Named best campus bar in Ann Arbor by the Michigan Daily and honored by Playboy as College Bar of the Month, Rick's American Cafe has been the hottest (and busiest!) bar on the University of Michigan's campus since it opened decades ago. Rick's isn't your typical college bar, it's strictly 21 - a rite of passage to those who have waited two or three long years to enter the legendary establishment. Known as the "senior and graduate student" bar, Rick's also caters to out-of -town-ers and returning Alumni who just can't be away from the famous basement for too long. Rick's is open 8pm-2am ,Mon-Sat, and is the most popular and exciting bar during football season, graduation weekend, and many nights in between. Cover is $4-$6. NO SMOKING. Visa/MasterCard only TIPS: If you don't like big crowds or long lines, come during the week days or get there early and take advantage of the best drink specials. Bring cash to get your drinks fast or get served at the Back-Bar. Dress to impress on Thursdays and Saturdays. *This is a local, university, bar and I'm rating it with that in mind* read more

Rick's American Cafe - rick's american cafe - Dance Clubs Near Me - Ann Arbor, Michigan

Rick's is an all-time favorite of Michigan undergrads. The floor is always sticky and there's very little light, but these attributes only add to the grungy college charm. Ladies night is on Thursdays and other nights there is a $5 cover. Music is fantastic and dancing usually gets going around 11 or 11:30. Grab your friends, share a shark bowl, and hit the dance floor! read more

Bumped up to four stars only because it's non-smoking... and because they have this delicious concoction called the "shark bowl" :o) Rick's is a crowded dungeon, and you better watch out if you wear open toed shoes... you might catch a little something called "Rick's feet" where your toes and perhaps (brace yourself) your entire feet turn dirty and mucky and brownish-black. It's the Rick's juice - a pool of spilled shark bowls and sweat and one too many shaken beers layering the floor. Watch yourself, too, since you might lose your step and find yourself covered in the filth. BUT, as stated before, it's non-smoking and you'll always find someone who knows your name. Disadvantage: aside from the Rick's feet and the overcrowding, chances are you will wait in line for longer than you want. The music is usually good, however, there's plenty of room to dance, there's actually places to sit, and they've got a few pool tables if that's your game. You'll hear the same set of songs at closing time, and the sentiment will come out. Finally, once you exit the establishment, you are surrounded by most of the delicious, local and late-night food hot spots. This place is definitely worth checking out when you just want to be surrounded by people looking for a good time, though make sure you eat first because the "Cafe" isn't really a place to eat and those shark bowls will take a bite out of you! It's an essential element of any true, undergrad experience. read more

First time reviewing. Hope you will respect it. Really, I had high hopes for Rick's. The place does not try to hide itself for what it is nor does it have any intention of doing so. It's a dingy dive in a college town. With that said, I would say that neither the overpriced drinks (that are arbitrarily set by the bartenders based on their mood, let me warn you) nor smell of mold and mildew would have drove me to write this review. No, it was the blatant racism that was prevalent among the staff at Rick's. One of the bouncers literally said "I don't like you because you have squinty eyes. You need to leave." This is completely unacceptable in any level of a business I would say. Maybe I am being too hard on these folks. I don't know, you make your own decisions about this place. I will never step foot in this bar again. read more

Disgusting. It's so icky in there, one would think you'd get gonorrhea just by touching the bar stool.

You don't go to Rick's for clean floors, good conversation, or food. You go there to drink shark bowls, dance in the dark, and sing along to the last song of the night with your best friends! It is a basement, there is a line, and it's crowded, yes, but you won't be in A2 forever, and I promise you once you're out of undergrad, there is nothing that compares. Enjoy it while you can - and have a shark bowl and dance on the speakers for me! Go Blue and Go to Rick's. read more

Rick's is a filthy bar; frat sludge galor! The floor is always sticky and I wonder how often they even wash the thing. Not my scene, but usually come here for the entertainment of people watching alone!This is the only reason I gave this place two stars. The place is usually packed full of college aged kids acting a fool. read more

Honestly, the mind probe makes nauseous even when I'm not drunk. Also, there's a long ass line at 9:30 PM.... but tbh I don't know why cause it smells like literal VOMIT inside there! 2 stars though cause they got a new floor read more

This is the grossest thing to happen to Ann Arbor, here's why: Pros: If you are wasted it seems like the BEST place in the world. Cons: crap drinks compared to the other bars next door creepers & fights & skanks - it's like the guido/insecurity central playground of A2 Bad music Townies (not A2, out of town townies...) Girls bathroom - always packed/puked in, and one of the three stalls is doorless Ridiculous line wait AND a cover charge On football weekends creepy out of town older guys (30's) are there - YUCK read more

I love going to Rick's simply because I know I'll see a ton of people I know there = once I have one too many drinks, I don't have to wander around anywhere outside (especially in the frigid Ann Arbor weather). I admit, it's a little skanky. I think the reason the girls wear skimpy clothes is because it gets SO hot in there. You will literally be drenched in sweat on the worst nights. I'm sure the guys wish they could come in tank tops, too. Also, getting a drink at Rick's is like running a marathon...you have to have months of practice to know how to succeed. It doesn't even help to be a girl, since most of the bartenders are female, anyway. I'll still keep going back, though, for efficiency's sake on a cold winter night. read more

Rick's is awful. They charge a $5 cover to go dance in a nasty basement essentially. The bar is usually fairly overpriced compared to other bars in AA. Then again, most people don't go to Rick's to sit down and drink. Girls love this place because they can dance in their scantily clad outfits without feeling judged. I find that most guys hate this place. The only time I've actually gone and had a fun time is in the summer when no one is there and I just dance with friends. read more

Accolades for Rick's, among my four years of nightclubbing experience: - Worst bathroom maintenance - Most fights broken out without staff interference - Most broken beer bottles / glasses on dance floor Rick's is for a specific demographic. If you are not on board with coming in with friends already inebriated and dancing vaguely to a predictable DJ set, don't bother waiting in line. read more

Like everyone else said, Rick's is what it is. I have to admit that I haven't been there in quite sometime but based on the reviews it sounds like it hasn't changed. Its a wild good time if you're a Michigan student or live in Ann Arbor and love hanging out with trashed students, arrogant athletes and those few creepy locals that are there to slide roofies into drinks. Fairly decent time though if you go in knowing what to expect. read more

This is where you go in Ann Arbor for $3 pitchers of watery beer and heaps of drunken undergrads dancing sloppily all over the place. Great bar! read more

I just moved to Ann Arbor and I absolutely fell in love with this place...totally kidding. If you're wasted and feel like dancing then this my friend might be the place for you. Of course, if you're not 24 yrs old or younger, well, you might feel a little out of place. It's kinda like frat house basement meets Jersey Shore with a hint of Lady GaGa and a splash of skankness. But that's just my opinion. read more

In college, we referred to Rick's as "the sticky bar." They have this amazing drink called a shark bowl which is pretty much a fishbowl of liquor to be shared by seven people and their new friends who wanted in on the shark bowl. In any case, I'm going to guess the refuse from a few spilled shark bowls each evening, combined with not really cleaning the place, plus possibly some semen mixed in there (I know quite a few people who claim to have done such things in the dark nooks and crannies of Rick's) is probably why we dubbed it "the sticky bar." read more

For the record, I'm years removed from Rick's. This place was the spot Thursday and Saturday after Touchdown's (Blue Lep), Charley's or the Jug when girls wanted to dance (secretly, we did too). Anyway, everything reviewers say about Rick's is true: gross bathrooms, long lines, sticky floor, full cover at 1:50am, frat bros and sorostitutes, creepy dudes, and desperate young ladies. What really matters is the intoxication and if you really care at that point. When the guilty 80/90s songs come on after ONE MindProbe (House specialty, ask for shot of purple on top) I didn't. History Lesson: I once saw Braylon Edwards (week before DUI arrest as a Jet) freak a poor girl into the floor surrounded by his security. Michael Phelps getting kicked out was a plus too. Go make some Rick's memories for yourselves. Back to the review. Staff is actually pretty friendly and the bartenders are accommodating. The majority owner is a stand up guy too. Rick's, if taken as the ridiculous, not to be taken too seriously "club" is fantastic. If you can't overlook the faults that is Rick's and enjoy the spirit that is Rick's then maybe a quieter night on Main St is more up your alley. read more

It's way too loud to hear anyone talk unless you are yelling (maybe because of low ceilings), but they do offer $3 beer specials and have enough room to fit a lot of people read more

The happiest place on earth. Cheap drinks on Friday nights. Drink enough and u don't even notice thr bathrooms. You may even run into a dental student or dentist. It's legit read more

If you ever went to Rick's between 2003-2004, Wednesday-Saturday, you probably saw me dancing on the stage. How could I not after drinking a shark bowl and $2 pitcher of beer? Okay, now I sound like a lush, but bottom line, Rick's was my absolute favorite bar during college. It loses a star because of that ridiculous and often unneccesary line. read more

Ehhh. Smells like puke and the dj pretends to take requests.

They lost my credit card. And what did they do to compensate for this loss? They assured me that it "happens all the time". What kind of establishment admits to such carelessness? This was supposed to be a celebratory night of me submitting my medical school applications, but it turned into a nightmare. The bartender had me write my name and number on a napkin and that was that. No apology. No promise of free admittance in the future. (Not that I would go after this headache.) Instead, he went on and continued to wait on other customers after he ruined my night. So, as the title says, save you money that you would spend on cover at Rick's and venture to Main Street where they treat you and your credit card with respect. read more

The place is overcrowded on the off-days of Friday and Saturday, and isn't worth your time on any other day. the place is dingy and you'd be better off somewhere else. read more

THE BEST BAR IN ANN ARBOR!!! I came here 13 times in my last two weeks before I graduated. They never push over capacity so that people inside have an enjoyable fun time. But this means the line is super long but I have waited in -10 F weather for 2 hours for this establishment. #STR read more

Rick's is our fav. The bathrooms (women) are amazing, but I heard the mens isn't great... The drinks are alright, and atmosphere is fun. But, like know what you're getting into. Its definitely a college bar/club thing. Turns out you also should probably not start your night here. read more

This is a fun time only if you are very intoxicated, so if you do not enjoy that type of scene, then this is not the place for you. I usually only go in there because I am dragged by some friends but I wouldn't choose to go there. It is always too crowded and the bathrooms are really gross. I honestly feel bad for whoever has to clean up every night. read more

Not horrible, but not particularly impressed. The floors are very sticky. People usually come in after getting very drunk.