Restaurants in Holland

Balancing on its hind legs, a polar bear stares intently outward, unaware of the grizzly rearing up behind it. This is the taxidermy trophy room at Whitlow's Forerunner, where heavy forks subdue similarly ravenous appetites in the adjacent dining room. Sirloin steak is paired with eggs at breakfast, or a juicy porterhouse arrives with a baked potato and greens from the salad bar, both of which accompany all of Whitlow's Forerunner’s dinners. American staples such as griddlecakes and patty-melt portraits of President William Howard Taft fill out the menu, but the kitchen's surprise specialty is seafood. The chefs casts a wide net, reeling in perch, rainbow trout, and even frog legs, which are among the marine delicacies deemed tasty enough for their all-you-can-eat dinners.

Sometime around the dawn of man, a human discovered that dough is worth more when tied into intricate shapes. Fast-forward a couple millennia to the present, and you’ll find that Nautical Knots has taken the next step in pretzel innovation. Since 2001, the Grand Haven boardwalk has benefited from the skillful tying of the eatery’s pretzel knots, which come in 11 sweet and savory varieties such as asiago cheese, frosted raisin, and sesame seed. In addition to stretching the dough into traditional pretzel shapes, staffers also twist it around frankfurters to make a signature treat they call the Nauti Dog, served with reckless amounts of ketchup and mustard. The waterside stand, which is open from May to September, also loads baked potatoes with cheese, chili, and salsa, and whips up frozen strawberry and mudslide drinks that combat the summer heat nearly as well as turning off the sun.

Although Goomba’s Pizza USA changed its name from Gumby’s Pizza, nothing has changed about the piping hot pies and Pokeme Stix that emerge from ovens baked golden brown. Cravings meet their match with basic cheese pizzas or specialty pies such as the Maui Wowi, a hangout for pineapple; Sweet Baby Ray's barbecue sauce and surfer jargon; or the Stoner Pie, home to mozzarella sticks, pepperoni, bacon, and french fries. Meanwhile, Goomba’s Pokeme Stix bakers top hand-tossed dough with garlic butter, Italian spices, mozzarella, and parmesan. Munchers can carry out their boneless or buffalo wings and a variety of other appetizers to eat around the kitchen table or inside a vacationing neighbor's hot tub.

The roar of cheering fans bursts out of Spectators Sports Bar & Grill’s 26 televisions and is joined in voice by the crowd parked at tables and around the bar. Helmets and basketballs adorn shelves overlooking diners feasting on burgers and charbroiled ribs dunked in barbecue sauce. On the weekends, guests can stare longingly at the golf-course mural that decorates the walls as musicians belt out tunes during live performances.

On Valentines Day 2009, Jackie's Place Restaurant—which had been a Holland staple for more than 24 years—burned down in a fire. MLive.com reported that co-owners Ken Kragt and son Ken Jr. were devastated, but that as an "institution of the community," there was no doubt the building would be rebuilt. But on November 23, the Holland Sentinel had a more uplifting story to report: Kathy Kragt would spend that evening passing out free cider, coffee, and doughnuts to the attendees at the ribbon-cutting ceremony for the new Jackie’s Place Restaurant. With the new building construction completed, the local favorite was ready to return to serving the community its three popular homemade meals a day. Newly painted rose-red walls, framed photos of sunsets, and robot servers have modernized the restaurant's dining room. Though the decor is new, the homemade quality of the food hasn't changed. Veggie-packed breakfast omelets and strawberry pancakes segue into lunch offerings of deli-style sandwiches and juicy burgers. Dinner plates struggle to contain 8-ounce steaks and fresh fish filets beside made-from-scratch comfort sides of coleslaw and potato salad. Customers are also often seen walking out of Jackie’s with their loaves of fresh-baked bread, a complement to any picnic on the nearby Lake Macatawa boardwalk.

Chefs at Zen Asian Bistro and Sushi serve up Asian-fusion inspired dishes. Behind a full sushi bar, experienced chefs delicately bundle together sushi rolls of eel, cream cheese, veggies, and salmon. Asian-fusion entrees such as spicy mongolian beef stir-fried with green onion complement Western classics such as a rye-bread patty melt topped with swiss. As beer glasses click together, big-screen TVs overhead keep patrons updated on athletic events or the weatherman’s 70-minute-long attempt to pronounce “atmospheric.”