Latest reviews from Kalamazoo
| 78 /100 355 EAST KALAMAZOO AVE “Finally got to visit this place, an eccentric place indeed with many different sections downstairs and upstairs to sit. Taplist is rather small all things considering, with maybe a dozen or so taps—with little in the way of barrel aged specialties when I visited. Oh well. Flights of 4 available, charged by the beer — usually $3-4 per 5 oz pour, rather pricey. Friendly staff. Must-visit place when going between the east and west part of MI.“ |
| 86 /100 Bottoms Up Snacks and Spirits (Beer Store) 930 W MICHIGAN AVE “A higher end bottle shop near WMU campus. Nice selection of craft and macro beers along with wine and liquor. Not a large store so selection is a little constrained, but they do a good job of getting new beers into the cooler.“ |
| 98 /100 National Beverage of Kalamazoo (Beer Store) 3062 S 9TH ST “Great selection and friendly staff dedicated to make your experience great!“ |
| 76 /100 200 EAST MICHIGAN AVENUE “Parking is near by, tall ceilings, old time feel which is nice. Beers were good, meant to pair with food. I liked the burgers we had. Staff very young on our side of the restaurant but friendly. Stouts variations very plentiful.“ |
| 88 /100 355 EAST KALAMAZOO AVE “11/4/18 (Kalamazoo): Visited today for a brief visit, fortunate to hit the brewery and general store on All Stouts Day. Line was 15 deep when I arrived 15 minutes before open, about 50 deep when they opened. Very brick structure, mix of modern and vintage decor. Both front of house and a large back room where concerts are held, and large outside grounds open to accommodate the crowd. Nowhere to sit at the bar, you order up front (or server) and plenty of tables were available. We grabbed a table in the upper section of the back concert area
Many special excellent offerings available today, the BA Expedition Stout was the highlight. 18 draft offerings, proper glassware, friendly and accommodating bartenders who handled the large crowd well. Nice to see the brewery properly staff this event.
Didn't have a chance to tour the brewery beyond walking around the public areas, or have the food which looked great.
Went to the General Store to look around and pick up a six pack of Two Hearted IPA. Nice supplies for home brewers are available, as well as brewery merchandise with decent pricing.
Definitely want to return when I have more time for a tour, meal and several offerings.“ |
| 76 /100 402 S BURDICK ST “Located in a small store front near the theater in downtown Kalamazoo. Small bar and tap room reminds me of an old soda shop. Friendly bartender, we 2 beers that were solid. Will try and visit again.“ |
| 78 /100 140 S WESTNEDGE AVE “Parking is across the street, big windows letting lots of natural light in. Beer garden, large bar, many selections of beers. Staff nice. Beers dark and decent.“ |
| 72 /100 1156 S BURDICK STREET “Cute cheery cafe, decent food and coffee, tired some beers. Fun decor, parking is a bit sparse. Staff on day we came was very young. would visit another time.“ |
| 90 /100 355 EAST KALAMAZOO AVE “Charming place with great food and a strong selection of Bells beer. The general store is next door and who could complain when you can pick up a case of Black Note...“ |
| 80 /100 355 EAST KALAMAZOO AVE “As first-time visitors, the streets and lots around the complex were confusing, but we eventually found our way in. The beer is good to excellent, of course, with a good variety. The food was decent, and I was glad to substitute a tempeh patty on my burger, but the tempeh itself was a bit disappointing (it seemed like it was just a cooked piece of tempeh with no seasoning or marinade). That said, the rest of the food was pretty good. Stopped by the store afterward, where I picked up some Hopslam mechandise and a sixer of 2015 Third Coast Old Ale. I'm glad to have finally gotten here.“ |
| 84 /100 Kalamazoo Beer Exchange (Bar) 211 E WATER ST “It may seem gimmicky, but the "exchange" is pretty serious. Our bill at the end of the night was much lower than I'd have expected at any other bar. To top it off, the service was excellent. The "exchange" has occasional "crashes" where everything goes to minimum price. We ordered a round just before one such "crash" and our server came back to make sure we still wanted the beers we had ordered (at their updated lower prices of course). And the manager gave us a discount on our bill after we ordered a beer we didn't like. It's also in a pretty cool building, with two levels (downstairs seems like more of a party--we were upstairs). We had a couple orders of the handmade potato chips, which were tasty. The tap selection isn't *huge* for a beer bar, but it's very good and has lots of variety.“ |
| 86 /100 4213 PORTAGE ST. “We enjoyed our visit here enough that we had to come back the next day. Originally decided to visit due to the variety of vegetarian and vegan food and the range of beers. The theme and the many pinball machines were also great for the group I was with. Lots of interesting touches from the sculpted tree at the second bar to the three shades of malts embedded in some of the tables. Also it's a pretty big place with their recent expansion. The food was good, the beers ranged from decent to great, and there were a lot of choices for both. We had a great time here.“ |
| 70 /100 355 EAST KALAMAZOO AVE “I was her very briefly but it was a good experience. It has a worn, feeling. Tap list has twenty or so beers. Service was kind of lacking. I was ignored for several minutes while standing at the bar, but they were nice after that. I can't imagine when I will be in Kalamazoo again and I am glad I had the chance to stop here.“ |
| 70 /100 773 W MICHIGAN AVE “Located in an old brick building. Inside is dark with tables and couches scattered around. A fireplace and stage for live music. A room in the back with a pool table and a few pinball machines. It has more if a locals dive bar feel to it than a brewpub. The beers were all solid and clean. I like it, I'd come back.“ |
| 64 /100 Shakespeare’s Pub (Bar) 241 E KALAMAZOO AVE “A giant dive bar with lots of tables and a big U shaped bar, lots of tv's. A good tap list. They have food but we didn't have anything.“ |
| 60 /100 432 E. PATTERSON STREET “Nice little brewery. Live Irish music while we were there. Free, very salty popcorn. Got a flight of 6 beers but soon found out that the bartender mixed up a few of the beers so he gave me another flight. The beers are average at best.“ |
| 80 /100 HopCat - Kalamazoo (Bar) 300 E. WATER ST. “Great place. Big tap and bottle list. Good food. They have flights of 3 beers. Service was fast and friendly.“ |
| 74 /100 Old Dog Tavern (Bar) 402 E KALAMAZOO AVE “Nice old bar. Clean & friendly service. A good tap list of beers. The food was good. They now take credit cards but with an additional charge.“ |
| 84 /100 355 EAST KALAMAZOO AVE “3 o'clock on a Saturday and it's already packed, it must be good. We didn't want to wait an hour for a table so we just had some beers. Great beers! A cool place. Very clean and helpful staff.“ |
| 76 /100 200 EAST MICHIGAN AVENUE “Big restaurant area with a long bar on the brewery side. Good service. The wings were great. The 4 beers I had were all very good. I'd come back for sure.“ |
| 74 /100 140 S WESTNEDGE AVE “A nice place. Lots of seating at the bar or at tables. Good, fast and friendly service. I had 5 beers, I wouldn't order any of them again. Average of below average. For some reason I expected better beer here.“ |
| 64 /100 1156 S BURDICK STREET “Breakfast and beer, can't think of a better start to the weekend. Old style Cafe. The breakfast is good. Service is friendly but not that good. Beers are all average.“ |
| 92 /100 355 EAST KALAMAZOO AVE “This is an amazing place! The corridor to the barroom to the loft, and then the two different outside areas, at one of which (I'm pretty sure) they do live shows. The tap list was pretty awesome. I always hope for more limited, epic concoctions, but then, who doesn't? They had a cool little gift shop too, complete with growler fills to-go.“ |
| 72 /100 355 EAST KALAMAZOO AVE “It's a nice scene, especially with the recent expansion. I've been here many many times, and it's always been good. Very large selection, something like 20 beers on per day. Food is ok, nothing to blow your hair back but certainly better than leaving to get it. The bartenders....not so sure about them. I've had a number of them give either bad or wrong information about beer, and quantity allowed. I've had multiple bad experiences with service, including total denial that a beer was infected or wrong. Not sure many of them know much about the beer they're serving. Luckily I rarely require their input.“ |
| 8 /100 Craft Draft 2 Go (Bar) 4520 STADIUM DR. “The guy is a f’ing Neo Nazi and is proud of it.
Hope he drops a keg on his loins so he can’t have kids.“ |
| 8 /100 Craft Draft 2 Go (Bar) 4520 STADIUM DR. “The idea is good, but I can not support a place where a co- owner is openly a white Supremist. There is no room in KZoo for such backwards thinking. Been there twice, but never again. Spend your money elsewhere. There are plenty of other places in the area that support local craft beers without supporting hate groups.“ |
| 84 /100 355 EAST KALAMAZOO AVE “Big cafe that is "eccentricly" decorated. Service was a bit slow when we sat down, but improved. Plenty of beer on tap from mainstays to specialty beers available only there. Everything I had was great, including my duck cubano sandwich. Yum to the food and the beer!“ |
| 98 /100 HopCat - Kalamazoo (Bar) 300 E. WATER ST. “Great selection of good local beer and interesting/rare craft beer. Always a refreshing tap list.“ |
| 80 /100 432 E. PATTERSON STREET “Smaller brew pub in Kalamazoo. They have some excellent brews and usually have a good selection on tap. No food but often a food truck in the parking lot. You can get some of their brews in cans in area stores but only the brew pub has the full selection.“ |
| 78 /100 773 W MICHIGAN AVE “Smaller brew pub with a more traditional bar ambiance than some of the other new brewpubs. Excellent selection of their brews which are all very good.“ |
| 82 /100 140 S WESTNEDGE AVE “One of my favorite local places. Nice well lit setting, great selection of beers, good selection of food. The brews are great and the food is very good.“ |
| 70 /100 200 EAST MICHIGAN AVENUE “Nice comfortable brewpub with some decent brews and pretty good food. Had a couple good stouts, a good cream ale and a decent IPA.
Worth a stop if you have already hit the big boys in town, waiter said a lot of folks eat there on the way to the big beer destinations.“ |
| 76 /100 HopCat - Kalamazoo (Bar) 300 E. WATER ST. “Covid crushed Hopcat. They went bankrupt almost immediately were taken over by their biggest creditor and the beer list is now smaller and at least in the three I’ve looked at is now all Michigan brews. The fries are still fantastic and Michigan has great locally brewed beers. Too bad for beer drinkers. Still good place but not the same.“ |
| 84 /100 355 EAST KALAMAZOO AVE “Nice place with over 25 of their own brews on tap (very reasonably priced). Decent bar food with a couple of vegetarian options. Wait staff are very friendly although my server was not very knowledgeable about their beers.“ |
| 86 /100 HopCat - Kalamazoo (Bar) 300 E. WATER ST. “really cool bar (i believe this is a chain) - incredible amount of beers on tap - amazing options. setting was comforatble and upbeat. nice joint“ |
| 64 /100 Shakespeare’s Pub (Bar) 241 E KALAMAZOO AVE “visited for a stand-up comedy act in the lower level. decent set up - selection was also decent.“ |
| 8 /100 Craft Draft 2 Go (Bar) 4520 STADIUM DR. “EDIT: This place has closed.“ |
| 80 /100 355 EAST KALAMAZOO AVE “Hud eplace with big bar room, dining room, and various outside areas including one with a stage. Nice selection of their beers, decent food, great service. Prices were a bit on the higher side, especially for the food, but nothing crazy. Can be a bit loud with young student types though. Next door they have a store with merchandise, beer and lots of homebrewing equipment. Good place, the store makes it just a bit better than others in my book.“ |
| 90 /100 355 EAST KALAMAZOO AVE “Finally made it to Bell’s after all these years of trying to schedule a Michigan craftbeer tour. There isn’t a lot I can say that hasn’t been said before other than to tell you what I liked best. First of all...the brewery venue is really pretty special...large...attractive...and varied. There are numerous rooms with the main bar area room being the best. There is a great big beer sign behind the bar in that room showing 21 different drafts when I visited this past Friday. Additionally Bell’s has outside areas...with the larger one having a small outdoor stage. My friend an I ate a really good dinner here...and tried a couple of flights each...so we got thru maybe 8 each of their 21 that night. Since I can get their beer in my home area...I focused on ones I don’t usually see or hadn’t yet had like the All Four Ale and the Ales for A.L.S among others. Obviously Bell’s is a must stop (along with Founders) on any Michigan craft beer tour...it didn’t disappoint!“ |
| 82 /100 355 EAST KALAMAZOO AVE “I’ve been to Bell’s Eccentric Cafe multiple times, most recently as a daytime stop-over on the way to a Tigers game in Detroit. It’s not my favorite place in Michigan, but what they do which I’m a big fan of is brewery-only releases. Everytime I’ve been there, I was able to enjoy something that I can’t get in my home state of Illinois. Will definitely be back for sure.“ |
| 94 /100 355 EAST KALAMAZOO AVE “Definitely the taproom/brewery experience that all others should be compared against. Lots of great taps and taproom exclusives available in all kinds of sizes. Great atmosphere both in the vibe of the place and the physical atmosphere. I can’t wait to go back.“ |
| 66 /100 200 EAST MICHIGAN AVENUE “When I worked over at Pharmacia & Upjohn (1999) I visited the place for lunch a couple of times. Fast service and food.
Was there some eavnings checking the beer and was not the best in town but OK.“ |
| 88 /100 355 EAST KALAMAZOO AVE “If your a bells fan.... Unreal selection of unavailable brands. Staff knowledgeable and friendly. Music room looks cozy and loud. Summer patio would be awesome. General store next store has growlers, beer, merchandise. One of the best brewery/pubs I’ve been to. Expanding to have full sit down dining soon.“ |
| 80 /100 Kalamazoo Beer Exchange (Bar) 211 E WATER ST “Probably one of my favorite bar experiences ever. I was just going to have one beer but the exchange kept crashing and I got to try 4 really good , and in one case a world class Bell’s IPA, for less than 15 bucks. I’m surprised more people haven’t run with this concept.“ |
| 66 /100 Kalamazoo Beer Exchange (Bar) 211 E WATER ST “This is an unfair rating b/c we didn’t get to experience the actual stock market-like "exchange". We were there in the afternoon. It is a huge, slick looking building with good service and a pretty good selection. Did not get to try the food but it looked great. Price was just ok. I am willing to give this place another try as long as I remember to go after 6 pm. The place was dead on a Monday afternoon.“ |
| 84 /100 355 EAST KALAMAZOO AVE “Great looking place in Kalamazoo. No TV’s, no loud music. In many ways, it is the opposite of most brewpubs I have visited. Definitely for the grown folks, not college kids. Even looks great outside with a nice beer garden. Service was great. All the Bell’s favorites were there plus many others I had not seen before. Food was way better than it had to be. Good prices. You have to go here if you are in Kalamazoo.“ |
