I went here recently to meet up with a friend who can't have gluten. We like to find places that have plenty of gluten free menu options for her. I hadn't been in a few years and was looking forward to trying them out again. It was a nice day, so we decided to sit outside. They have a really cute outdoor area. We were out there by ourselves, probably since we were there at a weird late lunch time. Our server was quick and attentive though, which was nice. We both ordered flights of ciders and food. I was happy to see that there are a few beers on the menu in addition to ciders, so I tried 2 ciders and 2 beers. The IPA was pretty good, and definitely my favorite of the 4. I ordered the watermelon feta salad to eat, and there really isn't a better combo for a refreshing summer lunch! The watermelon didn't have a lot of flavor, but it was pretty early in the season, so I'm not surprised. It was still good. My friend didn't really love any of the 4 ciders she tried, but she ordered the gluten free macaroni and cheese and has been raving about it ever since! I hope they're doing well. It was pretty empty the whole time we were there, but its such a great space and a really easy to get to location from a lot of different parts of town. I'm going to need to remember to suggest it when I'm meeting up with people so I can try out more of the menu. And I'm sure I'll be back soon with my friend so she can get the macaroni and cheese again! read more

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Great Food and Drinks! Would love to come again in the summer! Went and tried a flight of drinks and was very good and at a reasonable price

Been wanting to try this place for a few years. Finally got to try it on a Saturday afternoon around 3PM. Pulled into the parking lot and wondered if they were even open. Walked in and just a couple people at the bar. Thinking this may not be good. Luckily we were wrong. Service greeted us right away and was very friendly. Started with the pretzel bites and cheese dip. The dip was amazing. Even had some left over and dipped our fries in it. Got the olive burger and BBQ Bacon burger. Both were very good and not dry. Definitely will be back. read more

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Get the cider flight! All of the choices are great. You will be amazed by the range of flavors from apples. The bacon and goat cheese sandwich was remarkable. Really enjoyed the cider mill feel of the restaurant. Lots of open air and groups of folks having a fun time. Servers and bar tenders were spot on with recommendations and service. We will absolutely be going back. read more

I actually came here only because I discovered that I love their Totally Roasted cider and wanted to see what else they have! When I got there, there were two parking lots on the left side for general parking, and there was a totally separate parking lot up near the door for handicap accessibility. I sat at the bar and ordered a flight so I could give a couple things a try. The first flight was not my favorite so I ended up getting a second, but definitely ask for samples before you order to avoid this mistake! They have a lot of different flavor profiles which was really nice. I still like the totally roasted the best, but it was great to try other stuff! They also had a nice little Happy Hour menu for small bites and $ off drinks. Their full menu is really good too! I like the different seating that's available too. There were larger tables, high tops, the bar, and a nice outdoor section that would have been nice if the weather was warmer. 10/10 you have to try the totally roasted! read more

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The drinks, the service, the food, everything was wonderful. Big shout out to Liz our waitress for making our quick trip to Grand Rapids so great! read more

Vander Mill Grand Rapids - Honey crisp cider, and Cider Mule! - Cideries Near Me - Grand Rapids, Michigan

One sunny and warm March afternoon, Nate and I decided we wanted to check out a happy hour hopefully on a patio somewhere. We ended up at Vander Mill, with its large outdoor seating area and huge parking lot. It was pretty empty when we arrived, so we ordered at the bar. We got the cider cheese and an order of wings with dry rub, as well as a couple of flights of cider. The food menu is very different from when they first opened - it's much more of a basic "brewery" food menu now, with wings, burgers, fries, sandwiches, and a couple salads/soups. Definitely not as inventive as their original menus but I'm sure it was a little too different for some people. If you like a good brewpub meal, you'll probably be happy. If you're looking for fried smelt or something more unique, you won't find that at Vander Mill anymore. The cider cheese came with a huge amount of soft pretzel bites - you could share between four people. The pretzels were warm and soft, super tasty. The cheese was fine, just not very flavorful. The wings were super crispy. I think they were a little overcooked but the dry rub was tasty. It was sort of weird that you only get five wings in an order, but oh well, we shared. The ranch was great; we dipped the extra pretzels in it. It was fun to try some new things in our flights, but none of the ciders really wowed me. I noticed they are doing more funky ciders than I remember in the past, more of a Virtue Cider vibe with heirloom and wild varietals. We noticed there's a stage set up outside, so I'm interested in hopefully checking out some live music later this spring and summer! Definitely a nice spot off the beaten path for a couple drinks and some snacks. I'm a bit sad they've moved away from some more unique food offerings, just because it seems like every place does the same type of menu these days - but it's totally understandable. I'll be back. read more

Excellent service every time, great prices, and a phenomenal Reuben !!! Great lunch / dinner spot and super friendly staff

This is a fun place! It smells like apples when you walk in! They have a lot of room here, and it really wasn't that busy while I was here. You can see into their warehouse, and walk out onto a balcony in there. Down below the are tables and chairs, and a small bar, but I'm not sure when that's in use. Maybe private events. They have a lot of different ciders available on tap. They also have a few beers available. I didn't realize how many options they had! We chose to do flights so that we could try as many as possible. We also ordered a salad and a side of fries, both of which were very delicious!! Most of the cider was good, the beer was just okay. The service was okay. But this was a fun atmosphere here. And it's nice to have a place to go to besides a brewery! It's also not downtown which is nice, and bonus- they have their own parking lot (which is huge). read more

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We had a really nice time here! They have a huge variety of ciders and the bartenders are happy to give you samples before you commit to anything (great for me as I'm super indecisive). Favorites were their lemongrass (I don't see this listed online so perhaps it's super small batch?), apple raspberry, raspberry zero and both the blu-ish and blue gold (dry and sweet blueberry ciders, respectively). The flights were super reasonably priced! The best part about Vander Mill though was the small seating area in the actual cidermaking facility. There were only about 3-4 tables out there so we had the whole space to ourselves. It smelled deliciously apple-y and was a great place to take pictures with our ciders! Highly recommend this place for cider lovers and even cider skeptics thanks to the large variety and friendly bartenders. read more

This was the first time we visited Vander Mill, and we'll be coming back. It's quite spacious inside and outside with a nice outdoor "patio" with tables. My kids loved the fries and chicken tenders. My husband got the burger, and I had the pulled pork sandwich. The sandwich isn't covered in BBQ sauce, which is good...but I did need to ask for more. The fries were delicious and well seasoned. Service was great! As for the cider, we enjoyed a flight and was surprised at all the varieties. I like a drier ciders with the brut and the loving cup as my faves. Staff said they usually have live music outdoors with the small stage off to the side, but with the holiday weekend there wasn't any. Good to know for the future, because we'll definitely be back. Kid friendly and a nice setting that you wouldn't notice if you just drove by. read more

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I've been reviewing for awhile and I feel like I have no direction when I write. The next few reviews I'm going to implement a strategic system that helps understand my review before even reading the full details. If you follow me or read my reviews please feel free to reply with anything you like or dislike. Any ideas to make it better would be surely appreciated. SERVICE: 5 FOOD QUALITY: 5 DRINK QUALITY: 5 ORDER TIME: 5 AESTHETICS: 5 NOISE LEVEL: 5 MENU SELECTION: 5 OVERALL EXPERIENCE: 5 This cidery is a hidden jewel less than a block away from me. Upon entering we were wowed with the aesthetics. They had an amazing outdoor patio and a cool look of the distillers on the inside with plenty of seating. Their overall review is lower than it should be and if you actually read them it's usually due to service. Our service wound up being spectacular, but I can see how they could have trouble getting employees in its location so far from downtown. My significant other and I decided this will be our go to spot when we don't want to deal with the hustle and bustle of the city. Plenty of parking which is the opposite of the city. Our food was delicious and the drinks were even better. The chicken was very tender and juicy and the linguine looked absolutely amazing and smelt even better. I'm very picky when it comes to what I consider good fries and these fries were perfection. Great seasoning, perfect crispiness on the outside and still soft on the inside. The drinks, kind of, took me by surprise. I don't like cider because it's usually too sweet for me but after drinking real quality cider I was taken back. They had a strong wine taste but great hints of fruits. My favorite was the apple raspberry rose but they were all delicious. Apple raspberry rose Blueberry bramble (gin cocktail) 5 star! Brut zero Ginger peach Oaked bon chretien Totally roasted Spring linguine Fried Nashville hot chicken sandwich read more

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our team was here for a quick work session, and liz was super welcoming, helpful, and patient with us. thank you so much for your hospitality! read more

It's been a minute since we visited this local restaurant and we only live 5 minutes away! Service was great and the food + ciders were amazing! We're coming back with friends! read more

We were frequent visitors to Vander Mill pre-pandemic enjoying both their cider and food. Post- pandemic we decided to bring out of town guests; the cider was still great but the food quality and selection had seriously declined and was embarrassing poor. This past year we heard they had a new menu and decided to check it out; we were pleasantly surprised by their new menu! The great food is back (we like the burger and apple salad); our kids love the butter noodles and non-alcoholic cider. We can't wait to enjoy some live music on their patio this Summer! If you haven't been in a while, you should check them out again. read more

1st stop on our cider tour. We really enjoyed just about everything we tasted. Our server was super nice and helpful. We ordered some pimento cheese and the ham & donuts. Both were very good. Walked out with 12 packs of Vandy and Honeycrisp (my absolute favorite cider), plus a growler of Brut and a large can of Bourbon Aged Totally Roasted. We really enjoyed our visit. Can't wait to go back. read more

Vander Mill ⁣ ⁣ The Vander Mill is located on Ball Ave in GR. They also have another location in Spring Lake. They've been open since 2006, and have grown ever since! ⁣ ⁣ All of Vander Mill cider is made with Michigan apples. There are never any preservatives and it is never pasteurized. They only use fresh juice for their ciders, and you guys...you can taste the difference of a #vandermillcider. ⁣ ⁣ Along with their cider is Vander Mill's superstar menu. Everything is farm-to-table. Including baking their own bread! ⁣ ⁣ For those always wondering about parking - they have a huge lot! ⁣ ⁣ read more

Vander Mill Grand Rapids - Cideries Near Me - Grand Rapids, Michigan

Came and ordered cider flights and food. After sitting well over an hour and a half we were told they no longer had the food we ordered available. read more

Great service with fantastic bartenders. Super accommodating and friendly staff while also offering lots of great ciders and food, my friends LOVE the dessert options especially! It's tucked out of the way a bit so you never feel like it's too busy but definitely a nice, clean environment. read more

We have stopped in once before to have drinks but this was our first time stopping in for dinner. We came for a late dinner on a Thursday night and the place was pretty empty. Being empty, the service was just average. The food arrived quickly but we seemed to sit around a lot while waiting for someone to check on us again. My dad ordered the short rib but the waitress came back a minute later to tell him they were all out of it. Once our food arrived, they gave us a practically empty bottle of ketchup so once we used what we could, we asked for another. She brought another practically empty bottle, which was somewhat comical. The Cuban Reuben was tasty and I enjoyed the flavors it had. The chipotle sauce with the slaw tied the sandwich together for me. The pork was a little tough but nothing to truly complain about. My mom had the fish and chips and she said the fish was probably the toughest/chewiest she's ever had. She still ate it all and said the fried batter saved the dish (obviously!). The fries here are great though. My dad's dish came with the Parmesan seasoned fries that were fantastic. Perfect balance of thin and crispy fries. Overall, the ambience and atmosphere of this place are perfect. The location is definitely strange and I still always wish this was downtown. The service and food seemed average on this visit. read more

Vander Mill Grand Rapids - Cuban Reuben - Cideries Near Me - Grand Rapids, Michigan

I love ciders. Not all the time, but it's nice to have a local place in the area with a variety of ciders. We've been here several times for both brunch and dinner and enjoy some of their menu. The inside is actually very industrial, open and airy. But it's just kind of boring. Maybe I'm used to how the other breweries are in the area, but the set up and table sizes are a bit odd. Let's talk about food now.. We really enjoy the cheese curds. Actually, it's the only item that we've ordered every time. The main meal items are a bit on the expensive side. I ordered the chicken wrapped in prosciutto with a some kind of sauce. I ordered double veggies instead of potatoes. The chicken was very dry and there was barely any sauce, which made the dryness worse. The item that is lacking most is the service. Every time we've been there, the servers are more interested in congregating at the bar with the others, than actually checking in on the table or asking about refills, etc. Here are two examples, I was recently there for a girls night, and our check was brought without even asking if we needed anything else. The weekend prior to that, I literally had to flag down our server for another drink. read more

Vander Mill Grand Rapids - Chicken wrapped in prosciutto with all veggies - Cideries Near Me - Grand Rapids, Michigan

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I came here for a friend's birthday and I was really excited when I saw the cute exterior and layout, however I was really disappointed with both my drink and the food! I ordered a half ceaser salad which was brown in color and tasted more like a balsamic vinaigrette. The warm pretzel was dry and oily somehow at the same time... with a terrible cheese dipping sauce that tastes like the cheese that comes from those crackers with the red stick you ate in grade school. My friends ordered the beans and rice which was flavorless and they wouldn't order it again. The cider sangria was very average as well, but better than the food! Definitely disappointed! read more

I was super excited when I found out that Vander Mill has a Grand Rapids location, because I was in town for a "beercation" with my boyfriend (aka Bells and Founders) and I wanted some hard cider. I knew they had the Spring Lake location (though I've never visited) but GR was much more convenient. The whole place is very nice, aesthetically, and looks new. It looked like they do tours, too, which would be fun. The Totally Roasted is my favorite, and I've tried a few of the other flavors, so we did a flight of five, and tried ones we had never drank before. I liked 4 of the 5, the barrel aged ginger peach was a little too gingery for me. My friends got the ham and donut dish and it's definitely hipster (see the pics others posted on here) but they enjoyed it. I'd like to come back here for a meal or brunch sometime with some cider, they just started a brunch menu this weekend apparently. read more

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I love hard cider. I'm incredibly lucky to live in Michigan, where apples are aplenty and so are the cideries that craft delicious adult beverages out of them. Vander Mill makes some of the best ciders in the state. I actually visited two of their locations while on vacation: this one in Grand Rapids and their flagship taphouse in Spring Lake. While both locations have friendly service and a great selection of ciders, I preferred the GR location a bit more. This is a brand new facility that houses their cider productions, along with a bar and restaurant with a patio. We sat at the bar and chatted with the bartender throughout the night. She was very knowledgeable not only about Vander Mill, but other breweries in Grand Rapids and beyond. She suggested we visit Greyline Brewing, which we did after our visit, and we loved that place as well. She encouraged us to check out the mezzanine behind the bar where we could see where the magic happens. You're even allowed to enjoy your food and drinks out there. It's a huge space with room to expand. They have a great selection of their hard ciders and a couple beers on tap. No liquor, though. They have a full food menu but we weren't too hungry. It seemed like a lot of people come here to eat, though. I felt welcomed here. I loved the drinks, the service, the ambiance. Everything about our visit was perfect. read more

Vander Mill Grand Rapids - Food menu 7/2016 - Cideries Near Me - Grand Rapids, Michigan

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I love VanderMill, it's one of my fave go-to dining establishments in GR and I've never been disappointed there. They have a nice rustic open space inside and outside and it feels very "Michigan" especially during the fall season. They can accommodate small or large parties no matter what the season and have a big free parking lot. Good comfort food and drink choices and a great spot for brunch. The service is always friendly and professional too which is very important when going out to eat. Now I am a parent, I especially appreciate how kid-friendly they are with high chairs and good changing facilities in the restrooms. I was fortunate to do a tour of their cider production through a KDL event and enjoyed learning about the process of making cider and how the owners created the business, the fancy machines involved and of course sampling different ciders! They have a huge space for hosting parties too. Supporting local business is key to a thriving economy and community so locals and visitors be sure to stop by VanderMill for a drink and or a bite! read more

Vander Mill Grand Rapids - Veggie chili soup was baller and a meal in itself - Cideries Near Me - Grand Rapids, Michigan

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Great cider! The atmosphere is fun with an open floor pan. We have not tasted the food yet but the cider was tasty.

Dined out on the beautiful patio on a gorgeous late summer night. No better place in Grand Rapids. Dog-friendly patio and fireplace, great food and drinks. A+ ambiance and service. read more

I feel like Vander Mill could be SO good. The food definitely sounded good - there were some interesting menu items. Everything just tasted a bit bland. I had the chilaquiles and it didn't have much flavor. I also tried the food of our whole table (of course) and it was the same. I just wanted some spice. It's a really cool atmosphere though! The potential will definitely keep me coming back. My husband said the cider is fantastic. I'm not a cider kind of girl but they certainly had a lot of variety! read more

Vander Mill Grand Rapids - Cideries Near Me - Grand Rapids, Michigan

Wow!! What an amazing tour!! Brad did an amazingly great job educating us about cider! We had book a party of 4 brought 2 more They welcomed the other 2. Brad was very knowledgeable!! Very friendly and personable! Would recommend the tour! Especially if you love cider. After the tour we have apps with jake who was our server!! Definitely an establishment that should be checked out!! read more

Vander Mill Grand Rapids - Cideries Near Me - Grand Rapids, Michigan

Awesome food and cider! Highly recommend for dinner or brunch on the weekend. Also has a great outdoor area with a firepit to enjoy in the warmer months. Lovely view of the sunsetting too! As for the food, the burger is always delish. It is served with a housemade pimento cheese on it. A salad in place of the fries makes for a healthy alternative. I really enjoy the hash and salmon as well. read more

The business fired all their employees via MASS EMAIL, days prior to Christmas blaming another employees medical leave as strain for the business' failing. I would probably suggest a financial planner/advisor "next time" (but we all know there isnt going to be a next time) read more

We dined at Vander Mill tonight for the first time by an impromptu invite from our neighbors. "Good food and kid friendly patio" is how they sold it. And boy did they deliver! It's in an unassuming location but very near our house, so that's a personal bonus. I ordered the butternut squash special and they were happy to make it a special order (I'm currently doing whole 30 and they were very accommodating) and I was blown away by the flavor and beauty of the dish. I told the server and he said they are adding it as a permanent menu item next week. So so good. My husband got smelt and fries and he too liked his meal. Super odd menu item (smelt) but nostalgic for him as its a dish he always ate with his grandfather. Our girls ran around the patio (plenty of room without bothering other customers) and the staff was excellent. Update: dined there for brunch this past weekend with a group of 5 ladies on Saturday at 11a. Food was fantastic. Service was horrible. We waited to be sat (with a reservations) and waited 15 mins for someone to bring water and take drink order. Waited over an hour from time of being sat to when food finally came. They were very busy and understaffed. Get bad for the server. read more

Every time I go, it's a pleasant experience. The food is a treat, and the cider is lovely! I'm picky but I like almost everything they have. If cider isn't your thing, they have other things to choose from that are not cider, but honestly? Unless you absolutely hate cider, try at least a few before you dismiss them. The staff is attentive and friendly, and they never makes me feel like it's an inconvenience to wait on me. read more