HopCat - Grand Rapids (Downtown)

I'm sorry, but I don't see how this place (at the time of this entry) is the highest-rated place in all of Michigan. Maybe it used to be. But given the vast array of great breweries in western Michigan, and much more widely available craft beers almost anywhere, this place doesn't really stand out. Sure, they have a pretty long beer list, so maybe you can find something new here if your focus is on finding new beers. But most of the list was pretty widely available stuff. And the place has seen better days. Our first impression was an off-putting odor of dirty dish water. The decor in the bar area is worn, not the cleanest either. Our bartender was a bit indifferent ... maybe a generational disconnect, but completely uninterested in doing more than the absolute minimum. Can't remember if I've been to other locations, but can't recommend this one. Stick to the breweries. Our hotel bar had decent taps and was much more pleasant.

Saloon style restaurant with lots of wood paneling, subdued lighting and large booths arrangements. Good, solid beer selection, including many good regional beers.

Okay, so I'm giving this one a 100% for ambiance because, not only is it one hip spot, but also we saw a bouncer kick someone out as soon as we walked in, and that interaction might have been the funniest thing I have seen in my 33+ years! Anyway, heck of a tap list, and the food was very good!

It was now 5:00, and the bar was packed for dinner. We still managed a spot at the end of the bar. Not much of their beer, but they make up for that by offering a ton of others. 3 5-ounce pours to a flight. Despite the amount of customers, service was excellent. We didn’t try their food because it was so busy. Prices were a little higher than everywhere else.

was very disappointed in what hopcat had to offer in what they brew, they had 3. service, food was good. when I go to a brewery I want to drink their beer not some other brewery

The original. A few beers brewed there on tap with a good selection of Michigan beers and beyond. Good place to grab a bite.

This was my first visit to a HopCat. I’m told by some...including staff...that all of them are good...yet I came to this one first because it has the highest rating of the HopCat family of locations. Part of that is because it was the original and has been around the longest. It also has the most reviews as a result (doesn’t hurt that it shares the city with Founders and Brewery Vivant). I thought the place itself was very attractive...extremely cool...and fun to hangout in. We sat at the bar and tried numerous beers making sure to start with the 3 HopCat beers that were available that day...Light Side of the Sun session IPA, Unicorn on Acid mixed culture stainless sour, and Zugspitze Hefeweizen. I thought the session IPA was the best of the three. I thought the staff was great...friendly...helpful...talkative in spite of a good size crowd late last Saturday afternoon (there was a bar crawl going on in town too). The guest taps were very strong with many local MI beers as well a regionals beyond that and some nationals too. All in all...great visit to a great brewpub in Grand Rapids...before heading on to Brewery Vivant and Founders.

Great food, great beer selection, good service. No complaints at all... Well done all around and a place to frequent if you live close

This place was a lot of fun. Great atmosphere, right in the middle of downtown Grand Rapids. Really cool old building that was huge enough to accommodate a large crowd comfortably. Servers were attentive and knowledgeable. Food is good enough. This is a must try if you’re ever in the area.