Aubree’s
Location: 39 E. Cross St.
If it’s a night of pizza and beer that you’re after, look no further then Aubree’s. The menu is limited if you’re after anything but a pizza pie, but its slices are some of the best in town, hands down. They have tons of toppings to go on a wide variety of flavored crusts. If you stop by for lunch, you can also take part in a pizza buffet. While there aren’t too many evening drink deals, (happy hour stops at 6), the beer list makes it worth the price. Tons of local, specialty and microbrews are both on tap and in bottles at Aubree’s and they all go great with the classic bar food appetizers or a pizza. They also have specialty shots, just ask your server. If you’re after some entertainment, head upstairs to Sticks where you can play pool, play a game of trivia, or watch a sportin event. Certain nights also have some great drink deals and specials. It’s a great place to spend an evening, especially in the warmer spring and summer months since you can easily walk from campus.
The best bar in Ypsi for pizza and beer.
St. Patrick’s Day Specials
Hours: 11 to 2 a.m.
Drink specials: $4 Irish Car Bombs, Jameson and Bushmill shots, $2.75 20 oz. Miller Lite Green Beer, 20 oz. Guiness, Black & Tans and Milking It Brik Irish Red for $4
Food specials: Corned Beef and Cabbage, Sheperds’ Pie, Fish & Chips and Reuben Sandwiches.
Special events: Live music 12 to 4 p.m., featuring the Y-Town Hoolies, 9 to 10 p.m. trivia and a live DJ 10 p.m. to 2 a.m.
Corner Brewery
Location: 720 Norris St.
The Corner Brewery in Ypsilanti doesn’t remind you that it’s actually a brewery. The large tanks and machinery used in the process of brewing some of Washtenaw County’s best beer isn’t showcased in a glassed-off room like it is at a lot of places. This place is certainly not about show. The large bar and sturdy pieces of furniture are spaced out in the old, brick building so that you feel like you are sitting down at home. You can stretch your legs, lean back and calm your mind with a variety of tasty beers that range from a hearty Phat Abbot Belgian Triple to a lighter brew, the Ypsi Gypi. The food menu at Corner is also more impressive than what you would expect from a place known mostly for its beer. The menu includes basic snack food, but it also has tasty sandwiches, good burgers and stone-baked pizzas. Almost every category of food also has a vegetarian option. The only downside to the Corner Brewery is that its drink menu is limited to beer and a few hard ciders, so your one or two friends who still don’t like the drink (because everyone has them) won’t be to pleased to look at the menu. But then again, if they don’t like beer, especially the creative and flavorful kind found at Corner, you probably shouldn’t be hanging out with them anyway.
The best bar in Ypsi to enjoy high-quality, locally-made beer while feeling like you stepped into your own living room.
St. Patrick’s Day Specials
Hours: 7 a.m. to 12 a.m.
Drink specials: Happy hour 7 to 11 a.m. and 4 to 7 p.m.
Food specials: All you can eat continental breakfast, Shepards’ Pie with Braised Cabbage and Toasted Rye
Special events: Live music starting at 9 p.m., featuring Rootstand
Sidetrack/Frenchie’s
Location: 56 E. Cross Street
If you want to be served food by an overly peppy Applebee’s-type waiter or waitress at the speed of a McDonald’s drive through, don’t bother with this Depot Town fixture. You aren’t going to be pampered at Sidetrack and treated like you are the only thing that matters in the world, as you shouldn’t be. What you will find is a place with a beer and drink selection that you can’t find anywhere else in Ypsilanti and unpretentious food that will go above and beyond your expectations after polishing off a few microbrews or martinis. The burgers probably aren’t among the 20 best in the United States, as GQ Magazine voted in 2005, but it’s safe to say they are worth your money. And don’t expect to stretch your legs, either. With tables undersized and close together, you will probably be trying to avoid a cramp in your leg, especially at the busiest times of day, when it’s hard to even walk from one side of the place to the other. But by cramming so many people into the old building, Sidetrack becomes a place ripe for conversation and togetherness. You feel like you’re part of a community. And the decorations on the walls, usually old artifacts from around town, don’t appear to have been meticulously planned, like the old records and sports memorabilia found at too many sports bars. Every part of the décor seems like it just happened to have been left there, or was actually part of the community. It all fits to form a comfortable meeting place where a diverse group of students, university officials, and all of Ypsilanti’s residents can come together and gossip. But if you’re looking for something with more space, faster service, a waiter who will be nagging you every two seconds, and a lame selection of drinks, the local Applebee’s or Red Robin aren’t too far down the road.
The best bar in Ypsi to pair your food with something good to drink.
St. Patrick’s Day Specials
Hours: 11 to 2 a.m.
Drink specials: All single pints of Guiness $3
Food specials: Corned Beef and Cabbage, Shepherds’ Pie and Potato Leek Soup
Special events: Live Irish music all day
Smarty Catz
Location: 16 N. Huron St.
Smarty Catz opened up in downtown Ypsilanti last summer and sits on the corner of Huron Street and Michigan Avenue, a little off the typical Downtown bar route. The interior is clean, dimly lit and modern, which is something different from the usual dingy feel of most Ypsi bars. The general atmosphere is warm and inviting. The place wasn’t busy—only a few locals sat at the bar. Relatively speaking, it’s pretty small. But there is a small stage for karaoke on Wednesday nights. Their menu is pretty typical for a bar – fried food and burgers. Not the right menu if you are looking to try something new, but just what you might want if you are craving a burger with your beer. The drink selection is average, nothing too spectacular. On tap, they have a few specialty beers like Leinenkugel’s Sunset Wheat. If you’re just looking for staple beers, like Budweiser, then Smarty Catz will fit your bill. A domestic draft is $2, and $1.50 from midnight to 2 a.m. Prices are pretty modest, with well drinks that are slightly larger than average running for $2. The waitstaff was very friendly and helpful, adding to this place’s welcoming atmosphere. Smarty Catz isn’t the most hopping bar in Ypsi, but with its low drink prices and clean, friendly atmosphere it has a lot of potential. So next time you’re downtown and looking for a new place to have a few drinks, check out Smarty Catz.
The best bar in Ypsi for a quiet, relaxing drink.
St. Patrick’s Day Specials
Hours: 12 p.m. to 2 a.m.
Drink specials: Irish Car Bombs, Jello shots and Jameson shots
Food specials: Corned Beef Sandwich and Green Beer Combo
Special events: Live DJ’s
Tap Room
Location: 201 W Michigan Ave
This downtown Ypsi bar is a must for any bar-hopping college student. The atmosphere makes for a fun, classic night out and is great for chatting up old friends or making new ones. Its on-tap beer selection wasn’t bad, but it was lacking in a lot of great local selections like you might find at other area bars. But what it lacks in brews it makes up for in price. Every night of the week, there are drink deals, usually between $2 and $3 depending on the night and your choice of drink. The Tap Room might be overlooked as just another bar, but that would be a disservice to the food. The menu is more extensive than many bars, is reasonably priced and is well worth it. Its lunch menu is especially nice, offering $5 specials, including a veggie burrito that is better (in many ways) than one you might get at a build-your-own-burrito place up the road.
The best bar in Ypsi for a classic atmosphere with modern variety.
St. Patrick’s Day Specials
Hours: 11 to 2 a.m.
Drink specials: Happy hour 4 to 7 p.m., Stoli Drinks $2.75, all 25 oz. drafts $3.25, $2 pints of Green Beer
Food specials: Corned Beef and Cabbage
Special events: 7 to 10 p.m. Free pool, 9 p.m. to 12 a.m. Open Mic with The Martindales
Theo’s Bar and Grill
Location: 705 W Cross St
The location of this bar is what makes it great for the students at EMU. Just off campus on Cross Street, it’s a convenient and safe bet for those who live on and near campus who can’t get a designated driver for the evening. Another big bonus is that this bar lets in those under 21 (sometimes for a cover), which makes it a great place to get together and enjoy one of their theme nights (they host a comedy night and college night, among others, weekly), even if some of your friends aren’t old enough to grab a beer. The big draw for Theo’s is the theme nights, as the drink options are limited. It doesn’t carry many beers on tap and its wine selection offers even fewer choices. Its drink deals are also limited but it does have its draws. If you don’t have a taste for microbrews, swing by for great prices on pitchers. Theo’s also offer some good nightly drink specials like long island iced teas and specialty shots. It offers a small grill menu, which has the basics. It’s nothing to write home about, but definitely not bad, especially when you consider the price and the fact that it’s bar food. Definitely stop by for the fun theme nights and pitcher deals.
The best bar in Ypsi to meet your friends that’s within walking distance of campus.
St. Patrick’s Day Specials
Hours: 9 to 2 a.m.
Drink specials: $4 Bombs 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. and Miller High Life on tap
Food specials: Regular
Special events: None
Woodruff’s
Location: 36 E. Cross St.
Woodruff’s is the newest place in the cove of bars that dot Depot Town. With its competition being Ypsi-staples such as Sidetrack and Aubree’s, Woodruff’s has had to find a way to stand out. And it has by becoming a live music venue. The place itself is sparsely decorated, not very large and very dark. The center of the bar isn’t the bar itself, but a stage area that takes up the majority of the space. Woodruff’s is focused on the live music hosted there. As to be expected with a live music venue, the place was very loud. It made for difficult conversation. Despite the $5 cover charge, the place was moderately busy. Although, only a few people seemed to be interested in the various musical acts on stage. The majority of people sat or stood in small groups talking to one another. There didn’t seem to be much mingling going on. Drink prices hovered slightly above average, but there were also a lot of specialty beers offered in bottles. A cooler sits at the right end of the bar and is filled with specialty and non-specialty bottles of beers, with a large variety of options. If you’re a beer aficionado, or just love trying new drinks, Woodruff’s has a lot of options for you. However, Woodruff’s did not have a food menu, so if you plan on stopping, make sure you’ve eaten, or you’ll be disappointed. There also is no waitstaff, so you’ll have to trudge up to the bar and get your own drink. Overall, Woodruff’s is a great place if you’re looking to check out the local music scene, meet up with old friends and try some new beers. But if you’re looking to branch out socially or want to talk, Woodruff’s is not the place.
The best bar in Ypsi for live, local music.
St. Patrick’s Day Specials
Hours: 12 p.m.- 2 a.m.
Drink specials: None
Food specials: None
Special events: Karaoke starting at 11 p.m.
