MH Fish House

We sat with my mom and dad (i took her out for mothers day)
After they were looking at us for about 10 – 15 minutes and no one served us we left…

After dining here many times over the past couple of years, they deserve nothing less than five stars. The noise comes from it being such an old and beautiful structure and no longer raises a concern. The food has never been less than extraordinary and the service is impeccable!

Freaky delicious. Everything. Just perfect.
I had the Black Cod, served over Rainbow Swiss chard, with caramelized onions, fire roasted mussels and cider cream. So delicious. Perfectly done. Wanted to lick the plate.
Everyone in our party had a great entrée. Cocktails at the bar beforehand were well done. The waitstaff were attentive, but not overbearing. The only complaint I’d have is they pour the wine too often and quickly — slow your roll on that.

My wife and I had dinner here and while the service was excellent, the food was lacking. I am hesitant to say any part of our dinner was very good. From a poorly made Old Fashioned cocktail to salty lobster bisque to an uninspired Black Cod dish, the Fish House failed. Scallops were over-​seasoned detracting from what seemed to be good quality scallops. We ate this summer at Catch 35 in Chicago and had excellent fish dishes that were pricey but so tasty. The dishes all had wonderful fresh fish which were highlighted, but not overpowered, by the seasonings or accoutrements.
Our waitress at the Fish House was wonderful and we had a nice time despite the food. We were very much hoping for a good food experience though as the this area is hungry for an upscale fish spot.

Just went last night for our 20^th wedding anniversary. Food, service and ambiance all excellent. They took care of us. Will be back.

Surprised my wife here for her birthday. Great upstair seating and service. Food was great too. I had the grilled tuna and it was marvelous.

Very disappointed, where do I begin? We have been coming here on and off since they opened this place, and apparently, there has been a change of owner and Cheff and this is noticeable in the bad quality of the food.
We came a Friday night and all the staff was very nice. The waitress very kindly offered us a small sample of appetizer, a spoon with a tortilla chip with tomato sauce, which was totally out of place in the theme of the restaurant, I was not looking for Mexican food… she also brought a basket of old bread, with some bad quality butter with some kind of spices on it.
Then we ordered the food and it was even more disappointing … We went for the oysters, a lobster soup, and some fish dish for main course (which I don’t remember as it was not so great). We had eaten the same selection in other visits to this restaurant and always excellent… so we knew what we do we were ordering.
The worse were the raw oysters, I ate one and it was OK, not excellent, but then I had another one and it was stinky, so I didn’t eat it, as it is dangerous to eat contamined raw oysters, one can get typhus even, so I complained about it to the manager. The lobster soup was not what I expected, before they used to serve it with some real lobster meat in the bottom, and it was excellent, now it’s at turn off, a kind of Panera soup, very bland. The main dish was more of the same, you got combination badly done, bad ingredient combination, bad presentation, I just eat half of it. Then of course we have to pay that high bill, we were not happy at all.
So what’s going on? It seems that the kitchen staff is not well trained to cook fish, or they don’t know how to cook fish the way they use to previously. Is this a management problem, maybe… that used to be one of my favorite restaurants in the North Shore area, but not any more, so please manager take care of the food quality you’re serving, and please check the oysters before you serve them to your customers…
For the time being, I’m not going there again.
(I would have given this place only one star, but I think the setting is a nice and the staff was kind and professional, so I awarded them with one more star).

Came here for my birthday and was not disappointed whatsoever with the delicious food and service. Lisa out hostess seated us promptly on their warm and toasty covered balcony. Our server Ashley was wonderful! Friendly, informative and efficient without feeling rushed. We started out with grey goose martinis with blue cheese olives shaken table side so it’s cold as you want it. Started with a refreshing amuse bouche and oysters and shrimp cocktail that were sooo fresh and delicious! But you can’t have oysters with out good Champagne! Next course we’re grilled scallops and kale chef salad – also delicious. Our entrees were halibut and an entrée of Lobster risotto — oh so scrumptious. Finished with a chocolate pumpkin mousse and espresso.
This place is definitely a special occasion destination or splurge nite and it did it disappoint!

I was really excited about this place because I LOVE a good lobster roll. Of course, lobster bisque was on the menu so I had to have that, too.
The lobster bisque was fabulous. The crab was placed on the bottom of the bowl as they poured the bisque over it before you at type table. This kept the crab from being took soggy since it wasn’t sitting in the soup for too long. Delicious! I would definitely come back for that.
The lobster roll was just ok and a little bit of a disappointment. It was served with a small spinach salad which was delicious. The lobster roll had 3 fried oysters on top which I originally thought was a great idea until I tasted it. The texture felt as if it was refried. A little on the «too crunchy» side. It was also really salty. Too salty for me too finish. In fact, I only ate one. The lobster roll had too much celery and too little lobster. It was also soaked in mayo. The bread was delicious but the lobster was not the best if even mediocre. Would not come back for that.
A bit disappointed but the service was good. Prices were a bit high for the quality of food.

In my opinion, the single greatest restaurant on the North Shore. For sure the best one in Lake Forest Expensive, but worth every penny! Even the house Cabernet was lovely.
The oysters were absolutely fantastic and unbelievably fresh. I took friends from Charleston (self proclaimed oyster experts) and they said they would frequent this place if it was in their home town. They were that good.
If you haven’t been here yet, make it a priority.

This is a warm and friendly place and the best Lobster I have ever had! The mushrooms were amazing too! All this and a very romantic room with the best wine list in Lake Forest ! Thanks to all the staff for making us a very special dinner on this cold last day in February !!!

My wife and I recently went to the MH Fish House for the first time. The space has been changed from the former restaurant located there but is similar in tone and ambience. It’s quiet and restful, a pleasant space, esp. if you secure a balcony table.
We had oysters and the halibut and the halibut was outstanding. It was perfectly cooked and presented. The oysters, not so much. Less than cold, they seemed stale. The house salad was forgettable.
As for the service, again, not much to write home about. It took 3 requests for any bread to reach the table, and fending off the clearers from grabbing plates before we were finished is never a happy task, though not limited to MH.
This is a pricey restaurant, and one that takes itself seriously. If wouldn’t take all that much to achieve that goal, but someone needs to address the service issues first and foremost. For now, there are equally available options, at more affordable price ranges.

Went here for the #30 anniversary. Place, service, and all that is very nice.
Had the retro dover sole, at 50+ $. It was nice, but I don’t think it was worth that price. (I realize that they get in flown in every couple days). Fish experts might disagree, so only order this if you are enough of a fish person that you will appreciate the subtle things that did not startle my own taste buds…
The other dish was the John and Yoko, which is sliced steak with a few pieces of lobster on top. I was expecting to order the kobe ribeye from looking at the website, but it wasn’t on the menu on this day :(. This dish was fine, but nothing special – not something a steak person would go ape over. The small bits of lobster were not a major component.
So, my opinion is that this is a very fine restaurant, but look the menu over before you go, and make sure that the specific dishes that you want are available, in a sauce that you know you will like. If not, pass it by for the time being…

After struggling to find this place we finally arrived and got a spectacular seat on the balcony. my boyfriend and I came here and we decided to start off with the shrimp tempura and shortly after placing our order the waiter came out with a free sample of some great Hawaiian fish raw. It was a nice addition to our meal. Then the appetizer came out and the shrimp was amazing probably the highlight of our meal. For our main course I ordered the Japanese bouillabaisse and my boyfriend got the Dover sole with a side of lobster risotto. It was nice how they prepared it and deboned the Dover sole at the table. He said it was good but not worth the $ 52. I think I just ordered wrong with my dish but it had decent flavor and fresh ingredients, just not my favorite. I would definitely go back but just try something new. Also the service was great, attentive, and speedy.

Service was great. Staff friendly, good job with questions on menu. Ambiance was fun, recreate what you would find on traveling along ocean side like on East Coast. Fun selection of beers on tap. Not extensive, but interesting mix
Food was good, but not outstanding particularly given price point. Calamari good — half of serving was banana peppers. Not huge serving mind you. Clam crowder flavorful, but not many clams. Mahi mahi sandwich was quite good. Slaw was fine, but no bite (supposed to have a kick).
May try again… would love to see fried clams on the menu

If possible I would give 4.5 stars.
My wife and I went last Friday to celebrate my birthday. We reserved a table on the enclosed veranda overlooking the Lake Forest town square on a beautiful spring night. It was a wonderful dining experience.
My wife started with a salad, which she enjoyed, but I don’t know anything about. I had a half-​dozen west coast oysters, which were very fresh and tasted of the sea, just like they should. It’s the luck of the draw, but one of them was the biggest oyster I have ever seen. I had to eat it in two bites.
For the main course my wife had seared scallops and I had the swordfish. Both dishes were cooked perfectly and were good sized. We had no complaints.
For dessert, my first choice was the crème brule with malted milk balls, but they were sold out. We then had the brown butter cake which was fantastic.
Service was perfect. Our server was knowledgeable about the menu and wine list and made some great suggestions. The flow of service was spot-​on as well, and we never felt rushed or delayed.
I would definitely recommend MH Fish House to anyone who asks. Prices were fair for the quality of the ingredients and portion size, service was perfect, and it’s close to the house. We will definitely be back.

I went here for Valentine day and we enjoyed it quite a bit. Food is quite good, not the best I’ve ever had but nice. The waiter was very good.
I was not overly impressed with the oysters we had, but my sword fish was very yummy. My partner’s fish came out a bit on a raw side and still cold inside, but they remedied the mistake very quickly. My partner was not impressed that they recooked same piece of fish from his plate (in all fairness I agree, if you make a mistake you should start from scratch).
Wines are quite reasonably priced…
Overall evening was lovely and I will definitely come back here again, maybe for brunch with girls to sample smaller dishes.

Food was outstanding, service was attentive and good, but the smoke from the fish
grill and kitchen ruined our evening and I can’t get the smell out of my cloths (not even the Christmas presents we exchanged). Don’t sit in the same room as the kitchen. There must be something wrong with the exhaust.

The food here is amazing — everything from small plates through to the entrees. The black cod was phenomenal, the scallop small plate was perfection. They have a wonderful wine list and the décor of the restaurant is beautiful.
The comments related to the noise level are not taking into account this is an open kitchen concept restaurant — that is the beauty of this restaurant — it is different than the standard booth & carpet restaurants. I love the new fresh décor from the tile to the wall of windows and outdoor deck.
Recently we did a buy out of the entire restaurant for an event and everyone was amazing to work with — the owner, management, chef and service staff all created a perfect client experience.
We all will be back as often as possible.

Delicious! Clean décor, polite service and great execution. We tried the tuna appetizer, crayfish, scallops, halibut & lobster risotto; all plated beautifully with great dimension and innovative flavor combinations. The cornbread balls with chilled mustard were a fun interpretation on traditional crayfish. The space is nicely updated with an open ‘fishbowl’ kitchen area. With all of their fresh catches available char grilled, this is a great addition to LF.
Great by the glass (¼ bottle in size and price) wine offerings
(… And the lobster risotto was just as delicious for breakfast!)