The Riv

This used to be my favorite bar in East Lansing — not anymore. I have been a frequent customer of The Riv’s for nearly a decade. The last few times I have visited, the service has been below par. Tonight, I asked for a water when I closed my tab. The water I received had visible soap subs in it. When I mentioned this to the staff and asked for a new water, my drink was taken away from me and I was asked to leave because it was «closing time,» despite the fact that there were approximately 100 customers left in the bar. I understand that mistakes happen, and I would have easily overlooked this oversight, but when I brought it up to the staff they were downright unapologetic and blatantly rude.

This might be my favorite bar in EL.
Besides the lines on both sides of the building, this place has an identity to it. It is spacious enough but not too big, and the people are usually pretty cool. There are two pool tables (in a weird spot, but hey, not much room) and a big bar. If you come here you must play Erotic Photo Hunt — a classic game.
Oh, and did I mention the best part: Burgerama. Cheap a$$ beers and burgers on Thursday afternoons. My senior year was a blur on Thursdays due to the pitchers of beer after all my classes were finished. I swear, I went to my classes before Rama! It was the place to be, and a large group of us would go and then manage to split apart at some point, with some point randomly sleeping in a bench in Subway or someone sleeping on the hood of a parked car or – you get it, my friends passed out in weird places. Hey, maybe I even did too. Don’t tell anyone.
Go to The Riv for a good time. I stop in every time I return to EL.

I love this place. I always liked the riv because it seemed to be arrest bar where people can just come as they are and have a good time. Unlike most of the other east lansing bars there is never cover and it seems they are trying to do some new things with the menu both food and beer wise. They have a vast selection of canned beer which is pretty cool and oringal and took the classic bar food an extra step with some damn good grilled cheese options. Stop in soon they are doing great new things here.

It’s hard not to feel nostalgic about a place where you had so many great memories (giant Jenga and Burgerama, to name a few).
I was pleasantly surprised to see upgraded furniture (ie: sturdy) and even updated bathrooms from what it looked like during my most recent visit, my first in about a year.
I love The Riv more when it’s not so crowded (which I’ve always found hit or miss. Why so empty at 11 p.m. on a Saturday?), and you can control the jukebox, play darts and get great, attentive service.

This bar is horrifying. It may be appealing if you are a broke college student but the sticky floors and scummy employees with their bad service are what turns you on to a good night out then by all means, go here. The drink specials are decent but contain no alcohol.
There are much better bars in East Lansing. Do not waste your time here.
I have even had an employee take my credit card and charge her own tip a few days after my tabs went through.

You always get a very interesting crowd at the riv. Whether the strange or cheap drinks attracts them, you could probably show up at the riv with pajamas on and no one would care. Thursdays has 3.50 pitchers from 3 – 9 but get there early, as there can be up to an hour line after 5

The Riv was the bar I decided to go to on my 21^st birthday! Usually packed on the weekends, and an overall awesome place. Great Thursday specials, «Burgerama,» they have $ 2.50 pitchers of Labatt and cheap burgers and fries.
The crowd is the normal college-​town crowd, but less of a dude-​bro/​sorostitute hangout than some of the other bars in E.L. Usually not super packed, (other than Burgerama Thursdays, be prepared for a wait, especially before 9pm). Even then, I’ve never had a problem getting drunk. ;)
The bathrooms are disgusting, but it’s a college bar, what do you really expect?
Drinks around $ 3-​$ 4 bucks a piece for middle of the road beers and drinks. Pool tables, dart boards, Foosball, top 40 and college classics (think Journey, «Sweet Caroline» and Snoop Dog) when it comes to music. Staff is friendly, and so are the clientele.

Dive bar is probably an understatement for The Riv. I ordered a «frog tank,» and it was disgustingly sugary. The drinks are cheap, but not strong. The tables were sticky, and the bathrooms were pretty sick, too, but that’s a standard for any college-​town bar.

Went here last night with @nicklucido and @katyhomanick.
It’s a great place to watch the football games and play the Bags video game. It’s close to Menna’s Joint and Georgio’s. Burgerama on Thursdays is always a great deal and a good time.
I frequent the Riv when I’m in town but this time I found out something awesome last night. They allow you to play quarters here.
BEWARE. To the guys who need to know this: Their stalls don’t have doors and their toilets don’t have toilet seats. Avoid at all costs unless it’s dire.

I’ve only been here once for the infamous Burgerama starting at 3PM on Thursdays. Burgers are $ 1.50 and pitchers are $ 3. Unless you don’t want to wait in line, get here early because when I arrived a little after 5, I was in line for almost an hour. The crowd is pretty wild and there is a DJ is spinning music. Some people play card games at tables, some people watch ESPN on TV, some people dance, some people just get too drunk to leave a booth. I can’t say I remember much, except they make burgers constantly and they pile up and get cold, so make sure you ask for a fresh burger when you go up to make that $ 1.50 purchase. My buddy dropped his burger on the ground, still ate it, and said it was one of the most delicious burgers in his life. Then again, after two pitchers, what isn’t delicious, even if it’s been dragged across a dirty bar floor?

A decent sized dive bar. Sticky, grimey, dark, filled with smoke, the works. However, they have awesome drink specials and I love seeing a overhead menu at a bar with the specific specials for the days of the week.
For a guy, it’s a good place to just chill with the dudes if you want a low key night. Maybe a place to pregame.

This is an average college bar. No one is going to slip roofies in your drink but your girlfriend my get «accidentally» felt up by some loser.
Pros: live music, large bar for you and everyone’s friends
Cons: pain in the ass to get a drink, or a seat.
Advice: Go early to avoid the cover charge, leave early to avoid the crowd

The Riv is a great time. It’s has an unpretentious crowd with great deals and everyday good prices on everything else.
It’s not the cleanest bar, but what does that matter? Once you have a few Labatt Blues you will forget all about how bad the bathroom stinks.
I just hope they throw away the pitchers people leave in the toilet that everyone (myself included) fills up with piss.
Also, I reccomend staying away from the mini-​tacos. They sound like a good idea, but you will might poop your pants. Anyone who has been in this situation knows your night is over. There is no pooping at the Riv, you simply say goodbye to your friends, go home, dump and call it a night.

Smokey? Check. Sticky? Yup. Douchey? Here and there. A good place to get rip roarin’ drunk? You bet.
As far as college dive bars go, The Riv is pretty standard. But I was impressed with the specials, and the music was at least tolerable, which I didn’t expect at all. They also have the game Bags, which is always worth a whole star for me, as I can completely occupy my time spinning that little track ball if need be.
I don’t anticipate doing heavy binge drinking again in East Lansing any time soon, but when that day does come (and you know it will) I’d be up for making the Riv a stop in my night of debauchery.

There are no words for how much I miss Burgerrama (Thursdays 3pm — cheap pitchers/​food). I never missed it, even if it meant coming from class or not going altogether. The guys didn’t even have to look at my ID eventually, sad but true. The people at this bar are the best. Wait in line, it’s worth it.
The Riv will always be full of endless memories from college. Come as you are and leave feeling good.

Another dirty a$$ college bar that I have outgrown.
Even in the prime of my college years, I never got this place. This place always seems to be crowded, smoky, and sticky. I understand they have specials every day of the week ranging from 2 for $ 2 tacos on Sunday, to burgerama Wed (or Thurs, I forget), but here’s what I really don’t like:
–dance floor– their dance floor is about the size of a small lavatory leaving little to no room to «get down.»
–DJs– for some unknown reason the Riv uses «Jamming DJs» to do their music. If I could find them on Unilocal,I would give them a 0, they are AWFUL. I reiterate– creating a playlist on a computer does not make you a dj. These are the same people that used to kick off our high school dances with track 1 from Jock Jams, they suck HARD.
–tvs– I get that they are not a sports bar, but they should consider upgrading their tvs, especially since they have Tigers Tuesdays. It seems that there are 2 places you can sit and have a decent view otherwise you are SOL.
Outside of the cheap food and the people watching, this place is completely forgettable. College students– go get your grind on. People out of college 2 plus years– run away, as fast as yo ucan.

The mixed drinks here are bad, but this place is worth visiting once so you know you won’t need to go back again. People come to «The Riviera» to get messed up, so it’s easy to see how this «café» gets away with selling poor quality food. Unfortunately, there are worse bars in East Lansing.