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    The Side Bar

    3.2 (67 reviews)
    ModerateBars, New American, Vegan

    The Side Bar Photos

    THE SIDE BAR ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Classy
    Happy hour specials
    Good for kids
    Outdoor seating

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    Recommended Reviews - The Side Bar

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    Reviews With Photos

    Parmesan truffle fries
    Spencer S.

    I came here a couple months ago on a Sunday afternoon. Place was absolutely empty. Asked to eat outside because the interior was so so dark. Staff was kind of just standing around. Getting our food and drink orders took a while. Nice people though Fries were solid, but the seasoning was a bit off. Also just shaved Parm on top Fried wings were pretty basic. Tasted good on a standalone basis. The sauces were a little weird Beer was great and cold. Some other, better spots to hit in that area in my opinion. Maybe I should go back to try again tho

    Nicole E.

    Recently opened, took over Town Tavern, which totally broke my heart. A good day to eat close by since we were dropped with some 10 inches of snow overnight and today. It's too cold to walk much and a pain to have to park downtown with the islands of snow in the middle of the roadways, but then again we found a spot within a block. Jess is waiting on us. Ordered truffle fries, as Gouda as it gets with avocado ilo of bacon, the olive oyl, Ty cobb salad less bacon. We are eating carbs galore since it's Fat Tuesday and we are going to cut out fried foods for Lent for the next 6.5 weeks. The truffles fries are not shoe string sized at all, but tasted quite good. Nicely seasoned, crispy, and flavorful. They are easy to inhale for sure. The Gouda as it gets is so vanilla and tasteless. I asked for some BBQ sauce to get it down. There's sautéed onions on it but it's devoid of flavor to me. It seemed dry, it needs some sauce to accompany this panini style sandwich. It's very lacking. The olive Oyl was okay, the garlic aioli was okay, the sandwich as a whole was bland and boring. The Ty Cobb is big, we split it into two bowls. The lettuce leaves were a bit old and burnt in my old and ate a few bites of lettuce that tasted rather expired. The balsamic dressing is also lack luster to me. They charged me $0.75 for a side of BBQ sauce for the fries, that should have been mentioned to me when I ordered it, no? I advised Jess to let customers know about the up charge. She told me one side comes with the fries, I said that's fine, it would have been good to let me know was all. It was all just okay, not quite deserving of the space it took over, just yet. The truffle fries was the best part of our meal tonight. Just take off the shoestring fries off the menu, they are normal sized fries. It has potential, but still needs some tweaking, as the service was good until the excuses at the end.

    Entrance to restaurant
    Logan H.

    I have been here twice so far and have truly enjoyed it for a date night with my boyfriend. Really amazing food, for the price, which is on the pricey side but, WORTH IT! Staff is always kind and helpful. I enjoy going out to this place on a weekend the vibes are chill with good music and fantastic lighting.

    Chicken Sandwich
    Chad C.

    Wow, I am not sure what happened. Somehow this review has been sitting in my draft since 04-18-2021. This was my first time coming here tonight. I met up with a couple of buddies after work for food and drinks. First off, I have to say Samantha was fantastic. She was a delight to deal with, and she put up with my buddies' boomer stuff. Lol, I mean shit, but I am not sure if I can say that on her. Anywho she was a delight to deal with, and honestly, dealing with my boomer friend, I feel like she went about and beyond. I got the chicken sandwich and chips, and it was fantastic. The chick was so juicy. And the chips, I think, were homemade. I will be back placed is an excellent hangout.

    a drink in a coupe glass
    Melissa C.

    Everything was good! It's been a bit since I've been here since I forgot to review it after I went. But I had a whiskey drink, some onion rings and a turkey sandwich. I liked the ambiance of the place, and they were following covid guidelines. I'll definitely be back

    The Brokeback burger
    Taylor R.

    The atmosphere was amazing. The restaurant is set up perfectly to accommodate a lot of people but still in a smaller setting. They have high tops, a big booth and some low tops. We went in on trivia night which is on Wednesdays it's free to play and it was a lot of fun. The service was alright. Our server was so soft spoken we had to keep asking him what he was saying. Then we asked for silverware and did not receive it until our appetizers were already eaten. The food did come out fast and hot which is always a bonus. I got the "It can't get more Gouda than this" sandwich. I added avocado to mine but I felt like it needed a little more flavoring. If they would season the turkey it would have been perfect. We got the pretzels for an appetizer which were great. Since I was using my hands a napkin would have been nice but the pretzels were warm and soft. My fiancé got the burger which he said was really good especially with the queso on it. He also demolished his fry's. If you like sandwiches and burgers I would suggest trying it out. We will be going again just hope the service is a tad bit better.

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    11 months ago

    Amswer your phone! Your carryout service is horrible. 3rd time this has happened. Ive emailed you about this also.

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    2 years ago

    Drinks? Good. Service? Fine. Music? TRASH! Come here if you're looking to get whiplash between rock lobster and Mitski's sad girl ballads.

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    4 years ago

    I ordered a whiskey on the rocks and they charged me $3 for the ice. Absolutely absurd. Never coming back.

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    Page 1 of 2

    Ask the Community - The Side Bar

    Alchemi

    Alchemi

    4.2(169 reviews)
    0.1 miDowntown Royal Oak
    $$$
    Romantic vibe
    Locally sourced ingredients

    5/16/25 I came here…read morewith the in-laws, Zach and his brother and wife for a 5PM reservation. They were just opening up, but they let us sit at the bar while they got the restaurant ready for dinner. We all got drinks at the bar. I got The Final Rose drink. its's very pretty and not too strong. After sipping on the drinks, the host brought us to our table. Chris was our server that day. He was super friendly and answered all of our questions regarding the menu. Here's what we got: - Michigan lamb ragu (his) - Lobster and shrimp pad thai (mine) - Crab and shrimp cakes (share) - clam chowder (share) His family got some of the same items, but I can't remember the different items they got. The overall consensus though was that everything tasted fantastic. Coming from the Bay Area, I have high expectations when it comes to Asian food, so I was pleasantly surprised by how great the pad thai tasted. The clam chowder was creamy and delightful. The crab cakes were the perfect size and not teeny tiny. The lamb ragu was very well done also and my husband is a big fan of lamb so he really enjoyed his meal. Since we were there early, it was quiet which was nice. Would definitely return in the future the next time I am in Michigan.

    This super cool high end restaurant was a real treat for my birthday outing this year. Many cool…read moredrinks were available and I tried two. Service was stellar and the food was excellent! Don't miss this gem!

    Photos
    Alchemi - Steak

    Steak

    Alchemi
    Alchemi - Shrimp

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    Shrimp

    North End Taproom

    North End Taproom

    4.6(60 reviews)
    0.1 miDowntown Royal Oak

    Love this place. Great to meet up with a group as everyone orders their own food whenever they…read morewant. Little difficulty with folks who aren't as tech savvy as there are not servers or menus but if you don't want a typical restaurant experience where you have to wait for everyone to arrive (you know you have those friends that are always late for everything!) to order this is your jam. Food has always been good and their drink selection is as diverse as you're going to find in the craft beer scene today. Yes, 1/3-1/2 of their taps are IPA's but that's what you people have done to this world.

    It's been about a year since I've been here and the concept of this place still just blows my mind…read more It runs very well, and pretty much no staff. The business model is genius. A hostess who takes your money and gives you a bracelet, automated beer, and you use your phone to order from the kitchen, they text you and you go get your food. I wondered many times how they could serve alcohol and not monitor how much people were drinking? So I asked. The host is in the front said at the end of 32 oz is your bracelet will not work and you need to come up and see me to reset it. I guess that's how they would monitor whether or not someone could get another 32 oz? I'm surprised not more places have copied their business layout. With the new generation, this would be the place to go, you barely have to speak to anyone except for the people you're with.

    Photos
    North End Taproom - Interior

    Interior

    North End Taproom
    North End Taproom - Totchos

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    Totchos

    Barrel House - Mac and Cheese

    Barrel House

    4.5(61 reviews)
    2.0 miDowntown Ferndale

    Came here on a Saturday night with my boyfriend hoping to catch the football playoffs and were just…read moregrateful to find a place with TVs. What we didn't expect was to be completely blown away. From the second we walked in, the bartender greeted us like we were regulars, and that alone sold us on sitting at the bar. Best decision. We're bar sitters through and through, and between the bartender, a friendly regular who scooted over for us, and literally every person we interacted with, the vibe was unmatched. I worked in the service industry in a former life, so I know how rare it is to find a place where everyone is friendly. There's usually at least one Debbie Downer. Not here. No rushing, great recommendations, and zero feeling like you're "that couple" taking up bar space. Drinks and beer selection were solid, but let's talk food because ambiance and service are only half the equation. We started with the coney dog egg rolls and... wow. Epic. Unique. Immediately set the bar high. Then we ordered the fish and chips and the short rib sandwich. The fish was perfectly breaded, the remoulade was on point, and those skinny fries were dangerous. But the star of the show? The short rib sandwich. Holy shit. I don't normally eat onions or horseradish, but somehow this sandwich converted me. The caramelized onions weren't overpowering, the sauce wasn't spicy, and everything just worked. We literally woke up the next morning talking about how we need it again. The bartender filled us in on happy hour and all the food options, and we're already planning our return. Total hidden gem on Woodward. Highly recommend. Thanks for a great Saturday night!

    Burgers were excellent--juicy and cooked to a nice medium. Fries were crispy and tasty, too. Our…read morewaitress was very friendly. But... We didn't order cocktails, and the burgers took over half an hour to arrive on a not-crowded Tuesday. More importantly, despite the recent thaw, it was uncomfortably cold, and you could see a number of other patrons wearing their coats (as we were)

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    Barrel House - Interior

    Interior

    Barrel House - Sesame Chicken Wings

    Sesame Chicken Wings

    Barrel House - Mezcal & Chill

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    Mezcal & Chill

    Oak Parker - Patty Melt

    Oak Parker

    4.6(200 reviews)
    2.0 mi
    $$

    My friend heard about The Oak Parker from another friend, so we decided to give it a try and now I…read moretotally understand the hype. Walking in, there was very limited seating and about an hour wait, which clearly showed how popular this spot is. Thankfully, the hostess told us about their basement bar area where you can grab drinks and snacks while waiting. The downstairs area had such a cool speakeasy vibe dark ambiance, vinyl music playing, and honestly the perfect date night atmosphere. The drinks were REALLY good, and you can also order appetizers down there. Once we made it upstairs, we grabbed bar seating and talked to a few people around us who all said this was their favorite spot. Our bartender was amazing -- super attentive, explained the menu well, and gave great recommendations. We ordered the wings (perfectly seasoned and so good) and the chicken sandwich with buffalo added for a little spice... absolutely delicious. I also tried the pistachio martini, and wow definitely one of my favorite drinks I've had in a while. Overall, such a great experience from the atmosphere to the food and service. I'll definitely be back, and I've already been telling all my friends about this place!

    I'd been invited to a house music night. Upon walking in, I almost thought we were in the wrong…read moreplace! Upon entry, we saw a quaint restaurant. Then someone politely said y'all must be looking for downstairs. Sure were! As it turned out, we were escorted downstairs to what people refer to as the Vinyl Room. The vinyl turntables that night were replaced with computerized ones. The vibe was unsurpassed and the drinks were tasty. I'll be back when I need the good time again.

    Photos
    Oak Parker - Bar

    Bar

    Oak Parker - Grilled Reuben

    Grilled Reuben

    Oak Parker

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    The Side Bar - bars - Updated May 2026

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