Old Dog Tavern

402 E Kalamazoo Ave, Kalamazoo, MI 49007, USA

Address:	402 E Kalamazoo Ave, Kalamazoo, MI 49007, USA
Phone:	+1 269-381-5677
Site:	olddogtavern.com
Rating:	4.2
Working:	11AM–12AM 11AM–2AM 11AM–2AM 11AM–2AM 11AM–2AM 10AM–2AM 10AM–12AM

Location

Photos 100

Reviews 6

Ashley Lauren Griffith

I was at Old Dog Tavern for St. Patrick’s Day. I arrived around 9pm with my friends and my dog. Please note that we have brought our dog to this restaurant on a Sunday afternoon a couple months ago where we sat inside the back bar and my dog very politely sat outside. That night, we asked the gentlemen who was checking IDs if we would be allowed to bring our dog around the side of the building. He said yes and let us pass without hesitation. We encountered another staff member when we reached the stage. He initially told us we could not have a dog inside the restaurant and we explained that we had been told that we could bring her outside. He then kindly pointed us in the right direction to take her out through the side door. Once outside, I kept her leashed until I made certain that all patrons were okay with a dog being present. After that, I let her off the leash and my very friendly dog happily played in the side yard. No one complained of her presence; in fact, everyone thoroughly enjoyed having her there. We ordered food and the waitress who brought it out to us made no comment about the dog being an issue. So if you’re keeping track, so far that is a total of three staff members of Old Dog Tavern that allowed me to have a dog outside. We spent over two hours outside, all the while clearly and openly having a dog with us. Around 11, I stepped inside the back bar to order food and we ate at the bar. I could see my dog in the windowed doors the entire time. And if you’ll recall from the beginning of this message, the Old Dog Tavern staff had allowed me to do this previously, a couple months ago, where I sat inside and my dog was outside. Around 11:15pm, a woman who later told me she was the owner of the establishment came in with my dog and asked who it belonged to. I went to my dog and said she was mine. This woman demanded to know how the dog got in. I told her that the man who checked our IDs in the front had told us that we could have our dog outside. She replied by saying that my statement was a “fib.” I asked her if she was calling me a liar. She then made a remark about her wanting to “take the dog home and feed it,” which clearly implied that I do not care for my dog. After being insulted and called a liar, I chose to leave and to have no further interaction with this woman. She, however, followed us out of the restaurant and pursued us on the street as if she wanted to continue arguing all night. It is one thing to be treated like that inside the restaurant she apparently owns, but she certainly has no right to accost people on the street. I understand that a restaurant has the right to refuse service to anyone, but we had received service all night. We were not kicked out or told to leave; rather, we were driven out by this crazed woman and her accusations. There are plenty of places to spend our money without being harassed, insulted, and slandered. I would highly suggest to whomever reads this message that you inform this woman that she should inquire with her staff about customer issues before brazenly and incorrectly accusing patrons of lying. Her behavior was completely unprofessional, rude and, quite frankly, embarrassing for her. She should feel utterly humiliated by how she treated me and my friends. It goes without saying that I will not be visiting this restaurant again, with or without my dog, and I would prefer to not feel compelled to spend my time writing negative reviews of Old Dog Tavern. By email and by Facebook message, I have formally requested a full refund. I also requested that they leave the tip that we had provided for the very helpful and kind staff. If I had known that they were working for a woman who treats her customers like that, I assure you I would have left a much bigger tip. It has now been three days and I have received no response of acknowledgement nor have I received a refund.

C H

Stopped in for the *first* time wanting to grab a quick drink with two friends. When we walked in the hostess greeted us with a "how can I help you? Which felt odd and uninviting. We said we were just there for a drink so she told us we needed to go to the bar, which was packed. There were several tables completely open, so my friend went back to the hostess go ask if we could be seated at one. With her approval we sat down... Only to be --literally-- yelled at by another staff member that we couldnt sit there. He then cleared it up with the hostess and we begin waiting. ....And waiting.... ...And waiting.... Finally after about 5 mins of being ignored by waitresses we left. Probably wont be going back. If youre downtown Kzoo there are many, many other options for food/drinks. Dont bother going here.

Johnson Pest Control

Has a great atmosphere.. Very much a trendy dive bar with a college town flair.. But the food is just not good. I tried to order the pretzels and pub cheese and I was told they were out of soft pretzels (what?) and offered bagged snack pretzels instead. Pizza was dry and flavorless and I have had better pizzas from the grocers freezer. And lastly, they DONT SERVE MOZZARELLA STICKS. Sorry guys, maybe youre trying to be trendy but this is a bar food staple and you just cannot rebel against it. Service was good and bartenders and waitstaff friendly, if a bit overworked with a mid-size crowd.

Scott Swope

So many great places for a meal, live music, or a beverage with friends in downtown Kalamazoo - this is one of my personal favorites. Nothing pretentious about Old Dog. The atmosphere is intentionally working-mans bar, appointed with icons from days gone by in our city: a Club Soda sign, a reference to Chaps on Main... the menu on the other hand is much more upscale. The food is consistently terrific and the staff are on point. The beer garden is a terrific place to hang out and even better place to catch a show. Of special note is the Sunday Brunch Jazz buffet - highly recommended

Lori Lipari

The food is fair, the waitstaff and bartenders seem pretty good, but the management is very poor for a place in the middle of the city, competing with Bells (and other more professionally run bars/eateries) that charges yuppie gentrified prices. They have had the wrong bands on their website and in the KVBA calendar multiple times, and also ads for discounts (online "coupons"--on their own site, mind you!) that they said "hadnt been updated" and then did not want to honor. Whoever makes the decisions for this place needs to do some soul-searching about how it should be managed.

Caitlin Brooks

I love the food at Old Dog Tavern, particularly the pizzas. I sometimes order a pizza with red sauce, mozzarella cheese, and cheddar cheese. In addition, I love the salads, because they have fresh, local vegetables. I like my salad with either romaine lettuce, spinach, kale, or all of the above, plus candied nuts and balsamic vinaigrette dressing. Yum! The menu even has gluten-free and vegan options for people with food limitations or special diets. That is very crucial. Overall, Old Dog Tavern is a very friendly business, and I strongly recommend it.