HopCat

So our second time eating here… as soon as we sat down our waitress asked us if we wanted an appetizer. When we asked for a suggestion she responded with… you guys are way more mature than I am… you would probably want the spinach artichoke dip but the pretzel bites are amazing. I am 38… food was ok…

I feel a little just like a statistic with so many reviews already, but I love this place. I love the variety of the beer selections, I love happy hour, and I love the food. We went there once for the bourbon barrel beer night which was awesome — we had some hard to find beer and spent too much. :) The food is always good. I get burgers often but their chicken salad wrap was really good and huge. I had the reuben once, only once. It was ‘meh’ — I can barely remember what I didn’t like anymore, only that I won’t get it again there.
Service is pretty good too. My only complaint is there is NO WHERE to put your purse. I don’t put Fendi or even Michael Kors on the floor, folks. Please get some hooks and place under the tables and don’t suggest I get the old lady purse hook to carry around with me. Really… hooks… please

I had come here with my son after getting a hair cut, and have recently become addicted to their french fries. Seriously, there’s a reason they call them crack fries. I can’t comment on their drinks because I’m not a big drinker and know nothing about beer, so here’s our lunch overview.
We came in and were immediately greeted by the staff. I requested a table next to the window, and the host was happy to oblige. Our server was very nice and answered what questions we had about a few items on the menu, as well as suggesting a few items to us newbies. (She also complimented me on my phone case, so bonus points. ;)
Our food came quickly, and it was delicious! Perfectly cooked medium burger for me, and perfectly well done burger for my son. I think he said it was one of his top 5 burger places now.

If you hate sports bars but enjoy watching sports in public (or are married to a person who does and you want to be nice and accompany them), Hopcat is the place to go in Ann Arbor, I’d say. Great beer selection (incl. several ciders, lambic, etc., if along with your sports bar allergy you also have somewhat of an IPA allergy…) and the crack fries and indeed addictive. Food always looked very fresh and was tasty in general.

SETTING:
Always busy. Bar is located in the middle. Tables and booths all around the rest of the place, but not to the point that it is overcrowded. Also a great place to watch sports.
FOOD:
Two words: Happy Hour. In my opinion one of the better HH (M-​Th 4−6pm) in Ann Arbor. Burgers are half off (and comes with a good side of fries) + $ 3 – 4 for a local beer (plenty of options). Not sure what is making me salivate more, the crack fries or the savings. What do they put in those fries?! Get the cheese sauce on the side. Trust me. I don’t normally go for the extra frills, but the sauce really takes this up a notch. The extra dollar is well worth it.
SERVICE:
Very polite staff and a normal wait time for food.
IMPRESSIONS:
I enjoy coming to HopCat. I’ve been here during the best of times (that time we got here 10 minutes before the end of HH and got our order in) and the worst of times (that one time Michigan lost to MSU… in just a few seconds). What stays constant during the ups and downs is the great food and atmosphere. That’s something you can count on. On top of all that, Happy Hour just makes the experience even better.

So, this place is like a cross between a normal bar, a comic-​con full of beer dorks and a Korean karaōke bar. Asian’s can put back some beers man, holy cow. Who knew?
Checked this place out on a snowy Monday night, location is super convenient right off State St. with the Maynard St. structure right across the street.
Listen, I get the concept and I know beer nerds will give me the middle finger but, I personally feel this place has too many beers. I LOVE beer but, trying to figure out what it is I actually want is exhausting. I am sure 99% of the people who come here appreciate the selection but personally I’d be just fine with lets say, 50 beers to choose from.
The service was friendly but infrequent — it was busy because of the football game so, it really wasn’t a big deal and we were never left wanting for anything.
We shared a Vladimir Poutine fry as an appetizer and they were ok but a lot of the fries were torched from spending too much time in the broiler and the gravy to fry ratio needed a lot of adjustment. And what’s up with the pierogi, man? Not really sure that was necessary. Assuming these had enough gravy and weren’t burnt up I imagine they’d be delicious. I’d try ordering them again for sure, I’m a poutine slut though.
I had the Barnyard burger which I thought was awesome! I would definitely get that again and if you like a burger with a ton of crap on it that oozes down your wrists, this is right up your alley. The misses had the Cowboy burger which looked good but wasn’t cooked to her liking so she barely touched it.
$ 50 for 4 beers, 2 burgers and an appetizer is very reasonable in my book. I’d probably come back and I’ll definitely check out their Detroit location as well which looks like it reviews slightly higher.

My friends and I went here last night as part of a birthday bar crawl. This was our last stop of the night.
I have been here several times since the grand opening and i have absolutely nothing but good things to say about this establishment.
The service is always relatively fast and always friendly. They have the largest beer selection in the area. It is in one of the better locations in downtown. The artwork on the wall is pretty cool as well.
One of the guys we were with ordered the Freedom Juice which is Pabst Blue Ribbon, it is cool to see a bar with humor.
In the past i have ordered many different kinds of food they offer. The buffalo chicken sandwich, beef and chicken tacos, their famous crack fries in many different forms (poutine, loaded, ranch, etc,.), among other items. All of them, that is right ALL OF THEM were delicious.
This place is a must visit. 5 stars always.

I like HopCat a lot. The drink selection is decent, and I’ve always had good experiences with their food. Their claim to fame is crack fries, which are as addictive as the name suggests. I also like their chicken quesadillas and their chili.
Sometimes it gets crowded during peak hours and there’s a wait, but it’s never been unreasonable. The ambiance of the restaurant is also very nice.

We had a delicious lunch here and enjoyed cheering for Michigan during an away game. GO BLUE!
The Bar Zee Burger was very tasty with jalapeños, applewood bacon, and cheese. The burger was charbroiled and served on a toasted brioche bun. I highly recommend this burger! Plus, it came with Crack Fries — beer battered fries sprinkled with cracked black pepper seasoning. They aren’t called Crack Fries for nothing. These fries are amazingly addictive! I am not at all surprised that these fries were named one of the «Top 10 French Fries in America» by Food Network Magazine. So, so good!
I knocked off a star because the service was slow and forgetful at times. I had to ask three times for a side of ranch. Seriously?! I was also bummed that the cider options on tap were barely drinkable. The aged cider was really not good. Please get some better cider options!

Went here on a Saturday (late afternoon). It wasn’t that busy but started to fill up when we left.
I had a burger which was just ok. Requested a well done burger and received a burnt burger and burnt bun. A sign of a good restaurant is a place that can prepare a well done burger without burning it… failed T this test.
My wife had the pizza rolls. They were good and unique. We also got an appetizer of the crack fries. As mentioned by others these are delicious.
I’m not a huge beer drinker and can’t comment on the beer selection, although the taps did look plentiful.
I was also annoyed by the wait staff. I’m not a big fan of hipster douchebags and that’s pretty much who works/​runs this place. You already ruined Ray Bans, please don’t ruin my meal. Cut the goofy schtick and bring me my food.
Final verdict-it’s Ok. Nothing spectacular.

I remember the hype about this place when it first opened earlier this year. I finally got a chance to try it this week for a group dinner, and I’ll say that I’m a fan!
They have a weekday happy hour from 2 p.m. to 6 p.m. that offers half off all burgers. And the order comes with crack fries! Of our table of seven, five of us ordered the Cowboy. After reading that it’s topped with jalapeño peppers, pepper jack cheese, and bacon, we were sold. I ordered mine medium rare, and it was cooked perfectly. I couldn’t get enough of the crack fries either! They’re sprinkled with black pepper and so addicting. I finished my entire order and some of my friend’s too.
I’d highly recommend this restaurant, especially during the weekday happy hour. Your $ 6 goes a long way (a big burger and side of tasty fries)!

Crack fries. Beer. Loaded crack fries. Beer. Repeat.
Seriously, though. HopCat is always a fun time. The atmosphere is lively and the staff are friendly. The beer selection is impressive. The food is pretty standard bar food, but the highlights are the crack fries and mac-​n-​cheese. The crack fries live up to their name for sure. Get them loaded (bacon, cheese, jalapeños, sour cream) and watch them disappear in minutes.

Newer isn’t always better.
Compared to the other bars I hit up in Ann Arbor, this was one of the newer ones. Large place. Nice looking interior. Lots of televisions.
Despite being new and looking nice, I didn’t dig the vibe. They had a pretty decent selection of beers on tap, but the first ones they offered were your basic garbage beers. All the bartenders were women, now there’s nothing wrong with that, but you can tell what crowd they wanted. The obnoxious frat boy crowd from the University. This was a bit of a douchey bar.
In the end, it was just not my scene, but was an alright experience.

I have been to the HopCat in Ann Arbor a few times, and I never leave this place feeling empty or thirsty. If you’re looking for a great place to hangout with friends, and kick back and enjoy the evening, this is the place to go. Especially, if you enjoy some really great high-​end beer.
I have to tell you the chef makes a great Turkey Reuben sandwich at the Ann Arbor location that is absolutely amazing. I have been to other establishments where they couldn’t put together this type of sandwich even if the turkey helped prepare it for them, and wrote the instructions down on paper. This place has a killer Turkey Reubens.
Another sandwich that I really like from HopCat is the «Damn Good Fish Sandwich.» This puts anything that Burger King, and McDonald’s offer to shame in a heartbeat. Besides, you never know where this fish comes from. The HopCat uses a seasoned tilapia filet on a toasted brioche bun with lettuce, tomato & onion. Then they serve it up with house-​made tartar sauce that is outstanding. I usually don’t use tarter sauce as it gives me heartburn, but house tarter sauce at this place is excellent.
Finally, lets talk about HopCat’s signature «Crack Fries.» These are oh sooooooooo good! If you’ve never had them, you don’t know what your missing out on. Believe me when I tell you they are absolutely magnificent, and make for a great snack warmed up in the microwave oven. Even my cat loves them.
So the next time your in downtown Ann Arbor, do yourself a favor and stop in and enjoy this place, and the fries! :-)

In general I like Hopcat and the Ann Arbor location is no exception.
Came here on a busy Saturday night but we were still able to easily snag a table. We were famished so my fella and I started with an order of the crack fries with cheese. Always a solid choice. For a meal I went with the «Better Living Through Tacos» and my dude went with the «Bar Zee» burger. Be warned, these tacos are huge! As previously mentioned, I was starving so I got three tacos – two garlic chicken and one beef. After my fill of fries and beer I was way too stuffed to do the third and only stuck to the two chicken. But they were great! The chicken was nice and juicy and had good flavor. They were topped with pickled veggies, chipotle black bean dip, avocado ranch, fried poblano peppers & scallions). My fella kept raving about his burger but I was too full to give it a bite. It looked fantastic, though.
The space is cool. They pack a lot of seating into a smaller space but I still found it really comfortable. Our table was covered in old Rolling Stone magazine covers and it was fun looking at them all and remembering past issues I’d read, especially as a teen. Took me back!
They have great specials too. We were particularly jazzed about the BURGER & BEER happy hour (Monday-​Thursday 4pm-​6pm — $ 7 for a Classic Burger, Crack Fries, & Any Local 30 Draft) and plan to come back for that soon.
The staff here is also really knowledgable about their beers. We had picked out a couple of drafts, I went with one that had just rotated in (Blood Orange Honey from Charlevoix Brewing) while my fella initially went with an old Short’s standby – Huma Lupa Licious. Our waitress told him that if he likes that one he should try a different one they newly had on tap (sorry, the name is escaping right now) and after a bit of indecision he decided to go for it since he was game to try something new. Verdict? He really liked it! Trust your servers, kids. They know much.

I had been wanting to try HopCat for a while now, even though I recently was in Detroit and saw that one too (valet parking = $ 7, so no thanks).
We were in town for the film fest and wanted a light-​ish dinner, so we split the crack fries and the quesadilla. Both were VERY good. I also ordered the Memento cider ($ 5) which I liked as well.
HopCat has a HUGE beer menu, but I’m more of a cider person, so I liked that they had a variety of ciders and non-​beer drinks as well.
Waitservice was a little slow but overall very good, my water glass was usually full. I need to come back here for happy hour (M-​Fri., 4−6pm) at some point because they do a «burger and brew» deal for $ 7 — a burger, fries, and a beer — which can’t be beat, that’s a great price. They also do a 2−4pm happy hour where you get beer discounts, I believe.
Hoping to come back to the A2 one sometime soon! They’re part of this year’s Restaurant Week too in June so check that out for deals.

Atmosphere and Seating: ⁵⁄₅
Well decorated and comfortable booths and bar chairs. Definitely brings in a crowd for late night drinks but definitely more comfortable to navigate than other bars in the area.
Food: ⁴⁄₅
I had a Cow Boy burger which came out to around $ 12. The burger wasn’t anything special but the crack fries that came with it were amazing — don’t even need ketchup.
Price: ³⁄₅
If you’re going to a bar, you’re expecting to spend money already but I think HopCat is more the pricier side. They have daily happy hour specials though so be sure to take advantage of those!
Overall, if you’re looking for bar food at a lower price, try Charley’s. Otherwise, HopCat is nice spot for drinks, sports, and good company.

This review is for the infamous crack fries only. I made a special trip here after not being able to take part on opening day as part of the lucky customers who got free crack fries for a year. Oh, I so wanted to be one of those lucky customers. I heard the line was out the door and around the corner. So, after about three months of hearing all the rave reviews about them, I decided to make my way there and try them for myself.
The restaurant is bigger than I imagined and the bar is pretty large. It sits it the middle of the restaurant and seats quite a few. We went straight to the bar. I scanned the menu just for the sake of it although I knew exactly what I wanted. My eating companion wanted to get the loaded crack fries but I thought since it was our first time trying them, we should go the traditional route. After consulting with the bartender, he seconded my sentiments and suggested as first-​timers, we go with the traditional crack fries. We decided to get the cheese sauce on the side as well. The bartender was so nice and friendly. We chatted him up about where he grew up and his favorites on the menu while we waited.
We didn’t have to wait long when our order of fries came up. They gave a good amount (although I always welcome more fries:-) Upon first bite, my eyes closed and I breathed in a sigh of bliss. They were awesome! I like my food really seasoned and the crack fries did not disappoint. They were the perfect combination of salty, sweet, and peppery goodness! They were fried a perfect golden brown. And the accompanying cheese sauce was a great complement. I liked them both with ketchup and the cheese sauce.
They seem to have a great happy hour special that includes a burger, crack fries, and a beer. I’m not a fan of beer but the bartender told us we could substitute the beer for hard cider. I definitely plan on coming back and soon for that special and I’m sure other items off the menu.

My boyfriend and I visited Hopcat yesterday during opening time at 11 am. Our waitress was a sweetheart, very nice and attentive.
We had a Hooked deal to buy one entrée and get one free, so he ordered the three taco entrée with two beef tacos and 1 garlic cream grilled chicken taco, and I ordered a chicken salad wrap which came with their ‘crack fries.’ The tacos were yummier than expected, especially the chicken taco. I’m not a taco fan but I would definitely order it again. I loved the pickles veggies inside, a unique touch. The wrap was fresh and not drenched in mayo, and the bacon was smoky and delicious. The crack fries reminded me of the fries at Frita Batidos, sooo good.
Hopcat had a lot of tempting deals on beers, of which they have quite an impressive selection, but alas it was 11 on a school day. I would come back here for sure.

I must admit, I had low expectation, but these hipsters may be on to something…
Most will come for the beer. However, if you are not in the craft beer «scene» (like me), the beer selection may leave you scratching your head. At the risk of sounding like a total redneck, one of the few beers I recognized was PBR. There is no Miller, Budweiser, Coors… You get the picture. For you none-​beer-​drinkers, be forewarned that they only serve two wines — — a chardonnay and a merlot. That’s it. Rest assured, however, that the bar is fully stocked with a wide selection of liquors for mixed cocktails.
The food is very delicious, upscale barfare; the menu predominated by burgers. I cannot say that the famous «Crack Fries» live up to their name (I am not feening for them), but I do recommend them with cheese.
The layout is spacious with cool, trippy murals, and comfortable bar stools. The place is poppin with a wait for tables materializing early in the evening, so come early or be prepared to wait.
Overall, a great place for food and drink even when you aren’t a craft beer lover.
ps. Beer samples are $ 1 per taste (i.e. NOT free).