I did not want to like this place. I've had sushi in many different locations and thought there was no way there would be acceptable sushi in Elkhart, Indiana. In fact we tried to go to another sushi place first but were turned away when the restaurant had bar-only seating available. Sushi at a place called The Chubby Trout? And the Comic Sans-esque typeface all over the restaurant??
Boy was I wrong. The sushi was fresh and delicious, and the Chicago Roll...tempura jalapeno and hot sauce and cream cheese...it was an incredible roll. The service was quick, and even the edamame was mind blowing. I was beyond happy with the sushi here, although it was a bit pricey.
The only thing that almost knocked a star off was the wait staff. Upon walking in, the hostess and the other girls walking around waiting tables had a bit of a Mean Girls air about them. I commented to my friend that I felt like I was back in high school and these were the girls at the cool table that wouldn't have talked to me. Luckily I got over my 'not good enough for you' status and enjoyed some of the best sushi I've ever had!
This place is a little overhyped in my opinion. Â The sushi is not buttery and soft sushi you would expect at a Japanese sushi bar. Â The pieces are also pretty small. Â On my last visit, I had a seared tuna salad. Â The greens were fresh, but tuna was mediocre. Â They serve huge desserts that could easily feed 3+ people.
Service was decent. Â Overall a decent restaurant... Perhaps one of the better ones in Elkhart given the limited options, but nothing to write home about.
Had a group dinner here and was surprised to find a sushi chef. Â Sushi was as good. Â Service was a little slow, but we were a large group (14). Â Some tried the Chubby Trout, thought it was good. Â I tried the gumbo, not a classic gumbo but very flavorful and a good sized portion. Â Crab cakes, seared ahi appetizer, and drunken shrimp all disappeared quickly, because they were good. Â I don't visit Elkhart often, but I'd come back to try more.
Review Source:We went here with friends last night and I really liked what I ordered (The Two Drunken Pigs...Two pork chops) because it was the best cooked meat that I've had in a long time. This was a solid portion of meat the potatoes and greens were nice.
The thing that concerned me is that the atmosphere and menu seemed disjointed. I get the sort of fish shack story of the name and the pictures of Elkhart of old on the walls. I think that all seems to go well with the first part of the menu; the sushi part seems out of place. Sushi reminds me of a minimalist space; this is a cluttered yet homey place. My partner had the sushi and she didn't think that it was anything special (along with the spring rolls).
The time to get out meal was a little long (maybe an hour), but the staff was generally friendly and the bread was a nice thing to nibble on while we waited.
I really want to like this restaurant. Â We have been there many times. Â I have always loved their "Wally the Walleye" dish. Â Â But when i ordered it on a recent Friday night....the portion was very disappointing. Â I received a tiny piece of fish and an ice cream scoop of mashed potatoes, & some green beans. Â No salad or bread was included in the meal. Â I am not a big eater by any means....this meal was in no way satisfying. Â Â Â PLEASE don't cheapen up your portions Chubby Trout!!! Â Â Not sure if we will bother going back.
Review Source:We have started to go to a different restaurant in the area every Friday night! Â We arrived at chubby trout and were told it would be a 20 minute wait which we said fine we' ll go to the bar and have a drink, it was more like a 40 minute wait! Â Almost ate at the bar! Â Ordered appetizer called ? Baba shrimp which were good - a little on the Luke warm side,but edible. Â Â
Main dish being a shrimp wrap which tasted like the appetizer was good. Â But, the best of all was the carrot cake for dessert, recommend you order for at least 4 people to eat. Â I think next time we' ll go for dessert only!!!'m
This is a place that I want to be great, but the experience is often mixed. Â It's a really lively and LOUD atmosphere. Â A fun place to stop for a beer, with an excellent selection on tap.
But the service can be mixed. Â One busy night we sat at the bar near the sushi chef. Â We ordered sushi - we never got it after about an hour wait. Â I can't really remember anything I ate there except the edamame appetizer.
Another summer night we were seated in the back and the air was so cold, we opted to sit outside.
This place has potential, but it's not there yet.
We had dinner there on friday night and service was terrible!!! Over an hour went by after placing our order before our food arrived and it was cold!!!!! Really!!! Â We had the citrus salmon and Red Dragon roll. It was busy but not full. Drinks were hard to come by our server seemed to be too busy to fill our drinks. We did not have a good experience. Best of luck to anyone going.
Review Source:When your fiance's 77 year old grandmother tells you she's taking you out to dinner, you get ready to roll with the punches. Â Apparently Granny was well informed and I was pleasantly surprised by the Chubby Trout.
I had the Mahi-Mahi sandwich and it was well prepared, if not just a bit small. Â My fiance had the moo-cow steak and while it wasn't anything extraordinary, it was cooked to order and served hot. Â His grandmother and aunt had fish baskets, although they were a bit expensive for fried fish, the breading was crisp and the fish tender.
My only real complaint was with the fries. Â You can tell a lot about a restaurant by it's fries... Â A well done fry shows a true commitment to quality on even the most basic of restaurant staples. The Chubby Trout's fries were all stuck together, over fried and extremely over salted. Â
The Chubby Trout seems like a great neighborhood hangout and I would go back on my next visit to try the sushi. Â Great atmosphere, I especially like the large black and white picture of the bustling metropolis of Elkhart in 1914!
This was a much better restaurant than I expected to find in a midwestern city the size of Elkhart. Â I came here while in town for business. Â I suggest disregarding the negative reviews of the building itself, or the decor. Â Some of the best restaurants in the U.S. are total holes-in-the wall, but this one certainly isn't. Â In fact, it's a decent place for a casual family or business dinner, or a date. Â Lots of servers in the place on a Monday night, and a very good crowd. Â They have a great selection of microbrews on tap, including local Northern Indiana ones. Â The calamari appetizer was great, but be prepared for some serious garlic breath if you eat the sauce that comes with it. Â I had the Gumbo as my entree and while it was expertly prepared and really delicious, it was NOT Gumbo. Â It was not roux-based, and in fact there was no broth at all. Â It much more closely resembled Jambalaya or a sausage and tomato creole sauce over wild rice, with grilled shrimp on top. Â Like I said, it was delicious, and I'm a pretty discriminating eater of cajun/creole food. Â But it wasn't gumbo.
Review Source:I seriously want to know when all of you have been to the Trout - I mean, I have been here about 15 times and everytime I have been the service has been poor, poor, and poor.
The service notwithstanding, the food is outstanding.
These guys also own the Lake Shore Grill joint just down the road on Cassopolis in Elkhart. Â If you want very good fried fish, an outstanding beer draught selection, and far superior service, go there. Â Why they cannot replicate the service at their other place is beyond me.
You might ask why I keep coming back? Â I work 2 minutes away and the food is great. Â After my first 5 experiences, I never go as the initiator, but I go willingly. :)
We were visiting family in the area, and I located Chubby Trout on Yelp. Â Overall, a 4 star for the food. We have the walleye, which was good. Â Another in our group had sushi, and we all tried a roll - also very good. Â Service was friendly and attentive, but it was a very busy Friday night and food was slow to arrive...we didn't mind much as it allowed us time to visit. Expect a noisy bar like atmosphere. I would go back.
Review Source:We met friends here on Feb 19.  We had 2 appetizers, onion rings and hot chicken skewers.  Both are made from scratch and were very good.  I ate the almond crusted walleye, fabulous.  My husband had fried perch; it was tender and not oily.  The couple we were with had fried blue gill, and the special which was tilapia with a remoulade sauce.  All the food was tender, juicy and had  really good flavor.  I've been to too many restaurants that reuse oil and don't change or filter it regularly.  It was like everything was fried fresh and separate.  We're definitely going back.  They also had a full sushi menu, other seafood, and numerous micro brews.  The portions were big.
Review Source:The Chubby Trout has become the unofficial hangout for my friends. I appreciate their selection of craft beers, including many regional varieties. Their menu features burgers, sandwiches, steaks and pasta entrees. They're one of the few places in Elkhart County that serve sushi and it's pretty good, though I have a limited sample size with which to compare. Their location is nondescript -- they're around the corner from a busy commercial corridor, but they shine nonetheless.
Review Source:The home cut chips are tremendous! Â Large beer selection available on tap. I had a cod poorboy. I'd have it again, but I would not rant to my friends about it. The calamari appetizer was exceptional. I think it's the best I've ever had. The sauce is divine - like a smokey New Orleans remoulade. The calamari was incredibly tender.
My partner had the lake perch basket. It was quite delicate and flavorful. The fries were ok. We will definitely be back.
When in Elkhart, dine here. Decent selection of draft beers--Founders, Oberon, New Belgium and more. The menu includes burgers, steaks, seafood, and --- sushi, which was a little weird for me.
We tried the lobster pasta special, walleye, and trout. All were good and the portions were on the larger size. The chocolate cake dessert was the biggest dessert I've seen for ($7?) $8 in a long time. It was basically 2 pieces of cake with scoops of ice cream and whipped cream. Four people could have easily split it.
Our waitress was young and perky. I would definitely eat here again when in town and avoid the chains (Applebee's, Red Lobster, Texas Roadhouse).
I went here when I was down in Indiana for work. Â We drove into the back and at first were not sure if we wanted to eat there. Â After we finally figured out how to get in it was great. Â Casual and you could tell full of locals. I think they were trying to figure out who were were. Â I of course had to have the "chubby trout" on the menu because that's what they are known for. Â The food was good everyone at the table enjoyed what they had. Â I'm glad when I was down there someone recommended it.
Review Source:I have been all over the country for business and every town I work in I try to find a family owned restaurant that is a one of a kind place. Â The Chubby Trout, in my opinion, is one of the best local family owned restaurants i have ever been to. Â The staff is extremely nice and accommodating. On Monday's they have half price sushi! Â Very very good! Â I have also had the New orleans pasta! Â Extremely well done!
Review Source:I also travel, quite a bit, for my job and often ask the for a restaurant suggestion, at the front desk of the hotel. Â Often I am disappointed. Â NOT THIS TIME. Â It is only a 1 mile or so from the Hampton Inn and the gal, at the front desk, was right now. Â She new the menu cold and talked up the vast beer list!
I had the swordfish special with roasted garlic, green beans, and crispy fries. Â My friend had the unusual combination of seard tuna and their three cheese, cheese sandwich...all great. Â
Ashley, the manager, was very attentive and I cannot say enough good thngs about The Chubby Trout. Â I wish I had more work scheduled in Elkhart so I could sample more of the menu.
Traveling for work I like to visit restaurants that are local favorites. I asked the the desk when I checked into the hotel for suggestions and The Chubby Trout was recommended. It is within a mile of I 80/90 Toll Road.
The beer was cold with many choices on draft including microbrews. I was surprised when I found out the on Mondays' Sushi is half price. I had the Tuna Tango which was very flavorful and filling. I wanted to try the Crabby Tuna but was too full to event think about ordering more. I also had Bavarian Pretzel Stick served HOT out of the oven with cheesy beer dip. I didn't have room for dessert but a diner nearby had a delicious Carrot Cake the size of this serving was ginormous. The company at the bar was very friendly.
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