Drinks spilled all over us most of the food was cold potato didn't even seemed warm had to ask for discount ruined our clothes and shoes and told us we were bad customers for asking for a discount should of took photos read more

Love coming here. Jesse was our bartender she was amazing! Our food was delicious we stopped in for a snack but ended up having some drinks and lunch. I had a delicious French dip that was dripping with cheese and the sweet potato fries omg!!!! The wings were yummy and the garlic parm was my favorite. The vibe at this place is great everyone who came in was cool and we made new friends that day. Definitely recommend for good food and great people. read more

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A good meal in pleasant surroundings. The waitperson was friendly and efficient. Sadly our reason for going (the perch) was sold out at 4:30 in the afternoon. read more

This is our FAVORITE restaurant, anywhere, but especially in town. We have never had a wait, the staff is SO friendly, and the food is INCREDIBLE. Great variety on the drink menu and food menu. Warm yet elegant atmosphere. This is where we come to celebrate milestones, date night, friends in town, etc. Must try: their applesauce. Basically apple pie filling it's so good. Also check out their specials! read more

First time here. Excellent food, great drinks, service and nice, not loud music in a nice atmosphere. In the pics...1 bite missing from tuna... rearranged the shrimp...1 piece and one bite missing from perch. I am an old man with a young wife, we have both lived in this area our whole lives and love to eat out. read more

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I've been to Craftsman twice since I moved back to the area from Chicago, and my synapses is that it's all around solid. The first time I had a steak, nice piece of meat and cooked well. The second time I had a shrimp Caesar salad, dressing was solid and not caked on too thick like many places do, shrimp was pretty good, didn't need to be salted as much as it was though. The bar area is nice, good place to just come have a drink if you're not looking for a meal. I was on a hiatus from drinking last time I went and they had several NA beer options which was nice. They also let us sit outside on their patio during one of the last nice days of the year which was really cool because most places shut down for the season and/or aren't staffed for it. Every single time I've been there the staff has been incredibly nice and attentive. read more

I haven't been here in years and was excited to try it out again for lunch with some friends. When i got in and saw some friends already with drinks, I saw they had 33% off craft specialty drinks. I ordered a Bloody Mary and when I got my bill found out that wasn't part of it. And it was $9.50!! I haven't paid that much in a Kalamazoo area bloody in forever! I would not have ordered it had I known it wasn't in the deal and that much. I ordered the special of the day which was a red snapper taco. Our server raved about it and since I don't ever make fish tacos at home I was adventurous. She asked if I wanted fries and I asked if I could change it up. Of course she said! Since everyone else was getting the Parmesan risotto i opted to try that. She failed to mention that it would be an up charge). When my food came I was first upset that the fish tacos were on flour tortillas sitting flat on the plate, I mean use Taco holders or something! Presentation was just sub par. The risotto had spread onto my tacos also which I can be ok with if it were for example a steak with risotto? But not as a changed side for tacos! The flour tortilla was not a good idea, by the time I was finished with one taco the other was sipping wet and too soggy for me to even lift it off the plate. The fish was spicy over any other flavor and I'm not a huge spicy fan so I didn't care much. I did however really enjoy the risotto! It was cooked perfect and cheesy and each bite was great! My trip ended by me asking the server why I didn't get the discount on the Bloody Mary and she just said that wasn't a drink that was included. And I asked about the extra charge for the risotto and she just said oh yeah it was an up charge. No apology, no clarification, nothing to make me more comfortable with her customer service or wanting to make me happy about my trip. I won't be going back, the food wasn't what I expected nor anywhere worth the $28 I paid for a Wednesday lunch. read more

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Beautiful place, great ambiance, great service and delicious food. We sat at the bar and had delicious drinks and some sandwiches, my pork sandwich was good, the pork was a bit dry and a little overcooked and crispy but the barbecue helped it a bit. I will still recommend them and give them another try. read more

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Enjoyed our dinner here on Valentine's Day. They were super busy, but well staffed! Food & service were great. Love that it is woman owned!

The service has always been good; I enjoyed going here every time. All of the dishes are great -- that I've seen. They have shorter hours than many other places, but I feel like that contributes to it being a better experience. read more

My girlfriends and I met here on a recent Monday evening. It had been a while since my last visit, but this has always been a favorite restaurant of mine. In fact, I frequent their sister restaurant in Mattawan, McGillan's Tavern, at least once a month. We opted to be seated in the bar area. Our server was very nice and had a wonderful attitude. The drink special was a Rose for $7.00, which made my day. For dinner, 3 out of 4 chose their dinner special Cajun grouper with shrimp, and two sides. We all chose their risotto of the day, Parmesan, and the veggie of the day, green beans. The grouper was unbelievably delicious. It had been so long since I had grouper, I could hardly contain my excitement. The Cajun spices were just enough to add a little zip. The coating was light and the shrimp just added to the dish. The risotto was so creamy I thought I was eating pudding. Even the green beans were perfectly prepared. Our 4th person had the BLT Salmon Sandwich and she loved it. We all had a delicious meal that was reasonably priced, and just a good time in a perfect location. read more

Craftsman Chop Company - Cajun Grouper - New American Near Me - Portage, Michigan

Definitely don't recommend this place for a steak. The steaks are bland flavorless and full of fat. Was craving a steak so decided to give this place a shot even after reading the reviews and they weren't wrong! Orders the ribeye, which I am pretty sure wasn't even a ribeye cut. The broccoli was over cooked and all mushy. read more

My last experience there was likely exactly that (aka I probably won't ever go back). The risotto I ordered was cold, crunchy and off-flavored. Just super-yuck. By the time our waitress realized I was unhappy with my food, the rest of our group was pretty much done with theirs so I wound up just going home hungry instead of getting something to replace it. Portion sizes have seemed to shrink over the years, and pretty much all of our favorite things are gone or have changed (they no longer carry a seafood mixed platter that was my go-to for years, they don't offer the excellent cheese potatoes that used to be a side option, and they now charge for the house chips and dip that used to be complimentary. My experiences here in the last five years have ranged from blah to bad. It's such a shame since this used to be one of our favorite spots to dine in the area. read more

My first visit to the Craftsman Chop company was on 4/3/21 for dinner. Despite everything surrounding restaurants and COVID-19, I was very impressed with the entire visit. My date ordered the Sirloin steak with blue cheese crumbles and the bacon Parmesan Brussels sprouts based on the recommendation from our waitress. I opted for the Char Chicken sandwich with the Brussels sprouts. Both were excellent but the Brussels Spouts were absolutely delicious! During the meal, the owner (Greg) came out and asked us how everything was, which shows the care they take here. I really appreciate little things like this. Although I'll have to ride a few extra miles on the bike today, we shared the chocolate lava cake with ice cream and it was an excellent way to end the meal and evening. Our waitress (Caitlyn I believe her name was), was very attentive and gave us top notch service!! Overall, the prices were very reasonable and we will definitely be back! read more

My family and I visited Craftsman Chop Company over Easter weekend at the suggestion of my sister and her husband. We were seated right away without any delay but if you are dining on the weekend, I'd suggest that you call ahead for reservations. I was very impressed with the selections on the menu, the quality of both the food and service, and the overall atmosphere. The decor is an arts and crafts style similar to Frank Lloyd Wright's "Taliesin" in Spring Grove, Wisconsin. The restaurant designer paid homage to Wright's prairie style without being too obvious about it; up to and including the typestyle used on the menus. Our waitress was efficient and eager to answer our questions and help with anything that we needed. Sis had the Pork Osso Bucco (shank on the bone) which is a must if you enjoy pork. I tried the sea scallops which I enjoyed. It looked to me like there's something on the menu that would please anyone. The bar area is also impressive with over 20 beers on tap and a cozy fieldstone fireplace. Although we didn't try any of them, there is a long list of specialty martinis and of course they have a full wine and liquor listing. When the check came, I felt the prices were very reasonable for what we got. I found out later that Craftsman is not a part of a chain and is locally owned. The bottom line is to try Craftsman if you are interested in quality food in an upscale but casual atmosphere. I am sure that you will be pleased and make this one of your regular places for dining out. read more

Craftsman Chop Company - Bar Area - New American Near Me - Portage, Michigan

I grew up in Portage and passed the Craftsman many times. It seemed like a super-fancy place out of my price range. But on my first visit, I can say the prices are pretty reasonable and the food was good. The decor is decidedly suburban. It feels like the kind of place where older people eat. Indeed, most of the patrons seemed well into their 50s and beyond. Think more upscale Denny's. It's not romantic. A little stuffy. Our server was a very nice guy, who shared his opinions on the menu freely. We liked him. I had the Cajun Chicken Sandwich ($9) - lightly blackened chicken, bacon, pepperjack cheese, cajun aioli. I really liked it a lot. Had a nice pop of flavor and the bacon was crispy. For my side, I went with the Parmesan Potato Wedges. Our server admitted these were made from the leftover baked potatoes. They weren't great. I love the idea, but they would have been so much better as freshly cut, freshly fried wedges. Disappointing, but I can't say the server didn't try to warn me. We also had the Zucchini Fries ($4.50). These were really good. I wouldn't have known they were zucchini the menu didn't say so. They taste pretty much like regular fries. Nice. While I wouldn't take a date here, It's got good food and friendly servers. I suspect I'll be back. read more

Craftsman Chop Company - Blackened chicken sandwich with potato wedges - New American Near Me - Portage, Michigan

We were greeted very nicely and sat down. We waited 10 minutes and no one came to our table to get out drink order. They were people that came in after us that were seated and received immediate service. When we were leaving the host said have a good day and we told them that we never got served. He didn't say anything. read more

Good food. Great service even though they were busy. Haven't been here for years. Very pleasantly surprised. Sat in the bar. Very comfortable atmosphere. read more

Craftsman is always good--always solid. Food is great and servers are very professional. It's also pretty accessible --never a huge wait and it's got a great ambiance. Love it read more

First time here today and I am impressed. This place is on Sears drive next to the Crossroads mall in Kalamazoo/Portage and is great. The menu had many selections and I was not disappointed. I tried the corned beef sandwich and it was very good. The wait staff was attentive, and the restrooms were very clean. Overall, I would definitely recommend the Craftsman to my friends and family. This may become one of my favorite restaurants in Kalamazoo. I can't wait to visit Kalamazoo and stop into the Craftsman for food and drinks. read more

Craftsman Chop Company - New American Near Me - Portage, Michigan

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Great, fresh food at reasonable prices. Their Wasabi tuna and perch dinners are very good, and salads are fresh and creative.

I don't like writing up something that is negative, but here goes: what happened to you, Craftsman?? In the past, this would be my office's go-to place for lunch, my husband's first choice for dinner, and now, that has all changed. We have so many other choices for dinner close to us, near downtown, but we made a special trip to see you. I generally order your ahi tuna salad, it has always been a favorite of mine. This salad was quite huge...with mostly greens and the tiniest splash of the spicy seaweed salad. The dressing tasted like it had "turned" and was very different from the usual wasabi dressing in the past. My husband ordered the sirloin and it was quite frozen. He ordered it medium-well, but it came...not. He had the grilled mashed potatoes which were very good (thus the extra star). His side salad, however, seemed to suffer the same fate as my salad dressing: a sour, slimy, turned flavor. When we asked the bartenders for different dressing they came back with another sour/turned dressing and proceeded to try to avoid our gaze. I would've wanted to avoid seeing people muddle their way through that mess, too! Yes we were at the bar, and yes it was a busy evening, but the overall quality of the food has gone sadly down. Hopefully they will turn things around as we have enjoyed coming here in the past. read more

Service - 5 Atmosphere - 5 Good -4 Great daily specials and happy hour. Lots of regulars and easy to see why. read more

Craftsman Chop Company - Very nice bar with outstanding service - New American Near Me - Portage, Michigan

Very enjoyable experience. The fish was fresh and delicious, service was great, and beer was cold.

Have been going here for years. Food is always good, as is the service. Disappointed to see so many reviews reporting poor service. Most restaurants are struggling with this. read more

Great food. Great service. Beautiful atmosphere. Love this place. We go there quite often. Highly recommend this dining experience.

Service is usually good, I usually get an appetizer, I like the steak medallions. We usually go a couple times a month.

I am use to there being one of of the local beers Gonzos Biggdogg beers on tap. Very disappointed they were "off the rotation". Other than that all else was OK. read more

After reading the reviews on Yelp, I was still skeptical. here's my summary: Enjoyable dinner -great prices & specials during the week. Fine service, great prices & good food: I've posted pics of the rib-eye dinner & Kobe beef burger. I had the Thursday special: $8.99 for 8 oz. rib-eye (nicely char-grilled & cooked to medium well perfection). It comes with one side: however, I ordered a 2nd side for a few bucks more. I chose the veggie of the day-sauteed zucchini and cheesy scalloped potatoes. Hubby had the Kobe beef burger for $12!!! We had to make sure it was truly Kobe beef-which the waitress confirmed as the real deal. It was the first time we had it and definitely not the last. He also chose the cheesy scalloped potatoes as his side. Other sides include: baked potato, french fries, parmesan potato wedges, applesauce, roasted red potatoes, etc. Our daughter had the $5.99 fettucine noodles with butter & parmesan with a side of mixed fruit (i.e. fruit cocktail). She ate the entire meal so I guess I can't complain about the price...although $6 and $1.99 for her soda is a pricy meal for a 8 year old. The menu is vast and offers something for everyone. Included are prime rib, steaks, pasta, salads, wraps, etc. Oh, and they bring out kettle style chips with dill ranch sauce-nice touch. We enjoyed our dinner: Service was good, ambience-dimly lit and not very crowded at all. We also had $2.50 cosmopolitans (Thurs drink special) and $5.25 for the draft Rogue Dead Guy. They have at least a dozen beers on tap-nice selection, too. We will definitely be back!!! read more

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It's been several years since we've eaten at Craftsman Chop Company, and I think it's slid downhill. They wouldn't take a reservation over the phone stating "we're pretty full, but you can try and wait here". That should have been a cue to choose another restaurant, but for some reason we didn't. Arriving at Craftsman, we were told it would be a 30 minute wait. Looking around the restaurant, only about 70 of the tables were taken. After a 35 minute wait, we were seated at a booth that was available from the time we walked in. It was across from a table that stood in bussed for 90 minutes. No joke. As a matter of fact we discovered there was NO buss staff. The servers had to do it between waiting tables. You can imagine how motivated THAT makes them. The Chicken Nacho appetizer came first. It was baked hard into one chunk. Obviously unacceptable. We sent that back and hoped for the best on our meals. The food was just OK. for a Saturday night (5-9-2015) I can't believe this is the best they could do. There's far better within a mile of the restaurant, I doubt we'll try it again. read more

Craftsman Chop Company - Here's the unbussed table that sat at Craftsman Chop House for 90 minutes. - New American Near Me - Portage, Michigan

We stopped here only because we were in the area and we decided to try someplace new. We were seated right away and were given ample time to review the menu. Our waitress was very kind with recommendations at which my husband tried the Rueben sandwich. I had the steak sandwich with banana peppers. My husband stated that the sauerkraut on his Ruben was more sweet then sour - which he said was "weird on a Rueben". My steak sandwich (I can't think of the actual name) was really well prepared. The steak wasn't chewy at all - it was cooked perfectly. I definitely recommend my steak sandwich with banana peppers! At one point I needed to use the ladies room which was clean and well supplied BUT while washing my hands I thought to myself "this is such an upscale restaurant and they are reusing Softsoap dispensers with the commercial bubblegum looking soap - that just creeps me out". I wouldn't even do that in my own home. With that being said - we won't be coming back and here's why: I ordered a 7&7 and I was like "where is the alcohol"?! I understand that it needs to be measured but come on....don't skimp on the booze! After we finished our meal we waited an additional 15-16 minutes until we finally got our check! It's like our lovely waitress took a long break and didn't tell nobody. Absolutely irritating. read more

Craftsman Chop Company - The Rueben. - New American Near Me - Portage, Michigan

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Food was just average. Ambiance was a little less than I expected. Based on these two things, prices were a little high. Severs were very polite. read more

We had a wonderful experience here for dinner on a Monday evening. Our server was Zach and he was quick and attentive. We had the bacon wrapped shrimp for an appetizer, which had a yummy honey sauce. My husband had the burger and fries special. The fries came with the Cajun spice that was really good. I had the Ahi tuna salad. The tuna was cooked perfectly and the Wasabi salad dressing was spicy and delicious. They had a good selection of beers and happy hour prices were fantastic. read more

Craftsman Chop Company - Seared ahi tuna salad - New American Near Me - Portage, Michigan

The short story: Great service, good food, priced right. The details: The hubster and I dropped the kids off at a nearby event and took advantage of 2 free hours to try the Craftsman. We were greeted immediately and offered a choice of bar or dining room; we chose the dining room. It was a Tuesday night, so not busy at all. This often is the kiss of death for service (slow restaurant = slow service in our experience) but in this case, service was prompt and pleasant, and food was delivered in a "just right" fashion. (Thanks to our server, Seth!) Tuesday's special is 1/3 off bottles of wine (bonus!) so we ordered a bottle of Zinfandel (no, not pink, for any oenophiles who are cringing right now). The wine list is short and basic, but with the discount it was unquestionably the right decision for our budget. Hub had the pressed garlic steak sandwich, a 5 oz sirloin with banana peppers, haystack onions and sweet onion aioli on grilled panini bread. The steak was cooked to order, and was tender and sliced on a bias. The bread was crispy but not hard. Overall a win. He chose a side salad as the "choice of one side." I had a half order of lake perch with a side salad and "grilled mashed potatoes." The perch was traditional -- flash fried and served with tartar sauce. The grille mashed potato was a nicely-sized potato pancake, crispy on the outside and seasoned nicely. I could have eaten several as an appetizer. (Note to Craftsman chefs!) We shared an apple cobbler for dessert - plenty large for two. This is a homemade dessert, and it was delightful. The apples still had just enough "tooth," the sauce was sweet but not cloying, and it was served in a crispy cinnamon-dusted pastry shell and topped with ice cream and whipped cream, yum! The only weirdness of the evening was when hub ordered coffee and it came with 2 "mini moo" creamers. This isn't a diner, so that was a bit off-putting. (Spring for fresh cream, please!) Overall, a solid meal, and priced appropriately for the size and quality. read more

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Now this my first experience here at the wonderful craftsman chop company and I don't believe in a good and bad steak I believe in better than the best steak I've ever had and not as good this is probably a better. If you happen to come by and they have the truffle butter ribeye GET IT it absolutely bursting with flavour and there actually homemade chips are some of the best I've ever had. It's not all steaks ether they have so many choices for sandwiches chicken items and much more and a large alcohol menu if that's your thing (not mine) Alongside the food the interior is also very beautiful with wood bring out a very nice look with the semi dim lighting. The wait for the food was not long at all and even if it was it would have been worth the wait. No staff issues ether all very nice and helpful. I would defiantly recommend and even persuade you to come in for lunch or dinner. read more

Craftsman Chop Company - Very nice bar interior - New American Near Me - Portage, Michigan

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Sat at the bar and had a great bartender! Although I didn't have a drink he had great recommendations from the menu and I enjoyed his banter with the other bar top patrons! The Lake Michigan perch was perfect and I LOVED the Brussels sprouts and grilled mashed potatoes! Great place and I will be back to try the Osso Bucco! read more

Craftsman Chop Company - Perch with Brussels sprouts and grilled mashed potatoes - all excellent! - New American Near Me - Portage, Michigan

Yum! My filet was tender and my chicken dumpling soup was full of flavor. Our table ordered a sampling of appetizers - coconut shrimp, steak bites, and crab cakes - and all were excellent. I had a taste of the perch and the cranberry risotto and I would return for either of these. read more

On the drive from Chicago to Detroit (or reverse), Portage just seems to be the right spot to stop for dinner. Thankfully, on my recent trip, my wife and I found the Craftsman Chop Company. I ended up ordering the Salmon BLT with parmesan potato wedges. Overall, I was impressed with the sandwich. The Salmon was moist and the flavors worked overall. The wedges were very flavorful, but a tad bit salty. The atmosphere of the restaurant is very relaxed. With that said, there is a big difference between the dining room and the bar area. Overall, good food and great value. We will certainly return during our future travels. read more

Craftsman Chop Company - Salmon BLT - New American Near Me - Portage, Michigan

Excellent! Fabulous! A true dining experience. Classy, without being overstated. The chef is world-class, hands-down drop-the-mic amazing. Service was exemplary, our server was classy, funny, and comfortable. We truly enjoyed our dining experience and will be regular customwrs. read more

Craftsman Chop Company - New American Near Me - Portage, Michigan

One of our favorite dinner places! The food is always great and the service is even better! Even the managers are on the floor making sure drinks are filled and that everything is taken care of! We just wish they'd bring back the beer cheese and pretzels! read more