Grand Rapids Brewing Company

This place was decent before it closed. Though they kinda stopped making beer and so there was no draw to come in. Too bad.

This has a been a resturant that has been declining in quality for a long time. The service was friendly but poor. The menu is ok but we waited for over 30 minutes for our food to be delivered, then it was delivered incorrectly and was not really hot. The rotisserie chicken was good, but the sides were cold and undercooked and had no seasoning. The reuben was fair but with three slices of bread that became the primary flavor of the sandwich. Their housemade potato chips are greasy, unseasonsed and not enjoyable at all. While we were there, the resturant was not busy and one couple left due to the service being slow. They had ordered and waited for a long time for their meal and just left. We will not go back.

My boyfriend introduced me to this restaurant. I should mention that I am not a drinker, so I do not have experience with their brews, but the food is fantastic. I thought the service was pretty good, but I have only been in there twice. Some of the prices are reasonable, and some of them less so, but overall I really like the place.

Found this place after a busy day at the Meijer Gardens and shopping at the nearby mall. My friend and I found this place to be clean, friendly and efficient. The menu is typical brew-​pub stuff with a few neat sandwiches and an item that includes half a chicken! The bread & butter they brought out after we ordered was great. I ordered the honey mustard chicken sandwich and was incredibly happy. I had to slow down on scarfing it to drink the beer! My friend had the half-​chicken meal and although she hates carrots, she claimed that those were the only edible carrots she had encountered. By the way, they meals are large and we could have easily shared her meal alone!
The beer was good too. The IPA was unusually bold without too much hoppiness, and I usually do not like IPAs! All other beers were good too, and the sampler provided a nice healthy taste.

I visit Grand Rapids a couple of times a year to visit family in the area, and the best motel deals are in this area off of and around 28^th street, a suburban sprawl strip mall limbo that would surely be part of an updated Inferno if Dante were alive and writing today. A picture of the area should be in any urban planning textbook as an example of what not to do, no sidewalks, no pedestrians, no bike lanes, no bicyclists, lots of White people talking on mobile phones while driving by themselves in big new SUVs. On the plus side, parking is easy. GRBC one of very few restaurants here, that aren’t one of those dreaded mediocre corporate chains that spread like a postmodern cancer around shopping malls. One of my friends remembered the restaurant in a previous incarnation as a pseudo-​Mexican place that had a passable buffet for free with the purchase of a bad beer on tap back when she was at Calvin College, and it’s not hard to see that it was once a Chi-Chi’s type place from both the exterior and inside architecture. The forgettable menu nowadays isn’t that sort of a bargain anymore, it’s full of fried this and that, so I got the fish and chips which was mediocre. All the food was mediocre. So were their beers, brewed right there, in the style of Miller High Life or Budweiser in a can. The service was quite good though. The seating was comfortable, and I liked the company I came with. After we finished, I said «we should have stayed and eaten in the Holiday Inn.» One of my friends replied, «no, this got us out of the motel for the evening.» So there you have it, this restaurant is on the level of a chain hotel restaurant in terms of food quality, but at least it gets you out of the hotel.

We’ve been here a couple of times when we’ve stayed on 28^th while visiting GR. We originally found it when looking for something other than a big chain out there on 28^th. This place is part of a small west Michigan-​based Schelde group, and I like to go local whenever I can.
Come hungry and thirsty as the portions are huge. Mostly burgers and other pub-​type fare with the house-​brewed beer.
First time I ate here, I had the olive burger… this time I had the spicy Cajun beer shrimp (the shrimp came in a spicy, spicy broth – I’m happy with a place that isn’t afraid of a little heat with the spice, but this entrée may be a little much for those who aren’t the hot sauce fan that I am). My dining partner liked his sausage platter, particularly the two Porter-​made brats that came with it.
Our cheddar stuffed pretzel apps came to the table hot and fresh out of the oven. And, since we hadn’t eaten all day, we also splurged on a «flight» of ice creams to split (which included a house-​made Porter pecan ice cream!).
The GR Brewing Co. is a sort of modern-​day tribute to the original brewery of the same name that existed between 1893 and 1918 (put out of business by the passage of Prohibition). The modern-​day GR Brewing Company opened in 1993 as Michigan’s second licensed brew pub (Traffic Jam in Detroit is #1).
I’ve tried the Pale Ale and the summer wheat here and found them both decent.

There beers were a bit bland, but in their defense we did go there to eat after stopping at Schmohz for a couple of brews, so on their own they might be better.
Our food was tasty, my wife and I both had the fish and chips. We also had the smoked whitefish dip appetizer; wow was that good.

We came here during a weekend trip to Grand Rapids.
The service here was absolutely meh, as another reviewer said. My husband also didn’t care for the beer he tried, and one of the reasons I thought the service was poor is that our server didn’t tell him about the sampler flight. But I’ll still give the restaurant good marks for a menu full of variety. Lots of sandwiches, soups, burgers, and entrees with a down-​home feel to them.
A special shout-​out to the kid’s menu. It was not the usual assortment of grilled cheese, mac-​n-​cheese, and chicken fingers. Kids have real choices, and real sides to choose from. Of course, my son still managed to select the fried option, with french fries. He loved the fish-​in-​chips – and the portion was generous enough to feed an adult.

Grand Rapids Brewing Company (GRBC) is somewhat of a unique place. Looking at it from the outside, and even once you’re inside, it’s not quite what you’d expect.
From the outside, and its name, you’d expect something like an Applebee’s atmosphere. Once you’re inside though… it’s more like feeling you’re in a fancy establishment — although not quite. The theme… is «old.» That’s what it felt like to me and my friends, at least.
Initially it is very cramped feeling until you’re lead into the larger dining area and the room immediately opens up. For some reason, there was hardly anyone here (on St. Patrick’s Day), so it felt fairly empty too. I get the feeling that if it were full of people, I might not have enjoyed the area so much.
Prices here are about average if slightly high for a pub/​restaurant. Most entrees looked like they were within the $ 12 to $ 16 range while burgers/​sandwiches were around $ 8 for most selections. Appetizers were the typical $ 6/​$ 7 price tag. The menu selection varies widely and it makes me think that GRBC cannot decide if it wants to appeal to EVERYONE or the upper crust. Or maybe offer upper crust items at an everyone price. There were some nice (although I can’t remember them) seafood selections on the menu and a good choice of burgers… I think most people would be happy with the choices here. Although I agree with the other reviewer who mentioned there aren’t many «health conscious» choices. Yes, there are a few… but it’s limited. If you are truly watching what you’re eating, it may be difficult to be satisfied with your choices here.
Service was… meh. Not horrible but I’ve definitely experienced better. Especially for some place that I would consider the prices ALMOST high. Or waitress was polite and delivered our food/​drinks in a timely manner but rarely checked on us and we had to request refills. When we were finished with our meal (which I could only finish half of between my beer and salad), I wasn’t offered a to-​go box and she simply snatched the plate to throw my remaining half sandwich away. Disappointing… I was looking forward to eating it later.
It probably is some sin to review this place without making mention of the in-​house brewed beer. Well, there you go, I’ve mentioned it. I’m definitely not a «beer snob» and I’d be hard pressed to tell you the differences between brand A and brand B other than their marketing campaigns. A Miller tastes refreshing to me on a hot day because that’s what the ad tells me… and Bud Light is less filling. The beer here is good but definitely not what I’d want to drink on a regular basis. Maybe someone who actually understands the terms stout, pilsner, malt, and whatever else would appreciate it more. Me… well, if ignorance is bliss than I’m happy as a clam.
GRBC is decent enough. I’d go here with some out of town guests as a change of pace. I’d even come here every once in a great while just for some place different to eat. I wouldn’t consider making this place my new haunt though… or even a place where I could even remotely be considered a regular. There are much better places to have a good meal at in Grand Rapids, at lower prices, with the same (if not better) service. But… don’t discount it entirely — maybe it’ll be your diamond in the rough. For me… not so much.

We went here for dinner while visiting family. I ordered the London Broil, my husband got the vodka pasta, my sister in law had some sort of pasta dish, and my brother in law got the ribs and chicken.
The food gets two stars. The bread for the table was clearly fresh-​baked that day, and the chicken was very good. The vegetables in all our dishes were fresh, even the mushrooms with my steak.
But the onion rings we bought for the table were deep-​fried in old oil, the sort that leaves a residue in your mouth and heaviness in your stomach. The soup was «inedible» because the beer in it had not been simmered off, and the mushroom gravy on my potatoes was the over-​salty kind that comes from a packet. Yuck. Also, I asked for the steak cooked medium, it came back stone-​cold raw in the middle, and the meat was gristly. My brother-​in-​law said the ribs were tough and undercooked as well.
The server gets three stars. She came and went quickly without hovering, she checked in just often enough, she answered all our questions, she comped my steak when I pointed out that it was raw.
However, I probably won’t go back. I was hoping GBRC would be my go-​to alternative to the endless array of chain restaurants up and down 28^th Street, but it’s not any better in the final analysis. So my search continues.

I met a group of friends here once. It was more like an Outback than most brewing companies that I have been to. But all in all the food was okay and drinks well portioned and not watered down. The value was also pretty good. It has a large menu, but alot of it is snack or bar food… and not necessarily something you would eat for a good meal. I did happen to find something though, a patty melt… and it was not the best I have had but good enough to fill me for a good price and didn’t make me sick. The service was kind of slow, but I think mostly because they saw that it was a group of us and didn’t want to disturb maybe? It would have been nice to get a wee bit more attention though.
I may go if invited again… but may be a last resort to Bonefish if I were to choose on my own…

If you’re trying to eat healthy, or cannot have dairy products, you’ll probably want to find another establishment at which to have your meal. Grand Rapids Brewing Co has a large menu, but many items are fried or slathered in various dairy products.
That being said, my mom and I made out alright. She had soup and salad, along with a beer, and I just had a burger. We were most pleased with the warm, crusty multi-​grain bread that we got before the meal. Yet my hamburger was quite tasty, and came with one huge attractive onion ring, which was a nice touch. Service was quick and pleasant.
I wouldn’t rush back here, but seeing as there aren’t many non-​chain options in the area, I would consider it if need be.

I’d have to say 3.25 to almost 3.5 stars (can you tell I’m a consultant that bills by the quarter hour?), so I rounded down. I’m not a fan of the décor, as it feels more like a family restaurant than a brewery, but, it’s no big thing. Just depends on the environment you’re looking for.
It was pretty empty on a Thursday night, but, due to their location, I imagine their weeknight clientele are business travelers (and even though I’m here on a Thursday night, I’m sure most are long gone). The beer selection is OK, and I didn’t get a chance to check out the bar. Oh, one thing … there’s smoking at the bar … that’s just weird for me, as my hometown has been smokeless for over a year, and I don’t miss it. Just a warning, in case you were hoping for a non-​smoking joint. I did smell some cig smoke in the non-​smoking area, but I don’t believe they’re connected.
Beer was alright, offering quite a bit of adventurous flavorings. The Silver Foam is your standard German Pilsner and the most «basic beer» they have. There three taps of seasonal stuff, a couple of ales, and a rotating brew that was the «Colonial Ale» when i was there. It was a dark beer with molasses flavorings, worth a shot if that sounds appealing to ya.
Dinner is where this place shines. I ordered a «Lumberman’s Sandwich», which is a sliced hangar steak marinated in some yummy goodness. The steak sits between two potato pancakes, with touches of bacon and cheese and sour cream (you can save that for the side, thank you very much). The steak was perfectly medium and tasted like a fine cut of meat. The potato pancakes and all their extra yumminess helped to balance out all that darned protein. The plate was huge, and I struggled — but had to! — finish.
Exceptional food, not my type of décor (see the website for pics) but not a deal breaker, and just OK beer (to my taste buds). Check it out, as it’s one of a very few non-​chain restaurants on the 28^th Street stretch.

First of all, let me say that I hate 28^th
Street. It’s too congested, too many strip malls, too much bad development. Now, having said that, you can guess there are dozens (at least) franchise food places. You name it and you can find it on 28^th.
We ended up there late one night after a jam session. It’s a brewery and we asked the waiter about the types they brew. My husband likes a dark beer and so she suggested one. I prefer a light, honey type thing and ordered that. They were exactly the same in color and taste. WTF! My husband wasn’t happy and mine was just okay. not great. I think it was Silver Cloud or Silver Spring or something like that.
For food, I got a bruchetta burger which turned out to be surprisingly good. Oddly, this wonderful fresh tomato/​garlic bruchetta was teamed up with deep fried onion rings. Well, okay… it tasted pretty good but I thought it strange. The burger was perfect and tasted great.
My husband ordered the wings. They were some of the best he’s had in this area. Crisp, hot, infinitely edible. They came with blue cheese dressing and celery which was also crisp and yummy.
We went home satisfied.