Tues 12 July 2022 The view of the Black River was fantastic. The food was, meh... Would have been better if served hot. The service was poor. The waitress took our order and then went to go work the bar. There must have been a disconnect during the hand off. We waited as others that were seated after us ordered/received/ate/paid for their meals and then leave. We received our meal only after I asked the 2nd waitress to check on it. After we were done eating we sat for a while... I asked a 3rd waitress for the check which was delivered by the 2nd waitress-with some attitude. Overall, I thought it was an expensive meal for canned beer, warm food served in a plastic basket, and pre-packaged plastic utensils sized for children, not adults. I've heard good things about Capt Lou's, jut didn't experience them for myself. We would not go back... read more

Party of four. Waited over two hours for food. Waitress ignored our table during that time. No drinks for some of us and offered no refills for those of us who did get drinks. After two hours they admitted they confused our table as being part of a larger party. Gave the other table our food. Gave us excuse after excuse of why they forgot our food. Restaurant ended up picking up part of the tab. Awful, awful service. read more

Great spot for meeting friends and having fun. Drinks are good but you can tell there is a shortage of staff as the poor workers really have to hustle to take care of everyone- but they get it done and your food and drinks will get to your table eventually! Food is very basic, with a few nice surprises. They let us purchase jars of the delicious pickles used in their special bloody Marys, pretty amazing! Love sitting by the river outside and being part of the scene. read more

Captain Lou's - River front outdoor seating. - New American Near Me - South Haven, Michigan

This place has an awesome atmosphere!!! The food was soooo delicious. I gave it a 4 Star because the bathrooms need serious attention. read more

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

I've never had a bad meal here! The atmosphere is fun and I love that it's right on the water with a view of the drawbridge. You might have to wait a bit for a table, but I say go for it!! read more

Captain Lou's came through for us again today. The perch basket has 5 pieces of perfect fish plus fries or tots. The bartenders were very friendly and provided excellent service (we sat in the shade at the back bar). Great meal, very satisfied. read more

Great bar and food menu on the river. Staff is great and don't make you wait. Recommend lunch and fish dinner is awesome

Dropped into this older nostalgic restaurant on the marina in South Haven for lunch during the blueberry festival. Very rustic old school charm with outdoor seating and river views. Food was poor. Ordered a club sandwich and was not impressed. Offered no taste, must have gotten the sandwich meat at the grocery store. This place is worth visiting for a cold beer on a warm day. read more

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

Great little bar by the bridge. Don't let the looks deceive you, stop in and have a perch Reuben and get the sweet potato fries too! The fries are thin and crispy and also taste good. If you want perch in South Haven, this is the place to get it! Also try the grapefruit mule. We had such a friendly waitress; I wish I had asked her to buy a lou's your mind sweatshirt. read more

First the location:Great spot! The atmosphere is really chill. Good for friends to hang out at or even a family to swing by! They have funny dollar notes left on the walls! Had the bang bang shrimp was good. Just fried a little to well. The main sauce was good spicy flavor ordered it on the side. The perch just wow! Got it Cajun style. Warning it is hot! I think it's best to go half regular and half Cajun. Very fresh, hot and fast. Will definitely order again! The staff was really good makes great drinks and friendly! Always came at the right time and never over bearing. read more

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"Try it Cajun Style" they say about the fried Perch basket! Let me tell ya... it was delicious going down... but it was like a ring of fire coming out... for both of us who ate them! Consumer beware! Otherwise a great dive joint with excellent service and tasty drinks and food. Just remember... I told you so!! read more

Beautiful spot on the water. Great service, and the perch is good. The drinks are incredible. This is our go-to spot.

A must visit every time we are in South Haven. During our most recent trip, they were definitely swamped, but our server was awesome and attentive. The food is spectacular. The perch basket is the best. Drinks are also great every time. Parking is always an issue, so it might be best to plan on walking or biking! read more

This little dockside place is right by the draw bridge in South Haven along the Black River. They feature Perch caught out of the lakes. We had the fish tCos and the perch basket. The meal was really good and the view by the canal awesome! Give them a try if your in town. You will like it! read more

My husband and I love this place: you will get exactly what you'd expect at a little bar on the water, and we love that. We've split a lighthouse wrap with tots and coleslaw here for years and never been disappointed. The wait staff is always awesome, kitchen consistent, and we've never waited more than 5 minutes for another side of ranch or a beer. Stop by here if you ever want quality drinks and bar food! read more

The best real estate in town. Located below the drawbridge, Captain Lou's offers a spot right on the river where you can watch the boats go by while enjoys drinks and food. While the menu offers "bar food" there are many tasty healthy options on their menu. The salads are excellent as are their burgers; their are veggie burger options also. A definite "must do" if you are visiting South Haven. read more

Meh. pretty much sums it up. The location is really the best part about this place - the food was alright, drinks were drinks, but OMG was the service horrible. The barley 18year old - good looking gal, but zero experience in customer service - was very reactionary. Once we asked, she wiped down the table; we asked for menus, she gave us ones that were soaking wet; never refilled our waters and rarely checked on us. Heard they have live music often... I have a feeling that it's a much better "fun night out" location than place for lunch or dinner. read more

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Small bar/restaurant you will want to sit outside on a nice day by the lake. The lake view is the reason to mostly eat here for the view. They have bar food as in Burgers,wing,taco,ect.. The seating is seat yourself so be ready for that, the waitress was very quick and the food didn't take to long to get out. Overall good place with fast workers, we will be back read more

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Great place for a drink. We ordered the Salmon Dip app and were very disappointed. Very little salmon with too much mayo and greasy pita chips. Will stop back in for drinks read more

Captain Lou's - We go out to eat 3-4 times a week and this salmon dip is The single worse thing I have ever ordered off any menu. - New American Near Me - South Haven, Michigan

If you are going to get perch in South Haven, then this is the place you have to visit. Sit Ana watch the boat parade go by and enjoy the outdoors. read more

This bar was fun!! Delicious food and good music! View also great right on the water!

This seems like it is a perfect place for covid to spread! I love the food but will not go there now or in the foreseeable future! Just too small and too much of a drinking crowd! read more

Awesome Perch! Great friendly place, excellent service! Right on the water, fun watching the bridge go up and down for boats... great beer selection. read more

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

Service was fast and the staff was friendly. However, my burger had no flavor. My husband and my son's fish was cold. Awesome atmosphere but not the best food. read more

Discustingly filthy place! Wondered why the staff was so rude until I met the so called "manager"! Food was edible at best!

Great place on the harbor. It is a dive for sure. Good service but can get a little slower at night when the place is packed full during the summer! During the day get a table harbor side and watch the boats coming and going. Love the fish fry and the burgers. Whenever we're in town it's a must stop. read more

Great dive bar in a vacation spot! Open late, often have live music, and great priced beers. Lots of outdoor seating, gives you the feeling like you are far from home even though you are just in Michigan. If we had stayed longer vacationing then we would have gone back for sure! read more

The menu said they had a GF burger, but they were "out" of buns, and do not offer a lettuce wrap. My son and I ended up sharing an $8 basket of tater tots which was the size of a regular side order at most restaurants. Husband liked the fish plate, but they offer coleslaw OR fries, not both. A little stingy for the price was they charged. Cute venue, might be nice to just go for a beer and watch the boats but not bother with a meal. read more

Great food (try the cajun perch). Be patient with seat yourself. It is worth it. Everyone was very friendly.

We enjoyed our perch sandwich and perch reuben. Get the tots! No high chairs or changing table but our infant was comfortable in her stroller. All tables are high tops so high chairs wouldn't work. Every other table is closed to allow for distancing. Mostly outdoor seating. Our server was nice and attentive. read more

We come to South Haven every summer and Captain Lous is a must repeat. The perch basket is the major attraction. Do not miss it or you will be doomed to have everyone tell you how good it is forever. The fillets are lightly battered and delicious. The kids either go for a perch basket or tacos. The shrimp tacos have a little kick to the bang bang sauce so one of our girls asks for it on the side. The perch tacos are great. We went several times so once I tried a burger and it was excellent too. The tables were "social distancing " spaced all week except Saturday night. Just go, you won't be sorry. read more

It's a waterside hang with overly sun burnt mid-westerners mostly sloppy from a day of drinking in the sun, so that's entertaining.... The perch is delicious. The setting dive shack meets summer hang-out comes to mind. read more

Great atmosphere! It's right on the Black River and all open to the Great Out-Of-Doors! They have a good selection of beer. The service was awesome and the olive burger and salmon dip were very appetizing. read more

Outstanding perch! We stopped in due to the reviews. The perch basket was great. Good sized filets, great seating, not greasy. Great place for a beer and a bite in South Haven. Definitely worth the stop, though not a lot of parking so walk if you can. read more

Islands lake atmosphere right on the water. We enjoyed delicious burgers and sodas. One of us had a beer. They don't have anything on Draft but a whole menu of great offerings. It was fun and fabulous. There are just a few big tables. A group of four or less should be able to find a seat bit is seat yourself. Enjoy!! read more

The perch basket and onion rings here are delicious! They've got great drinks too, and you're right on the water where you can watch boats and people all day long. Finding a table can be tricky at certain times of day, but the food is worth it and the servers are very quick. read more

Captain Lou's - Great drinks in a fun atmosphere! - New American Near Me - South Haven, Michigan

Great service! We had the perch basket, bang bang shrimp and dip samples which were all very good. For a place that some yelpers call a dive, this Place had great service! read more

Captain Lou's - Chips, perch basket ( go with tater tots!) - New American Near Me - South Haven, Michigan

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Great little bar! We ate here twice over the weekend and enjoyed it both times. Their burgers were amazing (I recommend the Olive Burger) and the atmosphere and service were great as well. The bathrooms are my only complaint. Super dirty and there were no doors on the stalls in the ladies room...yes, you read that right. At least, it made for a great conversation piece! Lastly, there was a live band there the first time we went and we really enjoyed that as well. We'll be back, we'll just be sure to use the bathroom before we go. read more

Tried this place when on vacation and it was delicious. From the wife's drinks to the food everything was perfect .

I would never go there again the waitress was totally rude and I'll be 60 years old so no not a good place to go for me they have better restaurants on the main strip in Southhaven better than that and I know how to treat people well. read more