Blue Dolphin
| Address: | 502 S Burdick St, Kalamazoo, MI 49007, USA |
| Phone: | +1 269-343-4993 |
| Site: | thebluedolphinrestaurant.com |
| Rating: | 4 |
| Working: | 7AM–10PM 7AM–10PM 7AM–10PM 7AM–10PM 7AM–10PM 7AM–10PM 7AM–10PM |
Location
Photos 100
Reviews 5
A
A Private User
I can honestly say that this was the worst food I have ever gotten from a restaurant in Kalamazoo or possibly anywhere. First off I ordered my families food to go and the waitress who took my order needed me to spell everything I was asking for because she was completely unfamiliar with their menu. My wife ordered the Athenian Chicken and I ordered the Greek Combo plate to share with my daughter. The Combo Plate was advertised in the menu online as having a choice of 3 between mousaka, pastichio, dolmades, leg of lamb, spanakotiropita, or gyro. I chose the Lamb, Spanakotiropita, and Gyro. For dessert we decided to go for a piece of baklava. When I picked up the food I stepped into a space that may as well been a cave. Even though it looked as though every light in the building was on the darkness was oppressive. The place was beyond dead at 8:30 at night on a Saturday which should have set off an alarm in my head right away. Even though the place was dead I still waited for nearly 10 minutes for anyone to help me, regardless of the fact that there was a waitress wiping tables no more than 20 feet from me. When I finally was helped they never gave us the dressing for our salads or the rolls that were supposed to come with dinner. Foreshadowing I suppose. Instead of getting a Gyro I was given five pieces of Gyro meat and nothing else. The Lamb was disgusting, more fat then anything and what meat there was was grey, dry, gamey, and foul smelling. I would not have been surprised if it was actually spoiled. My Spanakotiropita looked and tasted as if it had been made a week ago and was completely spoiled by a revolting "béchamel" sauce (which looked more like a brown congealed gravy that tasted burnt and of the vile lamb) that had been poured over the entire contents of the take out box. This included a rice that was so dry I imagine it had been sitting on the prep line all day and some green beans that were obviously out of a cheap can and boiled to death. Strangely enough the menu didnt even mention the rice or green beans yet they couldnt even give me a whole gryo that the menu had lead me to believe I was going to get. My wife said her chicken was mediocre at best and was completely bland. Her take out box which included the dry rice and canned beans was also slathered in the same offensive "béchamel" impersonator. My dog was even slow to eat the food my daughter threw on the floor from her high chair. Even the baklava was disappointing. Its was beyond soggy and had so much clove that you could scarcely taste any other flavor. The cherry on top of everything was when I called to complain to the manager his exact words were "I dont know what you want ME to do about it." This place is dying for a visit from a show like Restaurant Impossible or Kitchen Nightmares. Save your money and eat some place else.
KM
KM Awad
Im sorry but I dont get the hype about this place. Not here nor Yelp reviews. My experience with my family was awful. Service was slow even though the place was empty. Waitresses were complaining about management (I dont blame them though). And they food was so bad. It was my first time ever sending back a plate. We ordered: -gyro appetizer platter -lamb chops -chicken skewers (forgot the menu name) (side of green beans, salad, and rice pilaf) -chicken fingers for my kids -musaka -hummus Salad-- I wouldnt know how it tastes because our waitress never brought it out. And because we were so distracted with the bad food we forgot to ask for it. Musaka--same with this. We never received it. Now I am wondering if we were charged for it or not. Gyro meat was good. Best tasting thing we ordered. Gyro sauce was not. You could tell it was old. Lamb chops were dry and tough--clearly frozen. There was no salt on them whatsoever and they came out burned. Chicken skewers were dry and bland. The rice pilaf that came with it was clearly an old batch. In my scoop of rice, half of it was dry and crunchy. I had to send back my entire plate. Green beans--I thought we were getting steamed green beans. Didnt realize itd be green beans in a tomato sauce; this isnt clarified on the menu and the waitress didnt describe it as such. Sorry but no flavor. Chicken fingers and fries....whatever. you cant mess up frozen food can you? Hummus: you cannot convince me otherwise--it came out of a can. It was grainy and so thick. Service: kind service doesnt mean good service. Waitresses were very kind but they were very slow and forgot a quarter of our order. Our waitress complained or gave excuses from the kitchen for mistakes. Owner was "kind." From what I heard the waitress say, hes actually the owners son. He took my plate away and removed it from my bill but there was no accountability whatsoever. He didnt apologize for the mistake. Just said "okay" and took my plate. Cool beans. But that to me is NOT four-star or even three-star quality service. Pricing was decent. After my order wasnt taken off the bill we came out But 40 dollars but I think thats because we were charged for musaka when we never received it. Place is spacious but the carpet smells bad.
DA
David N
My fiancee and I heard great things about this place, and it turned out to be some of the worst food we have ever been served, much less paid for. We ordered the prime rib and spanakopita and were thoroughly disappointed - in fact the presentation alone was so unappetizing I made a joke about how it felt like we were in an episode of Kitchen Nightmares. Our fears were proven when we took our first few bites. The prime rib was over cooked and had a rubbery texture. The green bean sides were a mushy and unpleasant mess. The spanakopita was a single soggy piece of filo wrapped around a thick, overly salty mass of plain spinach. Even the salad and soup left a lot to be desired. I was somewhat pleased when the apologetic staff offered to take the steak off the bill before we had to request anything, but even paying for what we did felt like a huge rip-off. I dont know if their breakfast or lunch menu is any better but I would warn against going here for dinner at the very least.
AY
Ayla Aktan
As they say, you get what you pay for. The food here is definitely not the best food around, however, the prices are pretty good as long as you dont get their larger dinner meals, and the food is usually good. I would recommend eating here for either breakfast or lunch as their choices are better. Although the food isnt always consistently good, you cant complain about how good their prices are. Inside the restaurant, the sitting area isnt the cleanest looking, however, this place has been in Kalamazoo for quite some time so its showing its age. The parking isnt bad at all and they have a very nice, large parking lot in the back. Their bathrooms arent too bad looking either. As for service, when Ive eaten there it hasnt been bad. Overall, a decent place to eat if you dont want to spend too much money.
A
A Private User
I disagree with the last “critic” … The food at the Blue Dolphin is fantastic. Be warned that it is not prepackaged food so it is never quite the same every time, however, the food is authentic Greek and the best Greek food in Southwest Michigan.. When I go to restaurants serving foods for specific ethnic groups I go with the hopes of experiencing anything but the ordinary. If you are looking for brightly lit restaurants with cookie cutter foods you need to eat at the mall. The Blue Dolphin has a sense of comfort to it. When you eat there you relax and enjoy the experience. I never noticed slow service but then again if I were in a hurry I would go to McDonalds. This is one a few places that I consider a great dinning experience in the Kalamazoo area.
