First time trying this place and it was AMAZING! Katie was our server and was funny and fantastic and constantly checked on us. food came out fresh and hot and they had the BEST ranch. Atmosphere was nice and cozy and music wasn't too loud like most places. Make sure you try the Cheesebread for sure. Complements to the Chef, Jared. Great guy. read more

Loved this place! the cheese bread is to die for and the ranch topped it all of. Amazing music and environment, Nice and comfy. Katie was a great sever and was very attentive. 10/10 will be back. read more

Service has always been great here! Busy or not, the staff is always attentive and welcoming. It's a great place for lunch or dinner! Plenty of seating, lots to choose from for drinks, and the food is consistent and tasty. I've only had great meals here! read more

Grand River Brewery - Clawson - Chicks - Brewpubs Near Me - Clawson, Michigan

I hosted a team happy hour here last night (Thursday). The vibe seemed cool when I arrived. They had great 80s music playing, old school arcade games, trendy decor. I didn't realized that they only have their own alcohol. Mocktail menu was super fun, although I learned I do not like the kava flavor. Our group had the house version whiskey (not good). I'm told the beer isn't very good either. The pizzas, sweet potato fries, Ruben balls, pretzel, and cheese bread were all phenomenal!! The beet/carrot salad was pretty but not flavorful. Our server started great, but as the night went on, she slowed down. Overall we had a fun evening. Honestly the music turned out to be the best part!! We probably won't be back. Plenty of other options right near by with better drinks! read more

Grand River Brewery - Clawson - Brewpubs Near Me - Clawson, Michigan

I really want to like this place. The shining star is the polish lager. The food is so lack luster-the fries have to be reheated with how dry they are. The service is also brutal. It's Thursday night and I had to flag the waitress down just to pay and get a box. Hope you all figure it out! read more

Hostess and waitress were very friendly! Our waitress helped us with the menu since it was our first time here. The space is very large, and has a cool vibe. However, we were less than impressed with our food choices. We did an appetizer (hummus platter) and split a buff chix pizza and both were just "meh". We also felt the same way about our drinks (cocktails) just "ok", there was nothing to write home about during our visit. We left both agreeing it is probably a good spot to grab just a beer in the future, but we wouldn't go out of our way to come back here. I'm glad that we did a test run with this restaurant, it was suggested to me in a group page on Facebook for Easter brunch. However, we booked a reservation elsewhere for that date after our visit here. read more

Frickles (4/5): Loved that these were beer battered. The pickles had a lot of bite. The white BBQ dipping sauce was peppery but didn't have much distinct flavor. RATING SYSTEM 5 - Great (Need to get this again) 4 - Good (Would get this again) 3 - Ok (Might give this another shot) 2 - Not Good (Won't get this again) 1 - Bad (Telling people to avoid this) read more

Grand River Brewery - Clawson - Frickles - Brewpubs Near Me - Clawson, Michigan

I think this place is under-rated. We went here on a weeknight and had the best time. Two adults and two kids, they did have some menu items run out like the burgers, but the staff was super friendly (even dancing with my kids when they had their own dance party to pink pony club) and the drinks and food took the right amount of time to get to our table. We didn't have to wait to be seated around 5:30pm on a Monday. Free parking in back or on the street in front. Entrances in front and back. I could tell that there was one waitstaff for our whole section in the back but she was on it and very accommodating. It was also the section with all the kids which I appreciate as a parent that we aren't totally ruining everyone's night if our kids got loud for a minute. This section also had arcade games and a huge garage door with windows so on a nice day I'm sure you can dine on the patio. I love breweries because they have a relaxed atmosphere where kids are welcome and adults can relax. The front bar section seemed to be nice as well. (I'd been here when it was Pumachug and only dined in the front section) The adults in our group had two house beers, which were very good. This is an outpost of the Grand River Brewery in Jackson, which we've probably been to a long time ago. The waitress allowed me to sample two since I couldn't make a decision, which was accommodating. Both were good but the red ale won my taste that day. The other adult had a lager, which was a good easy drinking beer. Next we ordered the apple cheddar salad, steak tips alfredo, and a poutine for the table. The kids got chicken tenders and fish&chips, they also had the option of mac&cheese or burger. The poutine was the best I've ever had, which impressed me: gooey cheese and a flavorful gravy. The apple cheddar was good: I wanted more chunky cheddar pieces so you really got that bite but it was well balanced and delicious none the less. The steak tips alfredo was very good, flavorful and rich. Was a good balance to share all three amongst the two of us. The kids chicken tenders and fish were very good as well. Crispy outside and tender insides. Despite the chicken tenders looking over done/dark they were perfect, but knowing some picky kids this might be a turn off. The fries were definitely homemade and they fry in beef tallow which was definitely a flavor upgrade to traditional fries. The only negatives would be that they were understaffed, I did hear the waitress say they were calling in another person to help with the crowd. It was about 3/4ths full between the bar and back dining area which for a Monday was impressive. Could be that many restaurants in the area are closed on Mondays so they lucked out on the crowd. They also have some great specials throughout the week that we may checkout like discount wings. The other negative was that the single restroom accessible from this back dining room needed a clean. It seemed ok but there was some scale on the faucet and corners that could use some attention. As a mom my kids touch everything so I'm hyper aware of bathroom cleanliness. We didn't check out the main bathroom so not sure if it's just this one that's been neglected. What I did appreciate was a baby changing table. These are hard to come by sometimes, so always want to shout out when I find one lol. Not sure why they had two since the wall fold down one would work just fine, but maybe it was broken, not sure. Overall, great experience. Always love a good brewery with the family. We will be back again. read more

See all

My wife and I came here to try a new place as we're still relatively new to the area. Food was mediocre. Ordered the hummus plate and a buffalo chicken pizza. I didn't mind/care for the hummus plate, but the pizza was DRY. Zero flavor, had the consistency of cardboard and was very bland. We ordered the brownie for dessert, which we watched the waitress microwave before she brought it over to us. Drinks were decent, which is the only reason we would be back. Staff was nice, attentive and answered any questions we had. Overall, pretty disappointing experience an there's many other places I'd recommend before coming back to this establishment read more

We've been here a few times and it's a good spot to have some beer, have some decent service and enjoy a meal. We are a bit disappointed on the pricing. $8 for a side of squash? $18 for a Caesar wrap that is average? Thank God for the points we earned... read more

Service was terrible. Ordered 3 mixed drinks. One was forgotten and other two were watery and bad tasting. Waitress left us unattended so we left to the burger place down the street that was much better. read more

I came here on Saturday for the Brunch with Santa event. Made a reservation and got a text confirmation which was nice! Our table was ready for us at the time promised. The staff were very accommodating and very forgiving of our questionably behaved children. All 8 of us enjoyed our food and the waitress had no trouble splitting our tabs. I appreciated that she told us about a surcharge for using a credit card - it's a pet peeve of mine when they add the fee secretly! Anyway we had a wonderful time and I'd recommend this place to anyone! read more

The interior and our waitress was very nice. Didn't have a lite beer on the menu which I thought was odd. Was out of their special strawberry infused vodka drink as well. The fried pickle appetizer was very good so I had very high hopes for the rest of the meal. Burger was over cooked and dry, the chicken nachos were also very dry. There was no salsa or anything on it to give it any moisture and the cheese looked like it was over cooked. Santa Fe chicken wrap was meh, but I think there was something bad with the ranch dressing or something else that was on it as the next day I was rather ill. read more

Grand River Brewery - Clawson - Fried oickles - Brewpubs Near Me - Clawson, Michigan

See all

Food is always good, the service is always good. My only complaint would be that they seem to always be out of something. I do like their seasonal specials. It's nice to always have something new to try on the menu. read more

Overall, we give our experience a 7/10. We had the rocky balboa pizza and the Nashville hot chicken. The pizza sauce had good flavor and the toppings were plentiful, we thought the pizza could have been cooked longer because it was kind of soft and soggy. The Nashville hot chicken was perfectly crispy, however, we did not taste any Nashville hot seasoning. So the chicken was kind of bland. We would give this place another shot though. Also, I appreciate that our server was very honest when we asked about dishes that he recommended. read more

Grand River Brewery - Clawson - Nashville hot - Brewpubs Near Me - Clawson, Michigan

See all

I've been here a few times now. Met the owner once and she told us their story. They bake everything fresh in house. She sent us home with free extra scones! The businesses in this location have turned over a lot- I hope this one lasts :) read more

This is the former Black Lotus space. There is a nearby city parking lot, but there is also a nearby lot that tows, use caution. This is an outpost of the other Grand River locations, and they have many of the usual beer, plus some new ones. Inside they have brightened up what the prior businesses used, more light and more (maybe?) clean looking. Staff was nice, stools were okay to sit in, good variety of beer to try. It was loud on a Saturday mid day, from groups in the adjoining dining area brunching. I hope this business is able to make a success of the location. read more

Grand River Brewery - Clawson - Brewpubs Near Me - Clawson, Michigan

Came here on St Patricks day yesterday for dinner. I was highly disappointed and frankly disgusted with the quality of the food. They market themselves as farm to table but it's very clear that that is not the case. The crust wrap was rock solid and I could barely take a bite without feeling like I was going to break a tooth. The wrap also had a burnt, dusty flavor. The chicken was chewy- just not what you expect when spending $60 on two sandwiches and a beer. They also had a very limited beer selection which was disappointing considering they're a brewery... If you are in Clawson for dinner I would recommend trying Noori or Gus' or even Renshaws for a quality meal. read more

First time visit and the restaurant is delightful. Very nice staff. I just ate so I ordered the homemade onion rings which are one of my favorite food groups. These onion rings are thin and battered which were good but greasy because of the thinness. I love the crushed ice for my water! Beer selection is very good. The space is warm and comfortable. I am definitely coming back with friends. read more

See all

This is the third different establishment I've been to in this location, but I think this one has a chance to do well. We went with some friends on a Friday night and the place was hopping. We started our meal by sharing the Bavarian Pretzels, which were hot, soft and tasty! For our main meal, my wife and I split the Phatty Melt and the Award Winning Mac N Cheese. I love a good patty melt - this one was good, but I have had better. The Mac N Cheese, on the other hand, was outstanding. The caramelized onions and breadcrumbs made it really unique. read more

Grand River Brewery - Clawson - Phatty Melt - Brewpubs Near Me - Clawson, Michigan

See all

This was my second time here. The first time just for drinks on a date. The second time we had dinner. A few items we originally wanted they were out of but we each enjoyed our meals. read more

See all

Slow and poor service. 5 diners in empty restaurant. After 4 of us were served and almost done I was told that my entree was almost ready they had forgot to cook any rice. They finally offered to take 1/2 off but since time was tight told them to cancel order. Management never approached to try and correct situatio. read more

Place has like 6 beers and is out of half of them at any time lol. I wouldn't call this a brewery

Had a late dinner here this past weekend. This place is in a great location in the heart of downtown Clawson, one of my favorite spots in metro Detroit's suburbia. Starting off with the fried pickle chips....they're some of the best I've ever had. I had the fish and chips for dinner and they were excellent. My wife had a burger (which I obviously tried too) and it was perfectly cooked. I didn't get a drink this time, but the selection looked great. Our server was very attentive and friendly. read more

I wish I could give the food 4-1/2 stars separately. Our waitress made the experience quite awkward as she answered our questions about substitions with "you could?" Or "I don't know". If you don't know what's good on your menu and don't have any interest in working or your customers, perhaps there is a different career out there for you? That being said, the electronic menus were extremely awkward and clumsy to use vs a standard paper menu or QR code to a digital menu. The food was actually phenomenal- my birria tacos were incredible and quite the surprise. The cocktails were quite good too, just wish the service matched the atmosphere and the food quality. read more

Dammit I hate giving mediocre reviews. It's painful. I popped in here for dinner because it's new and why not? Well, I should have just not. I ordered the protein bowl and subbed the pork for brisket at the bartender's recommendation. The brisket was HEAVILY peppered so if spice isn't your thing, don't do it. Or go down the road to the BBQ joint. That might be better. The rice was undercooked and they could have thrown something else in this bowl veggie wise but honestly, I don't think it would have helped. The Tiger cider beer was the highlight of this meal and also, the bartender's commitment to flannel in 85 degrees was super impressive. I did take it home, though, because I feel like I can do something with it. Add a veggie and some moisture perhaps. Give it a personality. read more

Grand River Brewery - Clawson - Protein bowl w/ brisket - Brewpubs Near Me - Clawson, Michigan

We went to dinner at this restaurant last night. I now understand why the other Yelp elites have written about the service and atmosphere instead of the food. I'll start with the food. My boyfriend and I shared a slab of ribs last night, so I can't base all the food on this one meal, but this was our experience. The ribs were delicious. They were fall-off-the-bone tender, and the smoky flavor was outstanding. When they initially came out, they were strangely cold, so our super friendly waitress brought another slab out to us. The second slab was medium hot from a temperature standpoint, but a HUGE improvement from where we started. The fries were hot and fine. The coleslaw was the vinegar-style instead of the creamy kind, and I liked it. Sadly, the cornbread was a disappointment--overly dry and pretty flavorless. So, a mixed bag on the food this trip. As I mentioned, I really liked our waitress. From an ambiance standpoint, the place is a bar. There were 2 tables with really loud, rowdy groups, so if your jam is a quieter location, this might not be the location depending on the day's clientele. read more

Underwhelming experience. Over priced food and drinks. Bloody Mary's had nothing in it. We had to ask for olives. The bartender brought me a skewer with 4 on there but ignored my friend who also ordered a bloody Mary. Entree salads were tiny. While there was a decent amount of grilled chicken in my Cobb salad it was dry and tasteless. After our bartender (curly haired lady) rolled her eyes at us we cashed out, left, and went to the Royal Inn where we got treated much better. Unless you're here for the craft beer skip this place and go anywhere else. It's $80 we will never get back. Such is life. read more

Where do I start...our waitress sets down 2 tablets and says, "you order from here." Confusing digital menu and you don't place your order from it as we were told. Small portions for the high prices. Service was awful and the waitress brought her child in as if it were a daycare. It's such a shame that every restaurant that they put there never makes it. Ambiance was good. read more

Grand River Brewery - Clawson - Where the waitress' daughter was playing - Brewpubs Near Me - Clawson, Michigan

GREAT SPOT! The food was top of the line, the service by Zach was top notch and the decor was a nice touch. Overall, we will be back. Finally a spot in this venue that will stick! read more

Grand River Brewery - Clawson - Brewpubs Near Me - Clawson, Michigan

See all

Service was great! Beers were good. The atmosphere is really nice!! For sure, go hang out and have a drink! Food was....for what you get and how much it cost, I was very underwhelmed. We had the fried pickles as an app. They were not bad. They were fried pickles chips, you can't really ruin them. Crisp and tangy. Looking at the menu, I could not justify ordering some of the other apps. $14 for poutine? No, I can't bring myself to pay that much. I ordered the Cobb Salad. $18. Chicken was generous portion, but it was very over cooked, and I couldn't tell if it was supposed to be served chilled or warm because it wasn't very consistent throughout. Avocado pieces were not even close to being ripe. I couldn't stick my fork in them. The bacon pieces were under cooked and all fatty. Then it was all mounded in a tiny bowl, so the moment you attempted to mix the salad or take a bite, it spilled all over. I honestly don't even remember what my husband had, it was a burger of some sort, also at $18. He ate it, and it looked ok, but it wasn't anything we would go back for. I have spent $18+ on salads and burgers before, and I will again, but they were well made and worth the price. Again, cool vibes and great place to hang for drinks, but the food was not worth the money. read more

So happy that a brewery is back in this location. The beer is excellent, but the variety could be better for a brew pub. The food was very good for what we had. We sat at the bar and tried the fried pickle slices, excellent, the pretzel which was a soft pretzel, with the cheese dip. The ambiance is nice, clean modern rustic decor. It fills up quickly which is a good sign too, so get here early or just wait if you have to. Will definitely be back! read more

Finally made it in to dine. Recommend reservations as at 5:30pm they were busy. Our waiter appeared a littie frazzled. The inside looks almost exactly like the prior restaurant which is great as the design choices were pretty cool. Love the vintage looking bar with comfy bar stools for a nice "belly up!" LOL We were surprised that at 5:30 on a Saturday that they were sold out of all of their steaks ! Hmm . There are a variety of craft beers and cocktails. The Heart-attack Mac did not have much flavor to the cheese sauce nor were there enough toppings for the price! The patty melt which was ordered medium came very well done and the bread was burnt both outside as well as inside. As if both sides of each piece of bread was grilled to a blackened color. The patty melt did not appear to have the toppings listed on the menu. They did take this off of our bill. The 1/2 rack of ribs were very small with maybe 6 skimpy bones present. The meat was good but the BBQ sauce was way too heavy and sweet.There was a German special of a traditional form of Mac and cheese for Octoberfest that was amazing. Oh, the poutine with pulled pork was yummy but could use less salt. Evidently back in the day they were known for their baked goods, all deserts are made in-house. The Brownie Sundae was good. The chocolate stout layered cake was really good. The icing a Swiss buttercream. Very moist!! The carrot cake looked good too. I recommend the deserts. The rest could use a good tweak! All and all a little disappointing. read more

See all

Packed on a cold Saturday night, the wait was about 35 minutes for a table. Fun busy atmosphere. We ordered the Steak Frites and Fish & Chips (walleye version). Tried to order the Jaegerschnizel but they were out. Our beer choices were the Buffalo white IPA & Blanc Stare, which were good. The food was hot & well presented. They were very busy so service was a bit slow--understaffed maybe? Back to the food. Blah? Under-seasoned? Hot fries should always taste so darn good, but just blah, kind of tasteless. Everything we ate was 'meh'. Steak frites should be sliced & menu described as covered with chimichurri, but that was on the side. We were generally unimpressed. The space inside has changed quite a bit since the Black Lotus, which is good. Nice long bar, and the adjoining space is now a nice dining room. The kitchen just isn't hitting it. Maybe they need to season the food?? We'll try again, but mostly it's just not a place where you're going to say 'let's go back and get the --fill in the blank. Like I said, we were quite unimpressed. And LOUD, but maybe it was just the larger groups there tonight. We'll see.... read more

Grand River Brewery - Clawson - Steak Frites - Brewpubs Near Me - Clawson, Michigan

See all

I went for their soft opening, and was able to try a nice flight of beers. It wasn't very busy and the bartender was extremely knowledgeable, she gave me all the information I asked for and then gave me a couple recommendations. Jory is very good at her job, and was a delight to talk with. She gave me lots of information about the company as well as both the drink and food menus. The atmosphere was very comfortable and very light. I wish this new place all the best in clawson and hope that they stick around for a while. read more

See all

Unfortunately, I have to post an updated review due to how horrendous my experience was tonight. We spent $225 on dinner for only 5 people, plus a credit card service fee, plus a tip. What we received tonight was not worth that massive cost. We ordered fried pickles and cheese curds for the appetizers, which consisted of 50% of the basket being small pieces of burnt fried dough. The "cheese" curds were completely empty, just fried dough, no cheese. 3 out of 5 of our entrees came out cold as the kitchen cannot handle an order for 5 people at once. The firecracker burger was ordered medium and it came well done, super dry, no seasoning and no bbq sauce. All fries were ice cold. They were out of the rueben fritters. Their website also is not accurate to their current situation, the website claims the pizza oven is open Wednesday-Saturday but is only open Friday-Saturday in reality. Their menu is also different online to the menu that was offered at the restaurant. I'm so disappointed as I brought my entire family here to celebrate a birthday dinner because I swore the place was great from a previous experience, but it was so awful. The service was a bit slow and disjointed. I would never recommend this place to anyone, sadly. read more

The beer was good and reasonably priced. I had a porter and an Irish red ale. Don't go there for dinner. The food is not good. You might be able to get a descent burger, nachos, or poutine. Don't order anything other than pure bar food. The pizza oven must have been broken because there was no pizza. Maybe pizza is good. I won't be back unless it is just for beer and I might risk an appetizer. The atmosphere is a little lacking too. I forgot to mention the hosted and wait staff seemed nice. If the beer was so so I would have rated this a two. read more

We have been in twice. The first time we went with friends and sat in bigger room. Waitress was pleasant. We order Crab Rangoon Pizza - Really good, Steak - Again Really good & Tortellini dinner - was amazing. For was giving place A++++. But then came our second visit. Beer always good. This time we werent as hungry so we decided to split a Wrap. First time wrap was only meat and lettuce missing 90% of what was supposed to be on it. We sent it back got a Dan Campbell Wrap and it was mediocre at best. So hopefully third times a charm. Never ordering a wrap again. Waitress was manager was very apologetic but was still disappointed. read more

Poor service, food not available, no Tiger Game, food not cooked well, waitstaff MIA (missing in action). Absolutely would never return. read more

onight we went to try out the new Grand River Brewery in Clawson for dinner and I haven't been this impressed by a new restaurant in years!! All the food is farm to table and so fresh! The atmosphere is very nice and cozy and we even had a booth with a window into the kitchen to see what happens behind the scenes. My daughter and I both started with a cup of homemade soup-I had the whitefish chowder and Angela had the tomato bisque...seasoned perfectly!! Then she ordered the Seasonal Mac & Cheese that includes mushrooms and spinach in the most delicious Beshamel sauce you can imagine!! I went with the Poutine made with fries, homemade ale gravy, cheese curds and pulled pork - you could drink that gravy from a cup...it was that good! I will definitely be making it back here as often as possible. Treat yourself and try it out! read more

See all