Taste
402 Phoenix St, South Haven, MI, 49090
Taste Menu
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Visit below restaurant in South Haven for healthy meals suggestion.
Visit below restaurant in South Haven for healthy meals suggestion.
Visit below restaurant in South Haven for healthy meals suggestion.
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Address :
402 Phoenix St
South Haven, MI, 49090 - Phone (269) 637-0010
- Website https://www.tastesouthhaven.com
- Click To Get Directions
Opening Hours
- Mon :11:30 am - 10
Specialities
- Takes Reservations : No
Delivery : No
Take-out : Yes
Accepts Credit Cards : Yes
Good For : Dinner
Parking : Street
Bike Parking : Yes
Wheelchair Accessible : Yes
Good for Kids : Yes
Good for Groups : Yes
Attire : Casual
Ambience : Casual
Noise Level : Average
Alcohol : Full Bar
Outdoor Seating : No
Wi-Fi : No
Has TV : Yes
Waiter Service : Yes
Caters : Yes
WE SERVE THE FOLLOWING STATES
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Kim S.
This place had horrible service, very under staffed and rude.. Also, food was awful!!!!!!!
(1)Allison R.
Delicious! From wine to dinner to dessert, this was a great meal. We shared the 3 cheese plate, mussels, Korean chicken and filet bites. 4 plates were plenty for my husband and me. (And he's an eater.) The Meiomi wine was wonderful & the fruit crisp for dessert was a great ending to an outstanding dinner. The service was great, one of the chef's came out & talked for a second & the atmosphere was casual, but lively. We will definitely be back!
(5)Jenny G.
Choices of small and large hot or cold plates. We had lunch. A little pricey. My BLT Bloody Mary was $8 served in a martini glass. Had tilapi tacos (gluten free) and my hubs had the scallops. We shared a hummus with cucumber slices (gluten free). The hummus was jalapeño cheddar but ver mild.
(4)Susan V.
Very disappointed. We saw the owners interviewed on "Under The Radar" so we were anxious to try it. The "Special Mac&Cheese" of the day was crab Rangoon. It came with fake krab. So for $9, I had a plate of noodles, krab and some cream cheese. My friend ordered the burger. I think Gorden Food Service made it. So much for "fresh" or "unique". Service was fine.
(2)Andrew M.
I enjoyed this place so thoroughly that my girlfriend and I came back two days later. Everything we tried was outstanding. If I wasn't headed back home tomorrow I would go this weekend.
(5)B R Hungry X.
Good food at a decent price. We ordered the mussels, fried kale popcorn, pork shank, and macaroni and cheese. All the food was great! We'd definitely come back if we visit again. Had a glass of wine as well, bill for two people was about $45 with tip which was awesome. Still had leftovers too! Wish the mussels were in a wine sauce instead of a cream sauce, but overall awesome spot. I'm giving a 4 because the price was great. Food is 3-1/2 by Chicago standards. Overall, Worth checking out and coming back :)
(4)James L.
We tried Taste on a winter Friday evening. They take reservations in the winter, although we didn't need them to get in at 7pm. Drinks were good, and we started out three rounds of tapas with two cold plates. The honey and blue cheese was fantastic. It came with artisan as advertised, but I think it would have been even better with a nice crisp crostini. The tuna tartare was delicious, although difficult to eat off the crispy wantons. We then tried the filet bites and the duck potstickers. The filet bites were a bit of a misstep. Nothing wrong with them, just a bit boring. The potstickers were good, although we weren't expecting the duck meat to be minced. Our third round included the tilapia fish tacos - a definite high point, and the popcorn kale, which is highly recommended. Overall, it was delicious food. Nothing unexpectedly amazing, but a great of option in South Haven.
(4)EasilyAmuse D.
We were in town for a track event (Aug 8-10th) at Gingerman Raceway and tried Taste based upon the reviews and the owner of Yelton Manor also suggested it. We were pleasantly surprised by how good the ambiance, service, drinks and food were. It was a busy night in South Haven and we found the service to be on "our schedule" & friendly. We shared shrimp, mussels and sushi. The shrimp was "ok" as it wasn't super flavorful; however, the sushi and mussels were very good. We weren't quit full so a 2nd order of mussels was ordered and we weren't disappointed! We also had 3 cocktails and the bill was $66 which we thought was cheap. Our experience was so good we went back on Sun as we were heading out of town. We shared the Crab Napoleon, mussels & Tilapia Tacos. Again, we weren't disappointed. I recommend Taste and would eat there again.
(4)Marianne D.
Since my last visit to South Haven a couple years ago, I am so happy to find a wonderful new restaurant to dine at that is not the typical fried fish or hamburger joint. Taste offers small plates like a tapas restaurant and large plates as well. It also has a good bar menu. There is a variety of martinis...I had the BLT which was bacon vodka and Bloody Mary mix garnished with bacon, lettuce and an olive. Yum! For dinner, my husband and I opted for the small plates to share. Tuna tartare...very fresh, lots of sushi-grade tuna, avocado and citrus served on thin and flaky wontons. Crab Napolean...creamy king crab salad layered between those wonderful light and airy wontons. Tilapia tacos...grilled tilapia and creamy slaw served in corn tortillas. Filet bites...tender and flavorful beef tenderloin seared to perfection in a citrus chimichurri. Every plate was delightfully delicious, full of flavor, plated beautifully and enough for two to share. Our top two were the tuna tartare and the filet bites...amazing! I am putting this establishment at the top of my list in South Haven. I applaud the owners for bringing a Chicago-type place to this beach town. I highly recommend dining here. Being a foodie, I just don't understand the negative reviews!
(5)Dale B.
Taste was an excellent addition to the SH dinning options. The small plates are reasonably priced and very tasty. Drink specials were good and reasonably priced as well. The staff was very friendly and professional. The building was freshly remodeled when we went.
(5)Valerie Z.
Hubby and I were on a babymoon in the area and stopped by for dinner. All the food was so good! I really loved it but was shocked at how much my hubby loved it! He's a bit more of a picky eater and I am the foodie. We actually came back again the next day to try some of the things we didn't have room for the first day. The servers were friendly and helpful. We had the filet bites, soups, sushi, gyro rolls, pork flautas and pork shank. Everything was amazing!!! The mashed potatoes under the pork shank were the best I've ever eaten! Highly recommend this place! Only problem: it's really far from my house:(
(5)Dave C.
I live in the Chicago area - and can do better - yet rate this relative to the service and prices. With a group of 5, we got out for $150. In the Chicago area, the same meal would be $250. It is wonderful for: - Trying a lot of small plates and getting variety - Testing different beer or wine - Having a large-ish group where you can get a few bites of various things - Having something that fits everyone - For the non-adventurous, going with a sandwich - Quick and attentive service - Easy access to the beach and downtown - Reasonable prices Was surprised to find a place like this in South Haven; usually reserved for big cities.
(5)Mia C.
The popcorn kale was amazing! So good we ordered a second batch. The small plate concept is fun -we had a table of 4, everyone ordered a couple of things and we shared all of them. Emily was our waitress and she was so sweet :) nick was our bartender early in the day and he was awesome too!
(4)Raju S.
Driving up to Mackinac so we stopped in South Haven for an early dinner and found this little gem. Great service and the food was delicious. The tilapia tacos were delicious and we were covered with the best damn coleslaw I've ever had and I'm not even a fan of slaw. The pork shank was seasoned and prepared perfectly and the mashed potatoes that accompanied them were fantastic. Finally, my wife who is a wannabe vegetarian had the potato tacos which ended up being my favorite dish. It's always a tad disheartening when her menu selections conquer my inner-carnivore.
(4)Ryan S.
Best martinis in town and some of the best plates in the area. A must stop while in South Haven
(5)Nicole L.
I had been highly recommended to try Taste, so it was our first dinner stop in SH. It was a combination of pretty good and mediocre "small plates" but a few items were definitely uncooked. (Tilapia Tacos - tasting filing, but uncooked and cold tortillas; and Garlic Mushrooms - still raw so the tasty sauce missed out on really flavoring them...) The Cajun Shrimp was better, and the Popcorn Kale was awesome. There's a lot of different items to try and I'm sure the menu (and preparation of the existing items) will continue to improve. It's a cute atmosphere so we'll give it another try next time and see what happens.
(3)Nathan J.
Taste is fantastic! There soup and sushi are so good! All there other dishes are great as well, my favorite food in south haven
(5)Kevin K.
Had excellent food and service all on a sat nite" pear salad. Shrimp sweet and spicey and bay scallops. Excellent. Need I say more?
(5)Grant P.
The name of this restaurant is Taste. They don't specify that it tastes good. I read the reviews and allegedly Taste has the best food in town, so I had to TASTE it for myself. And y'know what? No. It doesn't TASTE bad, but it's definitely not the best. Taste has an extensive menu of delicious sounding martinis, full of flavors like pineapple, strawberry shortcake, peach bubbles and whatnot. My wife and I decided to indulge and ordered a couple to have with our meal. But our server disappeared for nearly a half hour before returning with our drinks. We knew he hadn't left the building because he attended to the table next to ours five times in the time it took him to return with our drinks. When he finally brought them he claimed that there had been a missing ingredient in mine, and that the bartender had had to go get more. From where I did not know. I also don't know why he didn't tell us that on one of his many jaunts through the dining room. When they finally came, we each took a sip of our respective drinks and wide-eyed one another after both nearly choking on the cheap liquor used in our drinks. This wasn't top shelf. It wasn't middle shelf. Hell, I don't think this swill even qualified for a shelf. And at $8-10 per martini, we were expecting better. Even by Chicago standards you get better alcohol for that price. Maybe not top shelf, but definitely not bathtub gasoline. Onto the meal... We've had tapas many times, so we're familiar with the small plate concept. Our server, however wasn't. He told us that each plate was more like a plate and a half of food, so with hesitance, we went ahead with the four selections we'd picked out, figuring if it was too much we'd just eat it tomorrow. Well guess what? Five meatballs does not a plate and a half make. Four plates were just enough to satisfy the two of us without feeling stuffed. We probably could have added a fifth, but were scared after his odd warning. I ordered the tomato Parmesan bisque as a starter. Strangely, it was brought out with the rest of our food, but whatever. Unfortunately, as far as TASTE went, it tasted like a can of Campbell's tomato soup with Kraft grated Parmesan dumped in it. Not bad, but could've been better. Next were the potato tacos. These ended up being a corn tortilla with shredded cheese melted on top of it, glued together with the thinnest possible layer of mashed potato paste. This was not at all what I was expecting and all you could TASTE was the tortilla. The gyro meatballs could have been good...if they weren't served at room temperature. And also, they had little pita bread triangles that outnumbered them two to one. I'm not sure why I needed twice the amount of bread to meatball and tzatziki sauce. The TASTE of them was all right, and was the first thing I'd TASTED that I didn't feel like I could have made myself...and better. Things were improving by the time we got to the beef filet bites with chimmichurri sauce. The beef was well cooked and buttery, and the sauce had a nice edge to it. It's not as good as my wife's, but I can't expect them to duplicate the perfection that is her sauce, only come close. Finally, we tried the crispy artichokes. They are described as lightly dusted and fried, but really they were heavily battered and thrown in a deep fryer. Still tho, this dish was interesting enough and came with a very nice roasted tomato aioli. It was both my wife's and my favorite offering that we sampled. Overall I think Taste has an interesting concept with their international approach to tapas. Some of the dishes need some work to be refined a bit better, but overall I think that if this restaurant lasts it will be really good. Truly, it was the bad service and terrible martini that left a bad TASTE in my mouth.
(3)Angie C.
Food good........service horrible! We went in for dinner at 9 pm on a Monday night after calling ahead to see when they closed which is at 10. When we arrived and said we had a party of 8 the two girls at the door both had that "deer in the headlights" look. They said they could put us at a round table for six and add a two top to it. I asked if we could get a couple of tables put together for our party in the upper area where there wasn't a soul.. I was told they couldn't seat anyone in that area. As I continued to ask if we could just put a couple of tables together so our party would be comfortable one of the girls just walked away without a word. Then comes a young man to yet again tell me that they weren't allowed to seat any tables in the upper area and they could put us at the round table and add the two top. I responded with "I've never seen anyone work so hard at not wanting business". The young man then asked me about the girl that just walked away while I was speaking to her; I explained again the situation and finally they put two tables together in the upper area and sat us at out table. Kicker number 1: I asked him for a manager and was told that there wasn't one on site. That the bartender was the bartender/manager. I asked to see them and they never came to our table. Finally our waitress Sabrina came to our table and took mine and my husbands drink order as we were waiting on the rest of our party. Kicker number 2: when she brought our drinks the rest of our party had arrived. She simply set down the drinks and immediately walked away without asking the rest of our party if they would like something to drink. She then returned with waters for the rest of the table and wait for it........just sat them down and yet again immediately exited stage left. Upon her return she went over the specials although no one really cared because what they wanted was a drink to start with. After the drink order was taken, finally, we had all decided to make sure we ordered upon the drinks arrival because if we didn't who knew when that would happen. We ordered dinner and when it came out with just a few hiccups it was only after we were all done that anyone came to our table to check on us. One order was wrong but after 15-20 minutes without anyone coming back the gentleman that had the sandwich didn't want to send it back to wait for it to be correct. This problem could've been averted if the service was even subpar. Otherwise the food was good; especially the Mac-n-cheese. My husband and I had been to taste once before when in town and wanted to treat the tv crew we worked with all day to a nice dinner. The food was good but the service made the whole experience laughable. If the sign says you're open until 10 don't look stunned when a party of 8 walks in at 9pm. Not all of us have dinner with the early bird crowd! To Chef Joel and his wife Heidi; "your food is delicious but you're servers could use a training class in customer service as well as food service. They aren't doing you any favors."
(2)Maria S.
My fiancé and I went to Taste this afternoon. I, myself, am a server, so I struggle to give this place a good review. The food- on point. The sushi was fresh and delicious, the ribs were moist and tender, and the drink selection was solid. The service though. We weren't approached by a server for 7-8 minutes and when I asked one of the wait staff if our server knew we were there, he said "she's coming" and walked away. Our server arrived 2 minutes after that encounter and proceeded to bring our drinks 5 minutes later. Needless to say, we sat without beverages for 13-15 minutes and the food, while delicious, took forever. We were there for an hour before we ate. If you have an afternoon to sit around and chat, this is the place for you. If you're in a hurry, you're better off going somewhere else.
(2)Brad C.
I would not use the "good for kids" tag on here. Food was good, classier place. The staff was accommodating. We felt all staff was packed in one area with multiple waiters taking care of nearby tables. Made it hard to find our waiter when we wanted him because he was not regularly needed in the area.
(3)Pete S.
We were directed here by a local. We were not impressed. Our friends split a hamburger. It was pretty small and cooked to death. Wife had a roast beef sandwich. It was very dry and tasteless. I had fried catfish. I don't know what they fried it in, but it was very mushy. So much for the food, not very good. Service was ok. When they were cleaning the table next to us, the tablecloth was dirty so they just turned it over. That was disgusting. Needless to say, we won't return.
(1)Jenny C.
My absolute favorite restaurant in town! Everything here is wonderful. I can say that b/c I've literally tried everything on the menu at least once. The sushi is amazing, blue cheese and honey appetizer is to die for, the steak bites are delicious, the catfish and sweet and spicy shrimp are great. I could go on, and on. This restaurant is great for a girls night out, a date night, or a business lunch or dinner. The martinis are equally as delicious. Their coffee martini, bloody mary martini, and key lime martini are my favorites. The small plates are fun to pass around in a large group so you can get a bite or two of everything but if that's not your thing you can order a large plate also. Large plates include sandwiches, a burger, or a large plate catfish meal. Try the twice baked potato or the popcorn kale as your side. Amazing! Don't forget dessert! I don't like chocolate (I know, I'm weird) but I've heard rave reviews about their chocolate cake. It's massive, enough to be shared by 3 or 4 people. My favorite is the tiarmisu. Sooo delicious with a dessert martini after dinner. They usually have a dessert of the week also. Their homemade cheesecake and key lime pie specials were the highlight of my week. Every couple days they change their hummus flavor (my favorite so far green olive and feta), macaroni and cheese flavor ( Philly Cheesesteak has been my favorite so far), have a feature small plate, and their vegetable side. The owners Joel and Heidi are always around the restaurant, very friendly folks. Did I mention it's a scratch kitchen? No frozen food or rubbery meat here! The service is always impeccable, the staff are courteous and prompt every time. I can't say enough good things about this gem!
(5)Angela T.
The small plate concept is a genius way for both us foodies to indulge in multiple options and for the chef to flex some serious culinary muscle. Everything we ate last night was fabulous, particularly the popcorn kale and fish tacos. As someone to spent years living in Southern California, I can be a fish taco snob. These were just as tasty and fresh. The martinis were also wonderful and inventive. I presume management has made efforts to improve the service as we found the staff to be incredibly attentive and friendly. We really appreciated that our server was able to speak with some knowledge of the dishes, ingredients and which are their personal favourites or those that are top sellers. Looking forward to returning to try yet more plates. Highly recommend!
(5)Rosie O.
Great selection of small plates, great service, perfectly made martinis and gimlets!
(5)Ashley C.
Taste gave us a different taste both nights we came here compared to the local bar food. The ambience is wonderful and the food is fresh, cooked magnificently and service is prompt. Being from New York and really tired of ordering burgers and fries, taste gave us a little taste of home and awesome food!
(4)Bart S.
Tapas bistro style, share plates of high quality artfully presented dishes like mac 'n cheese w/ chorizo and black beans, chicken skewers, blackened chicken and pear gorgonzola salad. Also had terrific imaginative martinis like rosemary grapefruit and lemon blueberry. We thoroughly enjoyed our meal here. Service was prompt and attentive despite it being packed on a summer Saturday night. Do not miss this restaurant if you are visiting South Haven.
(5)Gretchen Z.
This place is amazing!!!! We ordered the tilapia fish tacos, artichokes, sweet & spicy shrimp and the Mac and cheese. Everything was killer!! I didn't know what to eat first. I would definitely recommend this restaurant!
(5)Jim M.
The temperature was freezing-I felt like I was sitting in the refrigerator. Service was average at best. Our waitress told us that we might be charged $.25 to taste two different wines. Later we found out this was not the case, but we could not believe that she even would have suggested it. The food was okay, but nothing to write home about. Sushi had too much rice, spicy shrimp was not spicy. Our other dishes were not bad.
(2)Kristi G.
We arrived in South Haven hungry for lunch and stopped at Taste after reading the reviews. Small plates are right up our alley. We had the tomato bisque soup, which was very rich. My husband got the kale salad and I had the pear and blue cheese salad, which were equal in excellence. Filet bites followed for my husband, which were quite tasty. I had the Korean BBQ chicken. The thigh had a nice char on it and the bulgolgi sauce was a sweet compliment and the wonton strips were a satisfying crunch.
(4)Todd B.
Food was excellent. Good selection of small plates to meet many different tastes. Visited on a Sunday afternoon and was pleasantly surprised.
(5)Lauri H.
We loved this place. Nice atmosphere, reasonable prices, decent service...the food was delicious. We tried five small dishes, all were very good, the filet bites are a must!
(5)Diana C.
The 5star reviews don't lie! This place is affordable with delicious and innovative dishes. From the tomato bisque soup, kale salad, sweet n spicy shrimp, blackened chicken, filet bites, catfish, angus burger, soup of the day - every single bite was delish! The service was great. Our waitress was friendly and quick! She had refills before we even got a chance to ask! If I lived here this would be my main place to eat!
(5)Ritu R.
Consistently innovative food! Love this place :) Great location. There are a few items we can't forget, they are sooo good! The filet bites, the mussels, the BBQ chicken (omg) and the crap napoleon. The cuban shrimp has a delicious sauce but it was the shrimp was not as flavorful this time around. Great drinks and service as well! I fear sharing this bc its no reservations and I fear it being hard to get in! Plan on a 45 min wait when you go but luckily its in a great area in South Haven so killing time is a delgiht!
(5)Anjanette V.
We came here for dinner on a Thursday night. No wait for a party of 2. We ordered the filet bites, potato pancakes, sweet-n-smokey ribs, and macaroni-n-cheese. Filet bites were medium, pretty decent tasting, but nothing extraordinary. Potato pancakes were very thin, just okay. The sweet-n-smokey ribs were my favorite. They were nice and moist and the sauce was quite tasty with just the right amount added. My husband's favorite was the macaroni-and-cheese. It is a chef's choice and that night was gouda and mushroom. It was nice and creamy and just tasted amazing. Overall it was a pretty decent place. Nothing extraordinary but we wouldn't mind going back to try some other plates. Next time I think I will ask for the plates to be brought out as they are ready as opposed to all at once so that they stay hot as we eat them.
(3)Andy J.
Good food, nothing real exceptional, but prices were reasonable and service was good. All things considered Id say it doesn't quite live up to the hype, but worth a try if you're in S Haven and you're in the mood for small plates. Chicken sandwich was small, although it was supposed to be part of the menu of "larger" items (I eat like a goat so small plates are never my best pick). Atmosphere was clean and sharp, but again, nothing real unique. Overall the experience was just "ok" considering we waited over an hour for a table.
(3)Bob S.
Taste has mostly tapas style small plates. But we had sandwiches with salads that were both excellent. I had a special request, catfish sandwich with the Pear and Goat cheese salad. While my bride had the Grilled Cheese with bacon and a kale salad. Definitely worth a try.
(5)Richard Y.
Amazingly the hostess here was reluctant to seat our party of 7 outside because it "might be hard for the server". When I suggested that we split the party into 2 tables she insisted that we take separate checks. Uh, we had 5 kids with us and Tastelost out on a 100 check on a slow day. Way to reinforce small town thinking and a total lack of customer service.
(1)Christina L.
The family and I came her for a quick little snack while staying in South Haven. We heard taste is a must while staying here, so we went for it as our first meal. We decided to just share three plates. We ordered the catfish, the sweet and spicy shrimp, and the gyro rolls. All came out quick, hot, and tasty! The shrimp and catfish had a really good sauce on them, and the gyro rolls were like a Greek egg roll! Brilliant! The highlight of my meal had to be the tzatziki sauce, the best I think I've had! Overall it was a great snack, I just wish we ordered more so I could try more of what they had to offer!
(4)Omar A.
The food was excellent and the atmosphere was perfect for a beach town... But the hostess was a totally ninny and should not be working the front counter. She was not sitting people properly and created waits when the restaurant was half empty. But the food was great and prices were reasonable.
(4)Don A.
Highlights: everything. The gyro rolls, scallops, popcorn kale, pot stickers, shrimp, pork shank (to die for). I don't usually gush in my reviews, but Taste deserves it. Excellent service and reasonably priced, extraordinarily delicious tapas dishes. Please pass the pleasure.
(5)Karon B.
I had been wanting to try Taste after several recommendations from friends, so we finally got to go over the 2015 Labor Day weekend. We had a party of 6 and arrived at about 4:00 on Sunday to beat the holiday weekend dinner crowd. When we checked in they said that they were in the middle of a shift change and the wait would be anywhere from 10-45 minutes (we thought this was quite an odd time span) and they would call us when our table was ready. Well we weren't going any where so we stepped outside and took a seat. After waiting 35-40 minutes we thought we would check in because we saw several parties come in and out during that time. As we waited at the hostess station, we realized that they were seating other parties below us on the list and sure enough it appeared that we had been forgotten about or passed over. Good thing we checked in. Fortunately, they did react quickly and seated us at a large table on the half of the restaurant that only had one other party of 2 seated. It appeared that they were only seating people on the bar side of the restaurant probably because of the shift change. After reading other Yelp reviews that seemed to either love or hate Taste, I was getting a little worried despite recommendations from friends. Our initial sever seemed a little standoff-ish when she took our drink order. We ordered some small plates to share between the 6 of us and sandwiches for our individual entrees. The small plates we ordered were: Regular Mac n' Cheese, Parmesan Bread, Gyro Rolls, and Potato Pancakes. The Small Plates came out quickly...everything was hot and tasty. We gobbled everything up since we were quite hungry at this point. Mid-dining our original server left and was replaced by a young man who was great. Our sandwiches came out shortly after we were done with the small plates. Between us we ordered 3 Cubans, an Angus Burger, Chicken Sandwich, and a Turkey Sandwich. Everyone seemed pleased with their selections. Overall the food was good, prices competitive, small plate portions were generous and sandwich plates were an average portion. A little better organization and staffing for a holiday weekend would have been good. We will probably go back again and just get small plates and cocktails!
(4)Christine T.
Large cave of a room, not much to absorb the noise so it's a tough place for dinner conversation. Ambitious menu. Our server seemed spread thin, but the service we received was attentive. Our order took a looong time. My biggest complain- Not a simple leaf of Kale in my Kale salad. I brought it to the attention of the sever, who checked with the "chef"- returning with an attitudinal "yes it is!" Okay- My bad, certainly looked, tasted a lot like Romaine Lettuce with apples and feta but hey it's Michigan in the summer.. I expected more.
(2)Rob S.
2 small entrees...tenderloin bites and scallops scampi, side salad, ribs and 2 draft beers=70 bucks. The soup and twice baked potato were so salty....scallops were way undercooked and cold, as we're the tenderloin bites. the ribs were touch and not meaty. I am sick today and the scallops were all I had to eat yesterday. the only positive side of this is, they billed me wrong in MY favor. Don't eat at this restaurant. too much salt and undercooked food is the sign of a line cook, NOT a chef. ick.
(1)Michael P.
Lunch. Got 4 plates. Talapia tacos. Crispy artichokes. Sushi. Korean bbq . Everything was pretty good. The young server was a little less than thrilled to be working. At least that's the way it appeared from her demeanor. Other than that a good experience.
(4)Veronica X.
3.5 stars. Not sure what else to do in South Haven, MI on an icy winter night, we found Taste on Yelp with mentions of its beer selection. Despite its nondescript name and the suspicious nature of a small plate/martini bar, we decided to check it out. The first thing I noticed upon entrance was the presence of kids at a couple tables. A little unusual for a martini bar I thought, but not a deal breaker as long as they are well behaved. The menu is pretty extensive with something for everyone. There is a 1-pound chocolate cake for $15. The friendly bartender told us about the 6 beers (all from the state of Michigan I believe) on tap. My goat cheese and beet salad ($6) was light and I liked it. Husband enjoyed his filet bites ($13). Cheese plate only had 3 kinds of average cheese, definitely not worth $10, though the sweet pepper jam accompanying the grilled brie was a pleasant surprise. Hummus ($7) was so-so.
(3)Kelly G.
Great place! My husband and I shared the 3 cheese plate, tilapia tacos, gyro rolls, and filet bites. The favorites of both us were the filet bites and tilapia tacos by far. The North beach was a delicious martini on the sweet end. Husband got the Blueberry Lemon (not sweet at all). I couldn't pick up much blueberry or lemon flavor. I asked for an off menu drink of Prosecco with St. Germaine in lieu of dessert and they happily accommodated. Husband got the Elderflower Breeze and really liked that better than the Blueberry Lemon martini. I highly recommend this place especially if you like to taste other people's food. Emily was a great server and gave us the right amount of time between visits to the table. She was great at recommending drinks and the appropriate amount of food.
(5)mick v.
We had a great experience. Our first items were the pear and blue cheese salad plus the tuna tartare on crispy wontons, both were excellent. Next we had tenderloin bites. The beef quality in doneness was excellent but the sauce was overly sweet more like it would go with an Asian pork dish or something. Next we considered the chefs special chicken bacon ranch mac & cheese... It sounded like it was a kids menu item but the waiter talked us in to it and we're glad he did because it was fantastic. Overall sometimes a little slow on service but the food was terrific and we look very forward to going back there soon.
(5)Stacey N.
Quality , well-seasoned food. Varied menu. Good prices, friendly service. Satisfaction. We'll be back.
(5)Brian O.
First time here & we tried 7-8 small plates and 6 different drinks. Our filet was fatty, disgusting- a huge disappointment at $13. The scallops had a film on them. Not good. Sushi ok- dry. Gyro bites were the clear winner. Loved em', but you might not. They were egg roll style! Talipes tacos were good.. Though a table mate might disagree. Catfish bites- meh. Our drinks were all bad... ALL! Wanted to love this place... It's a pity 3!
(3)Brandi C.
My favorite place in South Haven! Excellent food, great service, lovely atmosphere. Everything I've had there has been great, but the Bleu Cheese & Honey app, Tempura Roll and Key Lime Pie Martini are my faves. Please note that they aren't hot on splitting checks across multiple credit cards so if you need to do that, either get cash out before coming or check with your server before ordering. If you're a part of a twosome or foursomes, hold out for a table by the window, overlooking the harbor / Black River.
(5)Maddy M.
My boyfriend and I started our South Haven bar hop at Taste. He got the Key Lime Pie martini and I tried the BLT martini. YUM! The key lime tasted as close to the real dessert as a drink can get. There was very little alcohol flavor but not an overwhelming amount of sweetness, just delicious creamy citrus with a grahm cracker rim. The BLT martini was easily one of the best martinis I have ever had. The bacon infused vodka had a present smokiness that was delicious paired with the bloody Mary mix and olive juice. The waitress was friendly and prompt, and brought our drinks quickly. We also tried two of their hot plates. The korean bbq chicken was my favorite. Sweet and salty and slightly smoky, the glazed chicken thighs were plated on a bed of sushi rice with plenty of crispy wonton strips. My boyfriend preferred the fried catfish which were delightfully tender nuggets of fish, breaded in a cornmeal batter and deep fried. They were served drizzled with a dijon mustard sauce that was pleasantly tangy but not overly hot. Everything was excellent, including the atmosphere. The only criticism we have is that the butcher paper on the tables really detracted from the upscale ambiance that Taste clearly wanted to convey. Stick to the cloth and you guys have it right.
(4)Alex K.
Nice place for dinner in Downtown South Haven. It's a tapas place with many good small plate options. Our family of 4 (2 adults, 2 children) shared the filet bites (cooked and seasoned perfectly), Chef's Mac 'n' cheese (flavors vary but tonight's seasoning with cilantro and chorizo was delicious), gyro in fried dough (4 per serving - tasty), tilapia tacos (2 per plate - good), potato pancakes with apple chutney, and the baked cookie for desert - reminded me of a small version of Lou Malnati's pan baked cookie (my favorite Chicago pizzeria). The hostess had a great smile, was super friendly, and got us a nice, comfortable booth. Our waitress knew the menu well and made some great recommendations. The atmosphere is cozy. Total check, including a glass of wine and a beer was $69 plus $15 tip. Overall we were very pleased and will be back! Saw it too late but they have Oberon and another Bell's beer (Two-hearted ale?) on tap. Next time...
(5)Jonathan S.
Not quite sure what the hype is about. Lacked presentation on the plates, poor choice of flooring and lighting, and lackluster generic food. Our cheese plate never arrived and the service was just okay. Not being super pick either...was just surprised at how subpar the food was.
(2)Yanja B.
Good food, strong drinks, and nice staff. Not much of a selection- no stand out items; no recommendations. The food we had was good, but nothing to remember or write home about. Best bet would be to come here for drinks and maybe dessert or something?
(3)Toni F.
We really enjoyed our visit to South Haven and lunch at Taste several weeks ago. We returned last evening with our Dinner Club group and had cocktails and dinner and I'm happy to say - four stars - after two consistently good experiences. For the lunch visit, we sat outside and didn't even see the interior of the place - they don't serve drinks outside either but our food was good enough that we knew we'd return again soon. Last evening we sat at a comfortable round table in the room behind the bar - did I mention how much I like round tables for a group of 6 or more?- it promotes easy conversation and food sharing like nothing else! We arrived early and the place started to fill up almost immediately - lots of people were waiting for tables by the time we left. We ordered several martinis and each was unique and delicious - Cucumber Basil, BLT, North Beach, Watermelon - they were all great but the North Beach was our favorite and the one that will likely bring us back to Taste. Our food consisted of a variety of their small plates (Gyros Rolls, Crispy Artichoke, Tilapia Tacos and Pork Shank), the Black Angus Burger and Ribs and everything exceeded our expectations. We also had their soup of the day (Italian Vegetable) and it was delicious as well. Our server Kevin was attentive and delivered our order flawlessly. I'm sure Taste will be our South Haven "go-to" place - it's so nice to have more options here because we really love visiting this town.
(4)John C.
Went to Taste for lunch. The food was excellent. The service was unbelievably slow. We sat for 25 minutes without water or anything to drink. After we got beverages, it was another 25 minutes to get food. The waiter moved in slow motion. Appeared to be dazed and confused.
(1)Angela H.
Tried scallops, ribs, and Philly steak macaroni. Scallops...they were okay but I think I prefer them seared rather than boiled or steamed (?) like they were. Philly steak mac n cheese was awesome. THE RIBS!!! That's where it's at. The ribs are amazing, and I'm not really a fan of ribs. They are super tender, fall-off-the-bone good with an amazing sweet and smoky sauce. Love, love, love the ribs. Could go there just for ribs. Will go back to try other things though.
(4)Michael T.
We went to Taste last night for a family dinner. We were seated right away and when we walked up to the table there was a bunch of black flecks of something all over. They still sat us and cleaned it up, and then it took over 5 minutes for our server to get to us. We ordered a first round of drinks, and some cold appetizers. It took 10 minutes to get the drinks and the food came out at the same time. The food was good except the crab, which was more mayo and onion (not in the item description) than crab and citrus cream (in the menu description). Then we sat and waited again. We ordered another round of drinks which took an excessively long time to get to the table. We ordered a round of hot food which also took a long time, so we ordered our third round of food to ensure it would come out on time. The food was good but not spectacular. Overall considering the prior reviews we were disappointed in this establishment. Service was nice but slow and you had to flag down a waitress to point out your drink was low or out. For the price I expected more.
(3)David R.
I am on record as violently opposed to the concept of small plates...but South Haven is a tiny town without a loot of restaurant variety. And the reviews were favorable, so we tried it. It was a good choice. First, the food, atmosphere, and service were all delightful. Second, the dishes could hardly be called small plates in most cities, I think. My wife and I shared four dishes in total--one of which was merely a side--and I left quite full. The tilapia tacos were as good as their reputation. The three others that I enjoyed were popcorn kale, cuban shrimp, and beet salad. All three were good but lacked a little something extra that could have made them great. Still tasty, though. It was also quite reasonably priced: four food items and a beer plus tax brought our total bill to only $33. Another attraction is the long list of specialty martinis, all nine dollars or less. Under different circumstances, I would have sampled a few of these tantalizing concoctions. In a vacuum, Taste is a 3.5, but I'm rounding up to four because it is the best option for a nice dinner in downtown South Haven.
(4)Tima D.
The drinks are really strong here. If thats up your alley than so is this place. I actually had a hard time drinking my martini because it was way too strong for me. My fault for not being a drinker I guess. Just wish they had some more fruity less alcoholic options like they do in Chicago. The food is okay but not really what I was expecting. Some of the plates felt microwaved (the potato tacos for example). I do recommend the tuna tartare and the blue cheese pear salad. Those cold dishes were really fresh. I would pass on the shrimp bisque. Service was good though. She payed attention to us the whole time to make sure we had everything we needed.
(3)Cheri B.
This is our new favorite restaurant in South Haven. We arrived at 5:45 on a Friday and were seated right away however it was quite busy by the time we left. It was a casual enough atmosphere that we felt comfortable with our two young children. Everything we had was excellent quality...cucumber margarita, catfish, pork shank, pear Gorgonzola salad, tuna tartare and Mac and cheese. We finished our delicious meal with the freshly baked cookie with ice cream on top. It was obviously homemade and wonderful. If you are looking for quality food, this is the place.
(4)Kendra S.
Great gem in he heart of south haven. Modern yet cozy atmosphere with plenty of indoor and some outdoor seating, large menu of small and large plates for vegetarians, seafood lovers, and carnivores alike. Friendly efficient service, can't wait to come back!
(4)Annabelle F.
Horrible service. Kid (teenage short brunette) working as a hostess answered the phone, told us to get there right away for a table, got there in five minutes and then acted like she hadn't answered the phone (her boss was right over her shoulder). Hire some front of the house help with some tact and class, first impression of your establishment totally blown......
(1)Chris D.
I was in the area for business and needed to get away from all the fried food in the area for a bit so I decided on this place based on previous reviews by other people. I walked into the place not sure what to expect. The interior seemed very swanky and all of the staff was well dressed in their uniforms, but after sitting down I noticed that all of the tables had brown paper covering the table cloths like at a cheap kid restaurant where the waiter/waitress writes their name on it with a crayon. Luckily none of that happened, and the ambiance remained tactful. This is a small plate type place so I ordered the Pear & Bleu Cheese Salad, Gyro Bites, and Scallops. Which was just the right amount of food for myself, however it may be just a little too much for some people. The salad was pretty good but didn't pair well with the vinaigrette dressing they used which I thought should have been sweeter. The Gyro bites were alright and the tzatziki made up for any plainness of the gyros themselves. The scallops were amazing, I really liked the butter sauce. It wasn't too rich and the bread served with it was toasted just right. Overall I really enjoyed my experience here and I would definitely come back the next time I'm in town.
(4)Jan F.
So good. Service was perfect. Food was great. We had the small bites. Filet bites. Tuna tartare. Sweet spicy shrimp. Potstickers. All great. We are traveling in an RV. We would come back again!
(5)Elaine M.
The husband and I came here for a very early dinner (4:30) on a Tuesday so you can pretty much guess that we had the place to ourselves. Even though it was empty the place felt warm and inviting, cozy almost. The martini menu is innovative and exciting. I tried the BLT martini. It was delicious but honestly mostly tasted like a bloody Mary in a martini glass. I was told however that they do make their own bacon flavored vodka that goes into it. We began our meal with the tuna tartare. This was flavorful and had good mouth appeal but the wontons were a bit too thin and crisped so that when you picked them up you had to be super careful not to let them snap in your hand, Then the talapia tacos and the filet bites were served. The tacos were by far my favorite. There were two on the plate and since this is a tapas place and we were sharing that meant only one for me. Sad. Next time I'm not sharing! The filet bites, while proclaimed a house favorite were tasty but could be better. They were a bit grey for my taste and lacked any caramelization on the outside. Also the temperature that they were served at was a surprise, almost slightly below room temp. I told our very nice waitress that the temperature seemed off and she said that happens when they put the citrus chimchurri on top. I'm still skeptical that they couldn't do better, Lot's of the choices look appealing on the menu and I hope to be back to try many of them!
(4)Will A.
A nice blend of tapas style plates makes this a great place for some after-work noshing. Not to many places to get sushi rolls in the area, and then you can have some greek-inspired plates, too. Always something on the menu for everyone's taste. Dessert menu is ok, but there are enough ice cream places around (e.g., Sherman's) to make you overlook the choices.
(4)Kristi H.
At about 7pm, my mom & I were trying to find a place to eat. Based on reviews on Yelp we decide to try Taste. As we drove by we noticed lots of people standing outside, appearing as though they were waiting for a table. We called to try to find out how long the wait would be, they would not give us an estimate over the phone. Apparently, we had to be standing in front of them for them to give us a timetable. We were both very hungry and didn't want to have to wait for an exceptional amount of time. As we were literally around the corner I don't understand what the difficulty was in giving us an approximation of how long it would take to get a table. They were extremely rude on the phone. As far as first impressions go, they did not make the grade.
(1)Steve H.
Excellent food. We had the filet bites, catfish, marinara and goat cheese, and sweet and spicy shrimp. As soon as we were done we knew we would be coming back. Also the tomato bisque was delicious
(5)Linda W.
This is hands down one of the tastiest restaurants in town..the sushi is superb. All the plates are meant to be small plates to share but if you order yourself one of two you will be set. Prices are very reasonable considering everything is so fresh. Highly recommend. The Martini's are the BEST.
(5)Melanie R.
A lot of fun! My husband found this place on Yelp with excellent reviews. We're so happy we tried it. I think I had the best Cosmo I have ever had. The pot stickers and Korean chicken were our favorites. We also had a shrimp and scallop with some kind of apple salsa or salad. That was very good too. I want to try and replicate that apple salsa at home. They have a great Michigan craft beer selection too. And, a cozy inviting ambiance.They also have a happy hour and daily specials, so you might want to check those out. We will definitely be going back. Enjoy.
(5)Rebecca C.
The food was delicious and service was good. I had a hard time narrowing down which small plates I wanted to try, because I love cheese and there were so many good sounding tapas choices with cheese. My husband however does not like cheese, so he did not find the menu as satisfactory, since there were few choices without cheese. He got the BBQ sandwich, but he said it was dry and too salty. He also had the vegetable of the day (squash, sugar snap peas & carrots) and found it to be tasty. I had the beet and goat cheese salad with the homemade balsamic vinegarette and it was awesomely delicious. I also split the chefs choice Mac & cheese with my toddler and we both loved it. The cheese was rich and flavorful and included breakfast sausage, which my toddler ate most of, and eggs & hash browns on top. Therefore, if you like cheese, this is the place for you! If you don't, you may want to go somewhere else.
(4)Chuck E.
My wife and I had lunch here while exploring South Haven. We shared several small plates with all being extremely tasty and well presented. Nice wine list and service is very attentive. My only wish is that this place were closer so I could try everything on the menu. Highly recommend this place if you need a change from burgers and beer.
(5)Cory L.
We stayed in South Haven for 8 days and ate at Taste 3 nights. A nice diverse menu, most of the offerings are tapas style small plate, but compared to other small plate restaurants I have tried, the portions are fairly generous. Parmesan tomato soup is excellent. We had the blue cheese and honey plate twice, the pear and blue cheese salad, the beet and goat cheese salad, gyro egg rolls, tomato mozzarella appetizer, Spicy Cuban Shrimp (outstanding) sweet and sour flash fried shrimp, barbecue ribs, pork shank in red wine reduction,tilapia tacos, grilled cheese sandwich, macaroni and cheese with chicken and pesto, and Parmesan toasts. Then only thing I wasn't wowed by was the Parmesan toast and the pork shank. twice we shared a bottle of wine (4 of us) and out most expensive bill was under $100 (minus tip). The wait staff is young- he could have made some recommendations, but didn't. The chef has come from several different local restaurants, and I sincerely hope that he is successful with this venture. On some summer evenings there can be a 2 hour wait at a more established restaurant down the street. Our wait on a Friday evening was 40 minutes, and we actually were seated in 30. After dinner take a walk to the South Haven Pier and watch the sun set. A nice way to help digest a wonderful meal and end a magical day on Lake Michigan. We'll be back next year!
(5)Starboard P.
Surprisingly excellent beer selection albeit limited from Bell's, Dark Horse, Founder's, and Tapestry. For now, best beer selection in town! The Belgian Dubbel from Tapestry Brewing was truly outstanding. cicerone.org/users/philh…
(4)Chris C.
Went here on a buisness trip to the area and was told to give Taste a try. I really enjoyed the small plate entrees and the very strong drink that I got from the bar. The ribs were great (they just fell off the bone) and the macaroni and cheese (cordon bleu style, so with ham and chicken) were both excellent. The side Caesar salad was large enough to be a dinner salad, and the Parmesan bread was both excellent and crispy. If you're visiting the South Haven area this is a must stop.
(5)Katie M.
Su Casa has some competition!! Taste is a much needed and welcomed dining experience to the scene in South Haven. Cute space and loved trying a handful of different items. Most interesting to me was the bleu cheese and honey appetizer. It was very different, but simple. Loved it - only wish the bleu cheese was a bit stronger flavored. The goat cheese and beet salad was fresh, light, and perfectly dressed. I had one martini... and it was very strong, so I only needed one! Nice job, Taste!
(5)Dr Kyle M.
As a South Haven resident, I was thankful for something different for our community. Well, Heidi and Joel did different just right. It is refreshing to have a new place in South Haven that understands not everybody loves pub fare and the same old greasy stuff that EVERY place pushes as 'good' food. Taste has something for everyone, the appetizers are the best in town, their ribs are fantastic and if you like catfish, you will love their catfish. We have eaten both lunch and dinner here on the same day; it is that good!
(5)Michelle K.
This is thee worst food I have had in quite some time. The mushrooms should be offered as a topping, not a dish. The potato tacos were not the worst, but certainly not good. The broccoli tasted like it was cooked with bacon or some sort of meat, even though I stated clearly that I was a vegetarian. The blue cheese/ honey.. A joke. They state it is served over a honeycomb, it was one tiny piece. Not to mention the bread served with it was burnt. The kale and the artichoke would have been fine, I think, if it were not a carryout order. Now for the idiocy.. I inform the employee that I will be taking the food to a B&B... Not uncommon in this area.. Was there any sort of utensils packaged with the order? Nope. Who is the idiot? Me.. For not checking. I assumed.. Shame on me. Not directly related to the business, but the humorous part is this... While we were waiting for our order some sea-hag strikes up a conversation with us. She said "the food is really good here, despite her[me] negativity" ...Oh the irony. I was talking about work, nothing at all to do with this restaurant. Drink another discount martini and smoke your extra long cigarettes... I won't see HER ever again, and I couldn't value HER opinion less.
(1)Mike T.
Nice little tapas restaurant. Some wonderful things that I would consider American with an Asian flair. Everything we had was excellent. A number of the items are more full size than tapas. Service was very good. We go to South Haven 5 or 6 times a year. We will go back.
(4)Stephanie S.
Absolutely delicious! Accommodating with my gluten free diet. Popcorn Kale and pork shank was melt in your mouth so good. My husband had chicken with fennel cream sauce, which he loved too. Service was great and very affordable. Wonder if they have another location close to home near Chicago.
(5)Rachael N.
Our new fav! Food was good but drinks were amazing. We'll most definitely be back. No wait for a table at 6pm on a Saturday. That's usually a bad sign, but not here. If you like a good martini the BLT is amazing for a savory and the North Beach is incredible for sweet.
(5)Anita S.
Incredible food, surpassed only by our server BettieJo!! Anyone who comes to South Haven must eat here!!
(5)Jim C.
Met some family visiting from Chicago here. It was our first time at Taste - we stopped in for late lunch. From service to food presentation to atmosphere it was all excellent. Dan our server was awesome. We ordered several small plates to share, all were delicious: shrimp, sushi and gyros. Great beers on tap and yummy martinis. I will be back - thanks! Keep up the great job.
(5)Kera C.
I love Taste! The food is so good and the drink list looks amazing! I really enjoyed the tomato basil bisque and the homemade bread is great. The burgers are great and so is the coleslaw. The food is so diverse things from sushi to tacos to pork shank and everything in between. While the service is slow the food makes up for that. If you are in South Haven, MI this is a place that everyone should go to!
(4)Linda T.
So happy to see a new South Haven restaurant that offers a selection other than burgers and fried fish. We went with a crowd of 5 and everyone was happy with their meals. I would have given a 5 star rating except the for the blacken chicken dish, it came with an excellent fennel cream sauce but the blackened seasoning was so hot and salty that it overpowered the entire dish. Husband had the pork shank and it was delicious, again too much salt, but the red wine reduction and mashed potatoes were outstanding. Pear/bleu cheese salad was superb. Ribs, shrimp and tilapia tacos were all really good. Unlike some of the other reviews, we thought the service was excellent. We were seated immediately, and waitress, Brook, was very attentive. Food was a little slow coming out of the kitchen, but we did not mind. Can't wait to go back!
(4)Ronda L.
We have a condo in S.Haven and there are so many great choices, it was hard to stray from our favorites, but Taste is def. worth it! Great location for a stroll to South Beach afterwards, too! I had three girl friends in town for the weekend and our waitress, who was awesome, suggested we each pick 2 tapas. That probably would have almost been perfect if we had resisted salad & soup. We had tuna tartare, mac & cheese (changes often-ours had crab), tilapia tacos, steak bites, garlic mushrooms, sweet & spicy shrimp, short rib w/truffle mash & bay scallops. It was hard to decide what our favorite was, probably the scallops, but they were all so good! Drinks were also reasonable and the desserts looked great, but we didn't have room. They've really updated the decor as well. The full meals and sandwiches also looked good, but we had a great time sampling everything. Great addition!
(5)Dan Z.
Ate there 7/22/14. Somewhat of an interesting menu. Unfortunately, food was lukewarm when it finally arrived at the table. We then had to ask for the dishes to be cleared after they sat in front of us for about 20 minutes. All in all, not a great place. As we exited we chatted with some other patrons who were very upset at their 3 hour experience. They complained to the manager and were rebuffed. As a result they planned on contacting and complaining to the owner.
(2)Marty G.
Good for small town standards. Just average for city slickers. I had a hair in my food - no biggie but still kinda gross. So depending on your expectations you will either be really impressed or simple think, "Hmmm just another average place to eat". Good Luck and remember that taste is on the tongue of the beholder.
(3)Andrew B.
This was a wonderful surprise! Been to several restaurants and been disappointed by how average the food has been. The place has a peaceful, yet stylish, atmosphere. Menu was varied and covered a variety of styles. This is a tapas type place & so you get to order a range of dishes. The cuban shrimp were superb, as were the talapia tacos, and catfish. I also had the cuban sandwich which was excellent. Would also highly recommend the selection of local draft beers that they serve. Service was friendly and at the right pace. Overall an excellent eating experience and highly recommend checking them out.
(5)Daniel L.
Okay - I don't give a lot of 1-star ratings, especially so called "Best food in town" but this place is really really sucks!. Read on..... Ambiance:- 3 out 5 This area is probably the only saving grace (if any) for this place. Nice quiet setting with good ligthting. Decor and design is ok Service :- 1-Star I wish I give service a 0 rating. It took a while to get seated even when the restaurant is 75% empty. Our waiter was sub-par. It took her a long time to wait on us and when we have ordered our food, the soup never came until we asked for them 15 minutes later. We also have to flag her down to get her attention. Upon asking for our soup, she mentioned that "we are not a traditional restuarant, so our soup comes out with the rest of your food".....hmmm......okay. 15 minutes later - 30 minutes total our entre were still not ready. She also never came back to refill our water. Food:- I always thought that a sit down restuarant has some minimum standards.The chicken skewer I order literally where like stucked together like some microwave boxed food. The were tasteless and rubbery. The cuban pork sandwich was so bad because the pork actually stinks - like they were stale and bad. So again, if I can give zero star in this category, I would. Bottomline:- I WILL NOT and DO NOT RECOMMEND this place to anyone. I think the bar across the street probably have better food and service than this place. Stay away fellow out of towner!..... DMAN
(1)Nancy K.
A must anytime your in town food is fantastic the small plates are great for o share and try more love the sushi rolls and their ribs too
(5)Josh C.
Went for after dinner drinks and desserts. Good craft beer selection, cocktail menu was great. Had the seasonal cobbler au glace, very good. Kale popcorn is a must have. Joel and Heidi run a great place.
(5)Patrick M.
The food is WONDERFUL.. pricing is great, martinis are delicious, ambiance perfect. If nearby, make a detour and come here! Chef Joel has created a winner here !
(5)Guy C.
Find Taste to be a great addition to SoHaven dining. Great food, CONSISTENTLY. We love the tomato bisque, ribs, gyros wraps, and an incredible 10 oz filet for only $27! Best service in town with top notch experienced wait staff. Joel and Heidi's dream has come true in a fine restaurant, so needed in SoHaven! Highly recommended.
(5)Todd N.
Great place to eat in south haven! Great food and great beer selection. I visit with large groups often and the service has always been great and are great with large groups. I'm not sure about the 1 star reviews on here, don't judge a restaurant because of wait staff that may no longer be there.
(5)Casey S.
My husband and I ate here tonight and loved it! We read some shotty reviews before going so we didn't know what to expect, but everything we tried was delicious. We did not try the martinis because I don't particularly like strong alcohol and was told that they are all pretty strong--but they had interesting flavors on the menu (one called cake looked good to me)! We were seated right away and our waitress was nice. The service was quite fast. Here's what we tried: 1. Hummus plate. The hummus was tasty--you definitely taste the chick peas--and the pita was warm and delicious. 2. Bay scallop scampi: I am a sucker for scallops and these were very tender. 3. Cuban shrimp: tender, tasty shrimp 4. Crispy artichokes: these were great! lightly battered artichoke hearts with a sauce that tastes like what outback steakhouse gives you with their blooming onion. The artichokes might be pickled? I love dill pickles, and these tasted sort of similar. 5. Filet bites: bites of steak with pesto on them. They were delicious and are cooked to order. We've been in South Haven for a few days and tried a few other restaurants (Clementines, Su Casa, Joe's) and this is definitely our favorite.
(5)Drew R.
Excellent food and great drinks! The service was very attentive. Recommend fish tacos, blueberry martini and a Michigan microbrew.
(5)Cameron S.
Great place, with creative food (especially for South Haven). Best place in town.
(5)Nick D.
Sitting here right now thinkin... Food is bland, ambiance is boring, and I feel like I am at a Bennigans. Never again... "Taste" like....
(1)Kim S.
This place had horrible service, very under staffed and rude.. Also, food was awful!!!!!!!
(1)Kim W.
If this is the best food in South Haven (as I read somewhere) then South Haven dining is pretty sad. The food was decent, but wholly unimpressive. And the atmosphere/decor was even more unimpressive. And for the trifecta, service was shoddy. If you are looking for a fine dining experience, look elsewhere!
(2)Sue R.
The TASTE in South Haven, MI rates as one of the worst places I have ever encountered. The staff and female manager (owner) are unfriendly, unaccommodating and we will never frequent this place again. I will surely tell everyone I know of the poor experience we had there. Thanks to the TASTE for making my bday celebration so miserable.....
(1)Al C.
We liked Taste so much we dined there twice in same weekend. Sampled a 1/2 doz tapas items, every one was outstanding. Moderately priced and delicious. If visiting S. Haven, you really should enjoy the Taste!
(4)Egg R.
South Haven has a number of places to find good food but this place stands out from the crowd. Not only is the food exceptionally good, it's the only place in town you can find something different. The variety of choices is amazing and everything is prepared to perfection. Thank you for bring this to us.
(5)Ann A.
They're friendly and trying hard. And it's a cut above generic beach town food. But it's just not the kind of innovative cooking you generally find at a small plates restaurant in this price range. The food wasn't bad, just ordinary.
(3)Heather A.
Best food in South Haven! Better than anything else in this town. Service is amazing! Nick, Heather and Amanda were awesome! Definitely ask for them when dining here! Martinis are fresh yummies at a great price!
(5)Peter M.
Great small plates place with some nice large plates options too. The drinks were strong and I have to agree with some of the other reviews that state the food was best in South Haven. Not sure if it's the best, but pretty close if not. Great atmosphere and very nice staff and service. Easy to get to and a great place to hang out!
(4)Steve S.
Four of us for dinner on a hot Monday evening. The interior décor is nicely improved. Sat in a booth; hopefully they can figure out a way to increase the window space/size to offer more views of the river/lake. Fresh, delicious drinks all around were promptly served; surprisingly fine margarita, I might add. Round 1: potato tacos need some work; just not much to them. Tilapia tacos were very good; crispy artichokes came out well; pork flautas are a must - excellent. Round 2: tuna tartare provides a very generous serving with very good flavors; blue cheese and honey offered nice complement of flavors - my guests have enjoyed this dish elsewhere when the cheese and honey are melted into the bread. Finally, the half pound angus burger was terrific; asked for a fried egg on top and it was great with the butter bun; had a cup of chili as the side; very good flavor and meaty with a little too much salt. Excellent and thoughtful service made it a very enjoyable evening. I look forward to another visit.
(4)Rachelle S.
We stopped in for drinks and dessert! We chose Bananas Foster crepes, it was average! The service was great and welcoming! We will try out the menu when we go back to South Haven in 2014.
(3)Toni F.
We really enjoyed our visit to South Haven and lunch at Taste several weeks ago. We returned last evening with our Dinner Club group and had cocktails and dinner and I'm happy to say - four stars - after two consistently good experiences. For the lunch visit, we sat outside and didn't even see the interior of the place - they don't serve drinks outside either but our food was good enough that we knew we'd return again soon. Last evening we sat at a comfortable round table in the room behind the bar - did I mention how much I like round tables for a group of 6 or more?- it promotes easy conversation and food sharing like nothing else! We arrived early and the place started to fill up almost immediately - lots of people were waiting for tables by the time we left. We ordered several martinis and each was unique and delicious - Cucumber Basil, BLT, North Beach, Watermelon - they were all great but the North Beach was our favorite and the one that will likely bring us back to Taste. Our food consisted of a variety of their small plates (Gyros Rolls, Crispy Artichoke, Tilapia Tacos and Pork Shank), the Black Angus Burger and Ribs and everything exceeded our expectations. We also had their soup of the day (Italian Vegetable) and it was delicious as well. Our server Kevin was attentive and delivered our order flawlessly. I'm sure Taste will be our South Haven "go-to" place - it's so nice to have more options here because we really love visiting this town.
(4)Angela H.
Tried scallops, ribs, and Philly steak macaroni. Scallops...they were okay but I think I prefer them seared rather than boiled or steamed (?) like they were. Philly steak mac n cheese was awesome. THE RIBS!!! That's where it's at. The ribs are amazing, and I'm not really a fan of ribs. They are super tender, fall-off-the-bone good with an amazing sweet and smoky sauce. Love, love, love the ribs. Could go there just for ribs. Will go back to try other things though.
(4)John C.
Went to Taste for lunch. The food was excellent. The service was unbelievably slow. We sat for 25 minutes without water or anything to drink. After we got beverages, it was another 25 minutes to get food. The waiter moved in slow motion. Appeared to be dazed and confused.
(1)Ritu R.
Consistently innovative food! Love this place :) Great location. There are a few items we can't forget, they are sooo good! The filet bites, the mussels, the BBQ chicken (omg) and the crap napoleon. The cuban shrimp has a delicious sauce but it was the shrimp was not as flavorful this time around. Great drinks and service as well! I fear sharing this bc its no reservations and I fear it being hard to get in! Plan on a 45 min wait when you go but luckily its in a great area in South Haven so killing time is a delgiht!
(5)Anjanette V.
We came here for dinner on a Thursday night. No wait for a party of 2. We ordered the filet bites, potato pancakes, sweet-n-smokey ribs, and macaroni-n-cheese. Filet bites were medium, pretty decent tasting, but nothing extraordinary. Potato pancakes were very thin, just okay. The sweet-n-smokey ribs were my favorite. They were nice and moist and the sauce was quite tasty with just the right amount added. My husband's favorite was the macaroni-and-cheese. It is a chef's choice and that night was gouda and mushroom. It was nice and creamy and just tasted amazing. Overall it was a pretty decent place. Nothing extraordinary but we wouldn't mind going back to try some other plates. Next time I think I will ask for the plates to be brought out as they are ready as opposed to all at once so that they stay hot as we eat them.
(3)Andy J.
Good food, nothing real exceptional, but prices were reasonable and service was good. All things considered Id say it doesn't quite live up to the hype, but worth a try if you're in S Haven and you're in the mood for small plates. Chicken sandwich was small, although it was supposed to be part of the menu of "larger" items (I eat like a goat so small plates are never my best pick). Atmosphere was clean and sharp, but again, nothing real unique. Overall the experience was just "ok" considering we waited over an hour for a table.
(3)Bob S.
Taste has mostly tapas style small plates. But we had sandwiches with salads that were both excellent. I had a special request, catfish sandwich with the Pear and Goat cheese salad. While my bride had the Grilled Cheese with bacon and a kale salad. Definitely worth a try.
(5)Richard Y.
Amazingly the hostess here was reluctant to seat our party of 7 outside because it "might be hard for the server". When I suggested that we split the party into 2 tables she insisted that we take separate checks. Uh, we had 5 kids with us and Tastelost out on a 100 check on a slow day. Way to reinforce small town thinking and a total lack of customer service.
(1)Christina L.
The family and I came her for a quick little snack while staying in South Haven. We heard taste is a must while staying here, so we went for it as our first meal. We decided to just share three plates. We ordered the catfish, the sweet and spicy shrimp, and the gyro rolls. All came out quick, hot, and tasty! The shrimp and catfish had a really good sauce on them, and the gyro rolls were like a Greek egg roll! Brilliant! The highlight of my meal had to be the tzatziki sauce, the best I think I've had! Overall it was a great snack, I just wish we ordered more so I could try more of what they had to offer!
(4)Omar A.
The food was excellent and the atmosphere was perfect for a beach town... But the hostess was a totally ninny and should not be working the front counter. She was not sitting people properly and created waits when the restaurant was half empty. But the food was great and prices were reasonable.
(4)Kristi G.
We arrived in South Haven hungry for lunch and stopped at Taste after reading the reviews. Small plates are right up our alley. We had the tomato bisque soup, which was very rich. My husband got the kale salad and I had the pear and blue cheese salad, which were equal in excellence. Filet bites followed for my husband, which were quite tasty. I had the Korean BBQ chicken. The thigh had a nice char on it and the bulgolgi sauce was a sweet compliment and the wonton strips were a satisfying crunch.
(4)Todd B.
Food was excellent. Good selection of small plates to meet many different tastes. Visited on a Sunday afternoon and was pleasantly surprised.
(5)Lauri H.
We loved this place. Nice atmosphere, reasonable prices, decent service...the food was delicious. We tried five small dishes, all were very good, the filet bites are a must!
(5)Diana C.
The 5star reviews don't lie! This place is affordable with delicious and innovative dishes. From the tomato bisque soup, kale salad, sweet n spicy shrimp, blackened chicken, filet bites, catfish, angus burger, soup of the day - every single bite was delish! The service was great. Our waitress was friendly and quick! She had refills before we even got a chance to ask! If I lived here this would be my main place to eat!
(5)Don A.
Highlights: everything. The gyro rolls, scallops, popcorn kale, pot stickers, shrimp, pork shank (to die for). I don't usually gush in my reviews, but Taste deserves it. Excellent service and reasonably priced, extraordinarily delicious tapas dishes. Please pass the pleasure.
(5)Christine T.
Large cave of a room, not much to absorb the noise so it's a tough place for dinner conversation. Ambitious menu. Our server seemed spread thin, but the service we received was attentive. Our order took a looong time. My biggest complain- Not a simple leaf of Kale in my Kale salad. I brought it to the attention of the sever, who checked with the "chef"- returning with an attitudinal "yes it is!" Okay- My bad, certainly looked, tasted a lot like Romaine Lettuce with apples and feta but hey it's Michigan in the summer.. I expected more.
(2)Michelle K.
This is thee worst food I have had in quite some time. The mushrooms should be offered as a topping, not a dish. The potato tacos were not the worst, but certainly not good. The broccoli tasted like it was cooked with bacon or some sort of meat, even though I stated clearly that I was a vegetarian. The blue cheese/ honey.. A joke. They state it is served over a honeycomb, it was one tiny piece. Not to mention the bread served with it was burnt. The kale and the artichoke would have been fine, I think, if it were not a carryout order. Now for the idiocy.. I inform the employee that I will be taking the food to a B&B... Not uncommon in this area.. Was there any sort of utensils packaged with the order? Nope. Who is the idiot? Me.. For not checking. I assumed.. Shame on me. Not directly related to the business, but the humorous part is this... While we were waiting for our order some sea-hag strikes up a conversation with us. She said "the food is really good here, despite her[me] negativity" ...Oh the irony. I was talking about work, nothing at all to do with this restaurant. Drink another discount martini and smoke your extra long cigarettes... I won't see HER ever again, and I couldn't value HER opinion less.
(1)Mike T.
Nice little tapas restaurant. Some wonderful things that I would consider American with an Asian flair. Everything we had was excellent. A number of the items are more full size than tapas. Service was very good. We go to South Haven 5 or 6 times a year. We will go back.
(4)Stephanie S.
Absolutely delicious! Accommodating with my gluten free diet. Popcorn Kale and pork shank was melt in your mouth so good. My husband had chicken with fennel cream sauce, which he loved too. Service was great and very affordable. Wonder if they have another location close to home near Chicago.
(5)Rachael N.
Our new fav! Food was good but drinks were amazing. We'll most definitely be back. No wait for a table at 6pm on a Saturday. That's usually a bad sign, but not here. If you like a good martini the BLT is amazing for a savory and the North Beach is incredible for sweet.
(5)Anita S.
Incredible food, surpassed only by our server BettieJo!! Anyone who comes to South Haven must eat here!!
(5)Allison R.
Delicious! From wine to dinner to dessert, this was a great meal. We shared the 3 cheese plate, mussels, Korean chicken and filet bites. 4 plates were plenty for my husband and me. (And he's an eater.) The Meiomi wine was wonderful & the fruit crisp for dessert was a great ending to an outstanding dinner. The service was great, one of the chef's came out & talked for a second & the atmosphere was casual, but lively. We will definitely be back!
(5)Jenny G.
Choices of small and large hot or cold plates. We had lunch. A little pricey. My BLT Bloody Mary was $8 served in a martini glass. Had tilapi tacos (gluten free) and my hubs had the scallops. We shared a hummus with cucumber slices (gluten free). The hummus was jalapeño cheddar but ver mild.
(4)B R Hungry X.
Good food at a decent price. We ordered the mussels, fried kale popcorn, pork shank, and macaroni and cheese. All the food was great! We'd definitely come back if we visit again. Had a glass of wine as well, bill for two people was about $45 with tip which was awesome. Still had leftovers too! Wish the mussels were in a wine sauce instead of a cream sauce, but overall awesome spot. I'm giving a 4 because the price was great. Food is 3-1/2 by Chicago standards. Overall, Worth checking out and coming back :)
(4)James L.
We tried Taste on a winter Friday evening. They take reservations in the winter, although we didn't need them to get in at 7pm. Drinks were good, and we started out three rounds of tapas with two cold plates. The honey and blue cheese was fantastic. It came with artisan as advertised, but I think it would have been even better with a nice crisp crostini. The tuna tartare was delicious, although difficult to eat off the crispy wantons. We then tried the filet bites and the duck potstickers. The filet bites were a bit of a misstep. Nothing wrong with them, just a bit boring. The potstickers were good, although we weren't expecting the duck meat to be minced. Our third round included the tilapia fish tacos - a definite high point, and the popcorn kale, which is highly recommended. Overall, it was delicious food. Nothing unexpectedly amazing, but a great of option in South Haven.
(4)EasilyAmuse D.
We were in town for a track event (Aug 8-10th) at Gingerman Raceway and tried Taste based upon the reviews and the owner of Yelton Manor also suggested it. We were pleasantly surprised by how good the ambiance, service, drinks and food were. It was a busy night in South Haven and we found the service to be on "our schedule" & friendly. We shared shrimp, mussels and sushi. The shrimp was "ok" as it wasn't super flavorful; however, the sushi and mussels were very good. We weren't quit full so a 2nd order of mussels was ordered and we weren't disappointed! We also had 3 cocktails and the bill was $66 which we thought was cheap. Our experience was so good we went back on Sun as we were heading out of town. We shared the Crab Napoleon, mussels & Tilapia Tacos. Again, we weren't disappointed. I recommend Taste and would eat there again.
(4)Marianne D.
Since my last visit to South Haven a couple years ago, I am so happy to find a wonderful new restaurant to dine at that is not the typical fried fish or hamburger joint. Taste offers small plates like a tapas restaurant and large plates as well. It also has a good bar menu. There is a variety of martinis...I had the BLT which was bacon vodka and Bloody Mary mix garnished with bacon, lettuce and an olive. Yum! For dinner, my husband and I opted for the small plates to share. Tuna tartare...very fresh, lots of sushi-grade tuna, avocado and citrus served on thin and flaky wontons. Crab Napolean...creamy king crab salad layered between those wonderful light and airy wontons. Tilapia tacos...grilled tilapia and creamy slaw served in corn tortillas. Filet bites...tender and flavorful beef tenderloin seared to perfection in a citrus chimichurri. Every plate was delightfully delicious, full of flavor, plated beautifully and enough for two to share. Our top two were the tuna tartare and the filet bites...amazing! I am putting this establishment at the top of my list in South Haven. I applaud the owners for bringing a Chicago-type place to this beach town. I highly recommend dining here. Being a foodie, I just don't understand the negative reviews!
(5)Dale B.
Taste was an excellent addition to the SH dinning options. The small plates are reasonably priced and very tasty. Drink specials were good and reasonably priced as well. The staff was very friendly and professional. The building was freshly remodeled when we went.
(5)Valerie Z.
Hubby and I were on a babymoon in the area and stopped by for dinner. All the food was so good! I really loved it but was shocked at how much my hubby loved it! He's a bit more of a picky eater and I am the foodie. We actually came back again the next day to try some of the things we didn't have room for the first day. The servers were friendly and helpful. We had the filet bites, soups, sushi, gyro rolls, pork flautas and pork shank. Everything was amazing!!! The mashed potatoes under the pork shank were the best I've ever eaten! Highly recommend this place! Only problem: it's really far from my house:(
(5)Dave C.
I live in the Chicago area - and can do better - yet rate this relative to the service and prices. With a group of 5, we got out for $150. In the Chicago area, the same meal would be $250. It is wonderful for: - Trying a lot of small plates and getting variety - Testing different beer or wine - Having a large-ish group where you can get a few bites of various things - Having something that fits everyone - For the non-adventurous, going with a sandwich - Quick and attentive service - Easy access to the beach and downtown - Reasonable prices Was surprised to find a place like this in South Haven; usually reserved for big cities.
(5)Mia C.
The popcorn kale was amazing! So good we ordered a second batch. The small plate concept is fun -we had a table of 4, everyone ordered a couple of things and we shared all of them. Emily was our waitress and she was so sweet :) nick was our bartender early in the day and he was awesome too!
(4)Raju S.
Driving up to Mackinac so we stopped in South Haven for an early dinner and found this little gem. Great service and the food was delicious. The tilapia tacos were delicious and we were covered with the best damn coleslaw I've ever had and I'm not even a fan of slaw. The pork shank was seasoned and prepared perfectly and the mashed potatoes that accompanied them were fantastic. Finally, my wife who is a wannabe vegetarian had the potato tacos which ended up being my favorite dish. It's always a tad disheartening when her menu selections conquer my inner-carnivore.
(4)Ryan S.
Best martinis in town and some of the best plates in the area. A must stop while in South Haven
(5)Nicole L.
I had been highly recommended to try Taste, so it was our first dinner stop in SH. It was a combination of pretty good and mediocre "small plates" but a few items were definitely uncooked. (Tilapia Tacos - tasting filing, but uncooked and cold tortillas; and Garlic Mushrooms - still raw so the tasty sauce missed out on really flavoring them...) The Cajun Shrimp was better, and the Popcorn Kale was awesome. There's a lot of different items to try and I'm sure the menu (and preparation of the existing items) will continue to improve. It's a cute atmosphere so we'll give it another try next time and see what happens.
(3)Grant P.
The name of this restaurant is Taste. They don't specify that it tastes good. I read the reviews and allegedly Taste has the best food in town, so I had to TASTE it for myself. And y'know what? No. It doesn't TASTE bad, but it's definitely not the best. Taste has an extensive menu of delicious sounding martinis, full of flavors like pineapple, strawberry shortcake, peach bubbles and whatnot. My wife and I decided to indulge and ordered a couple to have with our meal. But our server disappeared for nearly a half hour before returning with our drinks. We knew he hadn't left the building because he attended to the table next to ours five times in the time it took him to return with our drinks. When he finally brought them he claimed that there had been a missing ingredient in mine, and that the bartender had had to go get more. From where I did not know. I also don't know why he didn't tell us that on one of his many jaunts through the dining room. When they finally came, we each took a sip of our respective drinks and wide-eyed one another after both nearly choking on the cheap liquor used in our drinks. This wasn't top shelf. It wasn't middle shelf. Hell, I don't think this swill even qualified for a shelf. And at $8-10 per martini, we were expecting better. Even by Chicago standards you get better alcohol for that price. Maybe not top shelf, but definitely not bathtub gasoline. Onto the meal... We've had tapas many times, so we're familiar with the small plate concept. Our server, however wasn't. He told us that each plate was more like a plate and a half of food, so with hesitance, we went ahead with the four selections we'd picked out, figuring if it was too much we'd just eat it tomorrow. Well guess what? Five meatballs does not a plate and a half make. Four plates were just enough to satisfy the two of us without feeling stuffed. We probably could have added a fifth, but were scared after his odd warning. I ordered the tomato Parmesan bisque as a starter. Strangely, it was brought out with the rest of our food, but whatever. Unfortunately, as far as TASTE went, it tasted like a can of Campbell's tomato soup with Kraft grated Parmesan dumped in it. Not bad, but could've been better. Next were the potato tacos. These ended up being a corn tortilla with shredded cheese melted on top of it, glued together with the thinnest possible layer of mashed potato paste. This was not at all what I was expecting and all you could TASTE was the tortilla. The gyro meatballs could have been good...if they weren't served at room temperature. And also, they had little pita bread triangles that outnumbered them two to one. I'm not sure why I needed twice the amount of bread to meatball and tzatziki sauce. The TASTE of them was all right, and was the first thing I'd TASTED that I didn't feel like I could have made myself...and better. Things were improving by the time we got to the beef filet bites with chimmichurri sauce. The beef was well cooked and buttery, and the sauce had a nice edge to it. It's not as good as my wife's, but I can't expect them to duplicate the perfection that is her sauce, only come close. Finally, we tried the crispy artichokes. They are described as lightly dusted and fried, but really they were heavily battered and thrown in a deep fryer. Still tho, this dish was interesting enough and came with a very nice roasted tomato aioli. It was both my wife's and my favorite offering that we sampled. Overall I think Taste has an interesting concept with their international approach to tapas. Some of the dishes need some work to be refined a bit better, but overall I think that if this restaurant lasts it will be really good. Truly, it was the bad service and terrible martini that left a bad TASTE in my mouth.
(3)Nathan J.
Taste is fantastic! There soup and sushi are so good! All there other dishes are great as well, my favorite food in south haven
(5)Kevin K.
Had excellent food and service all on a sat nite" pear salad. Shrimp sweet and spicey and bay scallops. Excellent. Need I say more?
(5)Angie C.
Food good........service horrible! We went in for dinner at 9 pm on a Monday night after calling ahead to see when they closed which is at 10. When we arrived and said we had a party of 8 the two girls at the door both had that "deer in the headlights" look. They said they could put us at a round table for six and add a two top to it. I asked if we could get a couple of tables put together for our party in the upper area where there wasn't a soul.. I was told they couldn't seat anyone in that area. As I continued to ask if we could just put a couple of tables together so our party would be comfortable one of the girls just walked away without a word. Then comes a young man to yet again tell me that they weren't allowed to seat any tables in the upper area and they could put us at the round table and add the two top. I responded with "I've never seen anyone work so hard at not wanting business". The young man then asked me about the girl that just walked away while I was speaking to her; I explained again the situation and finally they put two tables together in the upper area and sat us at out table. Kicker number 1: I asked him for a manager and was told that there wasn't one on site. That the bartender was the bartender/manager. I asked to see them and they never came to our table. Finally our waitress Sabrina came to our table and took mine and my husbands drink order as we were waiting on the rest of our party. Kicker number 2: when she brought our drinks the rest of our party had arrived. She simply set down the drinks and immediately walked away without asking the rest of our party if they would like something to drink. She then returned with waters for the rest of the table and wait for it........just sat them down and yet again immediately exited stage left. Upon her return she went over the specials although no one really cared because what they wanted was a drink to start with. After the drink order was taken, finally, we had all decided to make sure we ordered upon the drinks arrival because if we didn't who knew when that would happen. We ordered dinner and when it came out with just a few hiccups it was only after we were all done that anyone came to our table to check on us. One order was wrong but after 15-20 minutes without anyone coming back the gentleman that had the sandwich didn't want to send it back to wait for it to be correct. This problem could've been averted if the service was even subpar. Otherwise the food was good; especially the Mac-n-cheese. My husband and I had been to taste once before when in town and wanted to treat the tv crew we worked with all day to a nice dinner. The food was good but the service made the whole experience laughable. If the sign says you're open until 10 don't look stunned when a party of 8 walks in at 9pm. Not all of us have dinner with the early bird crowd! To Chef Joel and his wife Heidi; "your food is delicious but you're servers could use a training class in customer service as well as food service. They aren't doing you any favors."
(2)Maria S.
My fiancé and I went to Taste this afternoon. I, myself, am a server, so I struggle to give this place a good review. The food- on point. The sushi was fresh and delicious, the ribs were moist and tender, and the drink selection was solid. The service though. We weren't approached by a server for 7-8 minutes and when I asked one of the wait staff if our server knew we were there, he said "she's coming" and walked away. Our server arrived 2 minutes after that encounter and proceeded to bring our drinks 5 minutes later. Needless to say, we sat without beverages for 13-15 minutes and the food, while delicious, took forever. We were there for an hour before we ate. If you have an afternoon to sit around and chat, this is the place for you. If you're in a hurry, you're better off going somewhere else.
(2)Pete S.
We were directed here by a local. We were not impressed. Our friends split a hamburger. It was pretty small and cooked to death. Wife had a roast beef sandwich. It was very dry and tasteless. I had fried catfish. I don't know what they fried it in, but it was very mushy. So much for the food, not very good. Service was ok. When they were cleaning the table next to us, the tablecloth was dirty so they just turned it over. That was disgusting. Needless to say, we won't return.
(1)Jenny C.
My absolute favorite restaurant in town! Everything here is wonderful. I can say that b/c I've literally tried everything on the menu at least once. The sushi is amazing, blue cheese and honey appetizer is to die for, the steak bites are delicious, the catfish and sweet and spicy shrimp are great. I could go on, and on. This restaurant is great for a girls night out, a date night, or a business lunch or dinner. The martinis are equally as delicious. Their coffee martini, bloody mary martini, and key lime martini are my favorites. The small plates are fun to pass around in a large group so you can get a bite or two of everything but if that's not your thing you can order a large plate also. Large plates include sandwiches, a burger, or a large plate catfish meal. Try the twice baked potato or the popcorn kale as your side. Amazing! Don't forget dessert! I don't like chocolate (I know, I'm weird) but I've heard rave reviews about their chocolate cake. It's massive, enough to be shared by 3 or 4 people. My favorite is the tiarmisu. Sooo delicious with a dessert martini after dinner. They usually have a dessert of the week also. Their homemade cheesecake and key lime pie specials were the highlight of my week. Every couple days they change their hummus flavor (my favorite so far green olive and feta), macaroni and cheese flavor ( Philly Cheesesteak has been my favorite so far), have a feature small plate, and their vegetable side. The owners Joel and Heidi are always around the restaurant, very friendly folks. Did I mention it's a scratch kitchen? No frozen food or rubbery meat here! The service is always impeccable, the staff are courteous and prompt every time. I can't say enough good things about this gem!
(5)Brad C.
I would not use the "good for kids" tag on here. Food was good, classier place. The staff was accommodating. We felt all staff was packed in one area with multiple waiters taking care of nearby tables. Made it hard to find our waiter when we wanted him because he was not regularly needed in the area.
(3)Angela T.
The small plate concept is a genius way for both us foodies to indulge in multiple options and for the chef to flex some serious culinary muscle. Everything we ate last night was fabulous, particularly the popcorn kale and fish tacos. As someone to spent years living in Southern California, I can be a fish taco snob. These were just as tasty and fresh. The martinis were also wonderful and inventive. I presume management has made efforts to improve the service as we found the staff to be incredibly attentive and friendly. We really appreciated that our server was able to speak with some knowledge of the dishes, ingredients and which are their personal favourites or those that are top sellers. Looking forward to returning to try yet more plates. Highly recommend!
(5)Rosie O.
Great selection of small plates, great service, perfectly made martinis and gimlets!
(5)Ashley C.
Taste gave us a different taste both nights we came here compared to the local bar food. The ambience is wonderful and the food is fresh, cooked magnificently and service is prompt. Being from New York and really tired of ordering burgers and fries, taste gave us a little taste of home and awesome food!
(4)Bart S.
Tapas bistro style, share plates of high quality artfully presented dishes like mac 'n cheese w/ chorizo and black beans, chicken skewers, blackened chicken and pear gorgonzola salad. Also had terrific imaginative martinis like rosemary grapefruit and lemon blueberry. We thoroughly enjoyed our meal here. Service was prompt and attentive despite it being packed on a summer Saturday night. Do not miss this restaurant if you are visiting South Haven.
(5)Gretchen Z.
This place is amazing!!!! We ordered the tilapia fish tacos, artichokes, sweet & spicy shrimp and the Mac and cheese. Everything was killer!! I didn't know what to eat first. I would definitely recommend this restaurant!
(5)Jim M.
The temperature was freezing-I felt like I was sitting in the refrigerator. Service was average at best. Our waitress told us that we might be charged $.25 to taste two different wines. Later we found out this was not the case, but we could not believe that she even would have suggested it. The food was okay, but nothing to write home about. Sushi had too much rice, spicy shrimp was not spicy. Our other dishes were not bad.
(2)Jim C.
Met some family visiting from Chicago here. It was our first time at Taste - we stopped in for late lunch. From service to food presentation to atmosphere it was all excellent. Dan our server was awesome. We ordered several small plates to share, all were delicious: shrimp, sushi and gyros. Great beers on tap and yummy martinis. I will be back - thanks! Keep up the great job.
(5)Linda T.
So happy to see a new South Haven restaurant that offers a selection other than burgers and fried fish. We went with a crowd of 5 and everyone was happy with their meals. I would have given a 5 star rating except the for the blacken chicken dish, it came with an excellent fennel cream sauce but the blackened seasoning was so hot and salty that it overpowered the entire dish. Husband had the pork shank and it was delicious, again too much salt, but the red wine reduction and mashed potatoes were outstanding. Pear/bleu cheese salad was superb. Ribs, shrimp and tilapia tacos were all really good. Unlike some of the other reviews, we thought the service was excellent. We were seated immediately, and waitress, Brook, was very attentive. Food was a little slow coming out of the kitchen, but we did not mind. Can't wait to go back!
(4)Ronda L.
We have a condo in S.Haven and there are so many great choices, it was hard to stray from our favorites, but Taste is def. worth it! Great location for a stroll to South Beach afterwards, too! I had three girl friends in town for the weekend and our waitress, who was awesome, suggested we each pick 2 tapas. That probably would have almost been perfect if we had resisted salad & soup. We had tuna tartare, mac & cheese (changes often-ours had crab), tilapia tacos, steak bites, garlic mushrooms, sweet & spicy shrimp, short rib w/truffle mash & bay scallops. It was hard to decide what our favorite was, probably the scallops, but they were all so good! Drinks were also reasonable and the desserts looked great, but we didn't have room. They've really updated the decor as well. The full meals and sandwiches also looked good, but we had a great time sampling everything. Great addition!
(5)Dan Z.
Ate there 7/22/14. Somewhat of an interesting menu. Unfortunately, food was lukewarm when it finally arrived at the table. We then had to ask for the dishes to be cleared after they sat in front of us for about 20 minutes. All in all, not a great place. As we exited we chatted with some other patrons who were very upset at their 3 hour experience. They complained to the manager and were rebuffed. As a result they planned on contacting and complaining to the owner.
(2)Marty G.
Good for small town standards. Just average for city slickers. I had a hair in my food - no biggie but still kinda gross. So depending on your expectations you will either be really impressed or simple think, "Hmmm just another average place to eat". Good Luck and remember that taste is on the tongue of the beholder.
(3)Andrew B.
This was a wonderful surprise! Been to several restaurants and been disappointed by how average the food has been. The place has a peaceful, yet stylish, atmosphere. Menu was varied and covered a variety of styles. This is a tapas type place & so you get to order a range of dishes. The cuban shrimp were superb, as were the talapia tacos, and catfish. I also had the cuban sandwich which was excellent. Would also highly recommend the selection of local draft beers that they serve. Service was friendly and at the right pace. Overall an excellent eating experience and highly recommend checking them out.
(5)Kera C.
I love Taste! The food is so good and the drink list looks amazing! I really enjoyed the tomato basil bisque and the homemade bread is great. The burgers are great and so is the coleslaw. The food is so diverse things from sushi to tacos to pork shank and everything in between. While the service is slow the food makes up for that. If you are in South Haven, MI this is a place that everyone should go to!
(4)Daniel L.
Okay - I don't give a lot of 1-star ratings, especially so called "Best food in town" but this place is really really sucks!. Read on..... Ambiance:- 3 out 5 This area is probably the only saving grace (if any) for this place. Nice quiet setting with good ligthting. Decor and design is ok Service :- 1-Star I wish I give service a 0 rating. It took a while to get seated even when the restaurant is 75% empty. Our waiter was sub-par. It took her a long time to wait on us and when we have ordered our food, the soup never came until we asked for them 15 minutes later. We also have to flag her down to get her attention. Upon asking for our soup, she mentioned that "we are not a traditional restuarant, so our soup comes out with the rest of your food".....hmmm......okay. 15 minutes later - 30 minutes total our entre were still not ready. She also never came back to refill our water. Food:- I always thought that a sit down restuarant has some minimum standards.The chicken skewer I order literally where like stucked together like some microwave boxed food. The were tasteless and rubbery. The cuban pork sandwich was so bad because the pork actually stinks - like they were stale and bad. So again, if I can give zero star in this category, I would. Bottomline:- I WILL NOT and DO NOT RECOMMEND this place to anyone. I think the bar across the street probably have better food and service than this place. Stay away fellow out of towner!..... DMAN
(1)Nancy K.
A must anytime your in town food is fantastic the small plates are great for o share and try more love the sushi rolls and their ribs too
(5)Josh C.
Went for after dinner drinks and desserts. Good craft beer selection, cocktail menu was great. Had the seasonal cobbler au glace, very good. Kale popcorn is a must have. Joel and Heidi run a great place.
(5)Patrick M.
The food is WONDERFUL.. pricing is great, martinis are delicious, ambiance perfect. If nearby, make a detour and come here! Chef Joel has created a winner here !
(5)Guy C.
Find Taste to be a great addition to SoHaven dining. Great food, CONSISTENTLY. We love the tomato bisque, ribs, gyros wraps, and an incredible 10 oz filet for only $27! Best service in town with top notch experienced wait staff. Joel and Heidi's dream has come true in a fine restaurant, so needed in SoHaven! Highly recommended.
(5)Todd N.
Great place to eat in south haven! Great food and great beer selection. I visit with large groups often and the service has always been great and are great with large groups. I'm not sure about the 1 star reviews on here, don't judge a restaurant because of wait staff that may no longer be there.
(5)Casey S.
My husband and I ate here tonight and loved it! We read some shotty reviews before going so we didn't know what to expect, but everything we tried was delicious. We did not try the martinis because I don't particularly like strong alcohol and was told that they are all pretty strong--but they had interesting flavors on the menu (one called cake looked good to me)! We were seated right away and our waitress was nice. The service was quite fast. Here's what we tried: 1. Hummus plate. The hummus was tasty--you definitely taste the chick peas--and the pita was warm and delicious. 2. Bay scallop scampi: I am a sucker for scallops and these were very tender. 3. Cuban shrimp: tender, tasty shrimp 4. Crispy artichokes: these were great! lightly battered artichoke hearts with a sauce that tastes like what outback steakhouse gives you with their blooming onion. The artichokes might be pickled? I love dill pickles, and these tasted sort of similar. 5. Filet bites: bites of steak with pesto on them. They were delicious and are cooked to order. We've been in South Haven for a few days and tried a few other restaurants (Clementines, Su Casa, Joe's) and this is definitely our favorite.
(5)Drew R.
Excellent food and great drinks! The service was very attentive. Recommend fish tacos, blueberry martini and a Michigan microbrew.
(5)Kim S.
This place had horrible service, very under staffed and rude.. Also, food was awful!!!!!!!
(1)Kim W.
If this is the best food in South Haven (as I read somewhere) then South Haven dining is pretty sad. The food was decent, but wholly unimpressive. And the atmosphere/decor was even more unimpressive. And for the trifecta, service was shoddy. If you are looking for a fine dining experience, look elsewhere!
(2)Sue R.
The TASTE in South Haven, MI rates as one of the worst places I have ever encountered. The staff and female manager (owner) are unfriendly, unaccommodating and we will never frequent this place again. I will surely tell everyone I know of the poor experience we had there. Thanks to the TASTE for making my bday celebration so miserable.....
(1)Al C.
We liked Taste so much we dined there twice in same weekend. Sampled a 1/2 doz tapas items, every one was outstanding. Moderately priced and delicious. If visiting S. Haven, you really should enjoy the Taste!
(4)Egg R.
South Haven has a number of places to find good food but this place stands out from the crowd. Not only is the food exceptionally good, it's the only place in town you can find something different. The variety of choices is amazing and everything is prepared to perfection. Thank you for bring this to us.
(5)Ann A.
They're friendly and trying hard. And it's a cut above generic beach town food. But it's just not the kind of innovative cooking you generally find at a small plates restaurant in this price range. The food wasn't bad, just ordinary.
(3)Heather A.
Best food in South Haven! Better than anything else in this town. Service is amazing! Nick, Heather and Amanda were awesome! Definitely ask for them when dining here! Martinis are fresh yummies at a great price!
(5)Dr Kyle M.
As a South Haven resident, I was thankful for something different for our community. Well, Heidi and Joel did different just right. It is refreshing to have a new place in South Haven that understands not everybody loves pub fare and the same old greasy stuff that EVERY place pushes as 'good' food. Taste has something for everyone, the appetizers are the best in town, their ribs are fantastic and if you like catfish, you will love their catfish. We have eaten both lunch and dinner here on the same day; it is that good!
(5)Peter M.
Great small plates place with some nice large plates options too. The drinks were strong and I have to agree with some of the other reviews that state the food was best in South Haven. Not sure if it's the best, but pretty close if not. Great atmosphere and very nice staff and service. Easy to get to and a great place to hang out!
(4)Steve S.
Four of us for dinner on a hot Monday evening. The interior décor is nicely improved. Sat in a booth; hopefully they can figure out a way to increase the window space/size to offer more views of the river/lake. Fresh, delicious drinks all around were promptly served; surprisingly fine margarita, I might add. Round 1: potato tacos need some work; just not much to them. Tilapia tacos were very good; crispy artichokes came out well; pork flautas are a must - excellent. Round 2: tuna tartare provides a very generous serving with very good flavors; blue cheese and honey offered nice complement of flavors - my guests have enjoyed this dish elsewhere when the cheese and honey are melted into the bread. Finally, the half pound angus burger was terrific; asked for a fried egg on top and it was great with the butter bun; had a cup of chili as the side; very good flavor and meaty with a little too much salt. Excellent and thoughtful service made it a very enjoyable evening. I look forward to another visit.
(4)Rachelle S.
We stopped in for drinks and dessert! We chose Bananas Foster crepes, it was average! The service was great and welcoming! We will try out the menu when we go back to South Haven in 2014.
(3)Cameron S.
Great place, with creative food (especially for South Haven). Best place in town.
(5)Nick D.
Sitting here right now thinkin... Food is bland, ambiance is boring, and I feel like I am at a Bennigans. Never again... "Taste" like....
(1)Brandi C.
My favorite place in South Haven! Excellent food, great service, lovely atmosphere. Everything I've had there has been great, but the Bleu Cheese & Honey app, Tempura Roll and Key Lime Pie Martini are my faves. Please note that they aren't hot on splitting checks across multiple credit cards so if you need to do that, either get cash out before coming or check with your server before ordering. If you're a part of a twosome or foursomes, hold out for a table by the window, overlooking the harbor / Black River.
(5)Karon B.
I had been wanting to try Taste after several recommendations from friends, so we finally got to go over the 2015 Labor Day weekend. We had a party of 6 and arrived at about 4:00 on Sunday to beat the holiday weekend dinner crowd. When we checked in they said that they were in the middle of a shift change and the wait would be anywhere from 10-45 minutes (we thought this was quite an odd time span) and they would call us when our table was ready. Well we weren't going any where so we stepped outside and took a seat. After waiting 35-40 minutes we thought we would check in because we saw several parties come in and out during that time. As we waited at the hostess station, we realized that they were seating other parties below us on the list and sure enough it appeared that we had been forgotten about or passed over. Good thing we checked in. Fortunately, they did react quickly and seated us at a large table on the half of the restaurant that only had one other party of 2 seated. It appeared that they were only seating people on the bar side of the restaurant probably because of the shift change. After reading other Yelp reviews that seemed to either love or hate Taste, I was getting a little worried despite recommendations from friends. Our initial sever seemed a little standoff-ish when she took our drink order. We ordered some small plates to share between the 6 of us and sandwiches for our individual entrees. The small plates we ordered were: Regular Mac n' Cheese, Parmesan Bread, Gyro Rolls, and Potato Pancakes. The Small Plates came out quickly...everything was hot and tasty. We gobbled everything up since we were quite hungry at this point. Mid-dining our original server left and was replaced by a young man who was great. Our sandwiches came out shortly after we were done with the small plates. Between us we ordered 3 Cubans, an Angus Burger, Chicken Sandwich, and a Turkey Sandwich. Everyone seemed pleased with their selections. Overall the food was good, prices competitive, small plate portions were generous and sandwich plates were an average portion. A little better organization and staffing for a holiday weekend would have been good. We will probably go back again and just get small plates and cocktails!
(4)Rob S.
2 small entrees...tenderloin bites and scallops scampi, side salad, ribs and 2 draft beers=70 bucks. The soup and twice baked potato were so salty....scallops were way undercooked and cold, as we're the tenderloin bites. the ribs were touch and not meaty. I am sick today and the scallops were all I had to eat yesterday. the only positive side of this is, they billed me wrong in MY favor. Don't eat at this restaurant. too much salt and undercooked food is the sign of a line cook, NOT a chef. ick.
(1)Michael P.
Lunch. Got 4 plates. Talapia tacos. Crispy artichokes. Sushi. Korean bbq . Everything was pretty good. The young server was a little less than thrilled to be working. At least that's the way it appeared from her demeanor. Other than that a good experience.
(4)Veronica X.
3.5 stars. Not sure what else to do in South Haven, MI on an icy winter night, we found Taste on Yelp with mentions of its beer selection. Despite its nondescript name and the suspicious nature of a small plate/martini bar, we decided to check it out. The first thing I noticed upon entrance was the presence of kids at a couple tables. A little unusual for a martini bar I thought, but not a deal breaker as long as they are well behaved. The menu is pretty extensive with something for everyone. There is a 1-pound chocolate cake for $15. The friendly bartender told us about the 6 beers (all from the state of Michigan I believe) on tap. My goat cheese and beet salad ($6) was light and I liked it. Husband enjoyed his filet bites ($13). Cheese plate only had 3 kinds of average cheese, definitely not worth $10, though the sweet pepper jam accompanying the grilled brie was a pleasant surprise. Hummus ($7) was so-so.
(3)Kelly G.
Great place! My husband and I shared the 3 cheese plate, tilapia tacos, gyro rolls, and filet bites. The favorites of both us were the filet bites and tilapia tacos by far. The North beach was a delicious martini on the sweet end. Husband got the Blueberry Lemon (not sweet at all). I couldn't pick up much blueberry or lemon flavor. I asked for an off menu drink of Prosecco with St. Germaine in lieu of dessert and they happily accommodated. Husband got the Elderflower Breeze and really liked that better than the Blueberry Lemon martini. I highly recommend this place especially if you like to taste other people's food. Emily was a great server and gave us the right amount of time between visits to the table. She was great at recommending drinks and the appropriate amount of food.
(5)Brian O.
First time here & we tried 7-8 small plates and 6 different drinks. Our filet was fatty, disgusting- a huge disappointment at $13. The scallops had a film on them. Not good. Sushi ok- dry. Gyro bites were the clear winner. Loved em', but you might not. They were egg roll style! Talipes tacos were good.. Though a table mate might disagree. Catfish bites- meh. Our drinks were all bad... ALL! Wanted to love this place... It's a pity 3!
(3)Stacey N.
Quality , well-seasoned food. Varied menu. Good prices, friendly service. Satisfaction. We'll be back.
(5)mick v.
We had a great experience. Our first items were the pear and blue cheese salad plus the tuna tartare on crispy wontons, both were excellent. Next we had tenderloin bites. The beef quality in doneness was excellent but the sauce was overly sweet more like it would go with an Asian pork dish or something. Next we considered the chefs special chicken bacon ranch mac & cheese... It sounded like it was a kids menu item but the waiter talked us in to it and we're glad he did because it was fantastic. Overall sometimes a little slow on service but the food was terrific and we look very forward to going back there soon.
(5)Maddy M.
My boyfriend and I started our South Haven bar hop at Taste. He got the Key Lime Pie martini and I tried the BLT martini. YUM! The key lime tasted as close to the real dessert as a drink can get. There was very little alcohol flavor but not an overwhelming amount of sweetness, just delicious creamy citrus with a grahm cracker rim. The BLT martini was easily one of the best martinis I have ever had. The bacon infused vodka had a present smokiness that was delicious paired with the bloody Mary mix and olive juice. The waitress was friendly and prompt, and brought our drinks quickly. We also tried two of their hot plates. The korean bbq chicken was my favorite. Sweet and salty and slightly smoky, the glazed chicken thighs were plated on a bed of sushi rice with plenty of crispy wonton strips. My boyfriend preferred the fried catfish which were delightfully tender nuggets of fish, breaded in a cornmeal batter and deep fried. They were served drizzled with a dijon mustard sauce that was pleasantly tangy but not overly hot. Everything was excellent, including the atmosphere. The only criticism we have is that the butcher paper on the tables really detracted from the upscale ambiance that Taste clearly wanted to convey. Stick to the cloth and you guys have it right.
(4)Alex K.
Nice place for dinner in Downtown South Haven. It's a tapas place with many good small plate options. Our family of 4 (2 adults, 2 children) shared the filet bites (cooked and seasoned perfectly), Chef's Mac 'n' cheese (flavors vary but tonight's seasoning with cilantro and chorizo was delicious), gyro in fried dough (4 per serving - tasty), tilapia tacos (2 per plate - good), potato pancakes with apple chutney, and the baked cookie for desert - reminded me of a small version of Lou Malnati's pan baked cookie (my favorite Chicago pizzeria). The hostess had a great smile, was super friendly, and got us a nice, comfortable booth. Our waitress knew the menu well and made some great recommendations. The atmosphere is cozy. Total check, including a glass of wine and a beer was $69 plus $15 tip. Overall we were very pleased and will be back! Saw it too late but they have Oberon and another Bell's beer (Two-hearted ale?) on tap. Next time...
(5)Jonathan S.
Not quite sure what the hype is about. Lacked presentation on the plates, poor choice of flooring and lighting, and lackluster generic food. Our cheese plate never arrived and the service was just okay. Not being super pick either...was just surprised at how subpar the food was.
(2)Yanja B.
Good food, strong drinks, and nice staff. Not much of a selection- no stand out items; no recommendations. The food we had was good, but nothing to remember or write home about. Best bet would be to come here for drinks and maybe dessert or something?
(3)Cheri B.
This is our new favorite restaurant in South Haven. We arrived at 5:45 on a Friday and were seated right away however it was quite busy by the time we left. It was a casual enough atmosphere that we felt comfortable with our two young children. Everything we had was excellent quality...cucumber margarita, catfish, pork shank, pear Gorgonzola salad, tuna tartare and Mac and cheese. We finished our delicious meal with the freshly baked cookie with ice cream on top. It was obviously homemade and wonderful. If you are looking for quality food, this is the place.
(4)Michael T.
We went to Taste last night for a family dinner. We were seated right away and when we walked up to the table there was a bunch of black flecks of something all over. They still sat us and cleaned it up, and then it took over 5 minutes for our server to get to us. We ordered a first round of drinks, and some cold appetizers. It took 10 minutes to get the drinks and the food came out at the same time. The food was good except the crab, which was more mayo and onion (not in the item description) than crab and citrus cream (in the menu description). Then we sat and waited again. We ordered another round of drinks which took an excessively long time to get to the table. We ordered a round of hot food which also took a long time, so we ordered our third round of food to ensure it would come out on time. The food was good but not spectacular. Overall considering the prior reviews we were disappointed in this establishment. Service was nice but slow and you had to flag down a waitress to point out your drink was low or out. For the price I expected more.
(3)David R.
I am on record as violently opposed to the concept of small plates...but South Haven is a tiny town without a loot of restaurant variety. And the reviews were favorable, so we tried it. It was a good choice. First, the food, atmosphere, and service were all delightful. Second, the dishes could hardly be called small plates in most cities, I think. My wife and I shared four dishes in total--one of which was merely a side--and I left quite full. The tilapia tacos were as good as their reputation. The three others that I enjoyed were popcorn kale, cuban shrimp, and beet salad. All three were good but lacked a little something extra that could have made them great. Still tasty, though. It was also quite reasonably priced: four food items and a beer plus tax brought our total bill to only $33. Another attraction is the long list of specialty martinis, all nine dollars or less. Under different circumstances, I would have sampled a few of these tantalizing concoctions. In a vacuum, Taste is a 3.5, but I'm rounding up to four because it is the best option for a nice dinner in downtown South Haven.
(4)Tima D.
The drinks are really strong here. If thats up your alley than so is this place. I actually had a hard time drinking my martini because it was way too strong for me. My fault for not being a drinker I guess. Just wish they had some more fruity less alcoholic options like they do in Chicago. The food is okay but not really what I was expecting. Some of the plates felt microwaved (the potato tacos for example). I do recommend the tuna tartare and the blue cheese pear salad. Those cold dishes were really fresh. I would pass on the shrimp bisque. Service was good though. She payed attention to us the whole time to make sure we had everything we needed.
(3)Kendra S.
Great gem in he heart of south haven. Modern yet cozy atmosphere with plenty of indoor and some outdoor seating, large menu of small and large plates for vegetarians, seafood lovers, and carnivores alike. Friendly efficient service, can't wait to come back!
(4)Annabelle F.
Horrible service. Kid (teenage short brunette) working as a hostess answered the phone, told us to get there right away for a table, got there in five minutes and then acted like she hadn't answered the phone (her boss was right over her shoulder). Hire some front of the house help with some tact and class, first impression of your establishment totally blown......
(1)Chris D.
I was in the area for business and needed to get away from all the fried food in the area for a bit so I decided on this place based on previous reviews by other people. I walked into the place not sure what to expect. The interior seemed very swanky and all of the staff was well dressed in their uniforms, but after sitting down I noticed that all of the tables had brown paper covering the table cloths like at a cheap kid restaurant where the waiter/waitress writes their name on it with a crayon. Luckily none of that happened, and the ambiance remained tactful. This is a small plate type place so I ordered the Pear & Bleu Cheese Salad, Gyro Bites, and Scallops. Which was just the right amount of food for myself, however it may be just a little too much for some people. The salad was pretty good but didn't pair well with the vinaigrette dressing they used which I thought should have been sweeter. The Gyro bites were alright and the tzatziki made up for any plainness of the gyros themselves. The scallops were amazing, I really liked the butter sauce. It wasn't too rich and the bread served with it was toasted just right. Overall I really enjoyed my experience here and I would definitely come back the next time I'm in town.
(4)Jan F.
So good. Service was perfect. Food was great. We had the small bites. Filet bites. Tuna tartare. Sweet spicy shrimp. Potstickers. All great. We are traveling in an RV. We would come back again!
(5)Elaine M.
The husband and I came here for a very early dinner (4:30) on a Tuesday so you can pretty much guess that we had the place to ourselves. Even though it was empty the place felt warm and inviting, cozy almost. The martini menu is innovative and exciting. I tried the BLT martini. It was delicious but honestly mostly tasted like a bloody Mary in a martini glass. I was told however that they do make their own bacon flavored vodka that goes into it. We began our meal with the tuna tartare. This was flavorful and had good mouth appeal but the wontons were a bit too thin and crisped so that when you picked them up you had to be super careful not to let them snap in your hand, Then the talapia tacos and the filet bites were served. The tacos were by far my favorite. There were two on the plate and since this is a tapas place and we were sharing that meant only one for me. Sad. Next time I'm not sharing! The filet bites, while proclaimed a house favorite were tasty but could be better. They were a bit grey for my taste and lacked any caramelization on the outside. Also the temperature that they were served at was a surprise, almost slightly below room temp. I told our very nice waitress that the temperature seemed off and she said that happens when they put the citrus chimchurri on top. I'm still skeptical that they couldn't do better, Lot's of the choices look appealing on the menu and I hope to be back to try many of them!
(4)Will A.
A nice blend of tapas style plates makes this a great place for some after-work noshing. Not to many places to get sushi rolls in the area, and then you can have some greek-inspired plates, too. Always something on the menu for everyone's taste. Dessert menu is ok, but there are enough ice cream places around (e.g., Sherman's) to make you overlook the choices.
(4)Kristi H.
At about 7pm, my mom & I were trying to find a place to eat. Based on reviews on Yelp we decide to try Taste. As we drove by we noticed lots of people standing outside, appearing as though they were waiting for a table. We called to try to find out how long the wait would be, they would not give us an estimate over the phone. Apparently, we had to be standing in front of them for them to give us a timetable. We were both very hungry and didn't want to have to wait for an exceptional amount of time. As we were literally around the corner I don't understand what the difficulty was in giving us an approximation of how long it would take to get a table. They were extremely rude on the phone. As far as first impressions go, they did not make the grade.
(1)Steve H.
Excellent food. We had the filet bites, catfish, marinara and goat cheese, and sweet and spicy shrimp. As soon as we were done we knew we would be coming back. Also the tomato bisque was delicious
(5)Linda W.
This is hands down one of the tastiest restaurants in town..the sushi is superb. All the plates are meant to be small plates to share but if you order yourself one of two you will be set. Prices are very reasonable considering everything is so fresh. Highly recommend. The Martini's are the BEST.
(5)Melanie R.
A lot of fun! My husband found this place on Yelp with excellent reviews. We're so happy we tried it. I think I had the best Cosmo I have ever had. The pot stickers and Korean chicken were our favorites. We also had a shrimp and scallop with some kind of apple salsa or salad. That was very good too. I want to try and replicate that apple salsa at home. They have a great Michigan craft beer selection too. And, a cozy inviting ambiance.They also have a happy hour and daily specials, so you might want to check those out. We will definitely be going back. Enjoy.
(5)Rebecca C.
The food was delicious and service was good. I had a hard time narrowing down which small plates I wanted to try, because I love cheese and there were so many good sounding tapas choices with cheese. My husband however does not like cheese, so he did not find the menu as satisfactory, since there were few choices without cheese. He got the BBQ sandwich, but he said it was dry and too salty. He also had the vegetable of the day (squash, sugar snap peas & carrots) and found it to be tasty. I had the beet and goat cheese salad with the homemade balsamic vinegarette and it was awesomely delicious. I also split the chefs choice Mac & cheese with my toddler and we both loved it. The cheese was rich and flavorful and included breakfast sausage, which my toddler ate most of, and eggs & hash browns on top. Therefore, if you like cheese, this is the place for you! If you don't, you may want to go somewhere else.
(4)Chuck E.
My wife and I had lunch here while exploring South Haven. We shared several small plates with all being extremely tasty and well presented. Nice wine list and service is very attentive. My only wish is that this place were closer so I could try everything on the menu. Highly recommend this place if you need a change from burgers and beer.
(5)Cory L.
We stayed in South Haven for 8 days and ate at Taste 3 nights. A nice diverse menu, most of the offerings are tapas style small plate, but compared to other small plate restaurants I have tried, the portions are fairly generous. Parmesan tomato soup is excellent. We had the blue cheese and honey plate twice, the pear and blue cheese salad, the beet and goat cheese salad, gyro egg rolls, tomato mozzarella appetizer, Spicy Cuban Shrimp (outstanding) sweet and sour flash fried shrimp, barbecue ribs, pork shank in red wine reduction,tilapia tacos, grilled cheese sandwich, macaroni and cheese with chicken and pesto, and Parmesan toasts. Then only thing I wasn't wowed by was the Parmesan toast and the pork shank. twice we shared a bottle of wine (4 of us) and out most expensive bill was under $100 (minus tip). The wait staff is young- he could have made some recommendations, but didn't. The chef has come from several different local restaurants, and I sincerely hope that he is successful with this venture. On some summer evenings there can be a 2 hour wait at a more established restaurant down the street. Our wait on a Friday evening was 40 minutes, and we actually were seated in 30. After dinner take a walk to the South Haven Pier and watch the sun set. A nice way to help digest a wonderful meal and end a magical day on Lake Michigan. We'll be back next year!
(5)Starboard P.
Surprisingly excellent beer selection albeit limited from Bell's, Dark Horse, Founder's, and Tapestry. For now, best beer selection in town! The Belgian Dubbel from Tapestry Brewing was truly outstanding. cicerone.org/users/philh…
(4)Chris C.
Went here on a buisness trip to the area and was told to give Taste a try. I really enjoyed the small plate entrees and the very strong drink that I got from the bar. The ribs were great (they just fell off the bone) and the macaroni and cheese (cordon bleu style, so with ham and chicken) were both excellent. The side Caesar salad was large enough to be a dinner salad, and the Parmesan bread was both excellent and crispy. If you're visiting the South Haven area this is a must stop.
(5)Katie M.
Su Casa has some competition!! Taste is a much needed and welcomed dining experience to the scene in South Haven. Cute space and loved trying a handful of different items. Most interesting to me was the bleu cheese and honey appetizer. It was very different, but simple. Loved it - only wish the bleu cheese was a bit stronger flavored. The goat cheese and beet salad was fresh, light, and perfectly dressed. I had one martini... and it was very strong, so I only needed one! Nice job, Taste!
(5)Susan V.
Very disappointed. We saw the owners interviewed on "Under The Radar" so we were anxious to try it. The "Special Mac&Cheese" of the day was crab Rangoon. It came with fake krab. So for $9, I had a plate of noodles, krab and some cream cheese. My friend ordered the burger. I think Gorden Food Service made it. So much for "fresh" or "unique". Service was fine.
(2)Andrew M.
I enjoyed this place so thoroughly that my girlfriend and I came back two days later. Everything we tried was outstanding. If I wasn't headed back home tomorrow I would go this weekend.
(5)Bart S.
Tapas bistro style, share plates of high quality artfully presented dishes like mac 'n cheese w/ chorizo and black beans, chicken skewers, blackened chicken and pear gorgonzola salad. Also had terrific imaginative martinis like rosemary grapefruit and lemon blueberry. We thoroughly enjoyed our meal here. Service was prompt and attentive despite it being packed on a summer Saturday night. Do not miss this restaurant if you are visiting South Haven.
(5)Gretchen Z.
This place is amazing!!!! We ordered the tilapia fish tacos, artichokes, sweet & spicy shrimp and the Mac and cheese. Everything was killer!! I didn't know what to eat first. I would definitely recommend this restaurant!
(5)Jim M.
The temperature was freezing-I felt like I was sitting in the refrigerator. Service was average at best. Our waitress told us that we might be charged $.25 to taste two different wines. Later we found out this was not the case, but we could not believe that she even would have suggested it. The food was okay, but nothing to write home about. Sushi had too much rice, spicy shrimp was not spicy. Our other dishes were not bad.
(2)Jim C.
Met some family visiting from Chicago here. It was our first time at Taste - we stopped in for late lunch. From service to food presentation to atmosphere it was all excellent. Dan our server was awesome. We ordered several small plates to share, all were delicious: shrimp, sushi and gyros. Great beers on tap and yummy martinis. I will be back - thanks! Keep up the great job.
(5)Linda T.
So happy to see a new South Haven restaurant that offers a selection other than burgers and fried fish. We went with a crowd of 5 and everyone was happy with their meals. I would have given a 5 star rating except the for the blacken chicken dish, it came with an excellent fennel cream sauce but the blackened seasoning was so hot and salty that it overpowered the entire dish. Husband had the pork shank and it was delicious, again too much salt, but the red wine reduction and mashed potatoes were outstanding. Pear/bleu cheese salad was superb. Ribs, shrimp and tilapia tacos were all really good. Unlike some of the other reviews, we thought the service was excellent. We were seated immediately, and waitress, Brook, was very attentive. Food was a little slow coming out of the kitchen, but we did not mind. Can't wait to go back!
(4)Ronda L.
We have a condo in S.Haven and there are so many great choices, it was hard to stray from our favorites, but Taste is def. worth it! Great location for a stroll to South Beach afterwards, too! I had three girl friends in town for the weekend and our waitress, who was awesome, suggested we each pick 2 tapas. That probably would have almost been perfect if we had resisted salad & soup. We had tuna tartare, mac & cheese (changes often-ours had crab), tilapia tacos, steak bites, garlic mushrooms, sweet & spicy shrimp, short rib w/truffle mash & bay scallops. It was hard to decide what our favorite was, probably the scallops, but they were all so good! Drinks were also reasonable and the desserts looked great, but we didn't have room. They've really updated the decor as well. The full meals and sandwiches also looked good, but we had a great time sampling everything. Great addition!
(5)Dan Z.
Ate there 7/22/14. Somewhat of an interesting menu. Unfortunately, food was lukewarm when it finally arrived at the table. We then had to ask for the dishes to be cleared after they sat in front of us for about 20 minutes. All in all, not a great place. As we exited we chatted with some other patrons who were very upset at their 3 hour experience. They complained to the manager and were rebuffed. As a result they planned on contacting and complaining to the owner.
(2)Marty G.
Good for small town standards. Just average for city slickers. I had a hair in my food - no biggie but still kinda gross. So depending on your expectations you will either be really impressed or simple think, "Hmmm just another average place to eat". Good Luck and remember that taste is on the tongue of the beholder.
(3)Andrew B.
This was a wonderful surprise! Been to several restaurants and been disappointed by how average the food has been. The place has a peaceful, yet stylish, atmosphere. Menu was varied and covered a variety of styles. This is a tapas type place & so you get to order a range of dishes. The cuban shrimp were superb, as were the talapia tacos, and catfish. I also had the cuban sandwich which was excellent. Would also highly recommend the selection of local draft beers that they serve. Service was friendly and at the right pace. Overall an excellent eating experience and highly recommend checking them out.
(5)Kera C.
I love Taste! The food is so good and the drink list looks amazing! I really enjoyed the tomato basil bisque and the homemade bread is great. The burgers are great and so is the coleslaw. The food is so diverse things from sushi to tacos to pork shank and everything in between. While the service is slow the food makes up for that. If you are in South Haven, MI this is a place that everyone should go to!
(4)Daniel L.
Okay - I don't give a lot of 1-star ratings, especially so called "Best food in town" but this place is really really sucks!. Read on..... Ambiance:- 3 out 5 This area is probably the only saving grace (if any) for this place. Nice quiet setting with good ligthting. Decor and design is ok Service :- 1-Star I wish I give service a 0 rating. It took a while to get seated even when the restaurant is 75% empty. Our waiter was sub-par. It took her a long time to wait on us and when we have ordered our food, the soup never came until we asked for them 15 minutes later. We also have to flag her down to get her attention. Upon asking for our soup, she mentioned that "we are not a traditional restuarant, so our soup comes out with the rest of your food".....hmmm......okay. 15 minutes later - 30 minutes total our entre were still not ready. She also never came back to refill our water. Food:- I always thought that a sit down restuarant has some minimum standards.The chicken skewer I order literally where like stucked together like some microwave boxed food. The were tasteless and rubbery. The cuban pork sandwich was so bad because the pork actually stinks - like they were stale and bad. So again, if I can give zero star in this category, I would. Bottomline:- I WILL NOT and DO NOT RECOMMEND this place to anyone. I think the bar across the street probably have better food and service than this place. Stay away fellow out of towner!..... DMAN
(1)Nancy K.
A must anytime your in town food is fantastic the small plates are great for o share and try more love the sushi rolls and their ribs too
(5)Kim W.
If this is the best food in South Haven (as I read somewhere) then South Haven dining is pretty sad. The food was decent, but wholly unimpressive. And the atmosphere/decor was even more unimpressive. And for the trifecta, service was shoddy. If you are looking for a fine dining experience, look elsewhere!
(2)Sue R.
The TASTE in South Haven, MI rates as one of the worst places I have ever encountered. The staff and female manager (owner) are unfriendly, unaccommodating and we will never frequent this place again. I will surely tell everyone I know of the poor experience we had there. Thanks to the TASTE for making my bday celebration so miserable.....
(1)Al C.
We liked Taste so much we dined there twice in same weekend. Sampled a 1/2 doz tapas items, every one was outstanding. Moderately priced and delicious. If visiting S. Haven, you really should enjoy the Taste!
(4)Egg R.
South Haven has a number of places to find good food but this place stands out from the crowd. Not only is the food exceptionally good, it's the only place in town you can find something different. The variety of choices is amazing and everything is prepared to perfection. Thank you for bring this to us.
(5)Ann A.
They're friendly and trying hard. And it's a cut above generic beach town food. But it's just not the kind of innovative cooking you generally find at a small plates restaurant in this price range. The food wasn't bad, just ordinary.
(3)Heather A.
Best food in South Haven! Better than anything else in this town. Service is amazing! Nick, Heather and Amanda were awesome! Definitely ask for them when dining here! Martinis are fresh yummies at a great price!
(5)Dr Kyle M.
As a South Haven resident, I was thankful for something different for our community. Well, Heidi and Joel did different just right. It is refreshing to have a new place in South Haven that understands not everybody loves pub fare and the same old greasy stuff that EVERY place pushes as 'good' food. Taste has something for everyone, the appetizers are the best in town, their ribs are fantastic and if you like catfish, you will love their catfish. We have eaten both lunch and dinner here on the same day; it is that good!
(5)Mike T.
Nice little tapas restaurant. Some wonderful things that I would consider American with an Asian flair. Everything we had was excellent. A number of the items are more full size than tapas. Service was very good. We go to South Haven 5 or 6 times a year. We will go back.
(4)Stephanie S.
Absolutely delicious! Accommodating with my gluten free diet. Popcorn Kale and pork shank was melt in your mouth so good. My husband had chicken with fennel cream sauce, which he loved too. Service was great and very affordable. Wonder if they have another location close to home near Chicago.
(5)Rachael N.
Our new fav! Food was good but drinks were amazing. We'll most definitely be back. No wait for a table at 6pm on a Saturday. That's usually a bad sign, but not here. If you like a good martini the BLT is amazing for a savory and the North Beach is incredible for sweet.
(5)Anita S.
Incredible food, surpassed only by our server BettieJo!! Anyone who comes to South Haven must eat here!!
(5)Allison R.
Delicious! From wine to dinner to dessert, this was a great meal. We shared the 3 cheese plate, mussels, Korean chicken and filet bites. 4 plates were plenty for my husband and me. (And he's an eater.) The Meiomi wine was wonderful & the fruit crisp for dessert was a great ending to an outstanding dinner. The service was great, one of the chef's came out & talked for a second & the atmosphere was casual, but lively. We will definitely be back!
(5)Jenny G.
Choices of small and large hot or cold plates. We had lunch. A little pricey. My BLT Bloody Mary was $8 served in a martini glass. Had tilapi tacos (gluten free) and my hubs had the scallops. We shared a hummus with cucumber slices (gluten free). The hummus was jalapeño cheddar but ver mild.
(4)B R Hungry X.
Good food at a decent price. We ordered the mussels, fried kale popcorn, pork shank, and macaroni and cheese. All the food was great! We'd definitely come back if we visit again. Had a glass of wine as well, bill for two people was about $45 with tip which was awesome. Still had leftovers too! Wish the mussels were in a wine sauce instead of a cream sauce, but overall awesome spot. I'm giving a 4 because the price was great. Food is 3-1/2 by Chicago standards. Overall, Worth checking out and coming back :)
(4)Ryan S.
Best martinis in town and some of the best plates in the area. A must stop while in South Haven
(5)Nicole L.
I had been highly recommended to try Taste, so it was our first dinner stop in SH. It was a combination of pretty good and mediocre "small plates" but a few items were definitely uncooked. (Tilapia Tacos - tasting filing, but uncooked and cold tortillas; and Garlic Mushrooms - still raw so the tasty sauce missed out on really flavoring them...) The Cajun Shrimp was better, and the Popcorn Kale was awesome. There's a lot of different items to try and I'm sure the menu (and preparation of the existing items) will continue to improve. It's a cute atmosphere so we'll give it another try next time and see what happens.
(3)Josh C.
Went for after dinner drinks and desserts. Good craft beer selection, cocktail menu was great. Had the seasonal cobbler au glace, very good. Kale popcorn is a must have. Joel and Heidi run a great place.
(5)Patrick M.
The food is WONDERFUL.. pricing is great, martinis are delicious, ambiance perfect. If nearby, make a detour and come here! Chef Joel has created a winner here !
(5)Guy C.
Find Taste to be a great addition to SoHaven dining. Great food, CONSISTENTLY. We love the tomato bisque, ribs, gyros wraps, and an incredible 10 oz filet for only $27! Best service in town with top notch experienced wait staff. Joel and Heidi's dream has come true in a fine restaurant, so needed in SoHaven! Highly recommended.
(5)Todd N.
Great place to eat in south haven! Great food and great beer selection. I visit with large groups often and the service has always been great and are great with large groups. I'm not sure about the 1 star reviews on here, don't judge a restaurant because of wait staff that may no longer be there.
(5)Casey S.
My husband and I ate here tonight and loved it! We read some shotty reviews before going so we didn't know what to expect, but everything we tried was delicious. We did not try the martinis because I don't particularly like strong alcohol and was told that they are all pretty strong--but they had interesting flavors on the menu (one called cake looked good to me)! We were seated right away and our waitress was nice. The service was quite fast. Here's what we tried: 1. Hummus plate. The hummus was tasty--you definitely taste the chick peas--and the pita was warm and delicious. 2. Bay scallop scampi: I am a sucker for scallops and these were very tender. 3. Cuban shrimp: tender, tasty shrimp 4. Crispy artichokes: these were great! lightly battered artichoke hearts with a sauce that tastes like what outback steakhouse gives you with their blooming onion. The artichokes might be pickled? I love dill pickles, and these tasted sort of similar. 5. Filet bites: bites of steak with pesto on them. They were delicious and are cooked to order. We've been in South Haven for a few days and tried a few other restaurants (Clementines, Su Casa, Joe's) and this is definitely our favorite.
(5)Drew R.
Excellent food and great drinks! The service was very attentive. Recommend fish tacos, blueberry martini and a Michigan microbrew.
(5)Peter M.
Great small plates place with some nice large plates options too. The drinks were strong and I have to agree with some of the other reviews that state the food was best in South Haven. Not sure if it's the best, but pretty close if not. Great atmosphere and very nice staff and service. Easy to get to and a great place to hang out!
(4)Steve S.
Four of us for dinner on a hot Monday evening. The interior décor is nicely improved. Sat in a booth; hopefully they can figure out a way to increase the window space/size to offer more views of the river/lake. Fresh, delicious drinks all around were promptly served; surprisingly fine margarita, I might add. Round 1: potato tacos need some work; just not much to them. Tilapia tacos were very good; crispy artichokes came out well; pork flautas are a must - excellent. Round 2: tuna tartare provides a very generous serving with very good flavors; blue cheese and honey offered nice complement of flavors - my guests have enjoyed this dish elsewhere when the cheese and honey are melted into the bread. Finally, the half pound angus burger was terrific; asked for a fried egg on top and it was great with the butter bun; had a cup of chili as the side; very good flavor and meaty with a little too much salt. Excellent and thoughtful service made it a very enjoyable evening. I look forward to another visit.
(4)Rachelle S.
We stopped in for drinks and dessert! We chose Bananas Foster crepes, it was average! The service was great and welcoming! We will try out the menu when we go back to South Haven in 2014.
(3)Cameron S.
Great place, with creative food (especially for South Haven). Best place in town.
(5)Nick D.
Sitting here right now thinkin... Food is bland, ambiance is boring, and I feel like I am at a Bennigans. Never again... "Taste" like....
(1)EasilyAmuse D.
We were in town for a track event (Aug 8-10th) at Gingerman Raceway and tried Taste based upon the reviews and the owner of Yelton Manor also suggested it. We were pleasantly surprised by how good the ambiance, service, drinks and food were. It was a busy night in South Haven and we found the service to be on "our schedule" & friendly. We shared shrimp, mussels and sushi. The shrimp was "ok" as it wasn't super flavorful; however, the sushi and mussels were very good. We weren't quit full so a 2nd order of mussels was ordered and we weren't disappointed! We also had 3 cocktails and the bill was $66 which we thought was cheap. Our experience was so good we went back on Sun as we were heading out of town. We shared the Crab Napoleon, mussels & Tilapia Tacos. Again, we weren't disappointed. I recommend Taste and would eat there again.
(4)Marianne D.
Since my last visit to South Haven a couple years ago, I am so happy to find a wonderful new restaurant to dine at that is not the typical fried fish or hamburger joint. Taste offers small plates like a tapas restaurant and large plates as well. It also has a good bar menu. There is a variety of martinis...I had the BLT which was bacon vodka and Bloody Mary mix garnished with bacon, lettuce and an olive. Yum! For dinner, my husband and I opted for the small plates to share. Tuna tartare...very fresh, lots of sushi-grade tuna, avocado and citrus served on thin and flaky wontons. Crab Napolean...creamy king crab salad layered between those wonderful light and airy wontons. Tilapia tacos...grilled tilapia and creamy slaw served in corn tortillas. Filet bites...tender and flavorful beef tenderloin seared to perfection in a citrus chimichurri. Every plate was delightfully delicious, full of flavor, plated beautifully and enough for two to share. Our top two were the tuna tartare and the filet bites...amazing! I am putting this establishment at the top of my list in South Haven. I applaud the owners for bringing a Chicago-type place to this beach town. I highly recommend dining here. Being a foodie, I just don't understand the negative reviews!
(5)Dale B.
Taste was an excellent addition to the SH dinning options. The small plates are reasonably priced and very tasty. Drink specials were good and reasonably priced as well. The staff was very friendly and professional. The building was freshly remodeled when we went.
(5)Valerie Z.
Hubby and I were on a babymoon in the area and stopped by for dinner. All the food was so good! I really loved it but was shocked at how much my hubby loved it! He's a bit more of a picky eater and I am the foodie. We actually came back again the next day to try some of the things we didn't have room for the first day. The servers were friendly and helpful. We had the filet bites, soups, sushi, gyro rolls, pork flautas and pork shank. Everything was amazing!!! The mashed potatoes under the pork shank were the best I've ever eaten! Highly recommend this place! Only problem: it's really far from my house:(
(5)Dave C.
I live in the Chicago area - and can do better - yet rate this relative to the service and prices. With a group of 5, we got out for $150. In the Chicago area, the same meal would be $250. It is wonderful for: - Trying a lot of small plates and getting variety - Testing different beer or wine - Having a large-ish group where you can get a few bites of various things - Having something that fits everyone - For the non-adventurous, going with a sandwich - Quick and attentive service - Easy access to the beach and downtown - Reasonable prices Was surprised to find a place like this in South Haven; usually reserved for big cities.
(5)Mia C.
The popcorn kale was amazing! So good we ordered a second batch. The small plate concept is fun -we had a table of 4, everyone ordered a couple of things and we shared all of them. Emily was our waitress and she was so sweet :) nick was our bartender early in the day and he was awesome too!
(4)Andrew M.
I enjoyed this place so thoroughly that my girlfriend and I came back two days later. Everything we tried was outstanding. If I wasn't headed back home tomorrow I would go this weekend.
(5)Toni F.
We really enjoyed our visit to South Haven and lunch at Taste several weeks ago. We returned last evening with our Dinner Club group and had cocktails and dinner and I'm happy to say - four stars - after two consistently good experiences. For the lunch visit, we sat outside and didn't even see the interior of the place - they don't serve drinks outside either but our food was good enough that we knew we'd return again soon. Last evening we sat at a comfortable round table in the room behind the bar - did I mention how much I like round tables for a group of 6 or more?- it promotes easy conversation and food sharing like nothing else! We arrived early and the place started to fill up almost immediately - lots of people were waiting for tables by the time we left. We ordered several martinis and each was unique and delicious - Cucumber Basil, BLT, North Beach, Watermelon - they were all great but the North Beach was our favorite and the one that will likely bring us back to Taste. Our food consisted of a variety of their small plates (Gyros Rolls, Crispy Artichoke, Tilapia Tacos and Pork Shank), the Black Angus Burger and Ribs and everything exceeded our expectations. We also had their soup of the day (Italian Vegetable) and it was delicious as well. Our server Kevin was attentive and delivered our order flawlessly. I'm sure Taste will be our South Haven "go-to" place - it's so nice to have more options here because we really love visiting this town.
(4)Angela H.
Tried scallops, ribs, and Philly steak macaroni. Scallops...they were okay but I think I prefer them seared rather than boiled or steamed (?) like they were. Philly steak mac n cheese was awesome. THE RIBS!!! That's where it's at. The ribs are amazing, and I'm not really a fan of ribs. They are super tender, fall-off-the-bone good with an amazing sweet and smoky sauce. Love, love, love the ribs. Could go there just for ribs. Will go back to try other things though.
(4)John C.
Went to Taste for lunch. The food was excellent. The service was unbelievably slow. We sat for 25 minutes without water or anything to drink. After we got beverages, it was another 25 minutes to get food. The waiter moved in slow motion. Appeared to be dazed and confused.
(1)Michael T.
We went to Taste last night for a family dinner. We were seated right away and when we walked up to the table there was a bunch of black flecks of something all over. They still sat us and cleaned it up, and then it took over 5 minutes for our server to get to us. We ordered a first round of drinks, and some cold appetizers. It took 10 minutes to get the drinks and the food came out at the same time. The food was good except the crab, which was more mayo and onion (not in the item description) than crab and citrus cream (in the menu description). Then we sat and waited again. We ordered another round of drinks which took an excessively long time to get to the table. We ordered a round of hot food which also took a long time, so we ordered our third round of food to ensure it would come out on time. The food was good but not spectacular. Overall considering the prior reviews we were disappointed in this establishment. Service was nice but slow and you had to flag down a waitress to point out your drink was low or out. For the price I expected more.
(3)Ritu R.
Consistently innovative food! Love this place :) Great location. There are a few items we can't forget, they are sooo good! The filet bites, the mussels, the BBQ chicken (omg) and the crap napoleon. The cuban shrimp has a delicious sauce but it was the shrimp was not as flavorful this time around. Great drinks and service as well! I fear sharing this bc its no reservations and I fear it being hard to get in! Plan on a 45 min wait when you go but luckily its in a great area in South Haven so killing time is a delgiht!
(5)Anjanette V.
We came here for dinner on a Thursday night. No wait for a party of 2. We ordered the filet bites, potato pancakes, sweet-n-smokey ribs, and macaroni-n-cheese. Filet bites were medium, pretty decent tasting, but nothing extraordinary. Potato pancakes were very thin, just okay. The sweet-n-smokey ribs were my favorite. They were nice and moist and the sauce was quite tasty with just the right amount added. My husband's favorite was the macaroni-and-cheese. It is a chef's choice and that night was gouda and mushroom. It was nice and creamy and just tasted amazing. Overall it was a pretty decent place. Nothing extraordinary but we wouldn't mind going back to try some other plates. Next time I think I will ask for the plates to be brought out as they are ready as opposed to all at once so that they stay hot as we eat them.
(3)Andy J.
Good food, nothing real exceptional, but prices were reasonable and service was good. All things considered Id say it doesn't quite live up to the hype, but worth a try if you're in S Haven and you're in the mood for small plates. Chicken sandwich was small, although it was supposed to be part of the menu of "larger" items (I eat like a goat so small plates are never my best pick). Atmosphere was clean and sharp, but again, nothing real unique. Overall the experience was just "ok" considering we waited over an hour for a table.
(3)Bob S.
Taste has mostly tapas style small plates. But we had sandwiches with salads that were both excellent. I had a special request, catfish sandwich with the Pear and Goat cheese salad. While my bride had the Grilled Cheese with bacon and a kale salad. Definitely worth a try.
(5)Richard Y.
Amazingly the hostess here was reluctant to seat our party of 7 outside because it "might be hard for the server". When I suggested that we split the party into 2 tables she insisted that we take separate checks. Uh, we had 5 kids with us and Tastelost out on a 100 check on a slow day. Way to reinforce small town thinking and a total lack of customer service.
(1)Christina L.
The family and I came her for a quick little snack while staying in South Haven. We heard taste is a must while staying here, so we went for it as our first meal. We decided to just share three plates. We ordered the catfish, the sweet and spicy shrimp, and the gyro rolls. All came out quick, hot, and tasty! The shrimp and catfish had a really good sauce on them, and the gyro rolls were like a Greek egg roll! Brilliant! The highlight of my meal had to be the tzatziki sauce, the best I think I've had! Overall it was a great snack, I just wish we ordered more so I could try more of what they had to offer!
(4)Omar A.
The food was excellent and the atmosphere was perfect for a beach town... But the hostess was a totally ninny and should not be working the front counter. She was not sitting people properly and created waits when the restaurant was half empty. But the food was great and prices were reasonable.
(4)Kristi G.
We arrived in South Haven hungry for lunch and stopped at Taste after reading the reviews. Small plates are right up our alley. We had the tomato bisque soup, which was very rich. My husband got the kale salad and I had the pear and blue cheese salad, which were equal in excellence. Filet bites followed for my husband, which were quite tasty. I had the Korean BBQ chicken. The thigh had a nice char on it and the bulgolgi sauce was a sweet compliment and the wonton strips were a satisfying crunch.
(4)Todd B.
Food was excellent. Good selection of small plates to meet many different tastes. Visited on a Sunday afternoon and was pleasantly surprised.
(5)Lauri H.
We loved this place. Nice atmosphere, reasonable prices, decent service...the food was delicious. We tried five small dishes, all were very good, the filet bites are a must!
(5)Diana C.
The 5star reviews don't lie! This place is affordable with delicious and innovative dishes. From the tomato bisque soup, kale salad, sweet n spicy shrimp, blackened chicken, filet bites, catfish, angus burger, soup of the day - every single bite was delish! The service was great. Our waitress was friendly and quick! She had refills before we even got a chance to ask! If I lived here this would be my main place to eat!
(5)Don A.
Highlights: everything. The gyro rolls, scallops, popcorn kale, pot stickers, shrimp, pork shank (to die for). I don't usually gush in my reviews, but Taste deserves it. Excellent service and reasonably priced, extraordinarily delicious tapas dishes. Please pass the pleasure.
(5)Christine T.
Large cave of a room, not much to absorb the noise so it's a tough place for dinner conversation. Ambitious menu. Our server seemed spread thin, but the service we received was attentive. Our order took a looong time. My biggest complain- Not a simple leaf of Kale in my Kale salad. I brought it to the attention of the sever, who checked with the "chef"- returning with an attitudinal "yes it is!" Okay- My bad, certainly looked, tasted a lot like Romaine Lettuce with apples and feta but hey it's Michigan in the summer.. I expected more.
(2)Karon B.
I had been wanting to try Taste after several recommendations from friends, so we finally got to go over the 2015 Labor Day weekend. We had a party of 6 and arrived at about 4:00 on Sunday to beat the holiday weekend dinner crowd. When we checked in they said that they were in the middle of a shift change and the wait would be anywhere from 10-45 minutes (we thought this was quite an odd time span) and they would call us when our table was ready. Well we weren't going any where so we stepped outside and took a seat. After waiting 35-40 minutes we thought we would check in because we saw several parties come in and out during that time. As we waited at the hostess station, we realized that they were seating other parties below us on the list and sure enough it appeared that we had been forgotten about or passed over. Good thing we checked in. Fortunately, they did react quickly and seated us at a large table on the half of the restaurant that only had one other party of 2 seated. It appeared that they were only seating people on the bar side of the restaurant probably because of the shift change. After reading other Yelp reviews that seemed to either love or hate Taste, I was getting a little worried despite recommendations from friends. Our initial sever seemed a little standoff-ish when she took our drink order. We ordered some small plates to share between the 6 of us and sandwiches for our individual entrees. The small plates we ordered were: Regular Mac n' Cheese, Parmesan Bread, Gyro Rolls, and Potato Pancakes. The Small Plates came out quickly...everything was hot and tasty. We gobbled everything up since we were quite hungry at this point. Mid-dining our original server left and was replaced by a young man who was great. Our sandwiches came out shortly after we were done with the small plates. Between us we ordered 3 Cubans, an Angus Burger, Chicken Sandwich, and a Turkey Sandwich. Everyone seemed pleased with their selections. Overall the food was good, prices competitive, small plate portions were generous and sandwich plates were an average portion. A little better organization and staffing for a holiday weekend would have been good. We will probably go back again and just get small plates and cocktails!
(4)Rob S.
2 small entrees...tenderloin bites and scallops scampi, side salad, ribs and 2 draft beers=70 bucks. The soup and twice baked potato were so salty....scallops were way undercooked and cold, as we're the tenderloin bites. the ribs were touch and not meaty. I am sick today and the scallops were all I had to eat yesterday. the only positive side of this is, they billed me wrong in MY favor. Don't eat at this restaurant. too much salt and undercooked food is the sign of a line cook, NOT a chef. ick.
(1)Michael P.
Lunch. Got 4 plates. Talapia tacos. Crispy artichokes. Sushi. Korean bbq . Everything was pretty good. The young server was a little less than thrilled to be working. At least that's the way it appeared from her demeanor. Other than that a good experience.
(4)Raju S.
Driving up to Mackinac so we stopped in South Haven for an early dinner and found this little gem. Great service and the food was delicious. The tilapia tacos were delicious and we were covered with the best damn coleslaw I've ever had and I'm not even a fan of slaw. The pork shank was seasoned and prepared perfectly and the mashed potatoes that accompanied them were fantastic. Finally, my wife who is a wannabe vegetarian had the potato tacos which ended up being my favorite dish. It's always a tad disheartening when her menu selections conquer my inner-carnivore.
(4)Veronica X.
3.5 stars. Not sure what else to do in South Haven, MI on an icy winter night, we found Taste on Yelp with mentions of its beer selection. Despite its nondescript name and the suspicious nature of a small plate/martini bar, we decided to check it out. The first thing I noticed upon entrance was the presence of kids at a couple tables. A little unusual for a martini bar I thought, but not a deal breaker as long as they are well behaved. The menu is pretty extensive with something for everyone. There is a 1-pound chocolate cake for $15. The friendly bartender told us about the 6 beers (all from the state of Michigan I believe) on tap. My goat cheese and beet salad ($6) was light and I liked it. Husband enjoyed his filet bites ($13). Cheese plate only had 3 kinds of average cheese, definitely not worth $10, though the sweet pepper jam accompanying the grilled brie was a pleasant surprise. Hummus ($7) was so-so.
(3)Kelly G.
Great place! My husband and I shared the 3 cheese plate, tilapia tacos, gyro rolls, and filet bites. The favorites of both us were the filet bites and tilapia tacos by far. The North beach was a delicious martini on the sweet end. Husband got the Blueberry Lemon (not sweet at all). I couldn't pick up much blueberry or lemon flavor. I asked for an off menu drink of Prosecco with St. Germaine in lieu of dessert and they happily accommodated. Husband got the Elderflower Breeze and really liked that better than the Blueberry Lemon martini. I highly recommend this place especially if you like to taste other people's food. Emily was a great server and gave us the right amount of time between visits to the table. She was great at recommending drinks and the appropriate amount of food.
(5)Brian O.
First time here & we tried 7-8 small plates and 6 different drinks. Our filet was fatty, disgusting- a huge disappointment at $13. The scallops had a film on them. Not good. Sushi ok- dry. Gyro bites were the clear winner. Loved em', but you might not. They were egg roll style! Talipes tacos were good.. Though a table mate might disagree. Catfish bites- meh. Our drinks were all bad... ALL! Wanted to love this place... It's a pity 3!
(3)Stacey N.
Quality , well-seasoned food. Varied menu. Good prices, friendly service. Satisfaction. We'll be back.
(5)mick v.
We had a great experience. Our first items were the pear and blue cheese salad plus the tuna tartare on crispy wontons, both were excellent. Next we had tenderloin bites. The beef quality in doneness was excellent but the sauce was overly sweet more like it would go with an Asian pork dish or something. Next we considered the chefs special chicken bacon ranch mac & cheese... It sounded like it was a kids menu item but the waiter talked us in to it and we're glad he did because it was fantastic. Overall sometimes a little slow on service but the food was terrific and we look very forward to going back there soon.
(5)Brandi C.
My favorite place in South Haven! Excellent food, great service, lovely atmosphere. Everything I've had there has been great, but the Bleu Cheese & Honey app, Tempura Roll and Key Lime Pie Martini are my faves. Please note that they aren't hot on splitting checks across multiple credit cards so if you need to do that, either get cash out before coming or check with your server before ordering. If you're a part of a twosome or foursomes, hold out for a table by the window, overlooking the harbor / Black River.
(5)Maddy M.
My boyfriend and I started our South Haven bar hop at Taste. He got the Key Lime Pie martini and I tried the BLT martini. YUM! The key lime tasted as close to the real dessert as a drink can get. There was very little alcohol flavor but not an overwhelming amount of sweetness, just delicious creamy citrus with a grahm cracker rim. The BLT martini was easily one of the best martinis I have ever had. The bacon infused vodka had a present smokiness that was delicious paired with the bloody Mary mix and olive juice. The waitress was friendly and prompt, and brought our drinks quickly. We also tried two of their hot plates. The korean bbq chicken was my favorite. Sweet and salty and slightly smoky, the glazed chicken thighs were plated on a bed of sushi rice with plenty of crispy wonton strips. My boyfriend preferred the fried catfish which were delightfully tender nuggets of fish, breaded in a cornmeal batter and deep fried. They were served drizzled with a dijon mustard sauce that was pleasantly tangy but not overly hot. Everything was excellent, including the atmosphere. The only criticism we have is that the butcher paper on the tables really detracted from the upscale ambiance that Taste clearly wanted to convey. Stick to the cloth and you guys have it right.
(4)Alex K.
Nice place for dinner in Downtown South Haven. It's a tapas place with many good small plate options. Our family of 4 (2 adults, 2 children) shared the filet bites (cooked and seasoned perfectly), Chef's Mac 'n' cheese (flavors vary but tonight's seasoning with cilantro and chorizo was delicious), gyro in fried dough (4 per serving - tasty), tilapia tacos (2 per plate - good), potato pancakes with apple chutney, and the baked cookie for desert - reminded me of a small version of Lou Malnati's pan baked cookie (my favorite Chicago pizzeria). The hostess had a great smile, was super friendly, and got us a nice, comfortable booth. Our waitress knew the menu well and made some great recommendations. The atmosphere is cozy. Total check, including a glass of wine and a beer was $69 plus $15 tip. Overall we were very pleased and will be back! Saw it too late but they have Oberon and another Bell's beer (Two-hearted ale?) on tap. Next time...
(5)Jonathan S.
Not quite sure what the hype is about. Lacked presentation on the plates, poor choice of flooring and lighting, and lackluster generic food. Our cheese plate never arrived and the service was just okay. Not being super pick either...was just surprised at how subpar the food was.
(2)Yanja B.
Good food, strong drinks, and nice staff. Not much of a selection- no stand out items; no recommendations. The food we had was good, but nothing to remember or write home about. Best bet would be to come here for drinks and maybe dessert or something?
(3)David R.
I am on record as violently opposed to the concept of small plates...but South Haven is a tiny town without a loot of restaurant variety. And the reviews were favorable, so we tried it. It was a good choice. First, the food, atmosphere, and service were all delightful. Second, the dishes could hardly be called small plates in most cities, I think. My wife and I shared four dishes in total--one of which was merely a side--and I left quite full. The tilapia tacos were as good as their reputation. The three others that I enjoyed were popcorn kale, cuban shrimp, and beet salad. All three were good but lacked a little something extra that could have made them great. Still tasty, though. It was also quite reasonably priced: four food items and a beer plus tax brought our total bill to only $33. Another attraction is the long list of specialty martinis, all nine dollars or less. Under different circumstances, I would have sampled a few of these tantalizing concoctions. In a vacuum, Taste is a 3.5, but I'm rounding up to four because it is the best option for a nice dinner in downtown South Haven.
(4)Tima D.
The drinks are really strong here. If thats up your alley than so is this place. I actually had a hard time drinking my martini because it was way too strong for me. My fault for not being a drinker I guess. Just wish they had some more fruity less alcoholic options like they do in Chicago. The food is okay but not really what I was expecting. Some of the plates felt microwaved (the potato tacos for example). I do recommend the tuna tartare and the blue cheese pear salad. Those cold dishes were really fresh. I would pass on the shrimp bisque. Service was good though. She payed attention to us the whole time to make sure we had everything we needed.
(3)Kendra S.
Great gem in he heart of south haven. Modern yet cozy atmosphere with plenty of indoor and some outdoor seating, large menu of small and large plates for vegetarians, seafood lovers, and carnivores alike. Friendly efficient service, can't wait to come back!
(4)Annabelle F.
Horrible service. Kid (teenage short brunette) working as a hostess answered the phone, told us to get there right away for a table, got there in five minutes and then acted like she hadn't answered the phone (her boss was right over her shoulder). Hire some front of the house help with some tact and class, first impression of your establishment totally blown......
(1)Cheri B.
This is our new favorite restaurant in South Haven. We arrived at 5:45 on a Friday and were seated right away however it was quite busy by the time we left. It was a casual enough atmosphere that we felt comfortable with our two young children. Everything we had was excellent quality...cucumber margarita, catfish, pork shank, pear Gorgonzola salad, tuna tartare and Mac and cheese. We finished our delicious meal with the freshly baked cookie with ice cream on top. It was obviously homemade and wonderful. If you are looking for quality food, this is the place.
(4)Chris D.
I was in the area for business and needed to get away from all the fried food in the area for a bit so I decided on this place based on previous reviews by other people. I walked into the place not sure what to expect. The interior seemed very swanky and all of the staff was well dressed in their uniforms, but after sitting down I noticed that all of the tables had brown paper covering the table cloths like at a cheap kid restaurant where the waiter/waitress writes their name on it with a crayon. Luckily none of that happened, and the ambiance remained tactful. This is a small plate type place so I ordered the Pear & Bleu Cheese Salad, Gyro Bites, and Scallops. Which was just the right amount of food for myself, however it may be just a little too much for some people. The salad was pretty good but didn't pair well with the vinaigrette dressing they used which I thought should have been sweeter. The Gyro bites were alright and the tzatziki made up for any plainness of the gyros themselves. The scallops were amazing, I really liked the butter sauce. It wasn't too rich and the bread served with it was toasted just right. Overall I really enjoyed my experience here and I would definitely come back the next time I'm in town.
(4)Jan F.
So good. Service was perfect. Food was great. We had the small bites. Filet bites. Tuna tartare. Sweet spicy shrimp. Potstickers. All great. We are traveling in an RV. We would come back again!
(5)Elaine M.
The husband and I came here for a very early dinner (4:30) on a Tuesday so you can pretty much guess that we had the place to ourselves. Even though it was empty the place felt warm and inviting, cozy almost. The martini menu is innovative and exciting. I tried the BLT martini. It was delicious but honestly mostly tasted like a bloody Mary in a martini glass. I was told however that they do make their own bacon flavored vodka that goes into it. We began our meal with the tuna tartare. This was flavorful and had good mouth appeal but the wontons were a bit too thin and crisped so that when you picked them up you had to be super careful not to let them snap in your hand, Then the talapia tacos and the filet bites were served. The tacos were by far my favorite. There were two on the plate and since this is a tapas place and we were sharing that meant only one for me. Sad. Next time I'm not sharing! The filet bites, while proclaimed a house favorite were tasty but could be better. They were a bit grey for my taste and lacked any caramelization on the outside. Also the temperature that they were served at was a surprise, almost slightly below room temp. I told our very nice waitress that the temperature seemed off and she said that happens when they put the citrus chimchurri on top. I'm still skeptical that they couldn't do better, Lot's of the choices look appealing on the menu and I hope to be back to try many of them!
(4)Will A.
A nice blend of tapas style plates makes this a great place for some after-work noshing. Not to many places to get sushi rolls in the area, and then you can have some greek-inspired plates, too. Always something on the menu for everyone's taste. Dessert menu is ok, but there are enough ice cream places around (e.g., Sherman's) to make you overlook the choices.
(4)Kristi H.
At about 7pm, my mom & I were trying to find a place to eat. Based on reviews on Yelp we decide to try Taste. As we drove by we noticed lots of people standing outside, appearing as though they were waiting for a table. We called to try to find out how long the wait would be, they would not give us an estimate over the phone. Apparently, we had to be standing in front of them for them to give us a timetable. We were both very hungry and didn't want to have to wait for an exceptional amount of time. As we were literally around the corner I don't understand what the difficulty was in giving us an approximation of how long it would take to get a table. They were extremely rude on the phone. As far as first impressions go, they did not make the grade.
(1)Steve H.
Excellent food. We had the filet bites, catfish, marinara and goat cheese, and sweet and spicy shrimp. As soon as we were done we knew we would be coming back. Also the tomato bisque was delicious
(5)Linda W.
This is hands down one of the tastiest restaurants in town..the sushi is superb. All the plates are meant to be small plates to share but if you order yourself one of two you will be set. Prices are very reasonable considering everything is so fresh. Highly recommend. The Martini's are the BEST.
(5)Melanie R.
A lot of fun! My husband found this place on Yelp with excellent reviews. We're so happy we tried it. I think I had the best Cosmo I have ever had. The pot stickers and Korean chicken were our favorites. We also had a shrimp and scallop with some kind of apple salsa or salad. That was very good too. I want to try and replicate that apple salsa at home. They have a great Michigan craft beer selection too. And, a cozy inviting ambiance.They also have a happy hour and daily specials, so you might want to check those out. We will definitely be going back. Enjoy.
(5)Rebecca C.
The food was delicious and service was good. I had a hard time narrowing down which small plates I wanted to try, because I love cheese and there were so many good sounding tapas choices with cheese. My husband however does not like cheese, so he did not find the menu as satisfactory, since there were few choices without cheese. He got the BBQ sandwich, but he said it was dry and too salty. He also had the vegetable of the day (squash, sugar snap peas & carrots) and found it to be tasty. I had the beet and goat cheese salad with the homemade balsamic vinegarette and it was awesomely delicious. I also split the chefs choice Mac & cheese with my toddler and we both loved it. The cheese was rich and flavorful and included breakfast sausage, which my toddler ate most of, and eggs & hash browns on top. Therefore, if you like cheese, this is the place for you! If you don't, you may want to go somewhere else.
(4)Chuck E.
My wife and I had lunch here while exploring South Haven. We shared several small plates with all being extremely tasty and well presented. Nice wine list and service is very attentive. My only wish is that this place were closer so I could try everything on the menu. Highly recommend this place if you need a change from burgers and beer.
(5)Cory L.
We stayed in South Haven for 8 days and ate at Taste 3 nights. A nice diverse menu, most of the offerings are tapas style small plate, but compared to other small plate restaurants I have tried, the portions are fairly generous. Parmesan tomato soup is excellent. We had the blue cheese and honey plate twice, the pear and blue cheese salad, the beet and goat cheese salad, gyro egg rolls, tomato mozzarella appetizer, Spicy Cuban Shrimp (outstanding) sweet and sour flash fried shrimp, barbecue ribs, pork shank in red wine reduction,tilapia tacos, grilled cheese sandwich, macaroni and cheese with chicken and pesto, and Parmesan toasts. Then only thing I wasn't wowed by was the Parmesan toast and the pork shank. twice we shared a bottle of wine (4 of us) and out most expensive bill was under $100 (minus tip). The wait staff is young- he could have made some recommendations, but didn't. The chef has come from several different local restaurants, and I sincerely hope that he is successful with this venture. On some summer evenings there can be a 2 hour wait at a more established restaurant down the street. Our wait on a Friday evening was 40 minutes, and we actually were seated in 30. After dinner take a walk to the South Haven Pier and watch the sun set. A nice way to help digest a wonderful meal and end a magical day on Lake Michigan. We'll be back next year!
(5)Starboard P.
Surprisingly excellent beer selection albeit limited from Bell's, Dark Horse, Founder's, and Tapestry. For now, best beer selection in town! The Belgian Dubbel from Tapestry Brewing was truly outstanding. cicerone.org/users/philh…
(4)Chris C.
Went here on a buisness trip to the area and was told to give Taste a try. I really enjoyed the small plate entrees and the very strong drink that I got from the bar. The ribs were great (they just fell off the bone) and the macaroni and cheese (cordon bleu style, so with ham and chicken) were both excellent. The side Caesar salad was large enough to be a dinner salad, and the Parmesan bread was both excellent and crispy. If you're visiting the South Haven area this is a must stop.
(5)Katie M.
Su Casa has some competition!! Taste is a much needed and welcomed dining experience to the scene in South Haven. Cute space and loved trying a handful of different items. Most interesting to me was the bleu cheese and honey appetizer. It was very different, but simple. Loved it - only wish the bleu cheese was a bit stronger flavored. The goat cheese and beet salad was fresh, light, and perfectly dressed. I had one martini... and it was very strong, so I only needed one! Nice job, Taste!
(5)Susan V.
Very disappointed. We saw the owners interviewed on "Under The Radar" so we were anxious to try it. The "Special Mac&Cheese" of the day was crab Rangoon. It came with fake krab. So for $9, I had a plate of noodles, krab and some cream cheese. My friend ordered the burger. I think Gorden Food Service made it. So much for "fresh" or "unique". Service was fine.
(2)Michelle K.
This is thee worst food I have had in quite some time. The mushrooms should be offered as a topping, not a dish. The potato tacos were not the worst, but certainly not good. The broccoli tasted like it was cooked with bacon or some sort of meat, even though I stated clearly that I was a vegetarian. The blue cheese/ honey.. A joke. They state it is served over a honeycomb, it was one tiny piece. Not to mention the bread served with it was burnt. The kale and the artichoke would have been fine, I think, if it were not a carryout order. Now for the idiocy.. I inform the employee that I will be taking the food to a B&B... Not uncommon in this area.. Was there any sort of utensils packaged with the order? Nope. Who is the idiot? Me.. For not checking. I assumed.. Shame on me. Not directly related to the business, but the humorous part is this... While we were waiting for our order some sea-hag strikes up a conversation with us. She said "the food is really good here, despite her[me] negativity" ...Oh the irony. I was talking about work, nothing at all to do with this restaurant. Drink another discount martini and smoke your extra long cigarettes... I won't see HER ever again, and I couldn't value HER opinion less.
(1)James L.
We tried Taste on a winter Friday evening. They take reservations in the winter, although we didn't need them to get in at 7pm. Drinks were good, and we started out three rounds of tapas with two cold plates. The honey and blue cheese was fantastic. It came with artisan as advertised, but I think it would have been even better with a nice crisp crostini. The tuna tartare was delicious, although difficult to eat off the crispy wantons. We then tried the filet bites and the duck potstickers. The filet bites were a bit of a misstep. Nothing wrong with them, just a bit boring. The potstickers were good, although we weren't expecting the duck meat to be minced. Our third round included the tilapia fish tacos - a definite high point, and the popcorn kale, which is highly recommended. Overall, it was delicious food. Nothing unexpectedly amazing, but a great of option in South Haven.
(4)Grant P.
The name of this restaurant is Taste. They don't specify that it tastes good. I read the reviews and allegedly Taste has the best food in town, so I had to TASTE it for myself. And y'know what? No. It doesn't TASTE bad, but it's definitely not the best. Taste has an extensive menu of delicious sounding martinis, full of flavors like pineapple, strawberry shortcake, peach bubbles and whatnot. My wife and I decided to indulge and ordered a couple to have with our meal. But our server disappeared for nearly a half hour before returning with our drinks. We knew he hadn't left the building because he attended to the table next to ours five times in the time it took him to return with our drinks. When he finally brought them he claimed that there had been a missing ingredient in mine, and that the bartender had had to go get more. From where I did not know. I also don't know why he didn't tell us that on one of his many jaunts through the dining room. When they finally came, we each took a sip of our respective drinks and wide-eyed one another after both nearly choking on the cheap liquor used in our drinks. This wasn't top shelf. It wasn't middle shelf. Hell, I don't think this swill even qualified for a shelf. And at $8-10 per martini, we were expecting better. Even by Chicago standards you get better alcohol for that price. Maybe not top shelf, but definitely not bathtub gasoline. Onto the meal... We've had tapas many times, so we're familiar with the small plate concept. Our server, however wasn't. He told us that each plate was more like a plate and a half of food, so with hesitance, we went ahead with the four selections we'd picked out, figuring if it was too much we'd just eat it tomorrow. Well guess what? Five meatballs does not a plate and a half make. Four plates were just enough to satisfy the two of us without feeling stuffed. We probably could have added a fifth, but were scared after his odd warning. I ordered the tomato Parmesan bisque as a starter. Strangely, it was brought out with the rest of our food, but whatever. Unfortunately, as far as TASTE went, it tasted like a can of Campbell's tomato soup with Kraft grated Parmesan dumped in it. Not bad, but could've been better. Next were the potato tacos. These ended up being a corn tortilla with shredded cheese melted on top of it, glued together with the thinnest possible layer of mashed potato paste. This was not at all what I was expecting and all you could TASTE was the tortilla. The gyro meatballs could have been good...if they weren't served at room temperature. And also, they had little pita bread triangles that outnumbered them two to one. I'm not sure why I needed twice the amount of bread to meatball and tzatziki sauce. The TASTE of them was all right, and was the first thing I'd TASTED that I didn't feel like I could have made myself...and better. Things were improving by the time we got to the beef filet bites with chimmichurri sauce. The beef was well cooked and buttery, and the sauce had a nice edge to it. It's not as good as my wife's, but I can't expect them to duplicate the perfection that is her sauce, only come close. Finally, we tried the crispy artichokes. They are described as lightly dusted and fried, but really they were heavily battered and thrown in a deep fryer. Still tho, this dish was interesting enough and came with a very nice roasted tomato aioli. It was both my wife's and my favorite offering that we sampled. Overall I think Taste has an interesting concept with their international approach to tapas. Some of the dishes need some work to be refined a bit better, but overall I think that if this restaurant lasts it will be really good. Truly, it was the bad service and terrible martini that left a bad TASTE in my mouth.
(3)Angie C.
Food good........service horrible! We went in for dinner at 9 pm on a Monday night after calling ahead to see when they closed which is at 10. When we arrived and said we had a party of 8 the two girls at the door both had that "deer in the headlights" look. They said they could put us at a round table for six and add a two top to it. I asked if we could get a couple of tables put together for our party in the upper area where there wasn't a soul.. I was told they couldn't seat anyone in that area. As I continued to ask if we could just put a couple of tables together so our party would be comfortable one of the girls just walked away without a word. Then comes a young man to yet again tell me that they weren't allowed to seat any tables in the upper area and they could put us at the round table and add the two top. I responded with "I've never seen anyone work so hard at not wanting business". The young man then asked me about the girl that just walked away while I was speaking to her; I explained again the situation and finally they put two tables together in the upper area and sat us at out table. Kicker number 1: I asked him for a manager and was told that there wasn't one on site. That the bartender was the bartender/manager. I asked to see them and they never came to our table. Finally our waitress Sabrina came to our table and took mine and my husbands drink order as we were waiting on the rest of our party. Kicker number 2: when she brought our drinks the rest of our party had arrived. She simply set down the drinks and immediately walked away without asking the rest of our party if they would like something to drink. She then returned with waters for the rest of the table and wait for it........just sat them down and yet again immediately exited stage left. Upon her return she went over the specials although no one really cared because what they wanted was a drink to start with. After the drink order was taken, finally, we had all decided to make sure we ordered upon the drinks arrival because if we didn't who knew when that would happen. We ordered dinner and when it came out with just a few hiccups it was only after we were all done that anyone came to our table to check on us. One order was wrong but after 15-20 minutes without anyone coming back the gentleman that had the sandwich didn't want to send it back to wait for it to be correct. This problem could've been averted if the service was even subpar. Otherwise the food was good; especially the Mac-n-cheese. My husband and I had been to taste once before when in town and wanted to treat the tv crew we worked with all day to a nice dinner. The food was good but the service made the whole experience laughable. If the sign says you're open until 10 don't look stunned when a party of 8 walks in at 9pm. Not all of us have dinner with the early bird crowd! To Chef Joel and his wife Heidi; "your food is delicious but you're servers could use a training class in customer service as well as food service. They aren't doing you any favors."
(2)Rosie O.
Great selection of small plates, great service, perfectly made martinis and gimlets!
(5)Nathan J.
Taste is fantastic! There soup and sushi are so good! All there other dishes are great as well, my favorite food in south haven
(5)Kevin K.
Had excellent food and service all on a sat nite" pear salad. Shrimp sweet and spicey and bay scallops. Excellent. Need I say more?
(5)Ashley C.
Taste gave us a different taste both nights we came here compared to the local bar food. The ambience is wonderful and the food is fresh, cooked magnificently and service is prompt. Being from New York and really tired of ordering burgers and fries, taste gave us a little taste of home and awesome food!
(4)Maria S.
My fiancé and I went to Taste this afternoon. I, myself, am a server, so I struggle to give this place a good review. The food- on point. The sushi was fresh and delicious, the ribs were moist and tender, and the drink selection was solid. The service though. We weren't approached by a server for 7-8 minutes and when I asked one of the wait staff if our server knew we were there, he said "she's coming" and walked away. Our server arrived 2 minutes after that encounter and proceeded to bring our drinks 5 minutes later. Needless to say, we sat without beverages for 13-15 minutes and the food, while delicious, took forever. We were there for an hour before we ate. If you have an afternoon to sit around and chat, this is the place for you. If you're in a hurry, you're better off going somewhere else.
(2)Pete S.
We were directed here by a local. We were not impressed. Our friends split a hamburger. It was pretty small and cooked to death. Wife had a roast beef sandwich. It was very dry and tasteless. I had fried catfish. I don't know what they fried it in, but it was very mushy. So much for the food, not very good. Service was ok. When they were cleaning the table next to us, the tablecloth was dirty so they just turned it over. That was disgusting. Needless to say, we won't return.
(1)Jenny C.
My absolute favorite restaurant in town! Everything here is wonderful. I can say that b/c I've literally tried everything on the menu at least once. The sushi is amazing, blue cheese and honey appetizer is to die for, the steak bites are delicious, the catfish and sweet and spicy shrimp are great. I could go on, and on. This restaurant is great for a girls night out, a date night, or a business lunch or dinner. The martinis are equally as delicious. Their coffee martini, bloody mary martini, and key lime martini are my favorites. The small plates are fun to pass around in a large group so you can get a bite or two of everything but if that's not your thing you can order a large plate also. Large plates include sandwiches, a burger, or a large plate catfish meal. Try the twice baked potato or the popcorn kale as your side. Amazing! Don't forget dessert! I don't like chocolate (I know, I'm weird) but I've heard rave reviews about their chocolate cake. It's massive, enough to be shared by 3 or 4 people. My favorite is the tiarmisu. Sooo delicious with a dessert martini after dinner. They usually have a dessert of the week also. Their homemade cheesecake and key lime pie specials were the highlight of my week. Every couple days they change their hummus flavor (my favorite so far green olive and feta), macaroni and cheese flavor ( Philly Cheesesteak has been my favorite so far), have a feature small plate, and their vegetable side. The owners Joel and Heidi are always around the restaurant, very friendly folks. Did I mention it's a scratch kitchen? No frozen food or rubbery meat here! The service is always impeccable, the staff are courteous and prompt every time. I can't say enough good things about this gem!
(5)Brad C.
I would not use the "good for kids" tag on here. Food was good, classier place. The staff was accommodating. We felt all staff was packed in one area with multiple waiters taking care of nearby tables. Made it hard to find our waiter when we wanted him because he was not regularly needed in the area.
(3)Angela T.
The small plate concept is a genius way for both us foodies to indulge in multiple options and for the chef to flex some serious culinary muscle. Everything we ate last night was fabulous, particularly the popcorn kale and fish tacos. As someone to spent years living in Southern California, I can be a fish taco snob. These were just as tasty and fresh. The martinis were also wonderful and inventive. I presume management has made efforts to improve the service as we found the staff to be incredibly attentive and friendly. We really appreciated that our server was able to speak with some knowledge of the dishes, ingredients and which are their personal favourites or those that are top sellers. Looking forward to returning to try yet more plates. Highly recommend!
(5)