If you're looking for a swanky place to go in Kalamazoo, SkyDeck is your place. I always feel like the drinks are a good $2 more than the other bars in the Entertainment District, and there's only the 1 bar so you may have to wait if it's busy. Oh, but it's never been busy when I've gone. Background music was playing, and yes you can get a view of the city, but there's a lot of cranes and building going on now, and you're only really 7 stories up. I wish they'd move the smoking section (or get rid of it altogether) since you have to walk through a cloud of smoke to get to the bathrooms... read more

SkyDeck - Venues & Event Spaces Near Me - Kalamazoo, Michigan

Upon moving to Kalamazoo, Skydeck took somewhat of a mythical status in my mind. Who wouldn't want to live it up on the tallest bar in Kzoo? The fact that you can't see it's layout from the ground floor lends to the allure. All this is to say that I created a legend in my head that sadly wasn't true. Skydeck was interesting, fun for a night, and not much more. Perhaps it's for this reason that I gave it an average rating. But I also think that there were a few flaws regarding the space and I'll lay them out here. First and foremost, you pay a premium to be in this space, both in the form of a cover ($10, nothing insane) and an apparent tariff on the drinks (maybe it's handling fees for hauling it all up so high?). Either way, you should expect to be a bit gouged for cash. Not all of the drinks are insane, but mixed drinks are pricey, and some of their "signature" drinks top $12. Now, initially, this might seem like a fair trade: a bit extra for high quality drinks and a higher quality view. But here's the rub: it's a small space, it's packed, and the edge seats go first. For me and my group to enjoy the breathtaking view of Kalamazoo, we would have to stand or share tables. It's difficult to blame them for being popular. That being said, I don't really feel like we received the main feature of the venue. A friend of mine put it sagely: it's a great date spot, or celebration, but you don't go their to drink. You go there for the experience. Therefore, this won't become one of my "regular spots." Here are some positives to end on: -Amazing view of the city -Great ambiance, especially at night -Wonderful service -Elevator! read more

SkyDeck - Woo! - Venues & Event Spaces Near Me - Kalamazoo, Michigan

I'm writing this review more as a reminder to myself. The Good: 1. The view of downtown Kalamazoo is as nice as it gets from 7 stories up. 2. NO cover between 6PM - 8PM. The Needs Major Improvement: 1. I order the Sky Blue and was charged $7.50. My best friend ordered the same drink and the waitress charged her $8.25. This continued throughout the evening. The fact that the drink prices are inconsistent is absolutely ridiculous. When I pointed this out to the waitress all she did was "shrug her shoulders". 2. SkyDeck charged me a 3.75% credit card fee. Are you kidding me??!! The waitress not once mentioned that there would be a fee when setting up my tab. She said NOTHING! There is nothing posted on the website or at the bar that is clearly visible to customers that a credit card fee would be assessed. When I brought the credit card fee up to the waitress all she did was "shrug her shoulders". 3. I should have filed a missing person's report because the alcohol in my drinks was MIA. 4. BEWARE: a shot of Patrón Tequila is $13. 5. The bathroom lighting is HORRIBLE. It's so dim you can't see if your makeup is still on point. Overall: I only recommend the view. Solid 1 star. read more

We truly had a wonderful experience at Sky Deck this evening. The venue is classy and offers a wonderful aerial view of Kalamazoo! To be honest, the prices are somewhat high, but I would highly recommend it to family and friends for special occasions. Price aside, the food quality and the staff are exemplars of fine dining and customer service. I left very impressed -and I'm pretty hard to impress :) read more

Great view, definitely the selling point here. We also had great service from a very attentive waitress for our large group. My only complaint was the very limited menu, there needs to be some other choices... read more

SkyDeck - Venues & Event Spaces Near Me - Kalamazoo, Michigan

We went on a saturday evening to watch the sunset, and I loved that place fo hang out for a few hours in an open space venue while the weather allows us. Recommended :) read more

There's no doubt about it the Sky Deck has the best atmosphere in Kalamazoo it's great for afternoon cocktails but it's lacks a decent food menue for that go to Rustica or Principal. At the Entertainment District as a whole food seems to be an afterthought they are a bar and nightclub. read more

SkyDeck - A lazy summer afternoon at skydeck - Venues & Event Spaces Near Me - Kalamazoo, Michigan

In the summertime, there's no better place than SkyDeck to get a drink with friends while taking in breathtaking views of the city! If you're looking for a classy and unique experience, you must check it out! While the atmosphere is worth the cover charge, if you get there before 9 p.m., it's free! :) read more

Great atmosphere overlooking downtown Kalamazoo from the 6th floor roof of the Rosenbaum building.

The atmosphere is awesome, very unlike any other club in the city. The view is incredible, just make sure to bring layers if it's not late summer!! My friend and I commented several times on the good dance music, the DJ was great! The staff were extremely courteous and attentive, even greeting me as I was walking on the sidewalk. Our fire kept going out but they came to check it every once in a while to make sure we were warm enough. The price, like those who have reviewed before me have stated, is the only reason I dropped the rating a star. The cover was $7 (on a Sunday night), and my drinks were $4.66 each (mostly ice, not much liquor at all). read more

The cover charge to get in and the pricey drinks are the problem. The beautiful view and outdoor expereince is what this place is all about. I don't like to pay a cover charge to go in and drink. I have never had food here but have been for drinks several times. It is more of a splurge for me on a nice weather night downtown Kalamazoo. I would suggest having a drink somewhere before hand, there are plenty of other more reasonable places downtown. Then go up to Skydeck for a nice nightcap. Service was decent, the place was pretty crowded and there are the occassional drunk frat boy type of customers. read more

4 stars for the view. And in all fairness, I can't really rate much else. :) But I do like the idea of coming up here and have a drink to watch the view... On a thursday night around 10ish, there were a handful of people. Definitely the city that sleeps ... EARLY. And what is with all the cover charges all over KZoo? read more

Rating a 2 only because it's a roof top bar. The view is spectacular. Cover charge to go sit? Ugh. The drinks aren't a good pour, all of it is overpriced, the food we've ordered on multiple occasions has only been so-so (once, our friends' never even CAME), and the bartenders are complete bitches. Nothing short of that. Rude, snotty, and bitchy. We haven't been back since tell one of them she shouldn't be in the public eye at ALL. Soooooo rude. Never mind they all look like they're 15. read more

So incredibly disappointed in the policies and door staff of Sky Deck and the entertainment district. Last night my 22 year old former exchange student went to Sky Deck with a friend looking forward to seeing her favorite Michigan city from above. Sadly, she was immediately turned away because "we don't accept foreign IDs". What? This is the second year in a row she has been told this - last year at another Entertainment District nightclub she had me to push enough to get her in. Both years she was told she needed to bring her passport. What kind of a moronic establishment suggests bringing a passport to a bar? When she asked to speak to the manager she was told "he's around here somewhere" but that she couldn't talk to him. I'm sure Beer Exchange appreciated you sending her business their way. Kalamazoo is becoming more and more of a destination for tourism and it would be nice to see our "premier entertainment" district get with the program. Edit: I would like to thank SkyDeck for their response and look forward to giving them another shot. Plus two stars for being responsive! read more

The aesthetic of the Sky Deck is nice but I can't understand why there's a cover. I understand covers and table minimums when there's live music, or, if there's a dj and it becomes a dance scene, but paying a cover just for the view?? It's a nice place to have a drink at sunset, but having lived in larger cities, the price seems to outpace the experience a bit. read more

The place to go in the Zoo for a view. Not a lot of seating. Get there early.

Overall, the bar itself is pretty cool. There's a nice view and the design is relatively unique. However, this would be the epitome of "bougie" bars. The drinks are terrible and taste extremely watered down. I had both a Whiskey Sour and a Whiskey Ginger, neither of which contained much alcohol or flavor, and the drinks were pricey. I'm from Utah, where every shot has to be measured out exactly and you can't do long pours with most liquors, and I still get more alcohol in my drinks than I received last night. It's also a bit awkward- they ask you to leave immediately after last call, which I am also not used to. Usually you at least get a few minutes to wrap up and finish drinks, but the host was adamant that we leave immediately. Overall, I'm not impressed. read more

It's the best spot downtown to view the sunset for sure, and I've even spotted the Peregrine Falcons downtown from this excellent vista. I've always found the drinks at all the bars within District Square to be overly boozy, pricey and not especially tasty but you can't go wrong with a Two-Hearted or other local craft beer. Not a lot of seating. Went there for a Girls' Night Out once and had a blast. Sounds like a lot of folks take umbrage at paying cover charge to go here after 9, which I totally get. It doesn't have the door-charge-worthy appeal of some of the other Entertainment District spots (although the cover for one covers all the facilities). I've mostly aged out of Monaco Bay and Will Bull but occasionally go for a good show (especially when the 80s cover band Spazmatics plays in the District Square outdoor space). read more

I went to SkyDeck last night for the first time and would never go back for two reasons: If you want to sit where there's a view you have to order an entree. I have no problem with that and have certainly encountered dumber policies in restaurants touting their fanciness, however, as a vegan there was no option for me. Nothing for a vegetarian either, unless you get the one salad option without chicken, at which point you're paying $16 for a protein-less meal with a cream-based dressing. If you are going to have such a policy, prepare the kitchen to be creative or have options. I ordered a dirty martini with absolut vodka. When the bill came the martini cost $4.50. The vodka cost $5.50. If there's an up-charge for liquor, it's usually an addition dollar or two on top of the cost of the drink, not double the cost of the drink plus a dollar. Beyond that nonsense, I ordered a liquor that at most establishments is considered well, which really says something about the quality or this establishment entirely if something crappier than absolut is standard. Regardless of your choice of vodka, at SkyDeck you pay $4.50 for a plastic cup with a spash of olive juice and two olives. No alcohol is included in the price. read more

Ehh. Cheap drinks. But the whole scene was a little off. Tacky servers and the crowd wasn't great. Granted the views are cool but other than that your not getting much. read more

The staff gives excellent service. My first time here was a great experience. Everyone is friendly and willing to help you out if you ask them a question. The view is also awesome! read more

Interesting, but so overpriced. My spouse and I ate the salmon, which was very good, but for an appetizer you get TWO fish tacos for $12. Really? $6 apiece? Hmmm. Not very clean, either, because it is on top of a building and the tables are kind of stone or something. Seemed really dirty. Drinks in plastic cups (for safety, but not upscale for the pricing). We went on one of the last decent days here, it was pretty cold and windy. But not their fault. We won't go again. Too overpriced and dirty. read more

I went here for my Bachlorette party to start the night, it was quite lovely. The drinks were definitely overpriced for Kalamazoo but they were delicious. read more

The view certainly is gorgeous, no place like it anywhere else around. The food was surprisingly good, even though the menu is very limited. We all liked the Sky Shrimp, fish tacos and burgers. Service was a big issue, though. The bar is right there and it took forever to get our mediocre drinks, which came in cheap plastic glasses. One of our drinks actually blew over and spilled. How about much heavier glasses? Also, the tacos needed more sauce, and we were half finished with our meals before the extra sauce came. I'd go again, mainly for the novelty of the view. read more

I want to express my sincere appreciation to Kurt Eager, District Manager of the Entertainment District, for reaching out to me to rectify this situation! Thank you for listening and for your quick reaction. Todd and I are looking forward to coming back downtown to use our new gift card!!! read more

Fairly disappointed in the lack of effort. I have tried to set up a few events through the skydeck. I Wrote through the website a few times, and also tried contacting them. The first time I tried setting up and event was last May and still have heard nothing back. While I took my business somewhere else I figured I would try it again to set up a 30th birthday party. However they have repeated history in the case that a few months later I have heard nothing back. I'm uncertain who runs the reservations but I can say they are not doing there job. As far as if they are booked it would still be smart business to allow the consumer to know. I suppose Grand Rapids it is again this year. read more

Wow! There are not enough words to describe how rude the staff was at Sky Deck. Three lovely ladies went out early for drinks and appetizers and were told we couldn't have seats unless we ordered entrees. That is an understandable rule if you're busy, but when there are tons of open tables, that's absolutely ridiculous. We proceeded to ask if we could order appetizers at the bar and were told if we could flag down a waitress, MAYBE we could get food. MAYBE? At this point in time, we were beyond annoyed. If the customer is willing to work with a silly policy, the place should be willing to accommodate them. Upon leaving Sky Deck, the staff was short and talked down to us. For a place that's considered a classy establishment in Kalamazoo, I was appalled at the poor customer service I received. read more

Let me start out by saying that even from the ground looking up this place was very inviting for my wife and I over the orientation weekend at the local university. We were greeted by a couple of young men who were posted at the door and a young lady who informed us on that Friday the cover for the bar was 5/person and $7/person for the Skydeck fair enough. I paid my $14 to the gal and she administered wristbands for my wife and I and we were on our way up 6 floors on an elevator after some general directions from a barback we encountered once inside. The view was spectacular as the night and sky were in twilight as we joined a pretty decent crowd of people who ranged in age from just legal to seasoned and everyone seemed be enjoying themselves. There was a festival going on just below to the west of the deck and the downtown landscape was lit up from the building surrounding us and the flow of the traffic around town. When it came time to get drinks the gals working the bar appeared to be college age level and some what interested to take the order for my wife and I since there were no tables and seats at the time we arrived. I ordered a couple local made beers since we were informed that there was no blender on the Skydeck for a mixed drink my wife was interested in. The beers were served in plastic cups and nearly twice the price of the same beverage I had ordered at the local establishment we had just visited. Once a table became available it was made up of 3 small tables for the group who had just left and we sat at one that was parted out with old plastic cups and spills that were there until we departed. The cocktail server who helped part out the tables my wife and I and another was busy chatting with another employee near the elevator entrance for what seemed like 20 - 30 minutes while I was waiting for her to return to ask for the table to be cleared of the last group. Our table was left twice as cluttered with plastic cups as it was when we arrived 40 minutes earlier - so much for service. Bottom line no blender at the bar and plastic cups for upscale drink/beer prices and lack of even modest service see my rating above. Cheers read more