Celebrate good times at Wicks Park Bar & Grille

By Kelsey Smith

Tucked along Water Street in downtown Saugatuck, Wicks Park Bar & Grille has become a major neighborhood favorite. Open year-round, the lively restaurant and bar is now gearing up for its 11th summer.

“I love to throw a good party, and it has just taken off like crazy,” said Christine Murphy Pierce, owner. “In the summertime, we have live music every Friday and Saturday night from local bands, and in the off-season, it’s just Saturdays. It’s definitely become the place to stop in on the weekends.”

But live music isn’t the only thing Wicks Park is known for.

“Our fish tacos are definitely a big staple here,” Murphy Pierce said. “Our shrimp tacos are big, too, but our chicken tenders — now those are amazing. We hand-bread them ourselves, they’re not frozen, and they’re just really delicious. People love them, and they don’t leave hungry.”

Other big items on the menu include the lettuce wraps, seasonal vegetable pasta and homemade soups.

“I’d say our menu is upscale casual —  we definitely take a lot of pride in the food we serve,” Murphy Pierce said. “A family with three kids could come in here, and the parents could have a nice meal with a glass of wine or a nice beer, but the kids can enjoy themselves, too. All different age groups can come in here and find something at Wicks Park that they like.”

Aside from live music, Wicks Park hosts a variety of themed events throughout the year. Thrift Store Trivia, flower-arranging classes, cookie decorating, yoga and beer classes, and paint-a-pot classes are just a few events Murphy Pierce offers.

“It’s a lot of work, but it gets people in the door,” Murphy Pierce said. “And sometimes, it gets people in the door that normally wouldn’t come in. People that work out and do yoga, they don’t necessarily come out on Friday and Saturday nights and do fireball shots and listen to a band. So if I partner with other local people and host yoga and beer classes, we get different crowds through the door and they see what we have.

“I think what makes us stand out is that there is a little something for everybody,” Murphy Pierce said. “Our tagline is, ‘where good friends gather.’ And that’s just what I want — I want people to sit around the bar and at the tables, talk with their friends and just feel welcomed.”

Wicks Park Bar & Grille
449 Water St., Saugatuck 
269-857-2888
wickspark.com