Downbar is the closest thing to a home town bar you can get to in this chaotic city! The staff is all so welcoming and kind. Jeramie, robin, and prea all make you feel like you have known them your entire life and really cater to their crowd. I have never seen a more efficient bar in operation at peak business. If you want good drinks and a good time i highly recommend this spot! read more

As Michigan State fans, we still really enjoyed the ambiance of the Pretzel Bell. Loved the vibes and the cubby seating we were sat at. I'm glad we stopped here after the Toledo vs EMU game we went to. We didn't order drinks, but the drink menu looked really good. We started with the pretzel, which came out very fast. It was buttery and soft and had the perfect amount of salt. My steak fajita salad was very good. Loved the dressing and all of the toppings. The steak was seasoned perfectly too. Our server was kind and checked on us often. read more

The Pretzel Bell - Menu - Bars Near Me - Ann Arbor, Michigan

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Very good food and amazing waitress! Her name is Amanda. She was very helpful, and though she didn't answer all my questions, she tried to find the answers, which was appreciated. At the end she blessed us with a very filling brownie sundae on her. she was very positive. read more

The Pretzel Bell - Fish and chips - Bars Near Me - Ann Arbor, Michigan

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A great spot! I love the story behind the pretzel bell! I got a salad when coming here and it was delicious. Our server was super nice and accommodated all of our dietary request. read more

I've been here several times and it never disappoints. They recently changed their pretzels. They're SO much better. More fluffy, soft and buttery. Similar to an auntie Anne's pretzel. I love the build your own salad. They also have delicious sweet potato fries. They're regular fries are crispy and they have tater tots! read more

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12-21-2023 Came w/ sons and gf before an Ark show. Super convenient. Our server, Edward, was friendly and efficient. Decent ambiance and the food was good, with the french dip and baked pretzel as stand outs. Our grilled cajun salmon was a bit disappointing, overcooked and not very cajun read more

Cute place, had a bunch of old Michigan pics all over. The food was good no complaints but it wasn't anything to rave about. The pretzel was tasty, burger was cooked well. No complaints just nothing special about it. Service was good as well. There is no parking lot, only street parking. read more

Stopped in when in town for a game. They were able to accommodate our large party of twelve which was awesome. The atmosphere was loud but fun. The food was all good quality with a nice variety for everyone. Would be back again. read more

Been here a few times now and I really like it! The hot pretzel on the appetizer menu is always so good, and they used to have pulled pork sliders that I love. The menu has changed up a bit recently, so I got the Pbell chicken sandwich with sweet potato fries. My partner got the Varsity burger and rated it a 9/10. A little pricey in my opinion but definitely would return read more

The Pretzel Bell - Chicken sandwich with sweet potato fries - Bars Near Me - Ann Arbor, Michigan

This place is awesome, but the service is really what brought down my experience. A lot of our plates took a long time to come out with a lot of mistakes on the customizations. Additionally, they forgot some of our appetizers. The food was great though once it came out, very sharable for the large group I was with and the atmosphere was very fun with sports games on the television. The pretzel is obviously a must and the baked potato bites are also a great sharable plate. I got the iceberg wedge salad, which was super good and the salmon is also a delicious options. read more

The Pretzel Bell - Iceberg salad with the cheeseburger! - Bars Near Me - Ann Arbor, Michigan

Solid restaurant. We started with the pretzel appetizer, which was good a little small if you're sharing, but nothing spectacular. The burger was also very good a decent size but not out of this world. The sweet potato fries were delicious. I would definitely go back but with all the fantastic restaurants in Ann Arbor there's better. Service was good a fast. Nice place to watch a game. Not cheap but appropriate prices. read more

The Pretzel Bell - Burger with sweet potato fries - Bars Near Me - Ann Arbor, Michigan

We came here with a group of kids and parents to celebrate their graduation. One of the parent booked this place, downstairs for our party. We have more than 20 people. Ordered a lot of food and drink. Their Brussels spouts, cauliflower, chicken wings, all very good and tasty. I also get their grilled salmon, very nice too with lot of veggie. Service is prompt and friendly. We have a good time there. read more

The Pretzel Bell - Bars Near Me - Ann Arbor, Michigan

The food was really good. The atmosphere was awesome. The service was great. I had the Cuban sandwich. It was super delicious. I also had a house salad with tater tot's. It was really delicious. I would go back there again. read more

Food was great (love the burgers!) and the vibe awesome on a football game day! Service was fantastic also. Love the cozy booths -very good for families or with friends. Wish they carried more cider and not just beer/wine/cocktails (they had one cider on the menu but were out of stock when I was there on a football game day) read more

Better than average bar food with a fun game area in the downstairs area. I tried the nachos, a burger, and some wings. All were good quality with the nachos probably the best of the bunch. read more

Food is below average for price. Chicken sandwich tasted like a frozen chicken patty. Very overpriced for the quality of the food. Service was not the best either. The atmosphere is good here though, but i would not come here if I'm stopping by for one meal in ann arbor. will not be returning read more

I arrived with friends for an afternoon snack around 3pm. The waitress informed us that they offer $2 off appetizers during this time. The American comfort food menu looked interesting but we tried the pretzels and the On Board V which was a selection of 3 artisan cheeses with fig jam, house-pickled vegetables, crostini, dijon mustard, and some kind of butter mix. It was the perfect after lunch snack. I also really enjoyed the spacious restaurant with private booth seating and fun Michigan memorabilia. read more

The Pretzel Bell - Board V appetizer which is a selection of artisan cheeses with fig jam, house-pickled vegetables, crostini and some kind of butter mix. - Bars Near Me - Ann Arbor, Michigan

With primo real estate on a corner of Ann Arbor's Main Street, it's hard to miss Pretzel Bell. I visited recently with friends during a UM football game to watch all of the action and to check the place out. Pretzels have long been a favorite snack food of mine, so a place named Pretzel Bell was sure to grab my attention. Happily, I can report that the pretzel was a highlight of the evening. It was exactly what I would look for in a hot pretzel from a place with the word "pretzel" in its name. Service, however, left something to be desired. The place wasn't too crowded considering it was a game night. We were quickly seated and waited quite a while for our server to come on by. She took our drink orders and we continued to wait. It was probably 20 minutes before our server returned with drinks, although we craned our necks to see where she was, especially those of us who had only ordered water. We placed food orders at that time, and they returned in a decent amount of time. But then it was easily another hour before we saw her again -- maybe she was on break, but nobody stopped by to see how we were in the meantime. By the time our checks came, we were all so disappointed in the service that someone in our party who isn't from the US even asked, "What's the lowest amount it's acceptable to tip here?" I loved the vibe of the place on game day and the huge pretzel hit the spot, so I will plan to return. I'll just probably keep my eyes peeled and make sure I get a different server next time. read more

If it's got pretzel in the name it better be one good pretzel - they are! Nice service and solid food. Will return next time in Ann Arbor.

Food was okay. But the cheesecake was the best! So good! Server Manny was nice and made us feel welcomed!

My friend and I went to the downstairs bar area. He drinks, I don't. I was DD that night. We went to the bathroom having a jolly chat and someone else was in the bathroom and they left. Apparently he was a bouncer and he came back with 2 bouncers into the bathroom and said my friend was too drunk, which he wasn't, and told us to leave now. He didn't even order anything yet. All he was doing was talking. There were like 5 people at the bar at 10:30pm on a Saturday. It's places like this that are destroying Ann Arbor's once great nightlife. Pretzel Bell, you're letting your bouncers spy on patrons in the men's restroom. Shameful and weird. read more

In town for a rowing regatta at Ford Lake. Came after the teams departed. Nice spread of a dozen or so craft drafts (not 100% IPA's, but if that's your thing, they are well represented). Food surpassed expectations - excellent. As you would expect - the pretzel was top notch. Crew shared some orders of fish and chips - must say - they were some of the best we've had. Rivals any U.S. based Irish Pub. Definite winner. The cinnamon crusted, pretzel, ice cream, carmel dessert thing was crazy good. Again, if that's your flavors of choice - HIGHLY recommend. Rachel was our server and could not have been more attentive and engaging. Great place! Enjoy! read more

10/10 experience. They had a nice patio section and the food was good too. I ordered a Paloma with an appetizer of calamari and the burger with the pretzel bun. Overall, no complaints. read more

good food good service. stopped in for a quick bite and a drink. easy in and out. lots of good thing to choose from. Love downtown. for sure will be back read more

Food and service were excellent but the bill included a 3% surcharge for "rapidly rising costs." This is not transparent pricing. Inflation has returned to historically normal/pre-pandemic levels of nearly 2%. If your costs rise, raise your published prices and re-print your menus. Slipping in 3% at the time of payment is dishonest and predatory. I won't return or recommend to others given this practice. I left feeling cheated. read more

Place: Pretzel Bell is a main street restaurant and it is a good place to celebrate your birthday or for a celebration. OR a treat-yourself type of restaurant. There are many types of seats made for a couple of friends, a bar island, or a full party! Service: The service was beyond amazing! Our waiter really made us feel at home and even offered to take pictures for the birthday girl (my roommate). I was surprised how fast he came around and made sure our needs were met! Food/price The food was really good especially with the theme: PRETZEL! The price is up there but I think it is really worth. I had the Brussels sprouts appetizer and pretzel bell burger and it was 10/10! WORTH GUYS. Audience: Not really a family type more with friends because it does has a bar... Recommend/tips? TIP: If you are going for your birthday let them know it is your birthday... because you get a FREE dessert! They will melt in your mouth :)) read more

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Great spot for a casual dinner or a few standard drinks. The food is pricy but portions tend to be on the bigger side. Drinks are pretty standard, we typically come here for beer rather than cocktails. The fish and chips is my go-to entree - plenty of fries and the fish is super crispy. All the apps are good, too! read more

The Pretzel Bell - Gosh and chips - Bars Near Me - Ann Arbor, Michigan

The calamari was barely fired and and lacked flavor. The Cuban was pretty decent. Good flavor or meat

I brought my daughters to this restaurant for the first time. We sat in the cubby booths which they found creative. The atmosphere was live and filled with energy. Our waiter was good but lacked the energy the atmosphere was giving off. The waiter did their job and was attentive to our needs. The rating for the tacos was a 5. The burger was rated a 4. And the pizza was large and was definitely enough for 2 people. We were not a fan of the sauce but it did have a lot of veggies on it. read more

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If you haven't tried the build your own salad option, you really must. I highly recommend the carrot vinaigrette. So many options, great protein choices and super fresh ingredients. Pretzel Bell has the best outdoor patio and has become my lunchtime respite this summer. This salad is filling and fresh. Will fill you without making you feel full. Service can be slow at peak times, so be patient or go after 1pm. Inside is pretty cool too but you can't beat a good salad on the patio in the summer. read more

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Ella was great! Best server ever! She makes me want to come back all the time! Can't wait for my next time

Me and my boyfriend went on a Saturday night around 7:30 and it wasn't too busy. The hostess suggested we check out the downstairs so we did and sat at the bar. We got quick service and the drinks were good. We ordered the pepperoni pizza and it was fantastic. We've been on the hunt for some good detroit style pizza and this was just what we were looking for. The crust was thick and crispy but still light enough that I didn't feel like I was eating a brick of dough. Good flavor and it came out fast. No complaints 10/10 would recommend. read more

Disappointing. Ordered the tots appetizer- it came 2 minutes later stale and cold. Ordered a burger medium, came back well done. Wife ordered the Cuban - it had zero flavor. Pros? We didn't get to check it out, but the downstairs bar sounded busy and fun. We saw lots of people coming in solely for that, so maybe that's a better experience then we had. read more

Highly recommend ordering the Soft pretzel! It was bomb. It was soft and had a nice crunch and paired really well with both the mustard and cheese. The cheese has hint of horseradish or something similar in it. 5/5. The P b burger was okay. The pretzel bun was great the meat itself was a solid thick patty, but not super flavorful or anything extraordinary. Fries were also great! They were thin and crispy almost like a potato chip. The service was okay. If you come i recommend getting the pretzel under apps and sitting outside when the weather is nice. read more

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Pretzel Crusted Mac n' Cheese the breadcrumbs on top made the mac n' cheese crispy and delicious. The variety of cheeses created a very complex flavor. The perfect size, as I was able to eat as much as I wanted while sharing. Cubano Sandwich - Perfect combo of meats and bread is toasted just right. The sandwich was dripping from how juicy it was and required the napkins. The fries as a side are crispy and good with ranch. Birthday Brownie Sundae - Brownie was not warm enough and too crunchy. Additionally, did not particularly enjoy the salted part of the caramel. However, the ice cream was delicious. Overall, good and homey vibes. the booths were super cutie. The service was great and the employees were so kind, giving a birthday dessert deal! read more

i absolutely loved this place. i went there on game day with my family, so they were very busy, but the service was still great. the pretzel we ordered is not pictured, but it was amazing. it was the softest pretzel i've ever had, and the cheese was excellent. read more

The Pretzel Bell - loaded potato skins - Bars Near Me - Ann Arbor, Michigan

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A really solid go to restaurant if you're downtown looking for something eat and drink. Good place for celebrating too (B)

Stopped in here for lunch on a Saturday. It wasn't too full so we were seated right away. Our waitress was very friendly and attentive; our service was very quick! We ordered a beer and a mimosa from their mimosa bar. The mimosa bar is pretty cool - 4 juices and 3 types of fruit you can add to your champagne; I added mango and cranberry juices with some blueberries, a blackberry, and some strawberry. Very yummy! For food, they had a brunch menu which had limited lunch options (a handful of burger choices, some salads, and some appetizers, otherwise there was a good amount of breakfast food - pancakes, eggs, etc.). So we split two appetizers, the Brussel sprouts and the bbq chicken flatbread. The Brussel sprouts were AMAZING - so incredibly delicious that I would go back strictly for more. The flatbread was also good, but wasn't quite as yummy as the Brussels. I'll definitely give this place another visit sometime soon! read more

The Pretzel Bell - Brussel sprouts appetizer - Bars Near Me - Ann Arbor, Michigan

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Worst place I have eaten at in Ann Arbor. Such a waste of a place I went to when I could have went somewhere else. We don't get out to Ann Arbor often. But this was a big disappointment. The food was awful. Our waiter didn't even check on us once when we got our food. He took 20 minutes to even bring us our drinks to get started with. It was a terrible experience and I will be taking our business elsewhere. The icing on the cake was it cost over 50$ for two people to eat here and we didn't get any apps or alcoholic drinks. It was ridicules. read more

This place is a charming and comfortable spot to eat, hang out, and occasionally spread out and get some work done. The menu features plenty of appetizers for yourself or for sharing, along side a nice range of salads that you can customize. The sandwiches on offer are interesting and feature creative twists. Of course, with a name like "Pretzel Bell" pretzels feature creatively in many of the dishes. Even the desserts have some creative pretzel touches. The spacious and secluded booths along the side are perfect for a long working lunch/afternoon meeting. Pretzel Bell is decorated with lots of photos of Ann Arbor, including many of the local theater scene. A groovy and personally satisfying mix of 80's pop & rock standards played during my stay. This would be a great spot for those interested in sports to watch games together. As it was for me this particular Monday afternoon, the place was empty and I had no trouble getting my work-groove on. I had the brussels sprouts & bacon as my entree. I'd also ordered the soup of the day, a tomato-basil bisque. The chef had, apparently, not remembered to taste it before sending it out. It was too salty to eat. No problem, however, the very friendly (and cute) waiter, Ricky, returned it to the kitchen and removed it from my bill. I ended my enjoyable afternoon at the Pretzel Bell with some vanilla ice cream and chocolate syrup. Extra points, fellows, for your gender neutral AND gender selected options. More businesses should offer this range of places to powder one's nose -- such a solution is brilliant. Here's my video of the loos on offer: https://youtu.be/Lmt462JlZSM Below is a photo (not mine) of the booths I mentioned. How about those cool bowling-alley-floor walls and ceiling? Stop in at Pretzel Bell and enjoy a hearty lunch -- with drinks, you'll spend about $20 and have a good time doing so! read more

The Pretzel Bell - The deep, dim, cozy booths at the Pretzel Bell are perfect for long, private meals and/or discussions. And for working while eating. - Bars Near Me - Ann Arbor, Michigan