Cancel

    Open app

    Search

    Arktos Meadery

    4.7 (45 reviews)
    Closed 4:30 pm - 11:00 PM

    Arktos Meadery Photos

    Business Info

    You might also consider

    More like Arktos Meadery

    Recommended Reviews - Arktos Meadery

    Your trust is our priority, so businesses can't pay to alter or remove their reviews. Learn more about reviews.
    Yelp app icon
    Browse more easily on the app
    Review Feed Illustration

    Reviews With Photos

    (left to right) - pumpkin mead, blackberry mead, strawberry mead, honeycrisp apple mead
    Jeremy N.

    Walking up to this place is incredibly confusing to say the least. It's a mix between a car repair lot with the barbed wire fence and a doctor's office, especially when you walk in. You go to the right and then bam! You find this wonderful bar! I got a flight of Meads when I was here with some friends (in the photo). They pack quite a punch! Not because they are super bitter or super sweet, but very high in alcohol content. These are some legit Meads! I got the Enchanted Horse (honeycrisp apple), Black Stripe (strawberry), Great Bear (black raspberry), and their seasonal one which was Fairy Godmother at the time (pumpkin.....it honestly reminded me of Michael's, the craft store, if they made a beer). It's a very small setting, so don't come here with a large group during bar hours and expect to be sat. It's a casual but intimate setting to just have a small drink or so, get a growler to take with you, and be on your way. This place surprised me greatly though because like I said, the outside made it seem like it was going to be very different!

    three glasses of beer on a bar
    Oscar M.

    Checked! I have to say. This is totally a new concept for me. It looks like beer but it is not beer. Mead is a Medieval drink. It's delicious. It's honey, yeast,and water fermented for 6-8 months. Mead goes by a couple of different names, such as "Mead", "Honey Wine", "Ambrosia" and "Nectar of the gods". Mead is commonly referred to as one of the oldest fermented beverages, with lore going back to the Vikings. Watch out brewers Mead is coming back to the new world.

    Arktos Meadery menu June 2022
    Aaron S.

    I was part of a bachelor party weekend in Grand Rapids for pub crawls of the breweries and bars. 8 out of 11 guys agreed that Arktos had the best drinks. The mead was fantastic! Most of us got flights of five meads to try. I especially liked the Doc Holiday huckleberry mead and the Three Bears maple mead. I came back the next day for a bottle of each to take home. Chris and Alexandra were super nice talking about how mead's made, and a shared enthusiasm for Dungeons and Dragons.

    Menu
    Katy C.

    Arktos Meadery's former location was very close to my old office and I had always mentioned stopping in to check it out. Well, that never happened, but now they have this location closer to my house on bustling Bridge Street! My boyfriend and I were in the area walking around and checking out all the new outdoor seating areas and decided to stop in. The interior is very mead hall-esque, with exposed wooden beams, bearskin rugs, and large wooden tables with long benches. If you've ever seen the movie Beowulf (I won't pretend I ever read the book), you'll know what I'm talking about. We chose a spot at the long table and ordered a flight after looking at the menu which I found to be a little confusing and not overly descriptive. We tried the Queen Bee (traditional), Black Stripe (strawberry), South Sea Dragon King (ginger), and the East Sea Dragon King (hibiscus). When the flight came out, the East Sea Dragon King wasn't present but instead we got the Cricket Song (coffee). I was a little bummed at first, because that was the one both my boyfriend and I said we weren't really interested in -- however, it was pretty good! I don't know much about mead but have been to one other place in town that specializes in mead so I've had a few different kinds. The ginger was by far my least favorite -- it almost tasted like it was... not quite right. I don't know if it was nearing the end of the batch or something but I would be wary of trying it again. None were too sweet which was nice. I was hoping for a bit more of an introduction or explanation of things but the bartender/server did answer my questions about the carbonation levels of each -- some are on nitro and some are on C02 which explains those differences. After the flight, I ordered the Three Bears + Lime slushie because I was told it was a blueberry / lime flavor. This was so good! I loved it. The flavors were bright and fruity. I'm glad we stopped in and tried this unique spot since there's no other places in town quite like it.

    Chris T.

    If you like mead, this is a place that you must stop in. I got the original and wow, amazing mead. We did get a flight of mead. All delicious and highly recommend. No food served here, but many places nearby.

    Chapman sandwich and mead samples

    The ambiance is amazing. Cute little bar to grab a reasonably priced bite with very yummy mead to sample. I love the Apophis and the Red Fox. I got 3 samples. Lastly I got the Chapman as my sandwich. The sandwich was crunchy, warm, and beautifully crafted to make such a Delicious sandwich. Next time I'm in Grand rapids I'm coming back.

    A favorite!!! The staff is very personable, and the mead is always delicious. The vibes and ambiance is so cool. I love the medieval fantasy tavern structure. I like that you can bring food from other places in! Love the incredible D&D cellar downstairs. What an awesome gem in Grand Rapids.

    raspberry, strawberry, grape and apple
    Kerry F.

    I was skeptical. Arktos's location embodies the whole"don't judge a book by its cover" .. So glad I journeyed forth. You turn the corner and you're in a tasting room right out of GOT. As if that wasn't enough THEN you get to experience some very well crafted meads. The day I visited there were 4 to choose from, all fruit enhanced. I tried the strawberry (Black Stripe), the grape (Red Fox), and the Honeycrisp apple (Name I forget, sorry). My friend had the same and she also tried the black raspberry (Great Bear) The Black Stripe was my favorite, boozy but with a subtle warmth of honey. This is an amazing after dinner drink and at 18% ABV one is all you need. The Honey crisp apple was good too, very sweet but you could clearly taste the apple and honey. If sweeter wines are your thing you will love this one. The owner was incredible kind and gracious, answering all our questions and telling us about the process as well as some of the flavors cooking up right now. I can't wait to go back in the fall to try some of the pumpkin and coffee varieties.

    The bar at Arktos
    Mattie O.

    This. This is the mead you need! We visited this week on a Sunday afternoon while passing through Grand Rapids and found a hidden gem of a meadery in a shabby old strip mall/office park location. Inside, the bar is a brick walled medieval inspired little pub with a shiny dark wood bar and furniture. The place was pretty quiet. There were some regulars watching a Vikings game and another group of regulars who came in with a bunch of board games. It had a very chill vibe. Arktos is a one-man operation. The guy behind the bar is the owner, server, and artisan mead crafter. He was very knowledgeable about meads in general. My husband and I both loved the Queen Bee (regular) mead flavor the best. It was superbly balanced in flavor. The meads here are all wine style meads and are pretty strong, 12-18 percent ABV depending on the flavor. We also tried the honey crisp cyser (apparently the location's most popular variety), the pumpkin pie, and the blackberry. The pumpkin pie was loaded with spicy flavors and I adored it though my husband thought the spice was a bit heavy. The blackberry mead had intriguing tart and sweet notes that reminded me a bit of the sweet and sour tang of kombucha. Unfortunately, we were unable to sample the mead we were most curious about based on last years' seasonal reviews: the coffee mead (Cricket Song). The supplier of coffee has changed so there is a delay in the next batch. The owner told us of a few local beverage stores that might have bottles of it for sale, and we dropped by one on our way out of town and grabbed the last two bottles. I haven't tried it yet as we are still working our way through the howler of Queen Bee we took home but I'm definitely looking forward to it. We took the howler of mead to a family event and everyone loved it. We don't live in Grand Rapids but it's worth a bit of a trip if you're into mead! One flavored mead I'd love to see in the future from Arktos (maybe a winter flavor?) is butterscotch.

    Mead sampler

    See all

    1 year ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    1 year ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    1 year ago

    Helpful 1
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    3 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 1
    Oh no 0
    Photo of Rob S.
    14
    22
    6

    2 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    2 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    7 years ago

    Helpful 3
    Thanks 0
    Love this 3
    Oh no 0

    4 years ago

    Helpful 1
    Thanks 0
    Love this 1
    Oh no 0

    4 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 1
    Oh no 0

    5 years ago

    Helpful 23
    Thanks 0
    Love this 22
    Oh no 0

    2 years ago

    amazing meads, love the ambiance too! Highly recommend Queen Bee or Doc Holliday. A must try for downtown

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 1
    Oh no 0

    5 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 1
    Oh no 0

    5 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    4 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    2 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    3 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    3 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    9 years ago

    Helpful 1
    Thanks 0
    Love this 1
    Oh no 0

    3 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    9 years ago

    Helpful 1
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    5 years ago

    Helpful 1
    Thanks 0
    Love this 1
    Oh no 0

    10 years ago

    Helpful 4
    Thanks 0
    Love this 2
    Oh no 0

    10 years ago

    Helpful 2
    Thanks 0
    Love this 2
    Oh no 0

    8 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    7 years ago

    Helpful 1
    Thanks 0
    Love this 1
    Oh no 0
    Photo of Kyle A.
    3
    39
    21

    9 years ago

    Helpful 2
    Thanks 0
    Love this 2
    Oh no 0

    4 years ago

    The mead here is the best I've ever had! Definitely worth stopping in for a few tasters!

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    7 years ago

    Helpful 1
    Thanks 1
    Love this 1
    Oh no 0

    7 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    10 years ago

    Helpful 1
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0
    Photo of Jen M.
    0
    31
    50

    5 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    7 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    8 years ago

    Helpful 1
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    8 years ago

    The front is just a plain building but once you walk in, wow. Great meads and you can buy in in cool ceramic containers.

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    8 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0
    Photo of Dee B.
    164
    1234
    123

    9 years ago

    Helpful 1
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    11 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    10 years ago

    Helpful 9
    Thanks 0
    Love this 5
    Oh no 0

    10 years ago

    Helpful 1
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    8 years ago

    Helpful 1
    Thanks 0
    Love this 1
    Oh no 0

    Page 1 of 2

    Ask the Community - Arktos Meadery

    Review Highlights - Arktos Meadery

    Mead goes by a couple of different names, such as "Mead", "Honey Wine", "Ambrosia" and "Nectar of the gods".

    Mentioned in 32 reviews

    Read more highlights

    Twine Urban Winery - A "must do" and phenomenal wine tasting experience with above par service in the perfect urban social environment.

    Twine Urban Winery

    4.8(34 reviews)
    48.1 mi

    Coming in as one, wasn't a problem but I walked in and was served at the counter so be sure to get…read morereservations or it's quite possible to sit out on the patio.  Food for one is just one item that I can see. That's ok not here for that. I was attended two by two lovely people and they had a birthday party and about 4 other groups to deal with, yet I got conversation and even information about the wines. I stepped up for a tasting, it was six wines and not a one was bad.  Capriccio- I cycled back to this as I didn't notice the description. Not big on high tannins, the tannin dryness is subtle but still too much for me. I can see using this for steaks and Italian. Not overtly in your face for a red which is a winner for me. Pinot Gris- nice and light not as dry as a chardonnay. Beautifully delicate Roche Rose-more fruity than a normal rose. Very nice to go with any fish or chicken but also, nice casual drinking wine. Briarwood- delightful red finishing wine. Sweet but nice to have near dessert. Green apple sangria- this sweet fruit has a forward sweet (grape?) with a tart finish (oooo, that green apple is tasty) and becareful, you'll want more than just a taste and you might finish a bottle.  Peach Mango- wow..the peach is strong and the mango is hinted which is perfect if you aren't into a flowery taste (too much mango tasted like flowers). I can that although the green apple sangria is right next to it, this is a totally different taste. Definitely nice dessert wine or even can be a good spritzer. This business has a backdrop that even has a ring set of lights so you can get a good picture of everyone. One of the people apologized for the busy nature and told her that being busy says a lot for the business. If you're in the area, looking for some tastings of good wine and even a good charcuterie board or cheese and wine pairing...this is a great place. Go here, support local and support a woman run and owned company. This place has got it going on!

    The food, wine and margaritas were absolutely amazing. We went in on a Sunday , May 2nd, after noon…read moreso it wasn't super busy. I felt our waitress or lady helping us didn't want to be there and just didn't seem very enthusiastic, but I will say she brought everything out in a timely manner so no complaints besides the lady helping us. The inside is beautiful as well and I love the modern music they play since we were a younger crowd.

    Photos
    Twine Urban Winery - Phenomenal experience! The above par service and excellent Roche Collection of superb wine is the perfect combination.

    Phenomenal experience! The above par service and excellent Roche Collection of superb wine is the perfect combination.

    Twine Urban Winery - Flight

    Flight

    Twine Urban Winery - Wine flight, margarita flight, charcuterie board and baked brie

    See all

    Wine flight, margarita flight, charcuterie board and baked brie

    Arktos Meadery - winetastingroom - Updated May 2026

    Loading...
    Loading...
    Loading...