Moody, upscale bar with excellent eats. Great cocktail menu with classic options like Last Word, Paper Plane, and Old Fashion. We went on a Wednesday evening around 6pm and were sat right away but the bar was about 75% full. Service was decent as the bartenders doubled as the waiters. Somewhat limited food menu, but had options ranging from wraps to filets. Sandwiches were around $20 and the main dishes were in the $30-$60 range. Overall good experience and we will be back. read more

Side Bar East Lansing - Hot Honey Chicken Sandwich - Pubs Near Me - East Lansing, Michigan

See all

We ordered a pizza and a salad and it took 1 hour for us to get the food. There were only 4 other tables in the entire restaurant. Once we got the food it was awful. Pizza was under cooked and the salad was not edible. Sadly, this place has changed for the worse. read more

sliders are delicious and decent size. Menu has a variety of sliders to choose from, with options that fit a range of cravings.

New food and cocktail menu. Turning into a legit craft cocktail bar. Making moves in the GLA!

Great food, intimate environment and TVs to watch the game. Have been there multiple times and have enjoyed it. Great before a MSU game.

I enjoy this bar. Great location. Lots of parking. Fantastic food. Nice cocktails. The ambiance is perfect. The service is good.

This place is cute! We ordered a bunch of food, but my favorite was the pizza. It's not easy to get a gluten free pizza right, but they hit it out of the park. Cocktails are meh. But our server was so friendly and sweet, she made our night! read more

Side Bar East Lansing - Pubs Near Me - East Lansing, Michigan

Nachos were the best. Drinks were good. Burgers weren't cooked all the way through. Fries were good. Nice bar. Waitress was nice. Little cramped but nice. Croutons on salad were good. Salad good size. read more

See all

The sandwich was really good! Nice flavors and very filling. The service was slow and the waitress was short and not good at explaining items on the menu. The charcuterie board was expensive and underwhelming. I was expecting different crackers, cheeses, and meats but all that was on it was club crackers, veggies, meats, and 1 type of cheese. The atmosphere was nice, but overall I would not go back for dinner here. read more

Side Bar East Lansing - Charcuterie Sandwich - Small - Pubs Near Me - East Lansing, Michigan

See all

A friend and I went for lunch since we wanted to stay close to the area and had never been. The atmosphere is descent. Service just okay. I did not care for the overall price for the value. My bill for the Michigan Seasonal Salad with added chicken came to $19 with tip. The waitress didn't know what seasonal fruit they were serving on the salad and did not offer to check. She said probably grapes. Grapes? The service was slow. I liked that my chicken was in small cubes, but it was slightly dry. I imagine If I worked in the building, I would be back but it's a general pass for me. Better value elsewhere. There was no drink menu at the table so I couldn't browse that to see if the drinks would be interesting at a later date. read more

Side Bar East Lansing - Michigan Seasonal Salad ($12+) with added chicken ($3). Okay. - Pubs Near Me - East Lansing, Michigan

See all

We liked the welcoming atmosphere, good vibes, and great service. We got the adult grilled cheese and black bean burger. Both came with choice of side (we both had fries and we're not disappointed) Unfortunately I did not like their special ketchup (tasted like BBQ sauce!) But promptly brought a regular bottle of ketchup. We ordered the birthday girl a Cosmo and it was definitely strong but not too strong. The best part was the candle in the Mayo for her grilled cheese. They also gave us half off birthday girl entree! Very reasonably priced for the quality of food. Would love to come back at night and sit outside. read more

Side Bar East Lansing - Pubs Near Me - East Lansing, Michigan

See all

A hidden gem in East Lansing. Great beer selection, good food, a nice patio and some TVs for catching your game of choice. Their sliders are basically the size of full McDonald's cheeseburgers and their chicken quesadilla is so stuffed, you shouldn't miss it. Friendly waitstaff and it's nice that this bar is far enough from campus it's not usually too packed with students (not that there's anything wrong with them). read more

1st time thereLoved it. Good menu and drinks and the staff was very friendly ..Will go back

This place is a gem. Upscale, yet cozy atmosphere. Great food. Bar seating around the bar (of course) , and high table seating as well as (at least one that I saw) tables for large gatherings. There isn't a separate dining area. I didn't see any outdoor seating. Easy place to meet people - everyone was friendly. Bar-maid was EXCELLENT - I think her name was Kim. She is a professional! Entertaining to watch, yet on top of every order and empty glass. Owner of the place was working as well. Thumbs up to Side Bar. We're fans! read more

Sidebar is actually an adult bar in East Lansing! Granted, it's not exactly next to campus, but close enough. It feels like a small neighborhood bar should feel: welcoming, friendly, and clean. They have a decent tap selection, but I'm glad they didn't go 100% craft beer, so I can still get my shitty beers (Miller Lite... yummy!). They do have an opportunity to step up their whiskey game as it's a pretty small selection. We just got some appetizers to share, but the food was very good. I could see this being on the regular list of places to go, as it's several levels better than Reno's, which is across the street. read more

I met a friend at Sidebar after work last week and was surprised at how busy it was. There were a lot of customers, mostly in their early 30s to late 50s. The clientele here seemed affluent and everyone was pretty well dressed. The bar has a nice selection of wine and other adult beverages, and menu was simple yet refined. The meatballs are my friend's favorite (It wasn't her first visit!) and I enjoyed the mushroom pasta. The prices are not too bad, either. read more

I've been here on two occasions now that warrant a review. I like to give the benefit of the doubt but two different times, over a year apart, I have dealt with a rude, condescending bartender. The first time I asked for a drink menu to which I was told, I mean we just have regular cocktails on there. So I just ordered a martini. Then we were offered a menu for food(drinks are on the back) and wouldn't you know?! There were specialty cocktails I would not have thought to order. Ok whatever. That's fine. Brush it off. We order a margherita pizza and the cheese was green and absolutely repulsive looking. Refused to eat but did not complain or take it back. Fast forward to yesterday, giving the place another chance. Come in with a friend and get the same bartender. We sat at the end of the bar. I order a water for now because I'm pregnant. She orders a beer. We're chatting for a while but she decides to order some fries and I want a mocktail. The guy was once again condescending. Asked if she wanted another beer since yes it's been a little since her first one and she said no but starts to order fries. He cuts off her to say, "you girls are killing me!" Are we sir, are we? I get we were sitting at your bar and not ordering drinks quickly enough for your liking but I also had not seen anyone new walk in for the last 30 minutes and 3 tables were open. I explained I was pregnant and that is why I was not ordering alcohol but wanted to chat with my friend while She had a drink and that I was planning on ordering a mocktail if that was fine. Didn't ask what mocktail I wanted.. just immediately walks away to make me a Shirley Temple. Wipes his hands on his dirty bar towel and then sticks his whole arm in the Maraschino cherry jar and puts two in my drink. So I did not touch that drink but still paid for it and tipped generously for it. We were not taking away business from him by sitting there and he was not very attentive anyway. I will not be giving him the benefit of the doubt that it was a rough night because this is another occasion of feeling like he was rude. Had he given us the benefit of the doubt, he'd have known we had full intentions of overly tipping him because we understood we didn't get as much as he would have liked but then making that snotty comment just showed us that are better bars to be patrons at. Especially since that one wasn't very busy anyhow. Have to wonder why. read more

Great food and service. Visited many times and always impressed. Had the Beet and Bleu salad, Sidebar special Grilled Cheese and fries today for lunch - all fresh and delicious! Highly recommend if you're in East Lansing and looking for more upscale dining than the typical college student hangout. read more

The Wild Mushroom pasta was amazing! Great food and atmosphere! Would definitely come back. read more

Side Bar East Lansing - Wild mushroom pasta - Pubs Near Me - East Lansing, Michigan

AMAZING FOOD. Try the nachos it's my favorite thing to get from here. It's a little on the pricey side so be prepared to spend some money here. Worth every penny though! read more

Great food and atmosphere. The servers are friendly and bartenders know their stuff. I had the Josh's Nachos; great combination of cheese, chips, and toppings. This place is a nice change from most of the East Lansing bars; should appeal to a smarter set. Looking forward to coming back soon! read more

See all

Alexys M is the best waitress ever!!! She was so timely and the food here was really tasty. I would recommend the nachos, super loaded with cheese. Drinks are nice as well! Great experience and an underrated place. read more

It was ok. My friend and I both got sandwiches with bacon in it and we thought it was slightly undercooked. The broccoli cheddar soup was terrible. Their ketchup tastes like seasoning salt dumped into regular ketchup. They do have regular if you ask for it. Our server was nice but very slow. Took forever to get anything. Won't be back. read more

The ambiance of the bar and patio is nice, but the quality of the ingredients and pricing is not impressive. For example, I ordered a Caprese salad that consisted of a four slabs of mozzarella and four tomato with bacon bits and a little balsamic vinegar was $11. On the bright side, the service was really good. In short, the Side Bar is a bar/restaurant that is overpriced with unimpressive food. Keep in mind that this is an establishment owned by a law firm catering to other lawyers. If the Side Bar 's mission is to overcharge other lawyer customers with lackluster food, then I am okay with that. read more

Very small inside. There was a group of people at bar, so you couldn't even hear your own table conversation (not good set-up!) Menu is very basic-just salads and sandwiches. Not sure why Lansing can't be more creative. Left because only seemed to be one waitress and we hadn't been greeted yet. read more

A great neighborhood place for drinks or dinner. A nice patio out front and very comfortable inside. TVs abound with sports playing but they keep the sound off (thank you!). They've recently changed the menu which is disappointing because the old menu was creative and well-executed. The new menu is more traditional bar food with some nice items like street tacos. But it is less inspiring than what used to be on offer. The new menu should be reconsidered. read more

Sidebar is employing the bold new strategy of having neither any interesting drinks, nor any interesting food, all at a premium price. That said, you will not hear many complaints from the patrons, most of which appear to be well-to-do baby boomers. The positive is that the staff was very friendly and the decor was pleasant. read more

Love the atmosphere... modern industrial yet rustic as well. Very welcoming and a great place to stop in for a drink after work or to grab lunch/dinner. Can't wait for patio to open when it gets warmer. Staff is very friendly and welcoming... a huge step up for all the college bars around read more

Great atmosphere! A nice upgrade from the EL bars. Cool vibe, good drinks, very solid food. Been here twice in a week and definitely going to be a regular stop! read more

This is a great place. Really comfortable and the food is good. I really enjoy the charcuterie plenty of it and a nice selection. Staff is extremely friendly. read more

Whenever you have a bar that has bad service, everything seems to be put down. The drink prices were a little above average, but not crazy by any means. The food was delicious for the price paid! But when you order your drinks, the bartender makes them, then leaves them on the counter for 10 minutes while texting, well it's pretty hard to come back from that! Then the gentlemen doesn't check on our food, and the only time he came back to check on us is if we had an empty glass. The crowd wasn't my type, but we love trying new things especially when going out of state! We always tip well, but we won't be returning to sidebar. read more

After driving past a bunch of times, we finally decided to try Sidebar. The first time we went in, we waited about 10 minutes and couldn't get a table. To be fair, it was on a day when MSU was playing basketball. We ended up leaving and finding food elsewhere, but before we did one of the owners apologized to us and gave us a card for free drinks if we came in again. So we did! The atmosphere is very friendly and feels like a nice neighborhood spot, the food was great, and I can now gloat that I figured out it was curry in the house ketchup. Overall, we had a great time with good food and drinks, and I'm sure we'll be back! read more

Am rating 3 stars based on the service we were afforded. Went in hungry and were greeted right away by friendly server. After that, the wait time between times our server checked on us and provided a service only increased. Two servers were on duty - one at the bar who stayed at the bar and chatted non-stop with a single bar patron. The other server had numerous tables and was very engaged with folks when she attended to them. That being said, we were left waiting for long stretches at a time without food and drink. Our server was sweet and personable, just not as attentive as she could have been. She was overwhelmed while her counterpart was attentive to a *lone* patron who seemed to capture her full attention. Small plates very tasty. Food served hot and fresh. If the review was scored on the food alone, I'd give a 4+. Interior nice. Stark. Industrial yet comfortable. However, a tad loud with many folks enjoying themselves. Will return. Hoping service will be better. read more

The atmosphere at the Sidebar is welcoming. We sat at the bar and Kim the bartender provided amazing service. We wanted to have variety instead of a traditional full meal so we ordered the charcuterie board which had great pickled cauliflower and carrots on it. The oil and mustard that can with it was so good with the meat,cheese and crackers. We also enjoyed the home style meatballs and bar beer cheese. I would order all of them again and will go back! read more

My friends and I were enjoying watching the game today at this establishment. The service and food were great. However, the owner came by and was rude to my friends for smoking cigarettes in the parking lot, away from the front door. His response was that he is the owner and should not be questioned. Who runs a business this way? read more

Great food, great atmosphere, great service. I look forward to becoming a frequent customer. A welcome change to the East Lansing bar/restaurant landscape. read more

Atmosphere and bar would get a 5 star. The food, well, ummm, really mediocre bordering on bad. We got cocktails, wine, and ordered two of their "boards" to nibble on. One was the Mediterranean and the other the Charcuterie. We asked what was on each. For Med, a few types of veggies, cheeses, and dips/hummus. For the Char, three types of Italian meat, cheeses, and bread. I should have taken a photo. The cheese on both literally was processed sliced cheese that they probably use in sandwiches and burgers. It was cut up in fancy pieces but it was processed slices. The "meat" consisted of not even one whole piece of prosciutto (it was torn up and rolled up as 4 separate pieces). There were also cut peppers (why?), cut up gerkin pickles, a pile of peperoncino peppers, nuts, and dried cherries? Weird combo. For the med board--more processed cheese, about 6 pea pods, more peppers and peperoncino, about 1/8 cup (not kidding) of broccoli, the carrots were cut into penny pieces (how do you dip that?) and were obviously baby carrots (so why cut). More nuts/cherries, more pickle pieces, and 6 crackers. Just really low quality, inexpensive offerings on a plate that they charged $24 each. NO. For that price you better up your game. read more

I was very excited to have a bar close to home that was actually for adults, for this reason I gave this place a second chance after having a not so great first experience. Both times witnessed the exact same thing, a blonde bartender (she was cold and did not smile at all) who spent more time filling her own styrofoam cup up with wine and what not rather then tending to customers or making drinks for the servers. I specifically sat at a table the second time so we didn't have to deal with the bartender, since it was the same one as the time prior. The food is good, which is what brought us back, just wish they would have a more attentive bartender, who are actually friendly. The server we had was very attentive and friendly, can't remember her name but she had short hair which was dark. read more