Top Restaurants and Bars in East Lansing, Michigan

Here is my list of my favorite bars in East Lansing, Michigan (home of the Michigan State University Spartans)

Before I get into my list of my favorite bars I wanted to talk about the ones that did not make the list. There could be a lot of reasons they didn't make my top bars, but most of them probably because I haven't gone to them enough to make a rational decision on them, or I didn't know whether to call them a "bar" or not. These would include:

Landshark - I have only stopped by there twice in my life and both times was during either Thanksgiving or Christmas break. Overall it was pretty nice, and I have had a "shark bowl" which I do recommend you try at least once (unless you're a drinking champ, I recommend a few people share it with you).

Dublin Square - This place is a little newer and to be honest I really haven't been there at night in a bar situation. It is really good for lunch and dinner though, and I'm sure it would be nice as a bar, but as more of a restaurant bar, if you know what I mean.

PT O'Malley's - I have been to PT's a couple times and it really isn't that great. I wouldn't mind it so much if it didn't have a cover all the time, but what can you do. It is a good place to dance with your friends and the bar is pretty cool, but other than that, it's not my top choice.

Bdubs - This is more of a restaurant to me, so unfortunately it will not be in my top choices either. But none-the-less this is a great place in itself.

6) Harpers:

Most of my times at Harpers were spent on Wednesday evening taking advantage of their "Half Off" specials. In East Lansing, this is probably the best deal you are going to get every Wednesday from any bar, and they have great food to go along with such a great offer. I usually go with getting an appetizer, a meal, and a couple beers and my tab is usually under $20. Great for a student on a budget but would still like to go out and have some fun.

There entertainment is pretty nice. They have a stage set up for local bands to come and play, but it sometimes makes it hard to talk to the person next to you if you are too close to the speakers.

The best time to go on Wednesday is probably anywhere in between 4-5. I know that that is kind of an early dinner, but if you want to beat the line, that time is your best bet.

5) Woody's Oasis:

More of a restaurant than a bar but all I really have to say about this place is: if you want to really have a "good time", then have a Stoli around the world. It is $6 but it is definitely more powerful than anything I have ever drank before, and it tastes like juice.

4) The Riv:

The Riv is a great bar for hanging out and playing a few games of darts. They have some great food deals (Everyone knows about the burger bash on Thursday nights) and some great drink specials as well. Seating is very limited on the burger bash days, so I would suggest going as early as you possibly can. There have been a lot of times that I have gone, waited in a hour line, and then, end up standing while eating my burgers. But I did it almost every time, so that should tell you how good of a deal it is!

If there are any Cons for me it would be the smoke-filled atmosphere. I know, a bar is going to be that way, but as you can see from my top choice, not all of them are smoke-filled.

3) Ricks:

Ricks is by far probably the best place to go and club dance with friends. This unique bar is downstairs and split into two sections, a sit down section and a dance section. There is usually a live band on Thursday nights, and $3 for any drink. I recommend getting the pictures for the best bang in your buck.

Again very smokey and it is also pretty dark, but that might be something some of the bar goers would like.

2) Crunchy's:

This would be my favorite bar if it was non-smoking. And honestly it should be 1.5 in the ranking. This is probably the best atmosphere that you could want in a bar. It is an all sit down place, with big TV's to watch any sports game and Karaoke every weekend.

They have buckets of beer and food at a reasonable price, good for any large group who wants to have a good time. They have some of the best and unique/local beers on tap. Also my favorite drink there, the $5.50 long islands, are cheap enough to not put a hole in your wallet but strong enough to make you lose your wallet.

Burger Bash Monday's are a great ending to the first day of the week, with cheap ¼ pounder deals and cheap Miller Lite prices. This is definitely a place to stop by if you are in town.

1) Lou & Harry's:

This is by far the place I was at the most my senior year of college. Lou & Harry's is a restaurant by day and bar by night. One of the best features about this place is that it is non-smoking but still packed every night. There is never a cover, and there is seating both outside on the patio and inside. They have a few HD televisions inside which make watching any game that much better.

Another nice feature is there table top games, where you pay to play. My favorite is Photo Hunt. They just recently added a pool table to the mix giving you more things to do while you are drinking away on their $2 doubles special.

Staff is amazing, always around when you need a drink and Harry is around most nights to make sure everyone is having a good time.

Best night to go is Friday where you can take advantage of a FREE taco bar and Corona specials ($2 a bottle). Make sure you get there early as well because the taco line can get pretty long!