Tavern On The Square

Drinks were ok, but hard to watch the bartender get ice by using the glass she was using for the drink in the ice chest… I think is dangerous as if the glass breaks or even chips, it ends up in the ice (thank you bar rescue!).
We were seated and our waitress forgot about us for a bit, but the hostess was on top of things and grabbed her to take our order. My husband’s burger was ok, but my meatloaf wasn’t cooked all the way and had egg shells in it. I barely touched it and the waitress didn’t ask me any questions. It was supposed to come with broccoli but they were out, so they brought carrots instead. Manager took 20% off my meal because of the broccoli without me saying anything, which was nice. Fries and onion rings were disappointing, maybe they cut veggies far in advance and that’s why they were soggy?
Bottom line — ok place for drinks, just opt for beer and not a mixed drink. Skip the food the go somewhere else. We ended up here because hopcat had a long wait.

Came with a group of 10 people on a Saturday and both the food and service were bad. Our server only visited our table 2 times in an hour and she took forever to bring any drinks. Food took forever and came out in increments of two people at a time. So our table didn’t even get to eat together. On top of that our server forgot half of our order and the food that did come was cold and obviously not that enjoyable. Zero need to come back here given all the nice bars/​restaurants in Grand Rapids. By far our worst experience down here.

We came here on a Friday night — New Years. We arrived around 8 and the place was kind of slow, but more people started to show up later. The waitress was already, came to check on is a couple of times but didn’t really try to be friendly or anything.
We had the onion rings and there was barely any «filling», it was mostly skin. There was a lot of batter and they fried it a bit too much. The dip was delicious, though.
I had the Beef Brisket French Dip and it was really good — probably the highlight of the night. My husband wanted the lobster Mac & cheese but they were out so he had the steak frites instead — he didn’t like it but it was just his taste, I’m sure other people would find it delicious. I personally don’t think it was worth $ 16.95.
It was our first time here and we will not be coming back.

Great staff always a good vibe
Good eats also! On a street full of different bars. Plenty of parking! Nice size porch and patio for summer time

Great music & i could dig the colonial/​patriotic décor. Very good food, reasonable prices & they made good LIT’s!

we had reservations at 6:15 for 14 people before the Aerosmith concert. After 1 hour and still no food we had to leave for the concert! unreal! Food is good so not sure what happened tonight???

They have really stepped up there food game. Everything on the menu is delicious and different. Outside patio is great in the summer. Drinks can be a little pricey but that’s downtown for ya.

If you go in after the DJ starts and you find yourself essentially not being able to walk through the bar — it sucks, so stick to the patio. Before that — good place.
Good food/​beer selection. Staff could be friendlier but not surprised at a place like this with all the craziness some nights.
Weekdays are nice to pop in for happy hour /​sandwich when it is pretty empty.
Definitely a great place to start your night — just don’t find yourself there at close.

This place is starting to grow on me. They have an excellent monday deal, 1 $ off taps and 7 $ any sandwich and it comes with their yummy sweet potato chips! Also the bartender/​manager who is usually there is a very friendly guy and pours a delicious cocktail! (ask him about his rootbeer shot concoction) Dance floor is kind of small, but its not really a club so I understand. They have a nice patio area which is kind of outside but covered. Sometimes the place is crazy insane busy even charging a cover sometimes, which depending on my mood the amount of people won’t bother me, but cover always is lame. All in all a pretty good place to go have a few drinks and a quick meal.

Not a bad place. Staff is very nice and attentive. Food is pretty good. Definitely have had better but nice environment. Not to noisy. Price is decent per person. Had the fish tacos that were just okay. Hard shell taco with fried cod, guacamole, and coleslaw. Decent portions… not like more American restaurants.

Torn feelings about this place. On one hand it’s close to my
Apartment and a good happy hour. On the other hand, I get annoyed by the lack of basic serving skills nearly all their employees seem to lack. My number one pet peeve when I am out is the bartenders/​servers broadcasting their personal lives as if everyone around them cares and wants to hear… trust me we don’t care that you got trashed a woodys bar this past weekend and can’t remember anything! I come to enjoy myself and whomever I am with! Not to listen to you talk about yourself and take shots with fellow co workers. So unprofessional!

Throughly enjoyed my food sitting out on the front covered patio area with a couple local beers!

This spot is only getting 3 stars for a few reasons. Let’s start with the things I loved! I loved the casual vibe, great drink/​beer selection and I love the location! Just down teh street from some of my favorite downtown Grand Rapids bars, this was something new and exciting. We met up with about 10 friends and had a blast, as well as great service considering the size of our group.
A few things that were disappointing included the mediocre food and the fact that they would not take a reservation for our group of 12. When we showed up at 7pm on a Saturday night the place was nearly empty so we ended up not needing one, but the phone-​service gal could use some some coaching on her customer service.
I had the beet salad and was really looking for more beets! The sweet potato chips, however, were delicious and I wanted to order more.
I would come back for sure!

Usually, when presented with a situation where the floor service was lacking, (like we didn’t get any service), I would turn to the service bar as an outlet to connect with the staff, get some drinks, and get our service rolling. Well, there was a couple douche bags who just finished a round of golf standing there. After ten minutes and no service we left. This one bad experience, with all the options downtown, mean that we will never try again or come back. Dueces!

Went here with friends on a Friday night. I should have known better when, upon entry, the bouncer/​doorman said, «Have an amazing night, bud» like I was a teenager heading to a raging party and it seemed like they were trying too hard to be hip.
It was loud and full of drunks. It was challenging to get past the front door because people congregate by the bar. The bartenders were clearly trolling for tips based on what they were wearing. To get to the tables you end up having to walk through the dance floor, where people are very liberal, especially to people just passing through.
The food and drinks are expensive. It’s the kind of place where someone orders a mixed drink and then finds out it was $ 10-​$ 15. What’s comical is that they are only a few blocks from Founders, yet they way overprice the Founders beer.
Service was great until I paid for my beer in cash. He didn’t give me exact change back citing that he rounds down to the nearest dollar. Sayyyyyyyyy what? Later, I got into an argument with him when he brought out the bills for the table a few hours later and tried to bill me again for the beer. I brought up his rounding policy to set him straight that I had, in fact, already paid my bill. Ridiculous.
Overall, while I enjoyed socializing with my friends, I won’t return here and cannot, in good conscience, recommend it to anyone.

Can I give them negative stars? The food and beer is overpriced and the music is really nasty (kind of douchey pop). I was livid due to the cover charge that I had to pay on a Friday night; only men pay to get in. I have complained to the civil rights division in Michigan; this is illegal according to the law when it comes to public accommodations such as bars or restaurants in MI. I hope I set a precedent by making them back down and charge everyone to get in, or no one.

My husband and I came in late night to meet some friends. The server was blonde, shorter, with a very raspy voice and she was awful. She was very sloppy and appeared to be drunk. We also witnessed the other staff members taking shots and drinking on the job. Poor place to go to late night if you want good service let alone sober service.

I’ve been here a handful of times while downtown for a night or two and it’s definitely a blast every time I stop by.
Love the big outdoor covered patio with the fireplace, very nice and cozy. I’ve been here while they have DJ’s and dancing and it’s fun, but the dance floor is extremely small. I feel like if they are going to have dancing and a DJ they should probably expand the dance floor.
They do generally have a pretty good happy hour, with a full bar. I’ve only gotten the chance to eat here once. When I did it was for a late lunch after a long night of drinks the night before, so I was in need of some greasy, yet fresh food. I decided on getting the Fish tacos. They were pretty good, I have had better from a food truck though. But they had just they right amount of sauce, and cabbage. The fish was lightly grilled to perfection.
Me personally I think the restaurant/​bar is a great place to meet up before a fun night on the town for a dinner and a few starter drinks.

This is not the ideal go to place in my eyes. I went on a Saturday afternoon and did not receive good service. I sat outside with my group and really did like the front area especially since it was a nice sunny day.
The server spent most of the time sitting next to what appeared to be her boyfriend. She was pretty slow and did not really seem to care about her position which was unfortunate.
The food was okay and the drinks were okay as well. There was nothing that really stood out about this place. I usually think of another place to go to before resorting to this location. It is unfortunate because I believe that this place has potential to be appealing.

The motto of this restaurant must be ‘Work all day; Party all night’.
It’s a decent place for lunch and dinners. The vibe is business casual at those times. Its a good choice for a downtown happy hour with allot of office types stopping in. The menu is reasonably priced, and while there isn’t anything memorable about about the food, you will leave satisfied.
But at night, and especially the weekends, it turns into a college-​y, drunkfest when they move the tables to make a dance floor and pack everyone in around the bar area.
If you are here at the right time for what you want to do, you’ll be ok. So, If you like to get wasted on bombs and shots, then come here at night and you’ll love it. If you want to get a quick dinner before going to Van Andel or you are on a business lunch, you’ll be satisfied.