To say Off Broadway Drafthouse is an upgrade from the preceding South Bay Lounge is an understatement. The new incarnation that opened last May is cleaner, more restaurant-like than dive bar and has much better food. If you find yourself near South Towne Mall for some reason, it’s worth a visit.
There’s a nice variety of sandwiches on the menu. The War Pig ($11) has a lot of flavor, starting with the moist pork chop, followed by the crispy bacon, the lightly grilled ham and the slightly tangy aioli. Next time I may try the Egg Salad Angelique ($9).
On Fridays, the fish fry is a must. Your choices are walleye, cod, blue gill and lake perch. The blue gill ($14) is fresh, moist and perfectly crispy on the outside. It didn’t need any lemon or dipping sauce, yet I still used the homemade tartar, which was so good–it’s basically an aioli–that I was dipping my fries in it. The accompanying cole slaw is creamy, and the corn bread was served cold (I prefer warm).
The Royal House Salad ($9) is tossed with a citrus vinaigrette and has a nice mix of veggies, with added crunch from the various nuts. The added grilled chicken was tender.
The Airway Chicken Wings ($10) were juicy, and the spice rub is primarily a smoky paprika. Like the fish, you won’t need any dipping sauce with them. Other “shares” include Drafthouse mussels ($12) and house spiced nuts ($5).
The rest of the menu is comprised of entrees such as the herb-roasted game hen ($13) and “game day bites” such as butter fat popcorn ($4).
Off Broadway Drafthouse is open Tuesday-Sunday for lunch and dinner, and it serves brunch on the weekends.

One part of Bluephies became Miko Poke, and the other part is now
“Things on Toast” is actually a section of the menu, and I ordered the seasonal mushroom toast ($11). It’s a minor point, but I liked that the semi-sour, (marrow) buttery toast had slits cut into it to make it easier to pull apart and eat. The abundance of mushrooms, which included shiitake and crimini, captured the flavors of the garlic and herbs with which they were sauteed.
The Thirsty Goat
The rest of the menu has burgers/sandwiches, entrees, salads and a Friday fish fry.
