Nate and I were in town looking for a spot to watch the Lions game after we couldn't get a table at Ruben James and the next dive bar we tried didn't have the right channel. The locals at that spot told us to check the Irish bar, but we heard some cheering coming from Akes' Place so we walked in. The bar was full of all different football fans, and the Lions game was on one of the many TVs, so we sat at the bar with some other friendly patrons and had a few drinks. Then the pizza arrived... that's right, there was free pizza and a friendly crowd. And the Lions won! The bartender was super nice and the vibes were great. Lots of high fives and friendly banter. The bathroom was what you'd expect for a dive bar, but definitely not the worst I've experienced. So glad we found this spot and I would come back. read more

TERRIBLE!! HORRIBLE!! DO NOT GO HERE!! they blatantly denied my group who was 21+ and were completely unacceptable and did not accommodate our needs. Management needs an overhaul immediately!! read more

Why does this place smell like vomit and shit filled diapers? I would NOT go here. Was here last night and these girls were throwing stools and smacking and pushing each other and the bouncer watched then turned his head and ignored it. The only good thing about this place is how cheap their drinks are but they won't even give you a goddamn lime slice with your shot. Honestly I am concerned about the people who can sit there and enjoy a drink casually just sitting through the smell of puke. read more

Just came out of club metronome (which is great btw) and we were waiting for our uber home. It was freezing cold out, and we saw a huge group of people in Akes' Place so we thought they were still open and we could step inside for a minute to warm up. Nope. The moment we stepped inside we were screamed at by an employee "FUCK OFF - GET OUT!!!!" We weren't drunk, we weren't resisting, we weren't causing a scene. All it would have taken to get us to leave is "sorry guys, we're closed". I've worked as a server/bartender for years, so I understand wanting to close and go home but this is not the way. Reading through other reviews this business clearly has very low standards for who they hire. read more

This bar was terrible. waited a hour and a half in line just for the bouncer to snap my REAL ID in half...went up to the bar later on to ask for a free drink considering I the difficulty I'll have going out for the next few weeks (aka have to bring my passport everywhere) bartender asked to see my ID that bouncer broke and he turned me down saying "if it was real it would not snap".... If your bouncer didn't "test" my ID by bending it in half it wouldn't snap...thanks a lot! if your a normal functioning person do not go to this bar. read more

Horrible. It was the first time I've been in Vermont from RI. I wanted to use the restroom before leaving church st. Had no idea I cut the "ID line" got grabbed by the bouncer so hard that a random guy said something. The response from the bouncer... "what you going to do about it". If this is how you treat tourists.. wow. read more

Asia made us super welcome and gave us a fantastic experience despite it being a quieter Saturday. From out of town in the wake of my father's death she made happy hour amazing. Def a must visit in town read more

I like this place. I typically go when it's just opening for a quick drink before I get dinner or something. It has good service. The reason for 3 stars is it kind of smells a little and the pool table needs some work read more

Great prices, pool and darts it would be a good time but don't bring your Spanish friends. I brought my Spanish friend and they were giving looks left and right and when I'd order drinks for my friends they would give it to us right away. We'd take them the pay (I'm white they don't give me a problem) but then my Spanish friend ordered drinks and he tried to hand them to us and wanted us to pay first. And we were about take that shot he grabbed it out of my Spanish friends hand and said pay first... the. Kicked us out at I handed money to him when I said don't be racist read more

Ake's is one of those places that I only ever find myself at when I'm out with friends. I often am driving so I may have one drink or sips of other people's drinks, and a few of the bartenders will go out of their way to make the DD feel a bit more at home, which is a of a welcome surprise! I'll tip them sometimes just for getting me water, it just depends on who you get. It's really loud and has limited space, so if you're with more than a small group of friends you all can't have a conversation, but you'll be fine with 2 or 3 people. You will also find yourself digging through crowds of people to get anywhere. The bathrooms are... Well try not to use the ladies room. Though I've had some good experiences at Ake's I always find myself dreading being there. I don't like the volume, the dense crowd, and certainly not the bathrooms. It's okay for people watching but not the best in the area. It's a solidly average place though. read more

Let's be clear - I'm not a drinker, and I'm defnitely not a bar goer. I rarely go to bars or taverns. My friends insisted I go with them though, so I had my first drink in about four months here. My first impression was that I should have brought ear plugs. The relatively tiny space was quite full and absurdly noisy. After I adjusted though, I started to enjoy myself. I watched a few games of darts on the dual dartboards, then discovered the pool table in the back (apparently used to be coin-op, but is now free-play, just put your name on the "waiting list" chalkboard.), and began to have a blast. Also picked out a few songs on the touch-screen jukebox. All in all, by the end of the night, I was pretty satisfied. For a non-drinker, I really enjoyed the experience. read more

Great place for cheap beer and cheap pool. If you are looking to just drink and have a good time with friends then this is a great spot. Plenty of other good places if you want a more family friendly atmosphere or more thrills with more costly drinks. read more

Never went here while I went to school here but met up with some friends while in town. Kind of a hallway of a bar, but they have some pretty solid drink specials. They are setup for some games and darts which is cool. They had a radio promotion going on while we were there. There are a lot of bars in the town to do anything more than grab a quick beer here. In no rush to go again and wouldn't mention it to others. read more

Ake's is a true bar. No hipster joint with fake aspirations. Jukebox is often blaring the Tragically Hip or the Dead. A ski movie is playing if there's no live sports on the multitude of tvs. If you're a Yankees fan, this is a great place to watch the game -- especially when the Sox are playing the Yanks. Dart boards are in heavy use by casual and skilled players alike. Beer is tasty, fresh and at a good price. Liquor drinks and shots are well made as well. read more

The things I do not like about Akes: 1. It is extremely bright. The lighting gives the ambience of an interrogation room. 2. There's always a line, even when the bar is empty 3. The bar tenders are unpleasant. I feel as if my drink order is an inconvenience. The small scrawny man is an ass. 4. It's a Yankee's bar. Not that I care, but I mean common we're in NE. 5. The bathroom. One stall located in the middle of the bar. 6. Everything about the physical layout of the bar. From seating, to the shape, and the location of the 1 pool table and dart boards. read more

Every time I visit Burlington I find myself in Akes. Its kind of a "dive bar" but I always enjoy the drink specials, and the pool table. The last visit, there was a regular who started to cause problems with us. This situation was quickly defused by the off duty bouncer so I was thankful he was there. Taya (unsure of spelling) was an EXCELLENT bartender. Very personable and quick to meet people's needs. I suggest this bar if you're looking for a little fun, not class. read more

A bartender who was working a late Wednesday night picked up on a very unspoken message: a man had followed me around the block and then inside, the bartender noticed the eye contact i was trying to make and made the action to talk to the man while I made my way out. While I don't know if this strategy was intentional, he absolutely know that something was wrong and I appreciated that. Women are targets way too often for bartenders not to notice when we are in trouble: noticing when this happens has a huge impact! read more

Today I tired to go to Akes' for St. Patrick's Day after going there many times before and the guy at the door denied my REAL ID. I'm 21, about to turn 22, and it was the first place we went. He had never seen a Georgia ID and tried to tell me it was fake. I have never had problems with a Georgia ID in Vermont, let alone Europe, and I'm disappointed with this guy's attitude and aggression. Burlington is a college down, and this man should know what IDs look like from all different states. As Akes' does not stand out from any other bar, I am happy to take my business elsewhere. read more

The bar staff were extremely rude for no reason. I've regularly dealt with slow service, but the guy working there was aggressively unfriendly. There was nothing redeeming about this bar. read more

The bar was obviously empty and the aggressive door man was turning people away claiming they were at capacity

Was visiting during the jazz festival which was amazing and I suggest anyone considering visiting Burlington go during the jazz fest. This was the first bar we went to and it was affordable which I liked but i found it a bit dirty and dark. This might be a local rule but to drink on the patio you had to use the waitress and the service was very lacking and without the friendliness I experienced ubiquitously throughout the rest of the city . Also if you wanted something to eat they don't serve food. There's plenty of better places to enjoy a drink read more

If your looking for the college bar with darts and pool this is the place. cold beer buck hunter and a good time! Good stuff here. Bartenders efficient and quick. Good music as well. read more

Good place, a couple of haggard dart boards and a pool table. A too loud jukebox. Good beer selection too and mostly a twenty something crowd. read more

I went in to Akes' on a Saturday night. The line was long to get in, but once inside I was a little bit shocked to see they even had a line. It was almost as though they were letting people in slowly to make it look like they were more busy than they were. However, once I did make it in there was a good atmosphere and I had a great time playing darts with my friends. read more

Nothing special, in my opinion. Definitely sports-themed, which is not my jam. However, they did have a pretty good beer selection, so I was happy with that. Overall, loud, crowded, brightly lit. I wouldn't go back on purpose, but I wouldn't put tons of effort into avoiding it either. read more

It's improved under new ownership. The new guy is really nice and a female bartender told me that a lot will change for the better under him. They said it was not good before when it was two guys owning it. read more

Akes place is a fun Yankees-Giants sports bar w a interesting atmosphere. The drinks were good and we had fun playing darts. Word of advice with the dark board, throw as hard as you can otherwise the darts just fall right out and you look stupid. This mostly because the dartboard was not regulation distance...probably because the metric system hasn't reached Burlington yet. We meet a lovely hobo with most of his teeth at the place. He baught our friend a bloody Mary and gave him a wink. There also was a guy rolling his gray beard into spikes at the bar. It all adds to the somewhat carnival atmosphere. The bathroom was gross, felt like I needed a shower after. Didn't try the food but of I had to guess it would be ok. All in all, Akes gets a okay to good because the beer was cheap and I wasn't shanked by a hobo. read more

I'd give it a 3 but my friend nick says 5... darts, pool, tvs and bros a lot of bros, but they're harmless. All and all a fun pub with dollar PBRs on Thursdays. Bring quarters for the jukebox! read more

By far my favorite bar in Burlington. This place has been a staple on Church St. for generations for a reason. No place I'd rather spend time with some good friends. The real pull of this place is the people and the staff. Just don't try to start a fight here because it probably won't work out well for you... read more

Boring bar. Lights are way too bright. You are better off going next door to Red Square. That place is fun!

this place has the best value for the money.. cheapest drinks I encountered on church street... the scene is very diverse.. meaning you can see like people who could be your parents there and your age and they all mesh well together... they also DONT let the place get jam packed.. which can be good because it seems people in burlington never learned the phrase "excuse me" read more

This is not a place I recommend unless you want a mean manager to take your ID, not give it back, and then claim he did, and then threaten to call the police when you insist you didn't get it back. This is what happened to my friend last night when we were at Ake's. A very unpleasant experience and I wouldn't never go back, plus I will tell everyone at UVM to stay clear as well. Now I will have to spend 50 to get a new license. Thanks a lot guys! read more

Good beer selection. Moderate price. Wait staff was rude, inattentive, and unwelcoming. I'd look at bars where the people want your business first. Dunno why they're still on the main drag. read more

for all the bars in the burlington area, i find that ake's place is definitely the cheapest around. my only complaint i have with ake's is that i wish their outdoor seating had a few more tables. read more

Nothing fancy, but service is pretty good. Strangely, this location has lines to get in when other places on Church Street do not, which seems a little weird considering it is never as crowded once you get in. You can play darts or pool here, and there is usually a game on TV. This place is good for big groups and is a casual place to just hang out. read more

We came here during a weekend in Burlington looking for a place to watch a football game. It was about 8:30pm when we arrived and it wasn't overly crowded. Yelp has this place listed as a Sports Bar; I would consider it a dive bar with a few TVs. Ake's has 3 TVs and the bartender was more than happy to hand the remote over for us to put on the game we were looking for. When we left around 10:30pm, the place was packed and there was a line at the door to get in. Typical college dive bar- young, drunk college crowd, strong drinks, and loud (but really good) music! They have a pool table, dart boards, and a Buck Shooting video game (you know you're in VT when...), adding to the sports theme read more

Way to pretentious for it's own good. Go to the door any night and your met with an annoyed looking man at the door saying it's at capacity to make the place sound more interesting than it is. read more

I have gone to Akes several times because I am a student at UVM and its a fun place to grab a drink. However, I will never go there again due to an extremely rude bartender I encountered. It was a very slow Sunday afternoon and I had ordered a beer at the bar with some friends. I was planning on generously tipping her when we were done drinking with a $5 bill I had been saving. When it came time for the second round she waited on all my friends and refused to tend to me. After several minutes I finally got her attention and asked for a second beer and she replied "well only if you will actually tip me" I was so shocked but politely informed her i was just going leave a $5 tip at the end of my time for the 2 or 3 drinks I was planning to have. I couldn't believe the nerve she had, not to mention how wildly unprofessional the whole exchange was. I have worked in several restaurants so I always generously tip my bartenders/waitstaff..needless to say this lady ended up without a tip and lost the bar several customers over the matter. Overall fun place to go, just avoid the psychotic 30-year-old blonde bartender! read more