Looking for great food, friendly service? Stop here. You won't be sorry. Lots of repeat customers for a reason.

This one is a tough one for me because I have been here a couple times but there is a lot on the menu that I have not tried that might sway me higher. First dilemma...do I rate it as "a bar" or "a restaurant". It is basically a good sized "Sports Bar" with food. As a sports bar...I would give it a 4+ It is big, lots of TVs, great bar selection, craft beers....would be a great place to stop after work for drinks/apps or to watch a game As a "restaurant"??? Eh....I gave it a 3 and based on my two visits for lunch I would be rounding up as I would say 2.5 really. But then...I have not tried their pizzas or several other things that I read are good so I am giving them the benefit of the doubt. What I DID try was their brisket. I have had it as a Sandwich and a entree. To be fair, I have eaten brisket in Brisket Mecca (Texas) at several top places and also had good brisket in OH (See my review of City Limit BBQ) At Buddies...pretty disappointed. The sandwich was better as it came on great bread and with the toppings adding some flavor it was ok. And the french fries that came with it were good. As a entree....well there the meat has to stand on it's own....and it fell flat. I got several slices and I basically could not make out any "smoke" flavor...or seasoning.... all I tasted was dry beef. Instead of a BBQ sauce it came with a sauce on the side that was a red wine/onion/mushroom reduction that had great ambition but was bland. I think it needed salt. And maybe some pepper. All I know is it really lacked something. My sides (you get two with an entree) were a good but nothing special. Chicken Noodle Soup was pretty darn good and wild rice pilaf, you can only do so much with that but it was good as far as rice pilaf goes.. (I was good and avoided their really good fries this time) I keep thinking other stuff must be better than the brisket and that lead me to give them a 3 instead of a 2. I will have to try their pizza and some of the chicken dishes. Maybe even one of the Mexican dishes . Lots of things I have not tried. But if it was looking for a sports bar in the Mason/Holt area without driving up to Lansing this is by far the best. read more

Moved to the area a year ago. So many choices and never had a bad meal. The chef has created an amazing Lobster Rangoon appetizer. An ordinary sports bar with an extraordinary menu. read more

Entered this place with a lot of hype behind it. My friends talked nothing but good things so I was excited. As I entered it was very crowded which is a good sign yet it was very disorganized and I saw a lot of confusion with everything. Me and my party were seated and I ordered a drink off menu which was a common drink (Southern Hurricane). After ordering it, it took them over 20 mins just for them to come back and tell me that "no one knew how to make it" And after waiting that long for the drink I just ordered something which was completely different "White Russian", and after 10 mins later I got it and even after that there was under pouring. Needless to say I stuck with Dr. Pepper after that. So as my food came in, I ordered what sounded like a good flavorful burger. The Chuckwagon I believe. And I ordered it as medium. And as it came over it looked great. Topping looked very well presented. Fries were good. and that is about it. After cutting the burger in half as I am used to doing to see how it was cooked, it was completely overdone (No juice or anything with the meat). And after taking a few bites I realized that there was no way I could continue. And after that not once was I asked how my food was. At all. I payed for my meal (unfortunately I did not get recompense for the meal, but I get it, it is a business). I am not posting this to be a person saying "STAY AWAY", but I want to leave this a something to work on and to get better at. I don't know if I will ever come back again, and I am not sure if I want to. But these are my 2 cents. I hope it can change. Other than that, the fries were good and so was the appearance. Staff needs to step up. read more

Good service clean quiet great atmosphere. Serving portions are extremely large. Highly recommended.

My friend and I were on a "shop hop," a cross-country fabric-buying expedition that brought us to a quilt shop in the same mall as Buddies Grill. The place is a sports bar, with lots of TV screens viewable from all angles. We stopped in for lunch. The place was fairly quiet -- a few other groups. We were seated quickly and tried to figure out what we'd eat. The eggplant sounded yummy, but I went for the smothered burrito, knowing that the fiber in the beans would sustain me longer. My friend ordered the same. She got beef, I got chicken. We got the "regular" size -- it was HUGE! We could only eat half. We asked for boxes. Turns out that the leftover portion of the burrito was to become our dinner on the return leg of our all-day road trip. So keep that in mind. They give you a lot at this place. Bring friends to help you eat it or plan to take some home. read more

I have been here a number of times. The food is usually pretty good. Today I order the burrito and it was good. The chips that came with it were salty but ok. My boyfriend got the fritter wrap and he wasn't impressed. He said it didn't have much flavor and his tator tots were overly salted. We went in the middle of the afternoon between the rush and the service wasn't very good. We had to wait a long time to place our order. We also spent half our meal waiting for a drink refill and it took 10 minutes to bring us a box. I'll keep going back because the food is good and the price is right. But just don't expect great service read more

Average bar fare. I ordered a wrap which barely hung together and was also lackluster in taste. Friends ordered wings, French dip sandwich, and potato skins, which seemed to be a little better. Not much my style, but if you're looking for a local place that resembles a Chili's or Applebees, then come on down! read more

Buddies is a great place to meet friends for drinks or dinner. The inside of the place is huge with the regular bar / eating area when you first enter, then another mostly blocked off section to the left where you normally sit if you have kids with you or something. They have plenty of TVs, trivia, and I think live bands / karaoke on certain nights. The food, I think, is pretty darn good! Their deep dish pizza is seriously probably the best I've had in Lansing (yuck to all the chains we have around here!). The appetizers are all huge, and the rest of the menu is robust with anything from mexican, to pasta, to salads, steaks, burgers, and other sandwiches. The only down-side here is the service. It's usually pretty slow. Don't come if you're in a hurry. Even when it isn't busy, it's slow for some reason. The staff is a mixture of high school students and middle aged women. Last time we were here, there were only a few other tables and we waited probably 5 minutes before even being greeted, then the waitress forgot the booster seat for our child after two requests (ended up going to find one myself) and took 10-15 minutes after we finished to bring the bill, and forgot to bring our take out boxes after being asked twice as well read more

Again, the service SUCKS!! But, cold beer, plenty of TVs and good food. If your looking for games to watch, and drink then your safe here. But, order 2 at a time and if your lucky, you'll get one of them in a timely manor. read more

Buddies Grill - Bars Near Me - Holt, Michigan

I've been here a handful of times. The last experience will be my last. I went there for lunch and it took 35 minutes from the time we sat down to food being delivered. We never got any refill on any drink. I ordered the chicken Alfredo. It came out dry, so I asked for more Alfredo sauce--only to find out when I got the bill that they charged me for it but failed to mention anything at the time. Well, I tried to eat the meal, but it was just bad. It taste like they use ranch dressing or sour cream to make it. Either way, it has a sour taste that just ruins the entire dish. So, when the waiter finally returned, I told him that it tastes awful and I don't want it. I ate probably 5 bites out of it. The waiter says no problem and he will get it taken off the bill and be right back. We wait for another 10 minutes and nobody is around. The other person had to leave to go back to work and I stayed behind to wait another 5 minutes. Then the bill returned and my meal was discounted 50%. When asked, he said "well you ate some of it." Upon talking with him more, it was apparent he was not the person to talk to and would get the issue resolved; so I asked to speak to the manager. She talked to the waiter first and then came back with another bill where she charged me for a salad. I never had a salad. She said it was the soup that I had. It was like talking to a brick wall when I said the soup (or salad) comes with the meal. After banging my head against the wall a few times, I finally just told her that I am not paying for anything on the meal that I received. I had money to pay for the other person's meal, but I was not paying for a meal that was gross and subpar service. She then took the money for the other person's meal and said she would just pay for the balance out of her own money. She said it as if I should think she is doing me a favor. As if I care where the difference comes from. So, aside from the horrible food and slow service, another thing was evident: the owner must be hard-up for money if they are charging for extra Alfredo or then charging customers for a soup that was included with the meal. Horrible business practices!!! I've never seen such a thing in my life. read more

The turkey burger is to die for so much flavor and if you a wing lover, definitely should go on mondays. Wings are half off and you must get the monday night sauce, double fried. You will not be sorry, best wings in town next to Wings over in EL read more

First: MEGA points for having NTN Buzztime Trivia!! Pretty decent bar. Food is better than most Lansing bar food, but still bar food. For example the French Dip was an ok amount meat and cheese on a fantastic roll, but the Au Jus was that GFS/Cysco soy sauce toilet water stuff. The battered mushrooms were perfectly done. If I lived closer I could see coming here often for some dinner and trivia. read more

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Overall, restaurant is great. We've tried almost all the food and it's all been really good. Sometime s it can get really busy and service may slow down and not be as great....this is why the 4 star review. Otherwise, great place as we eat here often! read more

Went there at 6 pm on a Friday night. The place was busy with no wait. The service was excellent throughout the entire meal. Timely, correct, refills before we had to ask, and a friendly server. The entire staff was smiling. Nice to see employees hustling! The food: Black and Blue salad - the steak was prepared perfectly. Light on the blue cheese crumbles, and menu stated a mix of romaine and iceberg lettuce. Did not see much romaine and a lot of white iceberg. No onions, so be sure to ask for them if you want them. 20 wings. Order 20 plain with a side of Thai chili sauce. I ordered extra crispy and they were done properly. Decent sized wings. BLT and fries. Bread was unevenly toasted and the lettuce was slimy. Light on the bacon and overcooked. Tasty fries. The ranch they serve is very good! Much better than 85% of the places we have gone to. Many game machines throughout the place, internet jukebox, one pool table ($1.25 a game), and 8 dart boards. They were having a poker tourney that night with 4 tables with people yet to show up to play. Nice sized screened-in patio. Keno screens and TV's views from all areas. Bathrooms were clean, but need to have broken items fixed in the men's room. Very nice and fully stocked Bar that seats about 20 - 25. Good selection of beers and liquor. We will be back! read more

Three strikes and you're out. This time it was for Sunday breakfast. Buffet style. Nothing on the buffet was worth the calories. The eggs had a funny texture to them, pasty, maybe powdered? Frozen precooked, wrinkly tan thing for sausages and way too salty. Limp bacon and something that resembled French toast. The orange juice was fake juice and the apples in the apple crisp were tangy like they had gone bad. There were other items my hubby tried that looked unappealing and tasted awful. Breakfast is one meal that's pretty hard to screw up. Buddies proved us wrong. read more

Excellent service and very good tacos. First time here and we were so impressed with our server. Will be back for more! Half off wine on Tuesday is a bonus too. My husband and I had a decent bottle of Pinot for $15. Thanks! read more

Very slow service- waitresses need more training Took forever to get the food Food was ok Won't be back for awhile ..... read more

I seriously hate this place, everytime I order there to go they forget half my food and when you go back to pick up what they forgot the food isnt even cooked all the way through! I sick of spending money, expecting what I am paying for to get absolute crap. TWICE IN A ROW! Sick of wasting money. AND they wont refund the tip I left. Over it. Rant done, had to leave my bad review, sadly! read more

We love buddies and are regulars. Food (apps especially) are always amazing. Staff really does their best and is always kind. 10/10. Id give more stars if i could. read more

Literally every time I come here, the patio is closed/reserved for a party. In the summer, I love the chance to sit outside and specifically seek out places that have patios. Why have one if it's never available? read more

First time at this establishment. Came for the trivia night. Was treated rudely at the door by the hostess. Got back to the area where trivia was taking place. The person running the trivia was very nice. However the waitress in the trivia area was RUDE. Said there was no place for us..and we could go sit in the other room and try to listen. Was told needed reservations. That would have been nice to know at the door. Won't go back again. read more

We went to get dinner with 8 people, even showed up 15 minutes before the rest of our group. Lied to us, told us it would be 15 minutes, sat 2 other 8 groups that came in after us. Won't be going back for quite some time. read more

Avoid this place at all costs. Servers must have a "Servers Lounge" somewhere in the building or they're turning tricks in thr basement, but they ain't waiting tables. If you see a server, just as if you saw a unicorn or a Yeti, take a picture, because no one will ever believe you. read more

Not consistent. They alway have compensated for any short comings but I think the must have a hard time keeping good cooks. Good items: southwest quesadillas, spinach artichoke dip, Chicken breast with rice, nachos Not so good: steak, BBQ sandwich, chicken parm Has keno, pool, huge bar, and a great place for big events/parties Some of the staff is great, some are kinda off putting and unapproachable read more

We've been here twice in the last couple of weeks. Fun atmosphere. A good sports bar that doesn't serve just bar food. Their menu is pretty diverse, and the food is good. read more

I've been a long time fan of Buddies. Too many visits to all 3 locations... over 20 years. Never had such rotten service before. Sat at our table for over 10 minutes.... at least 4-5 servers walked past us multiple times. Nothing. Then somebody finally came and asked if we'd been served yet. Told her no.... and that we had been waiting and watching servers ignore us for 10 minutes. She looked me dead in the eye and said.... no you are lying... you haven't been here that long. She actually said to me... you're lying. At that point we got up and left. To insult and call me a liar???? Screw that read more

I've had great food here and poor food here... but more good than not. Recently we had their Thanksgiving Buffet which was excellent... I was told all employees volunteer to work that day. That's pretty cool in my opinion. I'd recommend them, any place can have a bad day. read more

First time visitor. Went for lunch on a weekday. The atmosphere is nice. I was seated right away. But I observed that right at noon people started to show up in pairs and groups of four. There were plenty of open tables but the host had trouble keeping up with the revolving door of people coming in. Many people had to wait. The food I ordered was good. The wrap should have had more chicken inside but it tasted good and I enjoyed the taste and texture of the French fries as well. Service could have been better. Waitress met our needs but seemed stressed or just not in a great mood. I didn't feel very welcomed, which is a shame. Not the best first impression in that regard. read more

The service was great and the food was excellent! Plenty of vegetarian options to choose from. Would for sure go back!!

We came here for dinner on Saturday June 6, 2015. Both famished after working all day. Our appetites were bigger than our stomachs. We were seated promptly even though it was quite busy at 6pm. The waitress appeared before too long and took our drink orders. Blueberry Mojito was on special. Starved, we both ordered apps: Kentucky bourbon wings, and Mexican bean dip. We also placed our dinner orders: full size Nachos (which are called "small", they have small and "mini". The small is huge) and Bacon Cheddar Cheeseburger with Onion Rings. When the apps came they looked great, but would have been all we needed for a meal! The Bourbon wings were tender and syrupy sweet. The bean dip was very good, but the chips needed salt. The Mojito tasted more like minty seltzer, couldn't detect the blueberry. Then the entrees came. What were we thinking? The nachos were enormous! The burger and rings (cooked medium as ordered) were delicious, but not outstanding. The Nachos had lots of meat and cheese and were very good. This is sort of s sports bar, and we watched the Belmont Stakes as we ate. Second round of drinks were slow to arrive, even though business seemed to be slowing down (Moscow Mule and Margarita). All in all a good home town restaurant/sports bar. Service could be more prompt but wasn't awful. The food is combination preprocessed and fresh. It's s good change of pace if you're from the area. We ordered TOO much, and made out with a bill for $71 before tip. But we took some home so that's okay read more

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Another bad experience at Buddies! You think I'd learn my lesson! Placed a to-go order from their menu on their website. First thing I asked was the chef salad made with iceberg lettuce. I was told it was iceberg, spinach, and a spring mix. Came to pick it up, was charged for a full size, told them I ordered half size, was told that was their old menu. There's more to the story but needless to say my salad was only made of iceberg lettuce and I won't be back! read more

So, I'm only giving 2 stars, because we haven't actually been able to eat our food. The waitress seemed helpful at first, but then we noticed that we had sat there for 10 minutes and still didn't have drinks, which came from a tap. Our waitress was living her best life for an hour before we asked if our order was even placed and told her we just wanted it boxed to leave. We had a salad and nachos but the table that was seated after us, received their three plates at least 15 minutes before us. The table kiddie corner was still waiting to pay when we left. Hopefully they aren't there still, but I wouldn't be surprised. read more

Standard Michigan bar fare. Their salads are pretty standard and drink prices are decent. It seems to be quite the gathering place for HHS alumni around the holidays and probably year round. Now that the no-smoking law has gone into effect it'll probably be more enjoyable for everyone. read more

I usually talk my wife out of coming here. There's a long history of very slow service, really slow. Tonight was a great surprise. Service was excellent and food was good. I'll pass on the 6oz steak next time though. It was ok so next time it's the wrap or nachos. read more

Ordered take out. Went to pick it up and supposedly they lost the order but did not say anything. Pizza was cold so I do not believe they lost the complete order as the onion rings were hot. read more

I like the food and the service is decent. They have this really great patio areas.... THAT THEY ARE NEVER SEATING! Is really annoying.

Went there host told us there would be a wait due to no server avalable. There were several tables open. We walked out

I've eaten there twice, and both times did not disappoint. On my second trip there I had the Cheeseburger Fries. Let me tell you they were amazing! I dream about them at night. I will not hesitate to drive the three hours it takes to get there just for those fries. Yummy! read more

This is one of the better buddies in the Lansing area. I always have good service and really never had had a bad meal. It's reasonably priced and have good specials. The only thing that could be improved upon is maybe having somewhere that people are waiting for a table to go. read more