Staple dive bar in the downtown Kalamazoo area. This place has been around for awhile. Even the…read morecollege kids are starting to realize what a cool place this is (maybe to the dismay of the management as I'm not sure they want that crowd). The food is classic bar food. The burgers are thick and juicy and clearly made with love. They had closed down the grill just as we arrived and when I asked if it was too late for food, they went ahead at fired that baby back up! THAT WAS SUPER NICE! I ordered the olive burger and it was perfectly cooked with a heaping amount of mayo and olives mixed in alongside lettuce and tomato. The meal includes your choice of chips, fries or tater tots. I opted for the tots and was not disappointed. My son ordered the cheeseburger with chips and was also quite pleased. The beer was cold and bartenders were happy to make sure all of us chilling at the bar were taken care of. Even offered me a shot!

Best burger beautiful medium rare, everything about this was perfect!…read more Service: excellent Liked the "lots of people have been here before lived in vibe"

We visited again on this last trip to Kalamazoo. I do still wish there were more gin and vodka…read moreoptions. I feel like they all were kind of similar? I wish that the lime and orange came through more, they both leaned very heavy on the bitter end which I wasn't expecting for both (one, sure, but not the other) I hope I find some brighter, citrus flavors on the next visit. We will always come back. It doesn't stay open super late so we gor kicked out lol but we always have a good time.

Top spot in Kalamazoo! Creative drinks, knowledgeable and friendly bartenders, and a fantastic…read moreamaro selection. The meat and cheese board is perfect with cocktails. The team make the experience fun without any arrogance highly recommend!

Great place for a upclass meal in a relaxing atmosphere. The whitefish and flank steak melted in…read moreour mouths. Next time we come to the west side of the state it is a place we will come back to.

Our server was great but I didn't catch his name. Lighting in the rest was dim and intimate, great…read morefor a special occasion. I went for a friend's birthday and we had a large group that they were able to accommodate. The grilled zucchini was phenomenal and I had the swordfish for dinner was loved it. Peanut butter banana split was a great way to end the night. Some people had wine, mocktails, and cocktails and everyone enjoyed their drink. Overall great experience and would go here again for a meal! This spot is right downtown so parking wasn't ideal, but downtown Kalamazoo parking isn't bad, so we only had about a 5 minute walk to dinner.

Dyngus Day menu. All food was purchased from distributors. Cabbage rolls were bland, not served…read morehot, very little sauce, potatoes were on menu as red skins. They were deep fried, so they were at least hot($16). Kielbasa was sliced( small portion), same potatoes as with cabbage rolls, menu said cabbage and onion, not enough on plate to even be listed on menu($14). The food here is generally always served with pride. Not sure what is going on in kitchen. These meals were overpriced, for what came out of their kitchen.

Friday fish fry is a must! Great service and food. Hey it's been around since just after…read moreWW1.....Enough said!

If you're looking for a swanky place to go in Kalamazoo, SkyDeck is your place. I always feel like…read morethe drinks are a good $2 more than the other bars in the Entertainment District, and there's only the 1 bar so you may have to wait if it's busy. Oh, but it's never been busy when I've gone. Background music was playing, and yes you can get a view of the city, but there's a lot of cranes and building going on now, and you're only really 7 stories up. I wish they'd move the smoking section (or get rid of it altogether) since you have to walk through a cloud of smoke to get to the bathrooms...

Upon moving to Kalamazoo, Skydeck took somewhat of a mythical status in my mind. Who wouldn't want…read moreto live it up on the tallest bar in Kzoo? The fact that you can't see it's layout from the ground floor lends to the allure. All this is to say that I created a legend in my head that sadly wasn't true. Skydeck was interesting, fun for a night, and not much more. Perhaps it's for this reason that I gave it an average rating. But I also think that there were a few flaws regarding the space and I'll lay them out here. First and foremost, you pay a premium to be in this space, both in the form of a cover ($10, nothing insane) and an apparent tariff on the drinks (maybe it's handling fees for hauling it all up so high?). Either way, you should expect to be a bit gouged for cash. Not all of the drinks are insane, but mixed drinks are pricey, and some of their "signature" drinks top $12. Now, initially, this might seem like a fair trade: a bit extra for high quality drinks and a higher quality view. But here's the rub: it's a small space, it's packed, and the edge seats go first. For me and my group to enjoy the breathtaking view of Kalamazoo, we would have to stand or share tables. It's difficult to blame them for being popular. That being said, I don't really feel like we received the main feature of the venue. A friend of mine put it sagely: it's a great date spot, or celebration, but you don't go their to drink. You go there for the experience. Therefore, this won't become one of my "regular spots." Here are some positives to end on: -Amazing view of the city -Great ambiance, especially at night -Wonderful service -Elevator!

The business regularly advertises a Free Bowling Wednesday event that takes place every Wednesday…read moreand encourages people to come starting at 4 PM. We arrived exactly at 4 PM after seeing this weekly promotion on social media. Upon arrival, the venue was empty, yet we were completely denied access to bowling due to a private event, and told that no bowling customers would be allowed until 6 PM. Before anything else, I want to clarify an important point: "Free" does not mean customers should be treated poorly. Free events are often meant to introduce people to a business, attract new customers, and create a welcoming first impression. Offering something for free does not justify rude behavior, dismissive communication, or shifting responsibility onto customers. Respect and basic courtesy should apply regardless of whether an event is paid or free. What bothered me most was not being turned away, but the blame-shifting that followed. When a business publicly advertises "Free Bowling Wednesdays" and encourages people to show up at 4 PM, it is reasonable for customers to rely on that information. Adding the word "limited" on social media posts does not communicate that no bowling customers are allowed at all until 6 PM due to a private event. Those are two very different messages. Instead of acknowledging the lack of clear communication, the responsibility was shifted onto us as customers with statements like "you should have called." This is unfair. Customers should not be expected to double-check an advertised public event by phone when no such instruction was mentioned. What made the experience more disappointing was the lack of empathy no apology, no ownership of the confusion, and no attempt to acknowledge how frustrating it is to arrive on time to an empty venue and still be denied entry. This review is not about complaining. It's about accountability. Clear communication and basic courtesy go a long way, and this situation could have been handled very differently with a simple acknowledgment and apology.

This place has tons of potential, but a lack of communication. Came in to pay to bowl, asked for 60…read moreminutes(never bowled before so I didn't know) for 2 people, they said a 60 minute wait, but maybe sooner. Had they informed me that a shorter bowl would result in me getting in sooner, I would've selected a shorter timespan. Either way, I decided to give them a chance, selected a seltzer (the cheapest at around .35 cents/ounce) and my drink came out to $10! It left me confused. Then proceed to go drink and watch the bowlers and there were 3 open lanes out of 4. For 20+ minutes, not a single group came in to bowl. As I was watching, it became increasingly clear that the host at the entrance wasn't trained to ensure everyone gets a chance, or for clear communication. Only positive? My drink was good, the few customers in there seemed to enjoy themselves. Just don't come to bowl, you wont get in. Look at the previous reviews, I am not the first to complain about this. Also, it looks like whomever is supposed to be checking these reviews doesn't care as there seem to be no responses to rectify these issues.

Yes! Awesome experience here at Bell's Eccentric Cafe. Perfect weather so we sat on the super cozy,…read morespacious patio, bar service only. I got a flight of seasonal drafts, each delicious. Super soft pretzel with delicious pimento cheese spread for an appetizer for the win with a side of popcorn. Every burger we tried was was top notch. Fresh cut fries were perfection. They also have some tasty desserts- maybe I'll have enough room for it next time! Great venue; concerts, spacious, great for large groups, family, dates. Merch store attached. A must when in KZOO!! Staple!

Interesting place. It's a walk up bar. You place your order then find a seat. The smashburger was…read moreawesome! One of the best burgers I've had in a while. It came with a nice helping of salad. They offer fries but I also got the deviled eggs so that was plenty. The deviled eggs were very good. I'll be back!

What a cool place! I'm unsure what it has to do with Shakespeare (I thought there would be some…read moresort of theme, but didn't seem apparent). The service was great! We were seated right away and our server was very attentive. We started with the cheese curds and some beers. The selection of beers was huge! Beers are reasonably priced and the curds were delicious. Wasn't a huge fan of the ranch, but the marinara was very flavorful. I got the small southwest nachos. It was still big enough for 2 meals. These were amazing! The queso is made from scratch and really elevates the dish. All other ingredients were fresh and delicious. My friend had the dill club sandwich and said it was great as well! Overall a fantastic experience. Would definitely return.

Went to watch some March Madness basketball at Shakespeare's while in town a couple of months ago…read more We were able to grab a seat wherever we wanted in the upstairs bar area (the lower level is a music venue). Our server brought over some free popcorn and we ordered drinks. They had some deals going on ($1.50 off New Belgium beers). There were plenty of TVs to watch and the vibe was pleasant. As it got busier, our server disappeared more, but we weren't in a hurry. We got the small order of southwest nachos for a snack to share - these were really good. I was kind of surprised at how small the order was honestly, but it was fine to split between the two of us. The chips were crispy, the toppings were plentiful, and I loved the cheesiness. Overall we had a good experience and I'd stop in again to catch a game.

First time here and we were genuinely excited to check the place out. The woman helping us was…read moresuper nice and doing a great job explaining the drink menu! My dad asked if they had Miller Lite, and before she could even finish explaining their drink options, a random guy in a Pokémon shirt appeared from behind the counter like a side quest character and told us we had to leave because my dad was "drunk." We had been there maybe 5 minutes. No yelling, no chaos. We waited patiently at the counter until it was our turn to order. Just one innocent Miller Lite question. I was so confused and honestly disappointed. So unfortunately I can confirm... If you're looking for Miller Lite, this is apparently the most offensive thing you can ask for here. I do not recommend asking for a Miller Lite. Do not ask for a Miller Lite.

I'll start off by saying that I'm not a gamer. I never played video games as a kid, or adolescent…read moreand I think I can count on my hands how many times I've picked up a video game controller. I came here with my boyfriend while visiting one time and I still managed to have a good time. The drink menu isn't anything spectacular but there is something for everybody. We visited one time when it was pitcher drink specials and we got a gin and tonic with lime. It was. A bit heavy on the tonic bitterness and not too balanced, but was not bad. The bf usually plays the same games when we go to a game bar... Galaga being the top choice. I don't recall them having that. We did play some pac man and then hit the road because it was sooooop loud from karaoke. Fun vibe. Worth it if you like games or just want a different experience.

Restaurant Name: The Old goat tavern…read more Dish: pickle chips, BELT, The forty eighty Date Visited:3/15/26 First Impressions: The atmosphere is wonderful it has pick your seat seating a very lovely bar where you can see them make your food multiple TVs to watch the games and a front and back entrance. It's a pretty peaceful college bar next to a really nice coffee shop. Presentation - 10/10 Taste & Flavor - 10/10 When getting food here you can get a good variety of spicy and savory especially when it comes to their burgers their drinks are made with much care. Nothing is too overpowering Portion Size - 10/10 I have a very small stomach so things tend to fill me up regardless however my husband is an endless pit and the burger seemed to fill him up for the time being. Value for your money? I would say you get a good value and a full meal for the price you're going to pay You get good service especially on a Sunday when there's only a very few people in there and you're just trying to relax. ‍ Service - 10/10 The service in overall 10 out of 10 The bartender was extremely friendly kept a decent conversation going & greeted us when we entered, most of the staff is college students so you know they're working hard when it comes to both school and being servers. Overall Rating: 10/10 Final Verdict: The Old goat tavern is by far place I would return to especially for a quick bite and something that's going to kill me up for a cheap price. It's good for a night out on the town or just drinks with friends they have a wide variety of drinks and drafts and a good burger. I highly recommend giving this place a try if you haven't already they live up to the hype.

Service wasn't the best. The server took forever to grab our order because he was so busy talking…read moreto the other workers behind the bar. I added our total up and it should've been 42.98 based off of their menu prices but they add a 4% operating surcharge. Insane in my opinion. Lost our business for sure. It's not the customers responsibility to pay your employees.