I asked for a ginger beer to go with a rum aka dark & stormy. The waitress brought me a bottle of ginger flavoured locally made beer ABV 5.6% poured into a pint glass with ice & a shot of rum.... I wanted a nice harsh ginger soda with rum, not a beer with a shot of rum so diluted by beer and ice. I tried to nicely explain to the bartender beer & rum are not a good combo. He tried to argue in his 18 yrs of bar tending ALL ginger beers contained alcohol. I try not to argue with the under educated but as a bartender myself I knew it was an unfair battle. This seems like a popular hangout if you are a beer drinker. But if liquor is your thing be warned of the bar tending lack of knowledge. read more

Sorry to be the hater here but I did NOT have a good time here. Things started out very well when we stopped in for a quick beer before eating down the street. The young guy with the blonde beard served us and was friendly when we returned for the post-dinner drinks. The problem started when my husband stepped on to the back patio for a smoke. he didn't know that you couldn't smoke out there (there was no signage, he looked, and some bars in Chicago, where we live, allow patio smoking) and one of the bartenders came flying back and said, "put it out NOW, I'm NOT getting fined because of you." He started to put it out and exhaled as he bent down; then the guy said something like, "don't blow your f-ing smoke in my face" and stood there until my Mr. (who apologized and said he didn't know not to smoke there) came back in to the bar. A few minutes later my husband went out front to finish the cig and a different guy came over to our table and told me and my friend that there is no smoking on the patio. We don't smoke. We left soon after because it was so freakin' uncomfortable in there after that; the bartender seemed to keep looking over at us and the waitress came by more often... all of this could have been avoided by posting a sign that read: No Smoking on Patio. The two stars are for good beer at good prices. The negative 3 stars are for bad attitude. read more

Not a bad bar. More IPA's than anything else. Not bad music and not bad vibe. A little over the top as far as the hipster scene goes. Not a bad place to kill some time though! read more

This is my favorite bar in GR. The atmosphere is great and absolutely not the douchy frat boy crowd that you find in most bars downtown. Painted red and decorated with art. Drinks are pretty cheap. No cover charge. They even have an outdoor seating area with heat lamps, and some fun art painted on the wall as well. Amazing. There was even a lady from GRPD who came by selling pizza to people, which is so convenient at a bar at 1 AM. Who could ask for more? read more

Dark, loud, cheap and awesome. If you are looking to get absolutely annihilated for about the same price as you would at home whilst playing pinball and pac-man, you have found your watering hole. read more

I love this place. It seriously keeps getting better and better. For a while, my best friend and I went every Tuesday, and I have not had a bad experience yet. The staff is wonderful and the beers are delicious. The music is awesome and not too loud. No cover. And the best part is that the prices are very reasonable and they actually take good care of their beer. After 12 days(?) they replace the keg before the beer starts to get stale. I also really love HopCat but I noticed that they charge $7 for Dragon's Milk in a 12 oz. snifter. The Meanwhile charged $5. for an ENTIRE PINT. oh em geezies. It's the best. read more

If you're aged 25-35, white, and tattooed, this bar is for you. With a wide variety of fairly priced beers, ,the Meanwhile is the quintessential Grand Rapids art dive. The first thing you'll notice when you get here is the huge selection of art to buy with a wide variety of mediums and subject matters. If you're in GR for Art Prize, this would be a perfect fit for 1 beer or 7. read more

Cheap, chill and creative events. Beer garden, local first participant, with daily specials. Greatness in an establishment. I don't want to go anywhere else now that I am in love with this place. read more

Unique bar in Grand Rapids, definitely a fan. It has a indie vibe, and although I don't wear tight jeans I love this bar because it is dark, smokey, has cheap drinks, and plays legit bar music, not hip hop like other "bars." read more

The vibe is pretty cool. There is a juke box, which might be fun. I got a margarita, which was pretty good, and a rum and coke, which wasn't as good. Kind of warm. I am not in a big hurry to go back but it's close to my house so I might go eventually. read more

This is pretty much the epitome of a hipster bar. Very friendly people, staff included, and great choices for Ciders and beer. I love to go here to just relax and meet new people. read more

I agree with Timothy over there. This is a place that is long overdue in Grand Rapids. It's got all the best parts of a local bar and the staff is great. My only complaint is that it's pretty smokey, but in Michigan it's hard to find a bar that doesn't allow smoking. Plus, now that the beer garden is open, it's not that much of a problem. I suggest going on Monday through Thursday when it's a little less crowded and they have drink specials. read more

Holy hipster heaven! I don't mean that in a bad way, I'd rather hang here than most other bars. Interesting decor, and it's refreshing to go to a bar where they play decent music. I haven't been in a long time but would go again. read more

A great bar overall. I've heard mutterings that the crowd is kind of selective, and they'd be right since 99.9% are white and in their 20s or 30s. But that being said, they get their share of hipsters, punks, nerds, theater kids, stoners, greasers, freaks, geeks, and you name it. The drinks are fairly strong, which is a plus, but their juke box kind of sucks. A lot of times the bar tenders will put on an ipod or something and that can be cool, but the music you have control over is very limited, and I'm honestly not sure who it's supposed to cater to. Also, it can be extremely loud even on a slow night. They crank that shit whether you like it or not. However, they do have a hammerhead shark mounted behind the bar, a variety of pin ball machines, and a back patio that's great on a warm night. read more

We came through town on a road trip from SF. Great patio, great cocktails and fun people to talk to on a warm summer night. Thanks for bringing us Ron! read more

Definitely one of my top five. Top three probably. All the staff are super nice, the prices are amazing and better than most bars in GR, with regular drink specials and creative mixed drinks like the aforementioned Vern Ehlers. The place has super nice decor, sort of like a 50's diner that got taken over by the white stripes or something, with pinball, local art on the walls, and one of the most diverse jukeboxes in the area. Of course depending on your personality you'll have to choose your times carefully, if you get there after 10 or 11 on any given day you're taking your chances that the place might be completely packed with hipster doofuses making the place all kinds of smokey and kind of a loud shitfest, but even then I'd rather be here than most other GR bars. Also sometimes hilarity ensues given the clientele. (One of my best memories is watching this kid who thought he was Bob Dylan reincarnate go from table to table playing shitty folk songs, and watching him get ejected in the nicest way possible even though he was completely belligerent.) read more

I'm in love w/ the Meanwhile I must say...and after living in GR for 32 years and being of drinking age for 11 of those years, let's just say I've been to alot of bars. Always being a fan of Eastown, I would frequent Mulligan's quite a bit back in my early/mid twenties. I never went there for the bar itself or the atmosphere, so much as I did because I would always find friends there. Having said that however, I always hated the music that was being played, the fact that I could never get a seat or a drink, and just the noise level in general. So I stopped going for about 4 years because I just got older, and decided it wasn't worth the irritation. A few years later...enter The Meanwhile. A bar after my own heart...still in Eastown, with hip art decorating the walls, clean, not too loud, reasonable priced drinks, dark and THE BEST JUKEBOX IN TOWN. The juke box alone was enough reason for me to keep coming back...nowhere else can I find The Pixies, Tom Waits, David Bowie, and the Dead Milkmen at a bar...it's like I dropped my own album collection in there, and you'll very frequently find me shoving dollars into it :) To sum it all up, this is in my opinion the best bar in GR and long overdue. Ever since I discovered it, I won't go anywhere else! Update: 2017..this place has gone way downhill as far as I can tell. Their service is absolutely awful. I feel like I'm invisible whenever I go because I'll be standing at the bar (no one else at the bar) for several minutes, while being completely ignored by the bartender on duty. When he finally did bother taking my order, he was so rude about it I was hesitant to even hand over my cash. I stopped going to this place around 2012, it just went so downhill. Now it's just a hang out for a bunch of 21 yr old "hipsters". That, on top of the awful service, is reason enough for me to not enjoy it anymore. It's too bad really, because that jukebox was amazing. read more

The Jameson shots are on point. Missed the old staff, most have parted.

This is my spot. It is close to my house so I am here a few times a week. I love the African American woman that waits there. Everyone that works there in general is legit. Nice backyard feel patio and decent beer selections. The music can get a little loud in here at times but it is usually something good. read more

I LOVE this bar, they have a uniquely different variety of craft beers, the thing that I like most about this is that I am gluten free and they even have a great selection of beer for us gluten free folks. read more

The Meanwhile covers all the basics. Friendly and efficient staff, comfortable atmosphere, they allow smoking (you can sit outside if it's too much for you), and nothing is over priced. It also has no TVs, and it's far enough away from Ionia street to keep all the random bar hoppers out. Sitting in the beer garden out back feels just like having a picnic with your friends. During the day the staff picks out their favorite music and during the night the jukebox plays local music as well as bar classics. The bike racks are always as, if not more crowded then the parking lot. The Meanwhile and it's staff are all very active in the community. The people serving you your drinks are people you run into when you go to art shows, to fundraisers, events, local music shows, etc. There is local art on the wall, and the bar puts on all sorts of charitable events. It's a great bar! read more

This is the true meaning of a local bar, local people. I have moved out of GR a few years back, but always come to the Meanwhile when I get to the SE side. Great selection, great music. read more

Very cool looking bar. Eclectic environment. Lot of hipsters at night. Good times!

Hipsters galore. Cool bar, cooler owner. Solar panels on the roof. Cheap beers, micro brews, record player behind the bar, a few arcade games. Never a bad time. Meanwhile Film Series is awesome too. Check em out. read more

Super hipster, strong drinks. You get what you pay for (in every way). I'd definitely go back though. Just make sure you're ready for the noise. Not a first date place, unless you are comfortable shouting at on another. read more

My wife and I were at the Meanwhile having a drink at about 6:30 Wednesday evening. I saw a couple of well dressed gentlemen come in with two kids. The kids were cute maybe 11 and 8....not really sure. Apparently they were excited to play pinball. The bartender came over and told them they had to leave. Apparently no children aloud. One of the guys asked if they could play pinball for a bit and have a couple of beers. The bartender said No! We can refuse anyone! My jaw dropped to the floor. The place was almost empty and they had customers who wanted to spend money. Maybe they have to much. One of the guys went over and was very polite and asked if they could stay for just a few minutes. The bartender said to the guy "Your being obnoxious" Yes he said this to someone that wanted to spend money and have a good time. I am disgusted and will never frequent this place again. I guess there is a reason why this guy is a bartender at a dumpy bar. Do yourself a favor and stay away. We will be sure to tell all our friends. Shame on you!!! Meanwhile! read more

I can't think of a single complaint. Probably the best bar in Grand Rapids. I love the bright red walls and the cozy booths. Great selection of Michigan beers. I was also struck by how clean it was for a hipster bar - even the bathrooms, from what I recall. I really prefer this place over Mulligan's, which is seedy and has an awful jukebox in comparison. I'm extremely disturbed to read another reviewer's (quite recent) experience of having a date-rape drug slipped into her drink here, however. read more

In my opinion it's a decent place for a cheap beer. They have $3 pitchers on Monday nights which is awesome, but that's probably the only time I'd go there. It's a little dirty but what college bar isn't? Very interesting and unique decorations all over, and they have a sort of courtyard with a bunch of picnic tables in the back which is nice in the warmer months if you want to get some fresh air and a quieter atmosphere. read more

My wife and I were at the Meanwhile having a drink at about 6:30 Wednesday evening. I saw a couple of well dressed gentlemen come in with two kids. The kids were cute maybe 11 and 8....not really sure. Apparently they were excited to play pinball. The bartender came over and told them they had to leave. Apparently no children aloud. One of the guys asked if they could play pinball for a bit and have a couple of beers. The bartender said No! We can refuse anyone! My jaw dropped to the floor. The place was almost empty and they had customers who wanted to spend money. Maybe they have to much. One of the guys went over and was very polite and asked if they could stay for just a few minutes. The bartender said to the guy "Your being obnoxious" Yes he said this to someone that wanted to spend money and have a good time. I am disgusted and will never frequent this place again. I guess there is a reason why this guy is a bartender at a dumpy bar. Do yourself a favor and stay away. We will be sure to tell all our friends. Shame on you!!! Meanwhile! read more

a plethora of booze to choose from, ranging from cheap-ass black label to scrumpy's organic cider to the aptly conceived "vern ehlers" cocktail. lots of different beers, always well-priced. good specials. some top notch bartenders. best jukebox in the midwest. friendly staff, no pretentiousness. it's pretty smoky, but after a couple of stiff drinks you won't even notice. lots of parking in back, but i'd walk or cab it. there's a bus stop right outside the front door, too. read more