The Blue Porch restaurant recently opened at 21 North Beacon Boulevard, Grand Haven, MI, the previous location of Stan’s Tacos.
When going to the restaurant, I first noticed that parking was severely limited. The parking lot’s capacity cannot accommodate the number of customers showing up at the bar, especially during rush hour. It may take a while to find a place to park, but even when you do, it may be a bit of a walk to the door.
The wait for seating was fast, it took us no longer than 10 minutes to get through a line of almost 20 people. Staff immediately took drink orders and within five minutes all the drinks at the table were delivered. The drinks offered are an expansive variety of Pepsi products, coffees and over 70 choices of alcoholic drinks.
The atmosphere in the bar is very high energy. The volume may be an issue for some customers as the entire bar is one large room with few walls to stop noise. The noise mainly comes from conversation and the highway.
The two halves of the restaurant have very different decor. Those on the porch will have their eyes drawn to the view of cars racing past on the highway while the heaters hanging off of the roof overhead buzz. On the inside of the restaurant the feeling is very different, most eyes are on the massive TV playing the biggest sports while others may be examining the hanging lights or the cabinet filled with various hot sauces.
A vast array of items are offered on the menu. Appetizers include Wisconsin cheese curds, pretzel bites and quesadillas. Choices for main courses include multiple choices of burgers, chili dogs and a section of entrees is offered that includes mac and cheese, chicken fingers and sticky ribs. Although the desserts look scrumptious, they are few and lack description in the menu.
For a meal, I ordered a barbecue burger with a side of chips which was an inexpensive $10.80 post-tax. The food took a minute to come out, but when it arrived it did not disappoint. The rather small barbecue burger had lightly toasted buns, a scrumptious Carolina barbecue sauce, bacon bits and a well-done patty. The chips had a great crunch but lacked taste.
Overall, the bill was an extraordinarily inexpensive $30 for two people. The restaurant takes cash, card and phone payments. Thanks to the QR code on the bill, payment takes less than three taps on your phone, making in and out trips drastically easier.
The only major downside to the restaurant is excessive noise levels. However, if you can tolerate the volume, I would highly recommend stopping for a quick meal. It’s a great, inexpensive way to grab enjoyable food while on a time limit.