Good restaurant/bar to watch the TA&M game in Ann Arbor?
I'm an alum who's flying to Ann Arbor tomorrow to speak at a recruiting event for my firm, and I will be having dinner with another alum to talk to him about possibly joining us. Naturally, we'd like a place with good food where we can watch the game but won't be so loud that we can't talk business. Though we've both been to A2 in recent years for football games, neither of us has lived there since the '80s. I'd really appreciate some recommendations. Thanks and GO BLUE!
But Canadian Breakfast Stout is nearly imposssible to find. We're going to drop in for a snifter pre-game.
I'm now a townie and will say the best place to watch big games is at The Garage -- it rocks and there are TV's all over the place.
March 21st, 2018 at 10:14 PM ^
March 21st, 2018 at 10:58 PM ^
Lots of good options - many thanks to all of you. I'm leaning towards Pretzel Bell for nostalgia reasons - it closed months after I graduated. Does it have plenty of TVs and decent line of sight, or should we eat dinner first? Is the food good?
The guy I'm meeting for dinner mentioned Chop House. How's the food?
March 21st, 2018 at 11:25 PM ^
March 21st, 2018 at 11:30 PM ^
Any restaurant that serves Lantana Hummus should be a good choice.
Have yourself a unique experience while watching the game.
March 21st, 2018 at 10:13 PM ^
March 21st, 2018 at 10:31 PM ^
March 21st, 2018 at 10:59 PM ^
March 21st, 2018 at 10:59 PM ^
March 22nd, 2018 at 12:19 AM ^
Hopcat brewery near Maynard and Liberty has solid bar food (burgers, wraps, nachos, etc.) and a ton of taps and TVs. Cross the street to S’keepers for a nightcap!
Would be a good spot to watch after eating elsewhere since the food is a bit greasy. Black Room sounds like quite a hike away from the action for someone hoping to reminisce about A2.
I like other people to cook my steaks for me. The whole concept is contrived IMO.
Read somewhere that Sam Webb will be there tonight.
Under the "Useful Stuff" tab at the top of the screen, there is a thread about Ann Arbor restaurants and bars, but it is several years old. Still, it might have some places still around that nobody has mentioned yet (as well as, I'm sure, several places that are now closed):
Del Rio is always the correct answer here
looked at buying the Del Rio about 15 years ago but they wanted way too much dough for it -- the place was barely turning a profit and virtually everything needed to be refurbished/replaced.
Not to mention, my buddy has a penchant for giving beer away.
Too bad for the public that their estimate of value was so far off. Would haved loved to see someone returbish and replace yet keep a lot of the character. The old-style wooden bar had me and my buddy Snack attached to it for many years.
March 22nd, 2018 at 10:38 AM ^
Fergus Connelly's Tahoe...too soon?
March 22nd, 2018 at 11:08 AM ^
If you're looking for a higher end place to wine and dine somebody, you could try Melange'. It's on the West Side of Main Street, just North of E. William, with the entrance being adjacent to Conor O'Neills Celtic Room (restaurant itself is downstairs). Cuisine is pretty good (European / Asian fusion), nice wine selection, or they have a decent selection of booze and beer if that's your preference. There's some limited seating in the bar area, where they are TVs, plus there's a lounge area (sofas, lounge chairs) adjacent to the bar where you'll be able to see the game as well.
It's downtown Ann Arbor, but since it's pricier, it tends to be less crowded and quieter.
March 22nd, 2018 at 12:43 PM ^
This is what I suggested as well -- the bar at Melange seems to be exactly what he is looking for.
March 22nd, 2018 at 12:59 PM ^
Yeah, you probably just want to get there a little early before game time because the seating there is pretty limited. If you wind up in the dining room, you really can't see anything TV-wise.
March 22nd, 2018 at 11:13 AM ^
Red Hawk is an excellent option.
Homes is a new brewery/restaurant on the west side that has fantastic beer and great asian fusion bar food.
Arbor brewing and grizzly peak are both solid options.
Nobody goes to Red Hawk anymore - it's too crowded.
That's ironic.
Had to scratch your head at many things Yogi Berra said. But they were hilarious.