Latest reviews from East Lansing

“Not really a craft beer experience but I used bought booze from them for my daughter’s wedding. They gave great service—advice on what and how much to buy, and delivered. A decent offering of beers.“

blackflag321 1871 days ago

“Update 7/9/2022: Ambiance and noise level improved with remodel including addition of booths to a dining area that previously had a cafeteria feel and noisy din. Also has outside tables available. Number of taps reduced from 100 to maybe 40. Food is excellent. Original rating 4/13/2019: HopCat is becoming “the” craft beer restaurant chain in the Midwest for good reason. Good food, good service, mega-taps with 100 at this location. It’s a bit too large and noisy for me, but don’t let my bias stop you from a visit.“

blackflag321 1871 days ago

“A bit hard to find in an old industrial park just off a main thoroughfare. Okay as a place to sample their beers or fill your growler. But not a place to sit and have a conversation over some beers. The acoustics of the small serving room in warehouse setting make it difficult to have a conversation when the place is busy. To make it worse, they had live music when I visited. Beer was great. Service was good.“

blackflag321 2852 days ago

“Average likka store across from Hopcat. Pretty unassuming in most ways, and selection was hardly dazzling. Good range of Michigan stuff, including some Shorts goodies, make it worth keeping on the radar.“

JCB 2971 days ago

“Enjoyed this place on a recent visit, my first to any Hopcat. Fairly typical college town atmosphere, but a mixed crowd and a warm vibe. Cool, knowledgeable server. Selection was great, with full craft range well represented. I stuck with Michigan offerings, which were wide-ranging. Food could stand a bit more choices of the non-fatass variety but it tasted purty good. Fine place.“

JCB 2971 days ago

“Bit dark. Good food and good tab selection. Service was good even with a big group. Worth a visit if you want good food and good beer.“

Msdrbeat 2985 days ago

“Cheap. All beer is canned. Unfortunately they don’t have glasswear as it is more "bar" ish than most beer places in town. A neat punch card where if you complete their 50 beers you get your name on the wall and a t-shirt. List ranges from crappy macros to some great Michigan local beers. Ambiance is meh. More bar than restaurant. Cheap food. Good deal.“

Msdrbeat 3012 days ago

“Great tap takeovers with the authentic college-town feel. Good burgers.Great selection of drafts, probably second only to Hopcat.“

Msdrbeat 3122 days ago

“Came up here for a Bourbon County tap take-over, 2014. Upscale college dive bar vibe, looks a little nicer on the inside than the outside. Food menu looked pretty nice & extensive, though I did not order food. Of course the selection that day was nice, with 2012-2014 BCS, BCS Coffee, & BC Barley Wine, but the tap list appeared pretty nice otherwise. Also got a pour of Big Lushious & a tap-only Jolly Pumpkin beer while I was there. Friendly service although it seemed they were kind of unaware of what they had on tap at the time. Nice place. Would visit again.“

tectactoe 3448 days ago

“I absolutely loved this, for a first time. It had a dive bar feel, but I wasn’t expecting too much else. Sam, the bartender, was awesome, and service was great. The food was good (bar burgers are hard to mess up) and the beer selection was pretty good as well. I like how they do some rarer stuff on occasion, which is a little surprising for a smaller dive. I liked it!“

koleminer20 3457 days ago

“Great bar with great food. The fries really are addictive. Great selection of beers on tap. THE hub of craft beer in East Lansing.“

Msdrbeat 3575 days ago

“The beer Gods place of choice - or so it seems...very post-modern beer chic with a cool island bar circled in tap handles. Beer selection (especially Michigan) is first rate, food is snarfable, and service fast, friendly, and knowledgeable. It is amazing that such a run down palace as East Lansing got a place as cool as this...awesome.“

paintedmaple 3599 days ago

“Newer place in East Lansing and one to which I’ll return. Slightly corporate Yardhouse feel at the bar, but the tap list is solid and the service was excellent. Four bartenders on duty and everyone of them came by to check on me and see if I needed anything. Nice selection of Michigan locals in addition to plenty of other quality brews. Out of town tickers gonna love this place. They offer 8oz half pours and even 3oz flight pours for $1. I got to try many more beers than I expected. Tonight they have 4 Elf on tap which was a nice surprise because I guess people lined up in the cold last week at the brewery to get some. Had a turkey burger and fries -- both were ok. TVs in the bar and dining room if you want to watch the game. Full bar and ciders, too.“

HighWine 3813 days ago

“Great to see Hopcat bring a 100 tap beer destination to East Lansing. Really nice looking place, two levels. Service was really good, selection is good. Food was good. I liked crunchy’s but this is the big leagues of beer. 20 regular beers, always available, 80 beers rotate. Nice. Been several times now, they rape you for international beers. Saw they are opening a bar in Detroit and hiring Yardhouse execs. The selection is looking yardhouseish.“

KPD 3819 days ago

“100 beers on tap, but sadly no HopCat beers due to archaic distribution laws. You can’t transport your own beer 70 miles down the road? While the selection was plentiful, there wasn’t that many of the 100 that stood out. Maybe I’m getting too spoiled these days but a lot of mainstays and a handful of one-offs. I liked the interior and the bathroom wallpaper is rather nice… yeah I gotta take another leak honey, lol. Food was the usual HopCat fare, which I like. Service was great but AWOL at times. I prefer the Grand Rapids location, mainly since they have their own beers on tap and I can find free parking and hit a few brewpubs at the same time.“

esjaygee 3854 days ago

“Easily the best place for craft beer in East Lansing to date.“

BrewtalHonesty 3912 days ago

“It’s a dive and service can be hit or miss, but you won’t find a better place to get a beer in the Lansing area.“

rumproasts 3995 days ago

“Either empty with poor food and service, or jammed, obnoxiously loud and still with poor food and service. Their beers are tolerable at best. Even on half off night it’s still not worth it.“

Mittenator 4055 days ago

“Fantastic food and a consistently strong tap selection. It’s a bit dark inside but that’s not a bad thing. Also, the restaurant is split into three distinct rooms so you can pick what kind of atmosphere you want.“

Mittenator 4055 days ago

“The best selection of drafts anywhere in the area. I went here in college for the cheap buckets and now I can go back and experience it in a whole new light with immense draft and bottle list. Monthly tap takeovers are fun and the food is great (bucket of tots...). All around cool place.“

Mittenator 4127 days ago

“I am entering my review under this QD entry because I see no need to have 31 different entries. QD has 31 stores in the greater Lansing area; all but two locations have beer and wine and 15 of the locations have liquor. Eight locations have gasoline and 6 locations have Laundromats. QD is your basic chain convenience store; like a 7/11. They are beginning to offer a small selection of craft: SNPA, Bells, Founders. This is not a place you go to shop for beer, but if you need a six-pack, you can pick up something.“

blackflag321 4199 days ago

“Very dive bar vibe nice tap list and some cool bottles“

mikem409 4257 days ago

“Wife and I visited on a Sunday afternoon because Crunchy’s was unexpectedly closed. We were the only customers for the entire time we were there, so waitstaff was attentive. Food was okay; six beers on tap. We tried three: two okay, one not so good. We had trouble enjoying our food because several flies were pestering us.“

blackflag321 4299 days ago

“six beers on tap during my visit. all were average or below. service was ok, but they were definitely not busy. seemed to be focused on serving beers for college kids to drink on the cheap rather than brewing quality beers.“

rumproasts 4372 days ago

“Not too shabby.....but nothing amazing either.really understaffed“

finderman222 4467 days ago

“Not that good.....UNLESS you get to sit outside on the patio.....and they don’t have a DJ out there“

fgctigers 4483 days ago

“This was one of my favorite places while living in East Lansing. The Buckets are the best deal, just be ready to get drunk! Beware though, Karaeoke can get a little loud so if going there on one of those nights, unless you want the conversation to be dominated by whoever is singing try to get on the opposite side of the bar.“

fgctigers 4513 days ago

“The great selection on tap is reason enough to visit Crunchys. But you are not reading this to choose a place to eat. I like that you can order beer in 3 different serving sizes or a flight. My food was okay; the service was okay. Did I mention that the beer selection was great?“

blackflag321 4516 days ago

“First visit, had a calzone and some brews. Food was decent, beer selection was pretty good. Kind of a dumpy little place, with a really nice selection of beers. Comfortable place to spend some time with friends and good beer.“

KPD 4541 days ago

“Ok selection if you only stop by once in a while. They have a cooler of 22’s that doesn’t change all that often but what thy do have in there is at a good price. They do get good beers in but in very limited quantities.“

riseagainstme 4583 days ago

“The tap selection here is awesome. Also lately they have been doing tap takeovers by different breweries which are also very nice. I love the beer selection they get here, but other than that I don’t really care for the place. I will keep going for beer but not for the food or atmosphere.“

riseagainstme 4583 days ago

“This is a whole foods hippie store but with a very good beer selection and prices. They have single 12oz bottles that they do not charge extra for them being singles just the same as the pack price divided by quantity.“

riseagainstme 4603 days ago

“Tom’s has a decent selection of craft beer, including most common regular offerings and seasonals from Michigan breweries. Outside that, Tom’s carries mostly common offerings from other national and international brewers that are available at many other places in the area. Tom’s is a good second option after Dusty’s Cellar in the Okemos area“

Silphium 4636 days ago

“I love Crunchy’s. The food and service can be hit and miss, but that’s not why you come here. You come here for the ambiance, the mixed crowd of locals and college students, and most importantly, the amazing beer selection. Lots of great stuff on tap from all over. And you can buy buckets of beer. I’m not talking a bucket with a few bottles in it, I mean they actually fill a bucket for you. That’s what makes this place great.“

bigbish 4641 days ago

“This place has a bunch of awesome rare brews on tap. Similar to what someone said earlier in a review, you can tell someone put some serious heart into the line up--I dig it. You can get the Giant 32 oz thick glass mug which was pretty f’ing extreme when I got it filled w/hop slam. This is a typical classic FILTHY MSU dive bar that probably will never change in that regard--but it has character because of that too. I try to stay away from the food haha. Bathroom was horrible--almost as bad as the riv in East Lansing. The ’beer buckets’ of miller lite make me want to get ill when I think about them (special they have that college students typically get it)--its plastic barf or mop bucket full of schwag beer that everyone dips their mugs into. Disgusting but what many associate Crunchys with. Then there are us that know this place for the amazing beer selection and usually a good day crowd of alums, craft beer drinkers etc. Good place to go before/after MSU basketball game. Besides Hopcat and the Oak I havent been to a place w/a better line up--maybe uptown? We got good service there but the times I went it wasn’t really busy so I cant speak for that. I will return again again and again...“

HopBurp 4859 days ago

“Crunchy’s has no competition in the Lansing area for an amazing selection of local beers. They’ve been doing it for years, long before anywhere else in the area was serving Michigan draft beers. Twenty-plus taps of micros, mostly from Michigan, and clearly chosen by someone with an appreciation for the rare or one-off beer from some outstanding breweries. I can’t say enough about what a standout selection of beers you’ll find at Crunchy’s. However, the place is a dump, and worse, a dump full of frat boys and obnoxious assholes on certain nights of the week. The service also tends to be lacking. Then again, the beer selection is awesome and unmatched in the area, and on Sundays they have some ridiculously low prices. The food is cheap and decent, too.“

crackedmachine 5016 days ago

“The beer selection is the best in the Lansing area. With 27 taps they typically host at least 20 craft brews and are great supporters of the Michigan craft beer industry. Each July, which is Michigan Craft Beer Month, they put Michigan beers on each and every handle. At least monthly, Crunchy’s hosts brewers nights and converts many taps to that Michigan brewery and hosts a staff member from the brewery to talk to patrons. It is very informal but a good opportunity to meet folks in the beer industry and try beers that aren’t regularly available on tap. The total score doesn’t reflect the great selection of beers and value Crunchy’s offers. I’m a regular but still am often disappointed by poor service and the poor condition of some of the furnishings. I was happy to learn that they recently corrected one of big pet peeves - no separate checks. According to the bar manager, they have installed a new computer system and separate checks are a go! The food is better than average bar food and the pizza is a great value on Sundays.“

Casavant 5063 days ago

“Worst service in town. Plan to wait forever for table service. Always obnoxiously loud in the evening. Their food sucks. The layout around the bar encourages traffic jams. This is not a restaurant or brewpub, this is a dive college bar/club in disguise. There are far better places to go if you want food or a decent nightlife in downtown EL. I’m pretty sure the reason they brew their own beer is to pull in folks looking for craft beer, take advantage of the trendy look of microbrews, and cut deeper margins on their sales.“

beer_squirts 5134 days ago

“Better than expected beer selection but still you are better off going to Goodrich’s which is two minutes away.“

slayer02348 5263 days ago

“Decent homemade brews on hand. Alright food, but really not a huge selection by any means.“

slayer02348 5263 days ago

“Good place, love the feel of it. Wasn’t too crowded when I was there. They say they offer tastes of beer for $1 of anything on tap, but when I asked for samples they didn’t charge. Staff helpful. Probably 30ish bottles available and another 20 things on tap.“

slayer02348 5263 days ago

“Great college dive bar. If I went to MSU, this would be where I choose to throw up in the alley, for sure. They actually serve beer from the tap into large plastic buckets. It’s surreal, but not nearly as much as what they had on draft when I was there for MI Craft Beer Month. I had Expedition in an over-sized mug for Christ’s sake!“

nbutler11 5418 days ago

“Avoid this place. They have 4 bers on tap, none of which are good. All are watered down and are not worth your time. The bar is constantly understaffed and crowded. Don’t waste your time or money, and go to Ashley’s in Ann Arbor.“

trayns 5583 days ago

“Went back to visit an old college stop that I remember being dirty and serving greasy bad food. Could still use a good cleaning and the food is no better but did they have this great beer selection way back when? Not sure I would have even appreciated the great beers on tap. Some hard to find Michigan beers on tap.“

gearbike 5700 days ago

“Cool looking and had decent beer when I was living in the area. Always a great thing to come and get half priced beer on Wednesday. Service was always slow, the servers don’t know their beer. The brews were always sugared up so that they gota higher ABV. Then the good brew master left. I haven’t been back since, planning to next time I’m there for a growler as Florida doesn’t have them.“

Sandman2222 5784 days ago

“Dive bar that’s been around forever, but has greatly improved its beer selection since the days when their primary offering was 5-gallon buckets of Stroh’s (or Stroh’s Dark!) Lots of Michigan breweries on rotating taps, including Shorts, Founders, New Holland, Dark Horse, and Bells. Prices are all over the place, as Silphium mentions below. My pint of Two-Hearted Ale was a bargain at $3.25, but the Rubaeus I ordered for my wife was a soul-crushing $7.75. (And I ordered it only after they informed us they were out of the DH Tres Blueberry Stout I initially wanted.) Food is decidedly bar-esque, but a nice selection of burgers - although mine was a wee gristly. A nice, unpretentious hangout.“

sleestak 5826 days ago

“Place looked very new, clean, with brewing equipment on display inside. Very spacious inside also. I went when it wasn’t busy at all so it was no problem finding a seat. I only came to check out their homebrew selection and to catch up with some old friends. The selection seemed interesting but less dark beers than I had hoped for. I tried their Pale ale and was pretty pleased with it. However, the service was horrible—it wasn’t even busy at all. It took a long time for us to place an order and then to actually get the drinks. When mine came, it wasn’t even what I ordered. Once I finally got the beverage I wanted it was quite good. The prices were really good, I had happened to come (unknowingly) on a day where all drinks were half off. So my pint of the good stuff was only $1.50. The atmosphere was nice, however it quickly go way too loud inside. Now, this place is a Restaurant and pub, so I was expecting to be able to converse and actually hear the other people that I came with, but no. A band started to play and they were so loud that I couldn’t continue a conversation with my friend next to me. So all in all, Harper’s has definite potential with their nice facility, seemingly quality brews (if there’s a next time I’ll have to try the food), and low prices. However, the service and volume made it unpleasant enough that I may take my time revisiting.“

jeremyd365 5878 days ago

“I like the building and the interior. The round bar is also a good idea. That’s about where it ends. They lost their good brewmaster so the beer sucks now. The service is horibble. Also, there is usually a cover. Not worth going to unless you are there for 1/2 off night, which is Wednesday unless they changed it.“

inultus 5964 days ago

“Not very good food, not a very nice bar. Crappy ambiance and service can be so-so, BUT they always have a bunch of great beers on tap! If you want good beer in East Lansing, Crunchy’s is a great place.“

inultus 5964 days ago