Ambiance was 10/10. The drinks were alright. Service was great. However all of our steaks were incredibly salty- almost had to send them back. The menu is heavy on the meat side and could expand. read more

Scholar - Denver cut steak - Wine Bars Near Me - Grand Rapids, Michigan

The food was pretty decent. Decent portions. They sat us on the first floor the vibe was very strange all the employees were sitting at the bar feet up on their laptops. And there were boxes just laying around. It was very unprofessional. You come to a restaurant like this for a certain vibe and ambiance. It was very informal and strange. We came for a special occasion so we expected a bit more. The service was lacking. read more

Scholar is amazing! We stopped for a quick drink and a bite while restaurant hopping downtown on a Friday afternoon a few weeks ago. We sat at the bar in "The Study" downstairs. The atmosphere and ambiance are over the top. It was so cozy and inviting with all the dark wood, leather, and blazing fireplace. The bartender was perfect. She had an excellent knowledge of her craft and the cocktails she mixed for us were excellent. We ordered a couple appetizers including the deviled eggs and shrimp cocktail. Both were appetizing and delicious. We will definitely be back at some point for dinner. This place felt more like restaurant in downtown Chicago than in downtown Grand Rapids. read more

The wife and I were in Grand Rapids for a week, so I did some googling and picked out a few places I was interested in trying. Among the places was Scholar. Ambiance/decor: I see what they were aiming for, the bespoke/Chicago/speakeasy type vibe, but it's far from being finished. Perhaps they were running out of time, or the investors were pushing to open because the furniture is there- but there is no decor or soul. The bare white walls make it feel empty. It is hard doing period-style establishments. Unless it's 100% spot on, it ends up looking cheap. They have a mantle with fake old books and pictures of random people, which serves no purpose but is purely a "filler." Drinks: Courtney's drop wasn't that great, the lemon syrup or concentrate they use wasn't to my liking, also not removing any of the pith from the lemon gave it a powerful bitterness. Major pet peeve of mine. Secret garden was interesting. We enjoyed that. Stuck to water once the food came out. Food: Hmm I found it odd to see these line cooks crowded in an extremely tight kitchen when you have 97% of space leftover for bar and dining areas. Often times this is because owners see seats as dollar signs and can't understand the importance of kitchen flow/space. Or it could be a legal issue. Find that unlikely and likely due to poor planning and layout. Food was average, you could expect much better at a local pub. I mean it. Deviled eggs? What is this Fourth of July backyard picnic at Aunt Betty's? Haha. Shrimp cocktail was unimpressive, over boiled shrimp, thrown on ice, half a lemon with muslin cloth, not even put on properly. Do it traditionally if you're trying to be swanky, with a cocktail glass. Oh forgot to mention they use the old bar lemons on our shrimp cocktail. Meaning all the used lemons from bar (same ones they used for my lemon drop garnish) used on my shrimp. Half the outside was missing. Wonder how many condemned fingers and barflys that had been touched by to only be passed on to the kitchen. I assume they'd wash it at least but if you're trying to re use lemons, don't serve them for the guest. Zest them or juice them, use the squeezed/peeled used lemons in your poaching stock (the liquid you poached your shrimp in) ;) Burger was ok, strange they use romaine lettuce pieces on top of the meat, lettuce on top causes the bun to slip as it slides, while lettuce on bottom, the weight of the burger will hold it in to place. Iceberg or gem would've been better not two pieces of romaine. The mini ketchup bottle was cute, but save your money. It does nothing. Just a waste. Scallops had way too hard of a sear, was overdone while the bottom half was normal. This isn't a "dish" or a "main" this is a sharing/starter. And I don't understand charging $52 for three scallops (everything else on plate costs zilch) when you have short rib on the menu for $18 less and the "Delmonico steak" for only $4 more. Doesn't make sense. Basically the food was boring and didn't match the dining room. Saw someone having pork or some protein with mash and green beans. Reminded me of a retirement home as they were clearly using "portion scoops" to plate the mash. You know those scoops with the side lever to give it that cafeteria styled round portioned presentation? Didn't eat dessert, once I saw the whipped cream and the zig zag drizzling of chocolate sauce I was immediately turned off. Probably ordered in. Which actually can be quite good. No shame. Overall a decent place to take a date for a drink or two and a fried snack. The actual bar seemed vintage and quite impressive. If I'm going out for American food, I'm not paying someone $200 plus to be fed the same food my grandmother gives me. Meat and veg, meatballs, burgers, soups and salads. Nothing impressive. Hire a actual chef to revamp the menu, bring it to a higher level. Or ditch the earlier American concept as it seems to be limiting your options for culinary creativity. Depression era food? Nah I'm good. Server was lovely, forgot her name. Unfortunately I was too busy tallying up how much money I was wasting instead of trying to enjoy the company of my wife. read more

We were really disappointed by our brunch here. We were seated promptly with a reservation but waited for about an hour for food (even with ordering right away). There was one server who also seemed to be the runner and the bartender. I watched her make our Aperol Spritz which was all soda water, with a splash of Aperol and champagne. (Which is NOT how to make a spritz). They did not have drip coffee, only french press and our first round was...cold. It WAS replaced with hot and comped. When we finally got our food it was...cold. Like not even room temperature. It had a good flavor and we were starving so we ate it. I was not impressed with the quality of the food or drink and service was pleasant but really, really slow. read more

Great food. Great atmosphere and great service. Def not cheap...but you get what you pay for.

This place absolutely f**ks. I was in town for work and wandered down the street from my hotel and popped in. It looked really inviting. 3 different areas to enjoy your meal. I was solo so went downstairs and ate at the bar. Bartender (Tara) was attentive and friendly. Delicious vodka martini with blue cheese olives (they have garlic stuffed too). Half wedge salad to kick it off. They took a classic salad and didn't try to do to much with it, but they're subtle touches make it great. No bacon bits here. Decided to enjoy the Salisbury Steak and subbed the crispy potato cake for the whipped potatoes. They didn't make any big deal about the substitution or make me feel weird about asking. Cooked perfectly and a great presentation. It was too much food to order, but I love deviled eggs so I ordered those too. I figured, "I'll just eat one or two". Nope, ate all 6. The meal was dynamite. I couldn't pick something to knock if I tried. It was elegant without being pretentious. The staff were all kind and eager to help (lots of smiles). Tara told me they've been open less than a week. My experience felt like they'd been operating for years. If I lived in GR, this would be an instant favorite in the rotation. Give them a try! read more

Staff is absolutely wonderful! This is what I'd considering the "professional's bar" of downtown Grand Rapids. A bit higher on price, but can provide a very broad dining experience for whatever the occasion. It has three levels and a private back room on the second floor. Great place to lounge for essentially any size party. read more

Scholar - Upstairs Bar Area - Wine Bars Near Me - Grand Rapids, Michigan

See all

Great drinks,amazing food, and even better service! We went downstairs to "The Study" and had Clair as a bartender/server, absolutely amazing. Highly recommend. read more

Great place. Very attentive staff, great cocktails and the food choice, quality and presentation are excellent. Ambiance is great will feel old American...speakeasy style. read more

Good food! Solid drinks, good atmosphere and our server was very good. I'd go back. Ambiance was nice on the first floor. Didn't go upstairs. read more

Love the restaurant ambience, cocktail menu was solid and our drinks were spot on....never got a chance to dine due to our less than enthusiastic service at the upstairs bar. Bar and upstairs dining was slow, yet we were never greeted, only got a "what do you want to drink"? After being ignored, I asked about the nightly specials. Bartender stumbled his way thru, didn't know how to describe at $50 entree, then never came back to ask if we wanted to order ( we were sitting at the bar). Finally gave up and left. Will try again, but won't sit upstairs at the bar. My wife says we will not try again. For the prices and ambiance, there are other options in GR. read more

My husband and I popped in and were able to get a spot at one of the beautiful bars. The setting is lovely - perfect ambiance for date night or dinner out with friends. As for cocktails, I had the el Diablo and my husband an old fashioned. The el Diablo's flavors were amazing but there was not nearly enough tequila in the drink. The red blend wine the bartender recommended was delish! The scholar salad with vinaigrette was beautiful and yummy. Finally, I had the scallops and my husband had the burger. Both were awesome. My scallops were cooked perfectly but WAY WAYYYYYYYYY too salty. The rest of the dish was superb so no worries but with the amount of salt... hoping the chef tones that down a bit for next time. We will be back soon! read more

Went for our anniversary last weekend. We didn't feel like dealing with the hustle and bustle of a Saturday night, so we booked for Sunday at 5pm. We absolutely did not need a reservation but it was really nice that we did because they were very ready for us. They had a lovely large booth set for us, including a personalized note congratulating us on our anniversary. I will start this by saying the server's name is escaping me, but he doubled as the bartender that evening. I want to say it was Jake? Either way, he was great! We got cocktails to start, whiskey julep and paper plane. My boyfriend didn't love the julep, he went out on a limb trying something new to him, but I really enjoyed the paper plane. Second, we ordered the bison meatballs and medjool dates as appetizers. The dates were fabulous, they reminded me of a super elevated PB&J. The meatballs weren't my favorite, as I found them a little dry, but my boyfriend loved them. I did notice that a TON of things on this menu feature nuts as garnish or contain a nut butter? This place would be pretty tough for someone with a peanut/tree nut allergy. Third, we actually both order the Delmonico steak - him the ribeye (medium) and myself the filet (med rare). Their special that night was Hamburger Helper and I was very, very close to getting it but the steak was calling me. All of our food came out very quickly - to be fair, I am almost positive that we were the only patrons at the time but that worked great for us! The steaks were both perfectly cooked to temperature. I had the Chalk Hill Pinot Noir (Sonoma Coast, CA) per the recommendation of our server, it paired super well! The delmonico potatoes were something I had to ask our server about because I had never heard of them. They were basically a block of cheesy potatoes and they were delicious! I couldn't finish my meal and our server boxed mine up for me... which I promptly forgot at the table as we left (sad). No dessert for us this time as we were stuffed but the Baked Alaska sounded awesome. We will be back! read more

See all

I wanted to like this place but sadly it was underwhelming. The menu is very limited which includes a $20 hamburger and "Hamburger Helper". My family and I were seated in the basement at a very wide table with very low couches. The table was so wide I had to shout to converse with my son's. My steak was unremarkable and overpriced. This place is a "one and done". Take my word and just skip it. read more

The best thing about this place is the atmosphere. My husband & I checked it out for his birthday and had made a reservation prior. There was a "Happy Birthday" note waiting for us at the table which was thoughtful. The waitress was attentive and helpful. We ordered the deviled eggs as an appetizer which we thought was a strange option but decided to try it. They were sub par at best. They looked better than they tasted. I ordered the Cobb salad which was big bowl with everything piled in different spots, this was unimpressive in flavor and not very appealing for $18. My husband ordered the bison short rib which he said was sub par. The flavor had more potential and the portion size left him hungry, there was more potential to this dish. We did order the cheesecake for dessert which was delicious. They offered us complimentary ice cream for his birthday however, this tasted like what you buy at the grocery store. Overall, we expected more for the price. Would not go back and spend that kind of money again. read more

Scholar - Cheesecake and ice cream - Wine Bars Near Me - Grand Rapids, Michigan

Very good food, wonderful relaxing atmosphere and friendly service. Try the upstairs bar. Well will be back on our next visit to Grand Rapids. read more

Swanky looking place. In time its decor will fill out and improve. Just looks a little bare atm. Cocktails were not well balanced in flavor. Service seemed disorganised and stressed. Food left much to be desired. I was expecting the food to be of higher standard and quality. I would love to come here if they had a better menu and tastier food. Just a little dated food and not up to par with the big entrance they made in GR. read more

I was in town for a business trip and really enjoyed the Scholar. Great ambience and the food was terrific. The house salad was excellent and the veggie Mac was amazing, warm and fresh and unusual. I'm eager to try it again. Service was very good too. Well done Scholar! read more

Service was very slow for a Sunday and not that busy. Cocktails lacked flavor and didn't seem to be that strong (alcohol wise). The food had great flavor but seemed to be sitting out awhile as both dishes were room temperature. For the price you pay I would expect a lot better. Appetizer of onion dip was the best dish served. I look forward to coming back in the future. Only been open 2 1/2 months so hoping time we resolve these issues read more

Butchers Union is my wife and l's favorite restaurant. Scholar's food and cocktails are comparable, but Scholar has BU beat on venue. Putting carrots on a plate is brave and I must say the carrots I ate were the food item I remember most! Highly recommend for date night for your wife men! read more

The space is gorgeous. We were on the main floor but I also ventured to the downstairs to take a peak. The cocktail menu is good, we tried an old fashioned and an absinthe drink. We did a bison meatball appetizer that had goat cheese which was good and generously portioned. My husband got the regular burger and I got a Waygu burger that was on special which were both great and cooked exactly as we asked. Our server was attentive. It's a little pricier than some other spots but not extravagantly so and you get what you pay for. We'll be back. read more

Good food and service. Hard to get into at times. No popular brands of spirits. A tad disappointing.

Had the most amazing experience for dinner tonight! My server Sage was fantastic! She was super attentive, made great recommendations and was there whenever she was needed. I had the Cobb salad and it was just as great as it looked, there was a good balance of all the toppings and it's the perfect size to have as a meal. The amazing bartender Carlos crafted me three cocktails, and they were all great! The temperance espresso martini is elevated and has a fun twist compared to your normal espresso martinis. If you love the flavor or lavender, you have to try the Lady Lavender! Its aromatics from the zests pairs so nicely with the smooth vanilla notes. For dessert I had the snowball cocktail along with the brownie and I could not be happier. If you're looking for a swanky setting and a super cool atmosphere you definitely need to check this place out! 10/10 would recommend! read more

Scholar - Cobb Salad & Lady Lavender Cocktail - Wine Bars Near Me - Grand Rapids, Michigan

The place to go in GR! great atmosphere to enjoy fine craft cocktails/drinks and well prepared, good tasting entree's. We stopped by last minute and ate at Bar downstairs, great vibe! Even though place was filled, did not have the feel of an over crowded establishment, nice layout, each floor just a bit different Old fashion was fantastic, had the "filet" cut and wife had the short ribs, both tasted great, was looking for a nice fall dinner and look forward to coming back. read more

I'd like to start with what was stellar about this restaurant. The design/ambiance of the restaurant was in keeping with J Gardella's but elevated and current. The drinks were top notch, as well as the staff. They were welcoming and friendly and attentive. The food...flavorless. I hate even writing that because I feel their chef has great potential. I ordered the butternut squash and sweet potato soup, the 1/2 salad of Pickled Pear, Roasted pear, and goat cheese with walnuts salad and the Bison Meatballs. The soup lacked any flavor whatsoever - needed a spruce of acid, salt and a little cream to round it out. And the toppings should be changed...coconut and I don't know what herb but take it off the stem please...not appealing. The salad...had it been served on an elongated plate so all the toppings didn't drop to the bottom may have been okay. But it needed a little balance of sweet. Maybe a drizzle of pear balsalmic? Let's talk about the meatballs. Bison Meatballs. Not sure what the sauce was but did not pair well with the Bison at all. It felt as though the meatball itself was unattended to...no garlic or seasoning or fat added to make the meatball tender. It was pure Bison, or so it tasted that way. I would have loved to see this with a little more spicy sauce or a savory sweet sauce. Then my husband ordered a hamburger that was good...not great and simple fries. No elevation to either for $22. I would expect a burger as steller as Gin Gin. Homemade ketchup with bacon onion jam and a slice of whatever heavenly cheese...something creative and genius! Make blue cheese burger with a garlic aioli and pickled red onion some crazy potato shoe string topping for crunch...just saying...maybe I'm crazy but think beyond the trite...expected. I have been in thousands of restaurants around the globe...and this one is one I want to try again in the future because I believe in them. Just disappointing for what I spent. Would have hoped to walk out satisfied. I know a bad review sucks but hope with all my heart it actually helps propell them to greatness. Thats the only reason I leave this review. read more

the deviled eggs were great. service by camden was incredible!! made our anniversary extra special. left extremely full and happy :) would come again ! read more

Service was slow -- it took forever to get our cocktails. Prices were very high and the food was just okay. But the real problem was that the portion size for the "dinner sized" Waldorf salad was quite small. Also, we had the onion dip and there was nowhere near enough crostini for the portion of dip. They brought more but we had to pay extra. Overall, there's a nice ambience, but the food is expensive and mediocre. read more

Six went for dinner on a Monday evening. One of only a few tables. Services was good for a bar, nor for what Scholar is proclaiming to be. Three apps, a couple salads, two short ribs (good), 1 salmon (the only item that was very nice), a Delmonico (choice between a filet or ribeye ?? - um a delmonico IS a specific cut last I knew) was over cooked and server knew so said please eat this one and know another is on its way (which was appreciated), 1 salisbury steak (good but $32 for ground beef?), and an entree salad plus a couple desserts, wine, cocktails. No one stopped by to ask how things were, thank us, welcome us other than a server. There are much better options and business owners / managers that show some, even a little appreciation for patronage. read more

Stopped in for a drink. Wasn't overly impressed. It was good but probably won't return. Very average.

Food and drinks were very good. Sat downstairs in the study. Was a little disappointed with the ambiance of the place. We were the last booth table along the back wall, across from the bar. The dish room was SO LOUD. I've worked in restaurants, I get it but it's not setup well that you have to listen to all that banging around your whole meal. And it again was extremely loud! Need to close the door so the sound isn't coming out into the dining area. Service was slower as the bartender was taking care of us but honestly it didn't bother us. It was a girls night out for my birthday and we enjoyed just talking, catching up, etc. weren't in a rush. Great cocktails. Yummy food. Definitely would go back but probably want to try upstairs seating. read more

The Clam Chowder was AMAZING. The ambiance was upscale and intimate. The Salmon Melted in my mouth and the banana split was TO DIE FOR. I will definitely be coming back! Our server was also very attentive. read more

Coolest new vibe in town. Food and service were fantastic. Love the green painted walls for a moody dining experience. No attitude and very friendly staff. I'll be back soon. read more

My husband and I wanted to check out this new restaurant after reading about it in GR Magazine. We went on a Thursday evening for drinks just to get a feel for the place. While we were there we were sure to take a look at the basement level area and also the upstairs area. Both of those are set up for dining and have their own bars. We also looked at the menu. My very first impression upon entering the restaurant was that it is rather shabby in appearance. It looks old and kind of run down. The hostess desk was part of this assessment. It lacks any kind of visual importance at all and seems like an after thought. There was a good amount of activity in the street level room which is where we sat at the bar. I agree with some who write about the antique bar being an interesting asset in the space. I love old refurbished dark wooden bars. The worst part of sitting at the bar was the seating. The bar stools are terrible. The seat of the stool is fabric and hangs down kind of like a hammock so that when you are seated you sink down a couple of inches. I am not a tall person and this barstool made sitting at the bar very uncomfortable for me. The legs of the stools are wrought iron and spindling looking. The stools are hard to move making getting in and out of the stool too difficult. This was a real joy kill for me. At this point I had made my assessment of the place based only on inappropriate furniture and a run down overall appearance. We hadn't yet even ordered an appetizer. When we did I could hardly eat it. I ordered the chicken liver pate and some special bread. I was thinking a small dish of pate and some crostini or toast points. What I got was a big fat open faced sandwich spread with pate and topped with some scary looking pink pickled things that looked like ears. It was much too difficult to eat at the bar with a drink and I didn't care for the taste of the pink things. I could go on but I won't. Suffice it to say that for the prices on the menu, the uncomfortable seating and run down appearance I won't go back. This new place is a flash in the pan that will soon extinguish, in my opinion. read more

Great new spot in GR. Very cool atmosphere. Cocktails chronicle most of the American classics while the scallops and bison short rib were cooked to perfection. Would recommend this place 10/10! read more

Such a beautiful place! We had drinks and desserts. Everything tasted delicious and the drinks were so fun! One though I had was the music didn't quite fit the classy vibe of the restaurant. The napkins were very white and also didn't quite fit with the style of restaurant. Other than that, our waiter was amazing and we had such a fun time! Will definitely go again. :) read more

The one and only positive note about our dinner at Scholar was the ambience and physical restaurant itself. It is beautifully decorated and we were seated a large table with large comfortable chairs with tons of space between our table and other guests. That being said, all of the food we ate was sub par. For appetizers were ordered the caramelized onion dip (which was cold), the bison meatballs (extremely bland and hardly warm), and the shrimp cocktail (something you can't mess up). For dinner my wife and I split the porterhouse which we requested medium rare. The meat was incredibly undercooked and completely rare. The sides weren't hot but had decent flavor. The other couple we went out to eat with ordered two steaks, both over cooked. The only saving grace from this dinner was the Chocolate Fudge Brownie for dessert. Our meal was pretty expensive (we expected this) but the food was awful. I would not go back any time soon. read more