing good to say about our experience: the "bread basket" contained one hard dinner roll and what appeared to be left-over old, cold, and crumbly toast from breakfast. The tartar sauce appeared to be home-made and was lacking in taste. The serving of fish was large, but the coating was unlike any I have ever experienced and it was dark, having been left in the fryer too long. Lastly, our waitress was an older woman who appeared to be physically unsuited to the position, resulting in very slow service. Additionally, our waitress and an older gentleman working in the dining room were not wearing masks, but wore small, partial face covering "shields;" the restaurant was mostly full, with a long line of patrons in close proximity waiting to enter and zero social distancing evident. According to the CDC: Face shields are not as effective at protecting you or the people around you from respiratory droplets. Face shields have large gaps below and alongside the face, where your respiratory droplets may escape and reach others around you and will not protect you from respiratory droplets from others. Needless to say, we will never recommend this restaurant to others, nor will we ever return. read more

After living in Milwaukee,Wisconsin for the last 30 years we were spoiled by their Friday Fish Frys. No more ... this place has the best perch I ever had. We just found our new Friday Fish Fry establishment. The have the perch dinner or the pound of perch or the AYCE. Nice salad bar too! read more

Had the 5 piece perch dinner, taste was ok but diffently not great lakes perch. This more than likely was pike perch (zander). Because of the high cost of yellow perch this is a common practice at many restaurants in Michigan. read more

The best perch in Muskegon & they have a very good salad bar as well. If you require snob appeal, pass on Whitlows but if you are looking for hot, delicious food & friendly home town service give it a try. Monday, Tuesday & Wednesday special: 2 complete meals for $13.99 includes salad bar. read more

My wife has bothered me for years (20) to come to Whitlows. From the looks of the traffic that visits this place you would think they are doing something right. Not so much. I finally gave in and took her on a Saturday around 3:30 p.m. . We walked into see a very dirty (carpet stained and food all over it, hard floors slick with greasy film, every table or booth has food crumbs on it) place. My wife immediately said, "We can leave if you want? " I said no we are already here. There were 2 people scheduled for a restaurant that is split in 2 and both staff were running back and forth to serve both sides. Our agitated greeter hurrily came over to wipe the booth table off and hand us menus that had food all over on the inside of them. We were there for their famous all you can eat perch and walleye. We both ordered a beer and got 1 very small glass of flat keg beer and I got mine 10 minutes later because they had issues with a faulty tap. The food came out slow but was hot and large portioned. Fries were awesome. The fish was breaded with crushed saltine crackers. It was doughy and flavorless, just gross. After filling a salad plate with picked off doughy breading we picked off to get to the fish, we decided this was a lost cause and paid our bill. Dirty, understaffed, out dated, tasteless food. If you want to hang out with senior citizens with no tastebuds and you live in muskegon, this place is filled with em. Never again. read more

My family and I are vacationing in West Michigan from Phoenix, and we were looking for a good sea food restaurant. Whitlow's was recommended to us. The ambiance of the restaurant is a little rustic, but not bad. I ordered the walleye, my son had boiled shrimp and frog legs, my daughter had a steak, my mother ordered the sea food platter containing perch, smelt, etc. Our food was absolutely excellent! My walleye was fresh and cooked to perfection. A couple of nights earlier, we had perch at a popular restaurant in Muskegon that also serves pies. It was awful. But the perch at Whitlow's was thick, perfectly breaded, and juicy. In addition, the prices were more than reasonable. Chelsea was our server. She was attentive and went beyond the call of duty to ensure that our visit was perfect. All in all, we were more than happy with every aspect of our visit to Whitlow's and I highly recommend it to anyone interested in excellent, fresh sea food. read more

Disgusting food and horrible service. Everything tastes frozen then deep fried. Even the bread rolls were gross! I had been told the perch was amazing. It was not! The breaking was soggy and the fish tasted off. I will not return. read more