Tiki Drinks and Tacos

Entering Kingfisher Cocktails and Tacos in St. Joseph, Michigan, guests are welcomed with a wash of color that makes them feel like they are back on the beach. The energy is upbeat and casual. Murals, air plants and sunny lighting bring a coastal feel to the table—even before the tiki drinks come out.

Kingfisher, about a 10-minute walk from Silver Beach, opened its doors at the end of 2021 and will celebrate its first summer season this year.

Owner Jay Fettig also runs North Pier Brewing Company and North Shore Burgers and Beer, both in neighboring Benton Harbor. The two locations are across the road from one another. North Pier Brewing Company is known for its “crushable” beers, and North Shore Burgers and Beer has been serving up burgers for 25 years. Canned cocktails were part of the brewing culture and provided another way to experiment with drinks, but the brews were the stars.

“We wanted to have a place to let the cocktails shine,” says Fettig.

Hand-mixed cocktails arrive from the bar at Kingfisher with a colorful presentation that is as appealing to the eye as it is to the tastebuds. Some offerings, like the draft cocktails, started at North Pier Brewing Company: The Cut and Run features vodka with lemon, lime and orange flavors, and the Gold Coast Tiki mixes rum, pineapple, grapefruit, ginger and lime for a summery sip.

“The overarching idea with the cocktails is that they’re fun and easy drinking. They are not pretentious cocktails,” says Fettig. “They are meant to be enjoyed after you come off the beach or while walking around the social district.”

Kingfisher is family-friendly, with a unique food menu developed by chef Jay Dean, who has been with the family of companies since 2018 at North Shore Burgers and Beer.

The tacos on the menu are street taco–sized and loaded with flavorful fillings. The birria taco includes braised beef, chihuahua cheese and ghost pepper pickled onions, and the fish tacos are made with sea bass, pineapple salsa and cilantro. Other menu staples include pork, chicken and sweet potato tacos.

“We do weekly specials,” Fettig says. “It allows us to have even more creativity.” Some of the other tacos that rotate on the menu are catfish or Nashville hot chicken. “We try to use local ingredients as much as possible and change up the specials as to what is fresh for the season,” he says.

Other offerings include the popular King Wrap, which riffs on a familiar fast-food favorite with elevated fillings like braised beef, queso fundido and pickled onions. The rice bowl is also a satisfying meal, with the fresh flavors of mango, jalapeno and cilantro mingling with a poached egg and island fried rice—and options for added meat. Diners wishing to sample multiple flavors can easily fill up on shareable starters like empanadas and tacos.

“It’s nice if you are at Kingfisher with a group, you can get the tacos you want and share the other dishes,” Fettig says.

The restaurant invites patrons to grab a quick bite and a refreshing drink during a day at the beach or to take a break from downtown treasure hunting. Fettig has seen more diners exploring Kingfisher’s non-traditional approach to tacos and cocktails as the warm weather arrives in Southwest Michigan.

“We are looking forward to summer,” he says. “People seem to be liking Kingfisher, and we’re continuing to work on specials and tweaking the menu.”

Kingfisher Cocktails and Tacos

210 State St.

St. Joseph, MI

269.281.0043

Kingfisherdowntown.com

Christina Clark is a writer based in South Bend, Indiana. She loves to explore northern Indiana and southwest Michigan, finding unique food and drink offerings and live music, and visiting the lakeshore and seasonal festivals. When she isn’t searching for hidden gems, she can be found at home surrounded by her typewriter collection, in a mid-century chair, reading a good book and with her corgi-mix sidekick, Rizzo.