Bar Louie

This place is great for a casual cheap drink during their happy hour. Once s month they have $ 2 martini nights — definitely a ton of fun.
It’s right by work for me so we have a lot of after work events there. I am usually pretty satisfied with their drink selection. I haven’t experienced bad service, but maybe that’s because I never go there to eat. I see it more of a bar and hanging out over a drink after work type of place.
Dos: go there if you want a cheap sugary martini and a snack on the side
Don’t: don’t expect great service it’s not meant a to be a gourmet restaurant by any means. Relax and have a good time :)

My friends and I went here last night as part of a birthday bar crawl. This was our fourth stop of the night. Bathrooms were clean, music wasn’t overly loud, and football was on. The drinks were fairly strong, and maybe that is why they were so pricy. But our martinis were on the expensive side, and 8 college kids can’t blow loads of cash so we didn’t stay long. Happy hour might be better for us in the future. Stay tuned for an updated review.

I’ve come here a few times, usually when my parents are in town. The atmosphere is rather dark and dim in the evening, but in a cozy and comfortable way. The food is really good as well — I have yet to be disappointed. They have indoor and outdoor seating, though it can get busy during the weekend, so if you can avoid the rushes.

We ended up at Bar Louie this weekend when we took a bus to Ann Arbor for the Michigan vs. Michigan State game. The people who organized the bus suggested we go here since they would pick us up at this bar. However, be warned that it’s not a sports bar (I had never been to a Bar Louie location in my life). There’s not that many TVs, so it’s hard to find a lot of seats with a good view.
Anyway, I’m not knocking them stars on this, just a fair warning to anyone who might be looking for a place to watch a game. However, if you are a bar with TVs in a college town, you should expect for people to come in to watch a game. They were not prepared in the least bit. For the entire bar, there were 4 servers and 3 bartenders. Before the game it wasn’t too terrible, just a little slow. But once the game started and the entire place was packed, all hell broke loose in this place.
We ordered drinks that never came. We sat there for 45 minutes before I finally flagged down another server who sent ours over since we hadn’t seen her since we ordered the drinks. When she came over she was empty handed and told us that she put our drink orders in right when we ordered them and that she had 40 drink orders that still haven’t come up. FORTY? I know it’s not her fault, and I’m not rating for her service because she was doing the best she could. But seriously. No one should have to wait an hour for a drink because the bartenders are that slammed that they can’t turn them around. The bar is losing money at that point because I probably could have drank another beer in the time I waited.
The worst part of the experience — right before halftime, every single toilet in the restaurant overflowed. So for the rest of the game, every person had to use the urinals in the men’s room in order to go to the bathroom. Or hold it for 2 hours.
I really thought that maybe this place was brand new and they just weren’t prepared for a big game day since they haven’t had one yet. But there are reviews since 2009 for this place. Clearly there have been dozens of huge games that likely attracted a big crowd here. They needed to be more prepared because the experience was terrible, and I don’t know how they thought that four servers and three bartenders would be enough staff for how big this place is.
I gave two stars because the server did try her best and wasn’t flustered even in this ridiculous storm. Also, we all ate before the game (thankfully because I heard the kitchen was obviously backed up as well), and the food was pretty decent.

Pretty awful place. Went here during the Ann Arbor Art Fair a few weeks ago to avoid a storm that was supposedly going to hit. The place was packed — we were lucky enough to find a table and get some drink orders in. We got water right away, which was served in dirty glasses… floaters galore! The waiter quickly brought back some new waters, but they should have never been that disgusting in the first place.
After 15 – 20 minutes, we finally got our drink orders, and thankfully we didn’t order food. People who were there before us got their food as we were leaving 80-​or-​so minutes later. Yes, the place was packed, but that’s all pretty inexcusable… couple that with the fact that the drinks were a bit more expensive than they ought to have been.
I’ve avoided Bar Louie for years, and after that visit, I could see why. While some of the food sounded good, there was no way we were ordering any when they were that busy. Oh well, maybe next time.

Hanging out with friends here for finger food & drinks. We sat outside as the evening was nice. Great atmosphere & our waitress was attentive. We had the nachos & it was a great complement for our drinks.

I’ve been coming to this place for a long time and never have I experienced anything less than a fantastic time. They have great live music, the atmosphere here is upbeat, the outdoor seating is comfortable. The waiters and waitresses know the menu very well, the management is on top of things and the customer is the most important person every time.
You can’t have a bad experience here. I don’t think it’s possible at all.
Try the chicken nachos — seriously some of the best nachos I’ve had in a long time. Perfect combo.

SETTING:
Cool place to hangout with friends. Outside dining area right in front of restaurant. Inside dining area as well. Can’t make up your mind? There is a hybrid spot: inside area with ceiling covering (but open on the sides). If you can’t find a place to sit down, you are probably too picky!
FOOD:
Dollar burger Tuesday? Seemed too good to be true, but I’m always game for great deals. I went in with the mindset that I would end up with having spent more than $ 1. I was correct… and add $ 14 to it. Not worth the deal in my opinion. The burger was only cooked one way – just like what Mom told me after I got an A on an exam: «well done». Because of this, the burger was on the drier side and quite lacking in taste.
Just to break it down for you all so there are no cost surprises, let’s go through my order. First reason why it turned out to be $ 14 was because you must order a drink for the $ 1 burger. A beer costs about $ 7.50. Then, of course, the more «add-on’s» on the burger the higher the price. Each item is about 50 cents. If you want cheese, grilled onions, tomatoes, a sauce that sets you at $ 2 more. The burger was the size of your typical McDonald’s burger (aka small), so we shared some tots (~$ 4.25). And just like that, $ 1 burger no more :(
SERVICE:
Waiter did come by to check in on us a few times, but he just didn’t seem to be having a great time. He didn’t smile at all! Maybe he was having a rough day, but I felt it rubbed off, and it just made the service a bit of a debbie downer.
IMPRESSIONS:
Don’t think I will be back. If the burger could be cooked to your liking (ie: medium well), I think that would have made a big difference in taste. Honestly the add-on’s aren’t expensive, and although I got a beer, I’m sure pop would be cheaper. So, really, there are ways to make it less expensive. Unfortunately, the burger just was not tasty. It was also small in size. This is why I had to get tots – I was still hungry!

Would have liked to add more stars but the waitstaff/​waitress let me down. During the entire meal, never asked how we were doing, but asked the single gentleman behind us three times. Empty beer glass at the edge of the table was ignored by three different wait staff including our waitress. Now on the other hand, the food was perfect! Great beer selection.

Come for Happy Hour! Most of the appetizers are ½ off. My three friends and I ordered Bruschetta, Spinach Artichoke Dip, Buffalo Wings, Cheese Quesadilla, and a non-​appetizer (Bacon Egg Sandwich) and it came out to $ 10 each, which is awesome.
I came on a Friday around 5:30pm. I didn’t care for the live music… They were odd. I couldn’t hear myself talk, so my friends and I didn’t end up talking to each other, which was unfortunate. Our waiter was super empathetic in regards to the crappy music, so we were grateful for that.

Atmosphere and food is very «American Fare’. Absolutely great staff. Caitlin has been our server a few times now and she is a total rockstar!

Stopped in for their late nite menu, but stayed for the great music of …
Nibbled on some pot stickerd. Nice presentation, tasty… but way too sweet with the glaze.
Kind of hungered for something salmon, so picked the Chop Chop salad with the optional salmon filet on top. A nice plus is when tbe waitress asks «how well do yoi want your salmon cooked?». Medium.
I ordered the chop chop minus the sweet vinaigrette it comes tossed in. Unfortunately, it arrived swimming in the sauce. Well, at least the salmon was good spared, so just skipped the greens.
Lots of other eating choices here close by, but Louie’s ½ off Happy Hour appetizers somewhat attractive and there’s usually a decent beer special.

Went out for happy hour with some grad students yesterday evening. We reserved a couple tables from 4 – 6. Good happy hour prices on beer, wine, martinis (!) and select appetizers. I’m from Cali so the quesadilla ($ 3.62) and guacamole was just okay to me. But I’m a cocktail girl and I enjoyed their martinis. I had the Tickled Pink ($ 5.25) and the Smores ($ 5.25) The tickled pink was good and the Smores was *delicious.* Interesting crowd — students, professionals and older folks. But I had a good time and will definitely be coming back. I hear they do pretty legit salsa dancing too.

My friends and I met up here for a buddy’s bachelor party. I have never been to this restaurant, but it appears to be part of a chain. Either way, we visited this spot on a late Friday night and it was Latin night. Who knew? Not any of my white friends… hahaha. It was pretty funny. I was having a grand old time, but we eventually left as the boys wanted to smoke cigars and get drinks elsewhere.
The vibe was alright. There lots of people there dancing and having a great time. If I lived in Michigan, I might visit this place for Latin night. The drinks were fairly priced and there was plenty of seating for people watching. It was an okay bar. Nothing special, but I’m not sure how it rates next to other Michigan bars. This isn’t a college dive bar, or what you think of when you visit Michigan. Either way, it was just alright. I’d say come on over if you want to try some sangria and beer to start your evening. I wouldn’t stay here all night. Both were pretty good. We didn’t get any food because we went really late at night.

I’m going to echo many of the other reviewers here. They have a huge «service» problem. I met some friends here on a Tuesday night. I arrived about 30 minutes late and one friend was still waiting on his drink that he ordered when they first arrived. We talked for about 10 minutes before our server finally came back to the table to take my order. I decided to order something quick, a chicken sandwich and fries, because I felt anything else I’d probably have to ask for a to go box. My meal came rather quickly, delivered by someone other than our server of course. My other friend asked for a to go box and it took 20 minutes for that to ever arrive. However, he was very quick to come collect our check jackets, both once we put our cards in and after we signed — go figure!
In all, no matter how good the food may be, bad service can ruin an experience and your perception of a place. I won’t rush back here anytime soon.

I like Bar Louie a lot, especially since I am from Chicago and enjoyed their branches there. They have a tasty pita/​hummus/​cucumber app that is really yummy and healthy. Another really important part of this place is that they always have Blue Moon, which is far from a given in most restaurants in Ann Arbor.
We went on Tuesday $ 1 burger nights a few weeks ago, and it was a good deal, especially if you don’t mind plain food (every extra little thing, including mayo costs extra) or paying more for it. The cool thing is that you can get a $ 1 turkey burger, black bean burger, or CHCKEN breast! Surprise! All for $ 1??! Great deal! You can pay extra for a side order of fries or their excellent tater tots!
They also have a huge patio, which is a huge plus in good weather!

Service is mediocre. Food is excellent. Beer list is great… but $ 10 for a tiny sangria that barely has any alcohol in it NO THANKS

Service is absolutely abysmal. Took 30 minutes to get the wrong drink, another 15 to replace it. Another hour to get burgers to the table with the wrong toppings.
I’ve been here almost every week this semester, and the service has been consistently horrible.
Drinks are overpriced for what the place is. I don’t recommend coming here if it isn’t happy hour. Menu doesn’t even have drink prices listed, and server gets annoyed when you ask.

This is probably one of those hit-​or-​miss bars that can be found in any college town. I went with a large group and since they all hit the bar at the same time, they all had slow service. Also since they all had IDs from different states and countries it seemed to take the bar tender forever to decide if they were legit or not. Ah well…
I don’t know how expensive the drinks are since I didn’t pay for my own and they don’t put prices in the menu. Which is something that bugs me. There was a live cover band who seemed to be playing lots of slower depressing songs, not really want people want on a Saturday night. And they were playing WAY to loud. Despite being on the other side of the bar we had to yell to talk to each other.
I wouldn’t waste my time going here again, but it wasn’t horrible.

Even though some people feel cheated that the «$ 1 burger» on Tuesdays includes just the patty, bun, and lettuce and all other toppings are extra, it is still a really cheap meal, especially if you don’t order alcohol or sides. In any case, it’s a discounted deal! I’m not sure how the seating works regularly, but on Tuesdays it is super casual: just seat yourself and a waitress will come by. In fact, I don’t think we were addressed more than once by the same waitress, as different workers will walk by and ask if you’ve ordered or if you need anything.
I got the portobello burger with additional toppings of tomato, grilled onions, and guacamole. Carbs are my favorite and the bun was soft, warm and possibly buttered for bonus tastiness. We also shared a side of fries for $ 4. I liked their fries a lot, I don’t know if they pre-​season them, but they seemed to be extra crispy and delicious. I want to try their tater tots in the future. Their drink menu is a bit curious in that there are only names of beers, no prices or descriptions, but we asked and the beers are $ 4 – 6 which is kind of pricey so we passed on that. All in all, $ 10 for a filling dinner for two people is a win. It was comfortable dining outside on a warm summery night and I would come again while the weather is nice!