Mitch's Place

The Location: 1220 S. University (at the corner of S. Forest), Upstairs

The Facts: Mitch's Place relocated a few years ago to it's current location from down the street. The bar features two pool tables, booth and table seating, and several televisions around the room generally with various sporting event on. Supposedly, they have a kitchen that serves various barfood type items, though I have seen one person ever eat there. Mitch's is generally open fairly early in the day, (I've walked in at noon on a weekday) but I don't know their exact hours. They are generally closed Sunday

The Specials:

Monday: $3 60oz pitchers of High Life

Tuesday: Well drinks starting at $1.50 at 9pm and escalating a dollar an hour after that.

Wednesday: $2 pitchers of High Life, $3 long island iced teas, Cover starts at 10pm and is $2.

Thursday: $2 bottles, $3 well drinks

Friday: Various shot specials throughout the night, $3 bottles of Amstel Light and Heiniken.

Saturday: $3 Bottles

Other Info:

Karaoke is on friday nights apparently supplied by some chick name Lori.

Review:

What is there to say about Mitch's? Well, it's a bar... That's about it. The nights when it's financially viable to go there, i.e. Mondays and Wednesday, it can get pretty packed, especially on Wednesday. It isn't terrible for meeting new people, but it is a bit loud so you'll have to deal with that when conversing with people. There is generally enough seating, though often the high tables are taken up by people who go to play beer pong. I honestly don't get the 'let's go to the bar and play beer pong' people. It seems strange to me, but I guess it's one of the draws for some people.

Other nights, Mitch's is pretty quiet, especially Tuesdays and Saturdays. Personally, if I plan on going, to Mitch's I show up just before cover starts on a Wednesday. Any time else, it seems like a lame way to go. However, if you do go on that Wednesday, you can drink (terrible) beer for very cheap, and still have a decent time. On Wednesday Mitch's has the same advantage as GTC's, you can run into a bunch of people you know. It also has the problem in that it's pretty generic.

The atmosphere is dull, to be blunt. I'm not a huge fan of the 2nd story bar. To me, a bar should be at least on the first floor, if not the basement, but I guess that's just my preference.

Oh, and the pool isn't free.

I give Mitch's two stars. I'd give it 3 on a Wednesday, but I just can't bring myself to uprate it that much for one really crowed day where there is rarely enough waiters/waitresses on to service the entire crowed. Sorry Jodi.

Good Time Charley's

The Location: 1140 S. University (corner of South U. and Church)

The Facts:

Since opening in 1979, GTC's has become a staple of the Ann Arbor college scene. They feature one of the largest shooter menus in town, along with a modest tap list. Charley's has several flat panel TVs hanging from the ceilings viewable from any seat inside the bar, showing college and pro athletics. Charley's has both interior and exterior seating, though as fall turns the weather colder, the exterior seating loses it's 'charm' and gains it's 'areyoujokingmemynipplesarefallingoffjustwalkinghere'. A little over a year ago, Charley's underwent a renovation, segmenting off several parts of the building. The top floor has since been filled with BTB Cantina, but the section on the west side has yet to be claimed.

The Specials:

Chuck's has one of the earliest Happy Hours in the Ace Duece, starting (on weekdays) at 2:30pm and running until 6. This features $3 pitchers of Miller Light, Killian's, Labatt Blue, and PBR, $2 tall beers (23 oz) of the same and a dollar off 'pub menu' food (pepperoni twists, onion rings, etc.) and mixed drinks. After 10pm, all of the above drinks go back on special but pitchers are instead $4.50, and talls are $3.25. Every night, there is a 'shot special' where one of the shots/shooters will be at a discounted price. Sunday nights are coin flips; after 10pm, you can flip a coin and if you call it in the air, your bill will be half off (only counts toward drinks bought after 10).

Other Info:

Charley's has karaoke on Tuesdays, supplied by DJ Stoo.

Review:

What to say about GTC's? The only real negative I can say about Chuck's is that after 10pm on Thursday-Saturday, it's pretty packed. Expect to wait in line to get in, unless you plan to arrive at 9:30 or earlier, and don't expect to get a table, either, especially when it gets colder.

While GTC's is rarely bad, it's rarely even close to spectacular. The prices are fair, but nothing I would really call a 'deal'. The beer list is uninspired to say the least, and it's generally too noisy to hear any of the TVs (though that's not really needed). Conversation is difficult from the noise as well, unless you don't mind yelling. Service is slow, more because of the number of people there than a bad wait staff, but I've waited over 45 minutes between sitting down and getting the pitcher I ordered.

While the crowd has it's negatives, it's also the reason why Charley's is to popular. You will almost never go to GTC's and not see someone you know. The fact that everyone seems to know someone and a friendly (if a little understaffed) staff, and comparably bright lighting make the bar have a 'happy' air about it, making it great for meeting new people.

The 'Longest Islands' at Charley's are quite popular. It's a giant mason jar (it used to be a hurricane glass, but people kept stealing them) filled with a selection from their various Long Island recipes. It'll ring in at $9.50 for  60 ounces.

Contributing, also, to it's popularity, is it's central location. It's right next to campus, it's very close to Greek Row, UTowers, and several other large student areas. On afternoons, it's a great place to get a seat outside and people-watch with a pitcher and a monster basket of fries.

I regard Charley's as a backup option every night. While it doesn't have a solid 'Must Go' night, it will never disappoint. I give GTC's three stars. If they were to add another special, I'd probably up rate them, but there's no real need for them to, since they don't have any problems filling up without it.

Link:

http://www.good-time-charleys.com/

Circus Bar and Billards

The Location: 210 S. First St. (two streets west of Main, between Liberty and Washington) Up the stairs, big red door.

The Facts: 

Circus is the top fourth of the Cavern Club 'complex' (a total of 4 bars/clubs). During the week, Circus is segmented away from the rest of the bars, but on Friday and Saturday, all 4 can be accessed through a series of stairwells, though cover is required on these nights. Know for it's economical drinks, free pool at their 5 tables, and free popcorn.

The Specials: 

Circus is known for it's very cheap PBR cans (yes, cans). While [oldpersonvoice]when I first started going there[/oldpersonvoice] the PBR was 55 cents, from open-1am, currently, the special runs from open-midnight, and the PBR is 75 cents. Apparently, after looking closely at the actual math of it, adding lost deposit on crushed cans, delivery, etc. they were losing money selling the Pibber's at $.55.

Other specials include $2 (one drink) Long Islands, $3 well drinks on Thursdays featuring mid-shelf 'well liquors' such as Jack Daniels, Jose Cuervo, and Tanqueray, $1 Jolly Rancher shooters, and $2 Bud Light bottles.

Other Info:

Circus's calendar is as follows:

Sunday - Closed

Monday - Occasionally Double Take Karaoke, otherwise standard pool/jukebox (No Cover)

Tuesday - Standard Pool/Jukebox (No Cover)

Wednesday -Bluegrass night (No Cover)

Thursday - Double Take Karaoke (No Cover)

Friday - Occasionally Double Take Karaoke, otherwise standard pool/jukebox ($5 Cover, access to all of Cavern Club)

Saturday - Occasionally Double Take Karaoke, otherwise standard pool/jukebox ($5 Cover, access to all of Cavern Club)

On No Cover nights, those 18-20 can get in for a $5 cover fee and black 'X's on your hands.

(Be wary, they tend to watch under 21's very closely and will kick you out if you even sip a drink.)

Review:

Yeah, so I go to Circus religiously. It's a rare Thursday that I'm not seen there belting tunes with Double Take's live karaoke band. It's really a completely different experience to machine karaoke. Circus has the distinction of being one of the few bars in Ann Arbor who's patrons are largely non-students. This is a mixed blessing. While Circus is rarely too crowded on weekday to find a seat, there are some 'questionable characters' that frequent circus. The non-students at Circus aren't going to be your prof, and they aren't going to be middle management business suits. They're going to be sketchy townies and Yspilanti folk. Think less GRE, more GED. That's not to say most Circus patrons aren't nice people, it's just something to be aware of before you go.

One of the high points of Circus is the bar staff. Lou and Chris are exceptionally nice. Pretty standard fare, if you tip well, they treat you well. Just keep in mind that you're only paying $.75 a beer, so more than the standard 15% should be your norm. I'd generally put down about a buck for a beer. It's only a quarter, but it's still a 33% tip.

While I don't play pool that often (mainly because I'm terrible, and vice a versa), Circus has some pretty nice tables, especially considering they're free. The pool sticks are kind of hit or miss, so if you're an avid player, I'd recommend taking your own. You can get a table for an hour at a time (longer if there's no one waiting) by giving them your drivers licence as deposit. If it's a busier night, you may have to wait a while (I've never waited longer than about 15 minutes) until a table opens up.

Popcorn (or sometimes pretzels, if the popcorn machine is broken) is in bowls all around the bar. This tends to get stale by about 9:30. To get more/new popcorn, just go up to the bar, near the popcorn machine and grab a new bowl. These are generally fresh and crisp (and you know no one has stuck nasty dirty fingers into them).

No matter the night, Circus will have a movie with subtitles playing on a small TV next to the bar. On nights when nothing big is going on (Mondays/Tuesdays), they have been known to project movies on the wall and have the sound going. This is actually pretty fun, as you have all the popcorn you want and as much beer as you want within 15 feet of you. Oh, and it's free. Win-Win-Win. The movies they generally play are action and comedy flicks that have come out recently to DVD, or are 'modern classics' (my 'modern classics' are different that what you all would call them but I digress) such as Zoolander, Fight Club, Wedding Crashers, etc.

The only time Circus nears a 50/50 split between college students and townies is on Friday and Saturday. These nights, the entirety of Cavern Club is open, and Circus tends to get the less 'Dance Party' oriented patrons who got dragged to Cavern Club by their friends, along with a few of the Double Take regulars. I plan on doing a piece on the whole of Cavern Club a little later, so I'll leave that for now.

As you will eventually learn, I'm a big fan of dank, dingy bars. Circus fits the bill. It's dark, occasionally smokey (occasionally with non-tobacco products), and has a cool, slightly weird decor. Covered in  a Barnum and Bailey motif, it's certainly a unique place.  The only real bright-ish part of the bar is 'under the big top' of the actual bar. This, and the fact that there are tables, a TV, bands, and pool give Circus a 'come as you please' atmosphere. Some people go there every night, just for the pool, and never sign karaoke, or sit around and chat. Others come just to hang out, or just to sing karaoke. I give Circus four stars. It's a fantastic hangout spot. If you haven't already, check it out.

Links:

http://www.cavernclubannarbor.com/

http://www.myspace.com/freewednesdaysatthecircus/

http://myspace.com/doubletakeliveonstage/