Grand Rapids, Michigan: Downtown Dining, Breweries, Happy Hour

December 2021 4-days

Bloody Mary special at Slows Bar-B-Q downtown Grand Rapids, Michigan

We visited Grand Rapids Downtown Market a couple of times this week. The market is less than half a mile from Canopy by Hilton, where we stayed for two nights. Local foods for sale included things like bakery items, seasonings, cheeses, meats, beverages, and more. The market opens at 11 AM, and was fairly busy both days we visited. Although all of the food looked amazing, we did not make any purchases in the market. We had Bloody Mary specials ($6 each!) at Slows Bar-B-Q in the market during one visit. The beverages were made with their own mix, which, unfortunately is not bottled for sale. Slows Bar-B-Q opens at noon.

East West Brewing Company in Eastown Grand Rapids, Michigan
Vegetable Pakoras and beers (below) from East West Brewing Company

We visited Elk Brewing Company (opens 2PM) and East West Brewing Company (opens 3PM) in eastown. This is an easy 4-mile walk roundtrip from Canopy by Hilton, if you do not mind walking. If you prefer public transportation, The Rapid has a couple of stops close to both breweries. Elk Brewing Company is listed in the HopPassport. This brewery honored the half price discount on tier 1 and 2 beers. East West is in The Reel Craft Pass, and they honored the discount on any draft beer. Their food is delicious, although we thought the beers were a bit odd.

Both foods from New Holland Brewing - The Knickerbocker

We had planned to visit The Bob Brewery, as we each had an unused HopPassport for that location. Unfortunately, Gilmore sold this building, and the location closed the day before we arrived in town. Initially, they had said they would stay open through the end of the year. New Holland Brewing - The Knickerbocker was listed in HopPassport and The Reel Craft Pass in 2021; however, they are not in the 2022 HopPassport. The Reel Craft Pass shows New Holland as a 2022 participant on their website. New Holland - The Knickerbocker is our favorite Grand Rapids area brewery. The food at The Knickerbocker is good as well, although the menu choices are few.

Wise Men Distillery 

Just like last week, we ran into a few businesses that were not open during their regular business hours, even though this information was not on their website or social media pages: SpeakEZ Lounge and IDC were both closed for private events. We were able to visit Wise Men Distillery in their new location on Monroe Center - Excellent service and quality! There are only a few seats inside this location. We were lucky there were only two patrons there when we arrived.

Peppino's Pizza downtown Grand Rapids: Loaded Tots and Calamari

Peppino's Pizza has some good Happy Hour specials with discounts on beverages and foods. The Loaded Tots were a pleasant surprise. We expected tater tots loaded with toppings, similar to nachos. Instead, they are apparently made in-house with real potatoes and all the fixins' inside, then rolled into tots. These were delicious!

Earned Grand Rapids gifts for visiting locations in the GR Craft Pass app

Along with having HopPassports and The Reel Craft Pass, we participated in a downtown Grand Rapids promotion (GR Craft Pass) that ended at the end of 2021. After collecting stamps from locations we visited, we were able to pick up the local gift at Founders Brewery. The black Michigan bag in the photo above is insulated and has a zip closure. It is the perfect size for a growler, or to use as a lunchbox or picnic bag.

HopPassports sell for $40, and The Reel Craft Pass is $25, plus shipping. Both can be purchased online, and some breweries sell them, as well. I think these books are a great way to promote local breweries. We learned about a few locations from the booklets. I wish someone would create a similar product for local restaurants.

Let me know if you have any questions or info you'd like to share. Wishing everyone a safe and HAPPY 2022!