Eightball Saloon

This could be a really cool dive bar, if the service was even halfway decent. But it’s not.
The prices are good, if you love crummy beer like I do. It’s a big bummer that they switched from High Life drafts to Natty Lite.
The biggest problem is that the bartenders and bouncers are on a complete power trip. I’m pretty sure they think they’re going to someday hook up with the B-​list hipster girls who congregate at the end of the bar, but it’s not going to happen. Watching their interactions might provide you with some entertainment, if you can handle it without getting depressed about the world.
The Eightball is like that weird guy Darrell who thinks it’s 1993, but not in a cool way. Darrell constantly quotes the Simpsons, is drunk all the time, keeps trying to borrow money from you, and generally acts like a total jerk. But your other friends said he was cool, so you keep on letting him stomp all over your enjoyment of life.
It’s like when you get into a cab and you think you’re going to your destination, and then you realize that the cabbie took you completely out of the way; you’re in the boondocks and the party’s over.
Want a drink? Even if it’s not busy, be prepared to wait an unspecified amount of time until the bartender deigns to serve you. He’ll look at you like you’re the most unimportant piece of mud he’s ever seen, regardless of how much you tipped last time. Sometimes I almost want to apologize for interrupting, and then I remember that’s his job. Hoping they’ll change the TV away from a rerun of some crummy adult cartoon show? Don’t bother, unless you’re in the special club. Trying to get into a show upstairs? It’s not enough to show your tickets; you have to pass judgment of Lord Bouncer himself, who might suddenly decide that your license is «fake» for no reason other that than he doesn’t like you.
Don’t bother spending a lot of money on the jukebox, because the bartenders will skip it and play their special crummy brand of rap-​metal instead. And when you inevitably become disillusioned with the losers in this place, my couch is always open. There’s a whiskey shot and beer back with your name on it.

My home away from home. 7 years strong coming into this joint and I wouldn’t trade it for the world.

I’ve been here numerous times but have apparently never reviewed it. It’s considered a «dive bar» and definitely is, but you can’t beat the cheap drinks and specials. We came here Friday night to meet up with some friends, I had a rum and Coke which was $ 3.50.
They have booths to sit at as well as the bar area, and they also have darts and pool if that’s your thing. It’s located directly beneath the Blind Pig (and if you’re in the Blind Pig and need to use the restroom, this is where you go). Restrooms were pretty gross but they usually are.
The 8 ball is not bad if you’re looking for a cheap night out. My drink didn’t really taste mixed although to some people that would be a good thing (more rum than Coke, it tasted like). I’m sure I’ll be back here again at some point because my friends like to go here.

I was here on the 5^th of October and really liked this place. Nice little dive bar with great prices. If I’m ever in town again, I’ll make sure to come here again

Rude bartender, didn’t like our song selection on the juke box so they shut it off. I don’t know what they are doing, but strangers in the bar seem to cause great alarm.

I moved to San Francisco in September from Ann Arbor. The last bar I visited before bidding this dear town goodbye was this fine establishment.
If you don’t like the 8ball you’re probably
(a) pretentious (you should move to San Francisco!)
(b) unaware of what a dive bar is supposed to be/​smell like
© my mother
(d) not wanted at the 8ball anyway

I wanted to give this place 3 stars but couldn’t. Cheap drinks, and pool tables in good condition should be a draw, but when you are cash only and have asshole bartenders it doesn’t help. The ATM died and I asked the guy, he didn’t give a shit and told me a pizza place down the street had one. They didn’t, and the guy at the pizza place was just as pissed at the stream of people walking in looking for an ATM. Staff in general was rude and inattentive. I get it, you are a shitty dive bar under another bar, but you still need to serve people drinks — it’s your fucking job.

Came for the jukebox, was disappointed when my music selection, was overruled by the bartenders taste in Alice in Chains. Spent money to hear songs i thought I could listen to, but Alice in chains was apparently the only thing allowed to be heard. Thanks for the cash only bar and the cash/​credit jukebox that saw my credits get dumped down the dive hole bar ur grandmas basement wished you could be.

A little hard to find since it is down an alley behind a different bar but it is a pretty cool spot.
Has a great classic dive bar feel to it with some cheap specials for domestic beers.
A great spot to hang out with a few friends and drink some cheap beers and maybe play a few bar games.

Staff were obnoxious frat boy idiots… lousy beer selection… cash only… perhaps the worst bar in AA. Avoid.

It looked like one of those cash-​only dive bars where friendly locals are glad to share jukebox access and chat over a cheap beer. OK — this is just how I wanted it to look, but it didn’t last for more then few minutes.
First, it smells like shit-​pipe from the bathroom dumps everything right under the staircase.
Second, service is slow and I don’t know what they put into their beer, but after having less than a pitcher each, all my friends said they had worst hangover ever, as they imagine it could be after drinking some kind of moonshine made of dirty socks.
And finally, everybody from servers to bouncers are extremely rude. Even worse, they’re unprofessional. After we ordered beer before last call, some guy approached our table and took away our beer — and when we ask one of bouncers, he said the guy wasn’t even one of staff. The next moment the same guy started to talk to us in a very offensive manner basically ordering us to get out. Although we wisely decided to leave, he slapped my friend into face on his way out. Bouncers have watched the hole scene, but basically didn’t do anything. It’s not just unacceptable, but violation and harassment.
Not only I’m never going back there again because it was worst bar experience ever, but I think this shithole should not make profit, so I will make sure to tell everybody that I Do Not recommend to go there, it’s basically not safe and nobody cares.

This place is okay, but not A-​OK, if that makes any sense. I just don’t like it. The cash only thing is annoying, but it’s not a problem if you know ahead of time. I was disappointed that the entire 3 hours I was there, no one made popcorn. :(Oh, and this might not be the bar’s fault, but the last time I was here, the change machine dispensed a dime instead of a quarter, which was lame.

I love hanging out in basements with my friends drinking whiskey.
The setup in the basement reminds me of my days in art school in San Francisco, hanging out in old beat dives in North Beach.
I wish they had more booths and less games. I am not allowed to play games at bars anymore because I get very competitive when drinking whiskey, but that is just me. If you’re into it, they have a few video games, several pool tables and some darts to pass the time.
The juke is rad too. I would like to mess with it more, maybe if I come in on a night where it’s not packed with patrons so I can play the jams I like without feeling embarrassed [yup, I might really enjoy drinking to Simon and Garfunkel, what of it?]

A great little dive bar to either start or end the night at. They have pool tables and darts. You could even get a pitcher of light beer for three bucks. Full bar. A few decent beers on tap. Kind of a hipster spot.

If you like dive bars, cheap beer and loud music — this place is for you. Quite honestly this is my kind of scene: a BROAD mix of clientele with an even broader range of hairstyles and… levels of cleanliness. A good jukebox, darts, pool, photo hunt, infinitely less pretentious than many of the surrounding dance-​scene bars/​clubs. I really like that the clientele here seem approachable and open — like you could strike up a conversation with anyone there.
I like that there are tables, booths, different bar seating and standing areas — plenty of places to hang out no matter your mood or the size of your group. Cheap drinks with specials on different nights, though be warned they do run out of some of the beers occasionally. Also be warned it is cash only.
…btw, the door is kind of hard to find. It’s more of a sketchy side-​street, back-​alley entrance. There’s a sign above it that says ‘8Ball Saloon Entrance.’ You might not believe it is telling the truth, but it is. Really.

This is my favorite bar in Ann Arbor. The people are cool, the vibe is chill and the drinks are cheap. They have pool and darts. Since the smoking ban the true smell has been uncovered… piss, vomit and stale beer. It’s not that bad though. Overall, it’s awesome. Go there. Now.

Hands-​down the worst I have ever been treated in any kind of establishment EVER. A couple of minutes after closing — we had ordered our drinks before last call — a server came over to our table, ripped a drink out of my friend’s hand, began calling us profane names, and demanded we leave. Never going back there again. Don’t go there.

Smells like crap… or perhaps more accurately, decades of spilled beer, vomit, and who knows what else. Cheap beer specials abound. I really shouldn’t like this place, but nostalgia is a funny thing. :)

How do you even write a review for a place like this? It’s so hard to place stars of any kind on Eightball… but as far as dive bars go, I’ll have to give this place at least 3 starts. PBR on special, a working jukebox, 3 pool tables, 3 dart boards, and you’re basically in a basement. What more needs to be said?
Don’t expect fast or friendly service, but that’s pretty much ok. It’s pretty standard issue with beer this cheap. I could see this as a good place to hang out — especially if you’re in the mood to go to the bar in your pajamas (we all have those days, don’t we?).

I don’t even know how to rate the Eightball. It’s a shithole, but that’s its thing. It does its thing REALLY well.
Cheap pitchers of beer, pool tables, and darts go in the plus column.
However, I do like a bathroom where I’m not running an appreciable risk of contracting a disease. Which is magnified by the fact that the Eightball bathrooms are also used for the Blind Pig upstairs. During a concert, it might actually be more sanitary and pleasant if people just went outside and did their business in the alleyway.
Someone with a sense of humor decided this should be a stop during my bachelorette party pub crawl. It was hilarious. The Eightball clientele was highly amused by our pink-​clad glittery selves and free drinks abounded. I remember the Eightball fondly at least for that.