We’d already been to Michigan City once this summer with friends and stayed in Beachwalk. A few weeks later we were back with family, this time in a house just outside the community, a few steps from the beach. Since it was our second trip in under a month, we wanted to try somewhere new for dinner, and Matey’s is the kind of place you notice on the way into town and immediately want to check out. It looks like it could be fun. Turns out it is, mostly.
Matey’s at a Glance
- Where: 110 Franklin Street, Michigan City, IN 46360
- Price: $$ (appetizers roughly $9 to $18, entrees roughly $11 to $20)
- Vibe: Multi-level beachside bar with a Tiki Deck, a Crow’s Nest, and a ground-floor family-friendly patio
- Order: Shipyard Pretzel, Oysters Rockefeller, Coconut Shrimp
- Skip: The calamari, unless you like your bowl mostly lettuce
- Good for: Families with kids on the lower patio, groups who want a beachy hangout, not a fancy night out
The Restaurant
From what we could tell, Matey’s used to be strictly 21 and over, no kids allowed, anywhere in the building. That’s apparently changed, though we have no idea when, because now they let kids onto some of the outdoor patio areas for dinner. That worked out perfectly for us since we had four kids in tow and just wanted somewhere local, outside, and easy.
We got walked up to the mid-level rooftop patio, which sits a few steps below one of the bars and below the actual rooftop bar above that. Matey’s is set up as basically three separate hangouts stacked on top of each other, and kids are only allowed on that one middle level. That was fine with us. We weren’t trying to sneak our kids into a bar, we just wanted somewhere local that felt fun and let us sit outside, even though we caught a little drizzle partway through dinner.
The overall vibe is laid back and beachy, more bar than restaurant, so depending on your kids and what you’re in the mood for, it might not be your scene. For a casual family dinner near the marina, it worked well. Our server was attentive the entire night, which mattered a lot given what happened next.
The Glass in the Ice
I’ll say upfront that I’ve never worked in a restaurant and I know things go wrong when a place gets busy. I’m not trying to pile on. But I’m still a little bothered that this happened at all.
We all sat down and ordered drinks, pop and lemonade for the kids, wine and cocktails for the adults. Nothing unusual. One of the kids at our table, who’d ordered a Sprite, got down to the bottom of his cup and started chewing on what he thought was ice. It wasn’t ice. It was a large chunk of glass from the bottom of a clear bottle, almost the entire base of it, sitting in my nephew’s mouth. He realized something was wrong immediately and spit it out before it caused any harm, and we flagged down our server right away.
He was genuinely apologetic and did exactly what he should have. He went to the drink station and melted down the entire bin of ice to check it for more glass. The alcoholic drinks were never at risk since that ice came from a separate bin behind the bar, but the kids’ sodas were poured from ice at the outside soda station, which is where the glass ended up. He melted it, checked it, cleaned it out, and refilled it. Good on him for handling it the right way.
My one complaint is that he didn’t proactively offer the kids new drinks after all of that. I had to ask whether they could get fresh ones, since we had no way of knowing if any of the other cups had glass in them too, even though most of the kids had already finished their drinks by that point. He brought out new drinks without hesitation and the restaurant knocked 10 percent off our entire bill.
Was that enough? I honestly don’t know. Nobody was hurt, the server did right by us once he knew, and I understand mistakes happen in a busy kitchen. My nephew was pretty shaken up thinking he might have swallowed smaller pieces before he caught it, but he was completely fine in the end.
I want to be clear that none of this is a knock on the food, since one has nothing to do with the other. But it did put a damper on the meal before it even started, since this all happened right as our entrees hit the table. We’ll probably skip going back, not because anyone did anything wrong in the moment, but because it’s hard to shake thinking about it every time you take a sip of a drink there.
The Appetizers
We started with three of our go-to bar orders: the calamari, the pretzel, and the mozzarella sticks.
The Not the Same Old Crispy Calamari ($14.99) is hand cut and lightly battered with a jalapeno honey dip, and it tasted fine, but the ratio was off. It felt like there was more greens filling out the bowl than actual calamari. Skip it or split it with low expectations.
The Shipyard Pretzel & Kicked Up Cheese ($12.95) was the standout of the three, a big soft pretzel with a cheese dip that actually had some kick to it. Easy recommend, order this one without thinking twice.
The mozzarella sticks ($8.99) were mozzarella sticks. It’s genuinely hard to mess up fried cheese, and Matey’s didn’t. Nothing special, but tasty and exactly what you’d expect.
The Burger
I got a burger with american cheese. Shocking, I know. Not the best burger I’ve ever had, it had the texture of a frozen patty, though it’s possible it was just slightly overcooked. Either way, it was exactly what I was looking for, an easy, no fuss burger that did the job. If you want something more ambitious than a bar burger, this isn’t it, but for what it is, it’s fine. It’s not the kind of smashburger worth a detour, the kind you’d find written up on a site like SmashAtlas, but it wasn’t trying to be.
The Seafood
My wife got the Oyster Rockefeller Back Again Tour ($17.99) and genuinely enjoyed it. She’s a real oyster person and wanted to try whatever fresh Lake Michigan oysters they were serving up, just kidding, obviously these aren’t local lake oysters. I have no idea where they’re actually sourced from, but there were zero complaints from her end, and that’s saying something.
My sister-in-law ordered the soft shell crab sandwich, but she barely got a bite in since she spent most of dinner comforting my nephew after the glass incident. So I can’t give you a real verdict on taste, but it looked good enough that I’d want to try it myself next time, if there is a next time.
My mother-in-law got the Come Back Again Grouper, a grouper entree served with rice. I didn’t hear any complaints, though she’s sometimes hoping for something a little fancier than a beachside bar menu delivers, so take that as a mild qualifier. My brothers-in-law both ordered off the seafood side too, one got the coconut shrimp and the other got the grouper sandwich, and both cleaned their plates without a word of complaint. The coconut shrimp in particular is the one I’d point you toward if you’re debating what to order.
Overall the food was decent and exactly what we expected walking in. It’s classic beachside bar food, nothing fancy, mostly tasty, and priced fairly for what you get. If you want typical bar food with a lake view, similar to what you’d find at a spot like Crabby Bill’s, Matey’s delivers on that. If you want a guarantee that there’s zero chance of glass in your kid’s drink, I can’t promise you that here.
We probably won’t be back to Matey’s specifically, not because the food was bad and not because the staff handled the situation wrong, they did everything right once they knew. It’s just hard to shake the image of glass in the ice bin every time you take a sip. If you’re looking for a similar family-friendly Indiana spot without that baggage, we’ve had a good experience at Triple XXX Family Restaurant as well.
We will absolutely be back to Michigan City itself though. The beaches, the Beachwalk community, and the whole area were worth the drive, Matey’s issue aside.
AntiFoodie Rating: 7/10
Matey’s Bar and Restaurant FAQ
Is Matey’s kid friendly?
Partially. Matey’s used to be strictly 21 and over, but they now allow kids on the mid-level outdoor patio for dinner. The upper rooftop and the main bar level stay adults only.
Does Matey’s have outdoor seating?
Yes, several levels of it. There’s a Tiki Deck, a Crow’s Nest at the top, and the mid-level patio where families with kids are seated.
Do you need a reservation at Matey’s?
We didn’t make one and got seated without a wait on a weeknight, but Matey’s gets busy in peak summer season, so calling ahead at (219) 872-9471 isn’t a bad idea if you’re bringing a big group.
What’s the one thing to order at Matey’s?
The Shipyard Pretzel with the kicked up cheese dip. It was the best thing at our table by a clear margin.
Is Matey’s worth it if you’re already in Michigan City?
For a casual night with the family, yes. Just keep an eye on your kids’ drinks, since we had a piece of glass turn up in the ice at the soda station during our visit.
