The Oak Cafe

July 17, 2008
I recently moved to the area and found this bar a few blocks away. What luck! The draft selection (~35 taps) is always changing and never bad. They also have a huge selection in bottles on the rare occasion I can’t find a draft beer to get. The depth of their beer selection is highlighted by the decor, which features tap handles, posters, etc. from various breweries around the world. The servers generally have good knowledge about the beers and are very good at keeping the glasses full. The food works for this type of place. It has a decent selection for it’s limited cooking area and the prices are very reasonable. The Oak Cafe is a comfortably small and inviting establishment that makes you wish every corner bar were like this one.

April 10, 2008
This was my first stop on a recent Michigan trip. Met Styles here for lunch and some beer.BR Very cozy neighborhood, corner bar. Good atmosphere, a place that I felt very relaxed and comfortable at. Just added some new towers, so I don’t know the total number of taps, but I’m guessing 30+. Bonus, there was a Bells tasting there prior to my visit so there was still BA Third Coast and BA Java on tap. Fast, friendly service and good food. Will definitely return for another visit.

March 19, 2008 [ Updated July 28, 2008 ]
I’ve been to the Oak quite a few times and it seems to be getting better and better recently. With the newly added taps, they have about 40 total. About 5 are for the BMC crowd, 15 to 20 are for those that enjoy different beers and the last 5 to 10 are for the serious beer geeks. I was there recently for their Bell’s Tasting. On tap, they had Bells bourbon expedition/double cream blend, bourbon third coast, bourbon java, batch 8000, hopslam, cherry stout.....and that was just for the tasting. Other highlights on tap that night were Abt 12, Trois Pistoles, Michigan Brewing Imperial Stout and Celebrator. Within the last few months, they’ve had Founders Breakfast Stout and a bunch of other rare beers. They also have a very reasonable bottle list too (about 200 different beers from MI, the US, and around the world). There food is quite good too. Just your normal bar food (burgers, sandwiches, buffalo wings), but it is all fresh and good. The service has been getting better too. It has been shaky at times in the past, but it’s been quite good my past 5 or so visits. Get to know and talk with the owner (MikeMac). He definitely knows his shit. Definitely worth checking out if in the area and I’d even go out of my way to stop here. Plus Discount Drinks (a nice beer/liquor/wine) store is less than a mile down the road.

April 10, 2007
Met Styles, Pailhead, Artusory, lunaticharness, and the owner Mike (MikeMac) here for a tasting. The inside is pretty much that of your average corner sports pub but the tap and bottle list is top notch. The owner, Mike, was very friendly and accommodating for our tasting. The food is standard bar food but good quality.

December 20, 2006
Stopped in on 12/12/06. Nice place, the owner Mike is a great guy, met up with him and Pailhead there, and the beer was flowing. Solid tap list, and the bottle selection was great. Food was pretty good standard pub fare. I could do without the smoking, but what can you do. This place is a must if you are in the area.

November 25, 2006
first time visitor and the small dark corner bar was very well stocked with 20 drafts and numerous bottled beers from around the state and the world. i had a hard time choosing was to drink. loved the fact that alot of the local breweries were well represented. arcadia, michigan brewery, bells, founders, drangonmead, jolly pumpkin and i am sure there were others. our bartenders melissa and heather were golden they knew alot about what they have and heather makes one of the meanest blt’s i have ever had ($2.75) what a deal. met the owner later on and we explained how we found this place. this deserves a 2nd go around next time i am up there. they rotate the draft selections. hats off gang thanks for the day and night.

September 17, 2006
love this bar. it is he mecca of beers. Good prices too.

July 30, 2006
I went here after a concert last weekend after MikeMac, Syles, and pailhead all recommended it. I walked in and thought i was going to the local hangout for middleaged people, boy was I wrong. After a minute i realized the crowd seemed to be at least half people 21-35 which was good. After ordering my first beer I asked one of the waitresses to point out the owner. He ended up being right next to me and we ended up talking for a few hours and enjoying a few great beers. I had a chance to have JP Oro de Calabaza, JP Luciernaga Grand Reserve, Founders Kentucky Bourbon Breakfast Stout, Founders Porter, Bells Hell Hath No Fury, and Terrapin Wake and Bake. This was a great end to one of the best fridays ever. If you ever go, ask for Mike he is one of the nicest and most generous bar owners I have run across.

July 23, 2006
Solid selection of brews from tap and from bottle. We had two pitchers of JP Oro de Calabaza at a very nice price and the owner (Ratebeerian MikeMac) brought out a 96 Sammy which was outstanding. The food was above the level of most sportspubs and the place looked like somewhere I would often visit. Hook up here with the locals for some good beer and food.

June 26, 2005
Nice selection, and I’ve seen worse prices. The service wasn’t that bad but they sure as hell rush you out the door at the end of the night and it isn’t the most polite way to do it. If I get there again I’ll have to make sure I get there a tad earlier and maybe I’ll get treated better. Because of the beer, I would go back again.