We have been coming here for a long time and the vibe here is always so much fun. The idea of beer pricing going up and down with the market and a market crash it kitsch but I love it. Unfortunately, when we visited this most recent time, the market was not working so I ordered a flight with my dinner. It did eventually start up as we were getting ready to leave, and everything was super high so we didn't participate in the fun. I ordered the Honey Chicken sandwich with the cheese curds and it was honestly delicious. The chicken was good and a perfect blend of savory and sweet, the sandwich came with lettuce, freezer pickle and ranch. The cheese curds were surprisingly some of the best I've had and were perfect with a bit of ranch. I'd have the meal again and hopefully next time, the exchange is up and running! :) read more

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Stopped by on a snowy Friday night with my sister when we were in town for something else. My BIL has stories of how awesome this place is, so we were excited to finally try it. I was really excited they had some gluten free drink options on the menu! I got a seltzer for my first drink (delicious) and a cider for my second. My sister was having fun watching the prices shifting and trying to decide what to get. I was starving, so I also got a sandwich on a gf bun. It was delicious. The chips were great too and our bartender suggested we get their french onion dip too. Also delicious. The service was great and friendly and the vibe overall was really enjoyable. Don't often head out to Kalamazoo, but would definitely stop by again if I was in the area! read more

This place was a first for me; the concept of the Kalamazoo Beer Exchange is a stock exchange for beers in a 20s art deco interior 2-story brick-lined building with real time price changes based on order trends with a "crash" every hour. It was a lot of fun to partake in and get some unique beers I've never had before for cheap in a Bear Beer Market (say that 3x fast!). Definitely an experience and highly recommend checking it out!  Beers had: Dark Horse Kamikaze Kaleidoscope Wheat 5% Old Nation Full Earth NEIIPA 9.1% read more

Food was great, the bean burger might be better as a wrap because it doesn't hold in a bun, either wrap it in a tortilla, like a burrito or inside a pita, it is really flavorful but it disintegrates in the bun and becomes messy. My husband loved the tacos and the chips, we had a burger and fries to go for our son and he said that "the fries slap" so they were good and so was the burger. Service was good and the ambiance is always nice. We will be back. read more

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Got there just in time for a market crash. Super fun concept and I was happy to get the full experience. The timer on the board is the countdown to when the prices change, which was something that took a moment to figure out after getting there. The food was pretty solid. i had the almost famous bowl, and despite it looking a bit like dog food, I definitely had the urge to lick the bowl at the end. I guess that adds up. also, you could tell the mash was house made, or I would have deducted 3 stars. Potatoes are important. everyone I was with enjoyed their meal too. The staff were all super friendly and informative. We even had other servers coming by to facilitate the meal. The space was bigger than I would have imagined, and I didn't explore the majority of it. read more

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I got the Ruben and it was pretty good, the staff was friendly and the service was timely

Beer Exchange is such a fun place to go for a drink. They have the absolute BEST nachos. The Beer Exchange is a take off of the stock exchange. Every so often the market will crash and the drink prices will change for set amount of time. There are screens everywhere and pool downstairs. Service is great especially when the market crashes and you want to get your drink orders in. They are attentive and quick to get your orders in. read more

Kalamazoo Beer Exchange - Fajita Nachos - Gastropubs Near Me - Kalamazoo, Michigan

Very fun place! Food was good and we loved the atmosphere! My husband loved trying the local beers.

Great place to hang out and have a couple beers. Fun atmosphere. Limited food menu, however the food was good. Place has a TON of potential and they are headed in the right direction after some changes they made. Staff and owner were awesome. read more

The building of Kalamazoo Beer Exchange is so neat! We came to eat after watching a basketball game at WMU. Lots of brick and natural light inside. It was a sunny day out, so it was beautiful. The sign said seat yourself, so we took a booth. Our server was very friendly and kind. I started with the pineapple daiquiri. We also ordered the Gochujang Thigh Wings. Oh. My. Goodness. They are so good! The sauce that they are tossed in is sweet and salty and a tad bit of spice. They are so crispy and flavorful and the chicken is juicy. Wow! I honestly didn't even need the dipping sauce, however, it was good too. My next drink I asked our service to surprise me. He chose the Elderflower Cosmo for me. Both drinks were super good! My husband had the juicy Lucy and I had the fish and chips. Both of our entrees were so good. I have been craving fish and chips and it was so good! Hot, crispy, fresh, and the fish was buttery and flaky and tender. The fries were so so good! Better than your typical restaurant fries. We both ordered dessert. I had the mocha crunch cake. Wow was it good! My husband had the bread pudding. While mine was good, the bread pudding won in the dessert category. So thankful our friends recommended this restaurant to us. read more

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Place was very unique, especially with the changing beer prices in a live TV. The food was just bad. I had the nachos, and added chicken. My friends had the pastrami sandwich and the fish and chips. The nachos were awful! Half were burnt, the other half soggy. They forgot the chicken... but that wasn't going to save that disaster. The fries were cold... good news was the pastrami Ruben was decent. read more

Kalamazoo Beer Exchange - Gastropubs Near Me - Kalamazoo, Michigan

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A must go to spot in Kalamazoo! Happy hour ends at 6pm (I think). I recommend going at 5:30pm or a bit before to get some happy hour discounts on the Appetizers/Bar plates, and sticking around to have the beer exchange open at 6pm! It's a lot of fun, and a cool activity to order off of it. The burger was exactly what I was looking for. Affordable, and the fries were a great add on! I definitely recommend coming here! I had a great time. read more

Kalamazoo Beer Exchange - Kbe Burger - Gastropubs Near Me - Kalamazoo, Michigan

Came here for a late lunch/early dinner with some coworkers and really enjoyed the service. I had the crispy chicken salad which was super good and I highly recommend. Everyone at the table also enjoyed their food and commented on how tasty everything was. Would come here again. read more

Want to try a fun experience? Go to the Beer Exchange. We stopped in after a conference event and had a great time. I loved the concept, the staff were great and friendly (especially for us out of towners!). It was thrilling to see the beer you were drinking take a dive or go up. read more

Kalamazoo Beer Exchange - Gastropubs Near Me - Kalamazoo, Michigan

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A very fun place. The night we went was very busy due to conferences being in town. The majority of parties in the restaurant area upstairs were large groups from those conferences (as were we). The restaurant had only one server on the floor that night and she was running nonstop between every table, taking large drink and food orders. Alyssa was amazing. She did the best she could being by herself, and was still impressive in her knowledge, suggestions, and attention. We knew she was running ragged, so we tried to assure her that she was doing a fantastic job. The food was very well prepared. Appetizers are generous in portion size; I needed a fork and knife to eat one single onion ring. Despite how slammed the kitchen and floor were, my reuben came out hot with crispy bread. Chips were also generous in proportion, though a little salty for my personal tastes (made up for it with more beer, of course). Other members of my party went downstairs to throw some darts and play some pinball. They reveled in the nostalgia. The next day as we chatted with other conference attendees, we found out they were also there that same night, playing pool and said the quality of cues and tables was very good. The main attraction of The Beer Exchange is the stock market style of beer pricing. Draft beers are shown on a board as well as the "crawl" display that rings the game room downstairs and visible from strategic areas in the upstairs eating area. We found ourselves fixated on the fluctuating prices of drinks, almost taking bets for fun on which direction some drink prices would go. It's really a brilliant idea to keep interest and also to promote different varieties. The biggest surprise was the "crash," when all beer prices tumbled to a "market reset," of sorts. A brilliant ploy to sell more beer, really. Because it certainly worked for us. And again, Alyssa was hustling to grab our orders before the next 15-minute price shift. Overall, a very fun place to visit with friends and colleagues, and older children who might be more interested in the games downstairs. read more

Dokidokon weekend calls for some great food and drink so my hubby and I wondered about a quarter mile to try The Kalamazoo Beer Exchange.  I got the Mac & Cheeze and a pineapple daiquiri.  My husband got the KBE burger and a PBR.  Our waitress as super enthusiastic and just awesome.  She had seen some convention goers and was hoping some of us would stop by. The atmosphere was cool- lots of games like pool and even some arcade games.  While it was a bit loud for my normal vibe, the sound didn't stop me from enjoying my time.  The brick on the walls, the beautiful mural, just everything was perfection. The food was great, both my husband and I enjoyed our food after a long day at the convention.  My hubby ordered a fried egg on his burger and asked for it to be not runny.  Our waitress went above and beyond to make sure it was just how he wanted.  When handing him his burger she said she wasn't sure if it would be too runny for him so she stuck around to verify.  I truly appreciated that.  My Mac and cheeze was literally the best macaroni I've ever had.  I let my husband try some and he agreed.  He asked if there were 5 star chefs in the kitchen.  Well apparently there are because I give them 5 stars.  The drinks really hit the spot too and helped me relax after an anxiety filled day. I would highly recommend stopping here when in Kalamazoo.  I won't be stupid enough to pass it up again like I did in past years of the convention.  Thanks KBE and my amazing waitress Lauren for a great time. read more

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My 1000th review of 2019 landed me here at the Kalamazoo Beer Exchange for dinner this evening. They have an interesting gimmick, which is that the prices of their beers go up or down based on demand. These are posted on a big screen mounted over the bar. I ordered something slightly less common and so it was a bit more expensive than usual and that was okay because it was delicious and local brew. Great service from my waiter who took care of beers and dinner. I chose the chicken wing appetizer and the three full wings (drum and flat) was enough for me tonight. One traditional hot, one butter garlic and one sesame ginger. The hot one was my favorite and with the extremely chunky blue cheese (bonus!), a perfect meal. Definitely worth returning to the Beer Exchange. Neat vibe, great service, great food. [Review 11224 overall, Round Number 1000 of 2019.] read more

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This place is a must try if you are a craft beer fan visiting Kalamazoo. It's definitely overpriced most of the night but a great experience. Beer prices are on a stock market ticker board and they adjust up or down every 15 min. Most of the students are a quarter or 50 cents which still leave them overpriced even at the low points. Occasionally (2-3 times a night) there is a stock market crash. It's random and lasts for 5 min. Process usually drop $1-3 making them really cheap and excellently priced. If I just wanted to drink good beers all night, I would probably just go to a brewery or a bar with happy hour specials, but this place was fun to try and I'd definitely go back... Occasionally -as the bill can add up quick. read more

Kalamazoo Beer Exchange - Crash - Gastropubs Near Me - Kalamazoo, Michigan

Excellent vegetable lasagna! Totally recommend. Husband got the Mac and cheese. Both came with toasted garlic bread. Ordered the Camp Shandy beer came to $10 based on demand. Husband ordered an IPA I believe that was at 6.00, based on demand. The whole concept is based on market and demand. Very fun atmosphere, comfortable, singles meet place, couples, wide diverse group of folks at this restaurant. Definitely would come back. Friendly staff and got our food quickly even with a made-to-order lasagna (20 min) wait. read more

Kalamazoo Beer Exchange - Mac and Mac & Cheese - Gastropubs Near Me - Kalamazoo, Michigan

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Stopped in for a couple beers the other day. Enjoyed my time there. Service was acceptable, nothing to write home about as they seemed to favor other customers. Ordered some French fries and was surprised see that they were very highly seasoned. Very salty... Be aware of that if you stop in... read more

What a fun concept! The beer on tap prices change like a stock market, we even got to a experience a "market crash" where everything was on sale for a short 5 minutes. The main dishes were mostly great, the only miss was the elote corn - it was basically overcooked sweet corn without much flavor. Everything else was great, right down to the caramel bread pudding at the end. read more

Kalamazoo Beer Exchange - Gastropubs Near Me - Kalamazoo, Michigan

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Interesting spot with a great beer selection. Also the fact that they tell you when the lines are cleaned was a really nice touch. The stich with changing prices is kind of cool. Sadly I would skip the following foods. The hummus had a nice presentation, but it was flavorless. No peprica, no garlic. The nachos were OK for flour tartiallo but also very bland in flavor. The best thing I ate was the French fries. They were good. So go for beer read more

My party of 3 swung by for a late lunch/early dinner. We stumbled in right at happy hour so we got great deals on drinks and food. I believe it was 50% off appetizers and specials on cocktails/beers. They have lots of selections for their beers and the waiter was very knowledgeable about the drinks. Between 3 people, we shared mussels, loaded nachos, lasagna, and the shishito peppers and it was lots of food for us. I think my fave was the mussels but its honestly just your typical bar food quality. The have two levels and the lower level has an arcade area (closed down during COVID season). Great place to grab some drinks and catch up with your buddies/watch sports. read more

Kalamazoo Beer Exchange - a plate of food - Gastropubs Near Me - Kalamazoo, Michigan

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Forgive the novel: We'd been looking forward to checking this place out for quite some time, came from Chicago for the weekend. The bartender Hannah who looked like the actress Tessa Farmiga was there. We weren't acknowledged by her, the barback, or the tall long bearded manager for at least 18 minutes. Not a hello, not a glass of water, not a brief explanation whether they were busy (they weren't, 14 people at the bar including us), not a "hi have you been here before oh okay here's the beer list and food menu". I know it was at least 18 minutes because we sat down and looked at the menus, took a picture of the initial prices, and then they changed two times before my wife grabbed the barback's attention. I understand he was helping with service bar, but a simple heads up to Hannah would've sufficed, or perhaps waters. We would've left, after seeing 5 people who arrived after us get their drinks before we made eye contact with anyone, if we hadn't specifically come to Kalamazoo and wanted to try this place. After, we went to Shakespeare's. They acknowledged they were short staffed, we had to wait ten minutes to enter, but we were greeted within 30 seconds of sitting at the bar and had popcorn within 1 minute. These pics were from 6:11, 6:14, 6:29 PM. I hated writing this. But, what happened here? read more

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In town for work on a Monday night and in need of dinner and a few local beverages. Kalamazoo Beer Exchange always delivers a great experience, great food and something on draft for everyone! Plenty of seating options, main floor, basement or at the bar no matter the size of your group. Highly recommend! read more

Hoping for a Stock Market Crash, we went to the Kalamazoo Beer Exchange. The ambiance was very fitting of the name and concept and it was an enjoyable evening. If I was rating solely on atmosphere, service, and beverages this would be a 5 star review but unfortunately the food is a big part of the experience and it brought it down to a solid 3 star rating. We had the Fajita Nachos and the Chili Cheese fries with Detroit Chili. The Fajita Nachos were a good concept but the lack of cheese not only hurt the dish, but it made the dish very difficult to eat. We spent just as much time cleaning the table for all the stuff that fell off the plate or off our nachos as we did eating. The original flavor was pleasing but it was one of those dished that goes flat really fast. I noticed a few tables that did not finish the whole plate. The biggest problem was the Chili Cheese Fries. Other than looking unappetizing, the first attempt was a sodium bomb. I took a good bite of them and my mouth exploded with one flavor...SALT. We returned them and had another batch made where they did not salt the french fries. They were better but the canned Coney Style chili was still very salty. The food prices were not bad but the quality is low end bar food with a twist. The beer prices were... well they fluctuated. I had a few different beers beating the market and had a great time when the market crashed. If you feel like taking a risk on the Beer Market, there is a good chance you will come out ahead here. read more

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Note to self: The beer stock market prices doesn't start until 6pm. That being said, even though we didn't get a chance to catch beer prices rising, falling, and watching the beer stock market crash, still quite a nice spot to grab weekend brunch/lunch. We made out way out to Kalamazoo this weekend to check out the city and see some of the many breweries this city has to offer. After the 2.5 hr drive from Chicago, we had the Beer Exchange as our first stop for food and a beer or so. Exterior of building looks like a business building and fitting for the name. Interior is setup like a loft. Downstairs features a bar with high top tables, pinball machines, arcade games, pool tables. Upstairs is where the main dining area is, where you'll find another bar front but more tables to sit and enjoy food. As we were seated, our waiter promptly brought out some menus. Being somewhat earlier in the day not the entire menu was available at 11:30am. Much of it was limited to appetizers, handhelds, and burgers. I ended up going with the Grilled Portabello sandwich ~ olive oil, garlic, cream cheese, sour cream, spinach, artichoke, parmesan, mozzarella, arugla, & beet chips all on challah bread and served with a side of bar chips. Tasty and filling, and not bad for $12. For beer, I had tried a strong double IPA to start which definitely got a buzz going being on a empty stomach initially. I then tried a local peanut butter stout which was great as well. Majority of the beer ranges from $5 - $7 a pint depending on what it is. While it was still an enjoyable and mellow spot for a weekend brunch, I would definitely plan to come at 6pm or after to experience the beer stock exchange. Anyways, will definitely be back to try that at some point. 'Til next time, cheers! 250/365 read more

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Excellent tap list, excellent food, great service!! Love it. As soon as I sat down bartender was one step away filling up ice water cup. Asks the usual. Asks if I will need a food menu, which of course I do. Asks for my drink order and food order. Within a minute my drink is in front of me, my food takes about 5 minutes. Pretty quick for a full restaurant. Beer is cold fries are hot life is good. Fries were delicious! read more

Kalamazoo Beer Exchange - Chilli Cheese Fries - Gastropubs Near Me - Kalamazoo, Michigan

Still one of my favorite places in Kalamazoo. Great service too. The only complaint I have is that the 'exchange' part doesn't actually happen all the time, it started at 6 PM on Saturday. Seems like they would be do it all the time since that's the entire concept behind the place.. read more

What a cool concept! The prices fluctuate like a stock market - when demand is high, prices go up (so you can find yourself paying $13 for a cider), when demand is low, prices stay low. Throughout the night, the market will crash (as signaled by a PA announcement over the speakers throughout the restaurant). From a behavioral perspective, the beer exchange probably encourages way too much hoarding when the market crashes but hey that's the fun of it right?! Also, the bar food is pretty solid here. I had the: *Beer Battered Fried Pickles ($6) - It's a little aggressive that they were fried pickle SPEARS, but I loved them anyway haha. *KBE with added bacon & egg - It leaned medium rare, but it was really juicy and tasty. The brioche bun managed the weight of the bacon, egg and patty like a champ. I was so stuffed that I couldn't even finish the fries and I love wedge fries! Market opens at 6pm daily so plan accordingly! read more

Kalamazoo Beer Exchange - KBE - Gastropubs Near Me - Kalamazoo, Michigan

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What's more fun than watching beer prices plummet and sky-rocket while eating good food? Not much! We enjoy the feeling of excitement and anticipation just walking into this place. The concept is pretty brilliant, really. Any old bar can be any old bar and they've created a fun way to stand out AND charge you for it! The food is good, although it was better about a year ago. (The portion size has gone down significantly, but it still tastes pretty good, they're just less careful with making it look good) The portabella sandwich is great and their nachos are better than most. read more

Kalamazoo Beer Exchange - Portabella sandwich is good - Gastropubs Near Me - Kalamazoo, Michigan

The experience of this restaurant is fun! The beer prices change every 15 minutes based on what people are drinking in the bar. The food was great I highly recommend the turkey sandwich! read more

Kalamazoo Beer Exchange - Gastropubs Near Me - Kalamazoo, Michigan

I have been here a few times before today, and came in today for my birthday and I feel confident in my ability to finally review KBE. The staff here are so kind from the hosts on up to management. Speaking of management, they are visible every time I come in and that's something I find important. The staff all work together as a team. Table gets up two or three servers are already cleaning even if it isn't in their section. The open kitchen is really nice. You can see everyone working and communicating back there, it can be warm sitting near it but it's so much fun to see all the hard work. I'm thankful for the extra touch the kitchen put in my birthday dessert. Small touches go far (see attached picture) My group had the hummus, huge portion of veggies and hearty hummus portion as well with some pita, the blue plate, Penne Bolognese, and the fresh catch, Sesame Tuna. All of it was prepared to perfection. I partook in the Framboise Cheesecake it was so good. It even has pop rocks on it! We were there for the start of the stock market, which is neat for the varying beer prices. I'm more of a cocktail fan so I got the Toronto, delicious, though I'm glad I only had one since I was driving home! A combo of Rye Whiskey and Fernet would have anyone seeing double after too! I'm grateful for the staff for making this birthday dinner so enjoyable and I look forward to going back again and again. Also thank you to our server Travis for being on top of everything and having he answers to our questions! read more

Kalamazoo Beer Exchange - Framboise Cheesecake dessert with special touch from the kitchen. - Gastropubs Near Me - Kalamazoo, Michigan

Interesting place! The beer prices change every fifteen minutes, and every so often there's a "crash," when prices drop super low. I ordered a pineapple cider for $6.25 right before a crash (after the crash, it was $3.25!) which was unfortunate, haha. But at one point it was $7. They also have pool and pinball here which was fun, and there's an upstairs area if you want to have food. I'm glad we stopped here, it was a fun night! read more

Kalamazoo Beer Exchange - Exterior - Gastropubs Near Me - Kalamazoo, Michigan

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This bar is in an old mill that has been remodeled, it is a cool spot with pinball machines, pool tables, TVs, and two bars. I was hoping the beer exchange was live, but I guess it was too early. It happened to be happy hour...1/2 price canned beer. I ordered the French onion soup and it was delicious. read more

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What a unique concept! The beer prices go up and down based on the beer "stock market", and the prices change every 15 minutes. Once in a while, there will be an alarm and the screens will announce a stock market crash, and all the prices drop for a short period of time. It's a fun time and worth checking out. You want to get the beers for which the prices are red, meaning they have just dropped. The beers are generally pretty cheap though! They can range from $2 to $13. The beer selection is good and varied. I have had food here but that was months ago, and I don't remember what I had (bar food) but I remember it being decent. There are games and pool tables, but overall the bar feels a bit small. If you are lucky to get a table or a seat at the bar, take it and stay there. It's the best spot anyway. read more

Really wanted to like this place - outside is awesome and menu looked good. When I travel I always sit at the bar if possible. Downside is when the person behind the bar is engrossed in conversation at the outside bar area. I can take that but when they look up, see me, make eye contact and then turn around again to continue their conversation I walk; read more

The hubbie and I stopped by a Saturday evening while in downtown Kalamazoo. While the food was good, we were surprised by the lack of social distancing, since Michigan is still enforcing strict social distancing for restaurants and bars. Aside from wearing masks when not seated, it was as if we were dining pre-CoVid. Entrance/Checkin area - There was a sign asking customers to social distance, but no indications of reduced capacity. Lots of groups were mingling both on the entry area and the immediate outside entrance. Outside tables are available but not spaced the recommended 6ft. The main dining area - No social distanced tables or booths and all seated areas were filled to capacity. While most tables were restricted to 4-6, we saw at least one booth seated with 7 people. - Every seat at the bar was filled, with no attempt to block out space in between the different parties. - The staff working in the kitchen area were observed occasionally lowering their masks while working the line, quickly pulling up their masks when they realized they were being watched. Downstairs area - No evidence of staff enforcing the state mask mandate, as patrons were observed not wearing them when congregating in the common play areas (pool tables, day boards, pinball machines) - Like the upstairs bar area, the downstairs communal seating area was NOT being sectioned off, with people sitting shoulder to shoulder & mask less. We saw at least several groups of 6-8 people sitting next to each other. read more

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Service was slow and food was horrid. Not the place I remember. When presented to the manager he took $6 off our bill. It's too bad . This place used to be good read more

Good sampling of beer. I wasn't feeling the gastropub offerings so we didn't eat. The menu was slightly odd. Like a wedge salad with russian dressing. Russian dressing? Isn't that what you put on a Big Mac? Anyway beer was good, fun atmosphere helpful bartender. Would go back for drinks but maybe not for dinner. read more