Restaurant Review: Schaendorf Brewing Company in Allegan
I had a pretty good first impression of Schaendorf Brewing Company. When you first walk in you notice the gorgeous victorian ceilings and the beautiful rustic decor. The restaurant looked well polished and clean it was also very bright and welcoming. The only bad thing about the inside of the restaurant was the tables were really close together and would be difficult to move when the tables are full. I was especially excited to eat the food because I heard a lot of good things about it.
I got walked to my table and it was a little tight squeeze because the tables were pretty close together and the table next to mine had people there so it was hard to make sure that I didn’t run into anybody when I tried to sit in my seat. I took a look at the menu and it was rather small and there wasn’t a ton of options. Total I believe there was about 20 items on the menu, there was almost more beer and wine options than food.The good thing though was most of the items on the menu were relatively on the cheaper side, all the items were between 8-28 dollars. When the waitress was walked up and started talking to me at first I thought she lost her voice but it was just that loud in there, I didn’t notice it at first but after the waitress started talking I really started to notice it.
The Schaendorf Brewing Company opened on October 18,2018 and is owned and founded by the Schaendorf family. The Schaendorf’s have been farming in West Michigan for generations and believes that local food is more delicious. The Schaendorf Brewing Company gets only fresh ingredients from the local farms in their area and are currently building their brewery which is hoped to be done and open in summer of 2019.
I know what’s your thinking what about the food, the food was a different story. I went into Schaendorf Brewing Company all excited about the food because I heard it was amazing and if I’m being honest I was disappointed. After waiting about 40 minutes to get our food it was finally here. First, was the burger of the day which had bourbon smoked bacon, smoked gouda cheese, and mild spicy sauce but when came out it was well done,(I asked for it medium) and was dry, and bland. The burger was also swimming in sauce which wouldn’t be too bad if the sauce tasted good but it had a really weird flavor to it. Along with the burger I got mac and cheese and fries, the fries were good but it was it was impossible to eat all of them because they gave you so much. The mac and cheese wasn’t bad but it wasn’t really creamy it was more chunky pieces of cheese instead of it all melted and creamy, it also had a really garlicky taste to it and it was too overpowering so you really couldn’t take anything else. The burger cost 13 dollars which honestly isn’t a bad price for a burger and the price would have been even better if the burger tasted good and was cooked properly. Lastly, I got some fried perch which I enjoyed but the only bad thing was it wasn’t consistent and some bites were good and some weren’t. The fish was also a little more on the chewy side and the texture was kind of bizarre. When eating the fish it was like you were playing bean boozled where you hope to get the good jellybean but sometimes you get the bad one and sometimes you get the good one and don’t know what one your gonna get next. Also the presentation of the perch was really weird because when you first see it you would think it was calamari, it didn’t even look like fish it looked like weird pieces of squid. The perch was 17 dollars and again isn’t a bad price for a good quality piece of fish.
So overall I was disappointed by Schaendorf Brewing Company and I don’t think I would go there again and I wouldn’t recommend it. The food was dry and inconsistent and the service wasn’t great. So if you want to go to Allegan and want a great meal I would go somewhere else.
Schaendorf Brewing Company
412 Water St., Allegan; 269-286-1059; schaendorfbrewingco.com
Atmosphere: Pretty rustic decor, crowded, in a nice old downtown.
Service: Wasn’t great but the waitress was nice
Sound Level: Loud
Recommended: Perch
Prices: Appetizers $8-10, entrees $10-28
Open: Daily
Reservations: Accepted
Wheelchair Access: Ramp leads up to the dining room floor, ramp on sidewalk also.