First time in East Lansing (daughter looking at Grad Schools) This was a wonderful first meal. Busy spot, but our waitress handled us & several other large parties like a pro. The chicken tenders are hands down the best I've ever had. Fries were definite top 10 as well. Great "campus" spot......will definitely be back to try more. read more

HopCat is ALWAYS good and it's been a few years since I've been to one. The staff at this location is great and our bartender was so friendly. I got the grilled chicken Caesar wrap and it was sooo good. The amount of dressing on it was perfect and the Parmesan crusted on the wrap was the perfect touch. You aren't experiencing HopCat if you aren't getting the crack fries aka Cosmik fries, but they'll always be crack fries to me! read more

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I have been to this location twice and each time, everything was more than solid! Each visit, I have been with a larger group and the service was seamless and efficient. We all enjoyed the comfortable seating and most of all, we enjoyed the food. This time around, the turkey pesto grilled cheeses were the superstar! The fries always hit. The soup was just the perfect dipper for the sandwiches lt is always hard to decide between the fries or the soup! The soup won today! The pieces are fairly reasonable here as well. We all left happy! read more

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My wife and I met family here. What a great experience! Though I don't remember our servers name (Lizzy?), she reminded me a lot of Leslie Winkle from Big Bang theory, and did a terrific job herding our cats during our visit. She was friendly, professional, and best of all tolerant with our family catching up while ordering our late lunch. All in all, HopCat is a very trendy spot with a great menu and terrific beer! We did not order any appetizers. I ordered their steak frites while my wife ordered their killer mac & cheese with bacon. There was an order of Nashville hot chicken sandwich and I believe three orders of chicken bowls. All of our dishes were well presented and cooked to perfection! I particularly liked the steak sauce that was served with the steak frites. The Caesar salad was spot on delicious as well! If we lived closer, I'm sure this would be a regular spot on our rotation. Keep up the great work! Thank you again, Lizzie or was it Leslie :-) read more

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Cute space, amazingly friendly service. The BEST CHEESE CURDS I've ever had, hands down. My friend convinced me to share the cosmic brownie... omg delicious! Would definitely try again. read more

6 of us went to Hopcat for dinner in East Lansing. Everyone ordered some different version of a burger and fries except me. I had a bowl of chili and a appetizer size bowl of Brussels Sprouts. Everyone including the kids loved their burgers and fries. I did try part of my wife's burger and it was tender and juicy Fries did live up to their reputation. Very good and addicting! My chili was also very good. Lots of meat and spice. Brussels sprouts are definitely a no go. All crispy skin. No Brussels sprouts meat. Just a bowl of shavings. It was a big let down for $12.50. Service was fantastic and food portions were fantastic as well. . read more

My wife went to MSU and she brought me here last month when we visited. It's changed a lot she said since her college days (ten years ago). The service was overall good but was slow to start. We waiting a while for a water and a beer. We split a burger and what used to be called "crack fries". I get why they were called that - super good and addicting. The restaurant is open but more on the dark side in terms of decor. Tons of beer on tap. Good place for local beers! read more

HopCat - Beer Bar Near Me - East Lansing, Michigan

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Busy Restaurant within walking distance from the MSU campus. Food was delicious, we ordered burgers, wings, Mac & Cheese, and Steak Frites. Our favorite was the Sriracha Hot wings and the Steak Frites. Flexible with Gluten Free options and other food allergies. Service was good and restaurant was clean. Thank you read more

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A local hotel recommended this place and it was fantastic. Lots of beer on tap to choose from. The atmosphere and decor makes for a nice vibe. I had the garlic parm wings and would order them again! Friendly staff and fun place overall. read more

We've had burgers here, and all three varieties were delicious. The fries were very good as well.

Overpriced, greasy bar food. Very loud. Service is okay, but the food just isn't good.

We came to watch an MSU basketball game on Sunday afternoon. It was not busy and we were able to get a seat in front of one of the many televisions to watch the game. We started out with the app sampler and lobster dip. The app sampler had a great variety and the lobster dip was very rich and creamy. Both were quite large. Our waitress was very attentive and didn't rush us to order dinner since the game rush had already left. She checked on us regularly for drinks. We ordered salads for dinner. My husband ordered the bbq chicken Cobb and said there was a good portion of chicken. I ordered the cherry grove salad. There were very little walnuts, cherries, or chicken. Have also been here for a private college graduation party. They held it upstairs, which was nice to be separate from the regular restaurant. They had a burger buffet and they did a great job. read more

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While in the area, I visited HopCat. The vibe and ambience are super cool. Great place to watch a game! The service was also good. I ordered the BYO burger and fries. The meal was good--not the best burger I've had. read more

The only reason I'm saying 2 stars is because the truffle fries were incredible. I ordered one of the vegetarian bowls but it was a salad and it should be advertised as such. The description made it sound like the base would be quinoa. The dressing they served it with was a very small amount. My boyfriend ordered the chicken bowl. This was all rice a few cherry tomatoes and scraps of chicken. The server was very slow with only 2 other tables. Overall very expensive for the quality and amount. Would not recommend. read more

This hip restaurant and bar was a no brainer for a Sunday evening meal after a very long day visiting with hubby's sister & family. It was after 7 PM AND A LOT OF East Lansing seems to roll up the sidewalks at 8. Hop Cat was open till 9 so worked out better for us. You walk into a dimly lit restaurant and bar- very nicely decorated and furnished. We requested outdoor seating and we were lead to a nice 4 top table with a sun umbrella over us. It was a glorious Michigan evening after all!! We ordered a new appetizer made with Lobster and Cream Cheese with Scallions scattered throughout. Served with freshly cooked wontons it was very tasty. I ordered a hamburger with bleu cheese, tomato and lettuce. It was a double patty and quite large. It came with fries I ate half the burger-it was delicious. I tried the fries and they were good but just too much food so left the majority. Hubby had fish and chips. He deemed his fried white fish "OK". It came with fries & slaw. He wasn't very impressed. I also had a mixed drink containing Tito's Vodka. (An Austin original)-it was pretty strong but I forgot to ask for a light on the vodka version-my bad. I left 3/4 of it. Service was VERY GOOD! We would return to give it another try. read more

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Ordering the Nashville hot chicken sandwich and it was pretty good. Nice atmosphere and friendly service. Definitely would like to come back and try some other food items. read more

HopCat - Beer Bar Near Me - East Lansing, Michigan

$25 for a burger and a beer. The burger and bun were so dry it sucked the spit out of my mouth. The cheese was like melted plastic. The crowd was weird. A mix of seniors that are State groupies wearing golf hats and white socks and coeds wearing boob tubes. I paid and left. Definitely not worth the $25. I'm giving 2 stars out of kindness. read more

Sam Rittenberg is the best server and bartender ever. He makes great margs. He is so funny and he should get a raise Food is always great, love this place read more

My chili was ice cold like it came from refrigerator and charged me for bbq sauce to dip my chicken in. Will not be back

Izzy was a great server, food was prepared perfectly! I had the Italian grilled cheese, my wife had the double smash burger, and my daughter had the Lobster Mac and Cosmic "Crack" Fries! Drinks were just as good! Great atmosphere, everyone seemed to be enjoying the restaurant as much as us! I also tried a few IPA's not too bad! read more

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WOW! This bar/restaurant located in the heart of MSU territory has some very tasty food. Everything I had I was licking my fingers. The pretzel bites need to be bagged up like a potato chip and sold all over the world! The unique dipping sauce that comes with them is AMAZING! The Smashburger was sooooo yummy... I felt the juices from the burger go through my veins with every bite. Those seasoned fries and side sauce I could not get enough of! Our server, Sam, was very awesome. Always checked in and made this experience very memorable. If I'm ever back here I WILL make it to HopCat. read more

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Very good cheese curds for appetizer! Both of us had the chili and it was delicious! Had kids burger and was good! read more

To start the service was great! Very friendly and accommodating. The manager asked if we lived in the area, but we told him we were from Oklahoma; he gave us an order of the Cosmik Fries on the house. Our server Jacob was friendly and did a great job. It wasn't too busy on this Sunday evening but we enjoyed the sporty atmosphere of the place and were to hang out and not feel rushed. A place I would definitely recommend for folks to try out. Those fries were very good by the way, as was the food! read more

Madelyn was a wonderful server, she took great care of our party tonight. Food was excellent as always. Hopcat is one of our favorites whenever we're in East Lansing. read more

The restaurant is super cool inside with decorations and have a decent tv setup. Service was great, she answered all of our questions and was very attentive. Food was delicious and relatively priced for how much food we received for two entrees. They do not have domestic beers only craft, but the staff was knowledgable to help us figure out what type of beer would be the best match for us. read more

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If you are in East Lansing and looking for the quintessential "college bar experience," look no further than HopCat. Yes, I know it's a chain, but this place was perfectly located just across the street from campus and offers a FANTASTIC young-life vibe that I missed on other school visits. With two levels of dining options, patrons have plenty of room to enjoy excellent food, drink, and times with friends. Service was excellent, food was better, and the vibe was second-to-none. Give this place a try! read more

Good food and excellent service. Nothing extraordinary about the food but a good place for a burger and variety of beers.

Delicious inexpensive proper smash burger. Fries weren't great but queso mac n cheese made up for it. Top tier college town American food. read more

HopCat - Beer Bar Near Me - East Lansing, Michigan

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Beer was fine but didn't have any audio on so I left. The beer selection was great. Food options were limited.

What's not to love about HopCat?! It's got a great vibe. The people who work here are super friendly and attentive and the beer on tap is excellent. It's kept at just the right cold temperature to really hit the spot on a hot day. We happened upon the location in Grand Rapids before a concert while we were killing time on our way from the parking garage to the concert venue and were glad we found a few extra minutes to throw down a cold one. You can find all walks of life here in the clientele and workers. The diversity is amazing. We're definitely coming back. I need to pick up a t-shirt next visit! read more

Went here while in town with a group of people. We were seated quickly and orders were taken right away. The beer selection was pretty extensive and solid. I ordered the pickle back chicken sandwich with fries. It was really good and the fries were good as well. Not sure when I will be back in East Lansing, but will definitely stop by if I am. read more

Such an awesome place just outside of campus. Tons of beer options and a good menu focused around hamburgers and other easy make items. Customer service was on point and the prices were fair. I got in right before the lunch rush, but by the time I left the place was filling up! I recommend and will be back if ever in the area! read more

HopCat - Turkey Wrap with crack fries - Beer Bar Near Me - East Lansing, Michigan

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We hold our events there at least twice a year, if not more. We continue to go back because working with the HopCat managers, Bryan and Frank, are phenomenal. Always respectful of our groups and they are large (40-80 people). We always get the upstairs bar. Our servers are friendly and very outgoing. Food is great. We will continue to use HopCat for all of our MSU events. read more

Isabella was our server! She was great and the food was amazing!! Will def be back to eat and drink again read more

Wow!! HopCat was absolutely delicious!! I visited HopCat on a Monday night at 6:15 pm around Christmas. There was about a 15 minute wait, but there were a few seats beside the host stand so we didn't mind waiting! The staff was fantastic - the host was incredibly friendly and our server was great! As far as drinks went, we loved the selection. I ended up getting their sour (cotton mouth raspberry something?). I'm not a big beer person, and they did have plenty of cocktails, but I felt like a beer fit my meal and I was happily surprised with how delicious it was! From a drink perspective alone I'd happily recommend HopCat! However, when you add great food, it definitely made it to the top of my list of restaurants I'd go back to. I ordered the the grilled cheese, which had a garlic aioli, apple slices and honey. It also came with the smoked roasted red pepper soup. I'm normally not a big fan of my savory food having fruit, but WOW, it was amazing. I'd highly recommend it!! Overall, you really can't go wrong here! If I lived in the area, I'd be there every week. read more

HopCat - Sour - Beer Bar Near Me - East Lansing, Michigan

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Delicious burgers!! And you have to get the pretzel nugz.... Super fun atmosphere that is great for a quick dinner or a group night. read more

HopCat - Payton Thorne Burger - Beer Bar Near Me - East Lansing, Michigan

My server, Harrison was so amazing. I was eating alone and was sat next to a big table which is no problem but he offered to move me to a different table so I didn't have to feel trapped next to them. The food was amazing and came out quickly. Overall my server made the experience and I definitely would come back here and ask for him again! read more

Service was very good even though it was busy, we were able to get seated right away which was a plus. Definitely more of a college student place, but family friendly. It's a great place to get food and/or drinks with friends or larger groups. I think the lunch menu here has a great variety, brunch is served until 3pm. Wasn't the biggest fan of the food, the king waffle was dry - possibly overcooked/burnt. The truffle parm cosmik fries were on the soggy side and their new Italian grilled cheese with tomato basil soup was mediocre - nothing special but still good. The new cherry dreamsicle (non alcoholic) was delicious though ! Might have to give this place another try, possibly could've been a bad day since they were busy. read more

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Well let me tell you... Was in East Lansing last weekend (winter break = no students).... Went to a place just up the road, grabbed a menu, yikes $20 hamburgers, environment was very sterile. So, a little walk in the December rain, and HopCat seemed like the place. So, me and the lady friend went in, and "whoosh" the burgers were $10 dollars cheaper, and the atmosphere, so much more inviting! We ordered burgers, and they were gigantic. The sever was super great, kind, and helpful. Yum yum yum! Even had a half burger left for a breakfast surprise. And the potang, what an appetizer!!!! read more

We ordered the mac n cheese, double burger, ancient grains bowl, and the hash/sausage gravy biscuit skillet. Mac n cheese was about on par with Noodles and Co. not bad but not great, sauce was thin. Hash skillet was not good. The potatoes were too salty to eat and that makes up most of the dish. Ancient grains bowl was reported as being solid but a bit lukewarm. Out of the 4 dishes ordered, the burger seemed to get the best review. The fries were crispy and well seasoned and the burger patty was fairly decent. Service was pleasant but inefficient. Got food and it took another 5 min to get our silverware. Also had to send back the hash skillet because they undercooked eggs when I asked for over easy. Would not return and wouldn't give it any more than stars. read more