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Banfield's Westside Grill & Tavern
- Price Range:
-
$
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Parking:
- Private Lot
- Attire:
- Casual
- Good for Groups:
- Yes
- Good for Kids:
- Yes
- Takes Reservations:
- Yes
- Delivery:
- No
- Take-out:
- Yes
- Waiter Service:
- Yes
- Outdoor Seating:
- Yes
- Wi-Fi:
- Free
- Good For:
- Late Night, Lunch, Dinner
- Alcohol:
- Full Bar
- Drive-Thru:
- No
- Noise Level:
- Loud
- Ambience:
- Casual
- Has TV:
- Yes
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- Yes
10 reviews for Banfield's Westside Grill & Tavern
10 reviews in English
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Review from Jim B.
Austin, TX
9/7/2011
Best burgers in the city. Excellent service, great beer selection - what else do you need? Even my Buckeye wife loves the place.
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Review from Ron W.
Ann Arbor, MI
3/16/2011 2 photos
Once upon a time, Banfield's Westside Grill & Tavern, was the "Paul Bunyon" restaurant. Located outside, was the iconic 15 meters (50 feet) tall statue of the mythological lumberjack that is purported to have been a giant. This All-American myth can be traced back to the stories written by William Laughead, as part of an advertising campaign for a Minnesota based lumber company, just prior to the start of World War I. Nonetheless, this outstanding restaurant was built in the late 1950s at the intersection of U.S. Highway 12 and Zeeb Road, and was greatly expanded around 1965.
I can remember eating at the Paul Bunyon many times when I was a child and food was really good. However, 35 years later the business was in trouble, as management had let the quality of the food go down hill. The last time I ate there, the waitstaff knew the writing was on the wall, so they didn't care if you received your food before the second coming of Christ or not.
The famous Jackson Road restaurant was sold, and the iconic statue was taken down and sold to a memorabilia collector. When the renovations were complete, it became Banfield's Westside Grill & Tavern. I have eaten lunch and dinner here, and I must admit that the food was a vast improvement of the final days of the old Paul Bunyon.
The atmosphere is more like a sports bar, and can be very loud at times. However, the waitstaff is very friendly, and provide excellent customer service. Two of my friends who frequent this establishment more often than I do, tell me that regulars at this place say that everyone knows you on a first name basis.
I have tried their sandwiches and they make a really good Turkey Reuben. In addition, they also serve buffalo wings, pizza, and ribs, among other traditional American food. With that said, if your looking for a good place to eat, and don't like fast food, but still enjoy a friendly environment, then Banfield's Westside Grill is the place for you and your family to enjoy. -
Review from Adrienne Z.
Ann Arbor, MI
12/28/2010
I must confess that I've never submitted a Yelp review, and I've been a member of Yelp for an embarrassing number of years. Like maybe three. So, you can see how a business - nay, institution - must move me to deem it responsible for my first ever Yelp review. Thus I bring you the Westside Bar & Grill.
A little over a year ago, I gave my phone number to a bartender at an establishment in Downtown Ann Arbor. He seemed nice and extremely flirtatious, and I'd been frequenting that nameless bar for about a month and a half in order to ingest my doctor-recommended level of hops per week. Things weren't going real swell for me at the time. I didn't have any friends here in Ann Arbor since I'd recently returned "home" from San Diego, I'd been laid off from my job twice in a year, and I'd just broken up with my longtime pseudo-boyfriend over the phone. Clearly, I was starved for friendship, attention, coitus, whatever.
Let me note that I do know the rules... You don't just give your phone number to any old bartender who is nice to you. That is in fact in his job description, and he undoubtedly will not call, making all future visits to his establishment extremely uncomfortable.
But I did it. And of course, he didn't. But I figured I'd outsmart the system. In order to avoid that awkward, I-can't-believe-you-never-called-can't-you-see-how -cute-and-slightly-desperate-I-am conversation, I just decided I would never go back. After all, there had to be lots of great bars around with cold beers, a warm atmosphere, and a friendly bartender.
So, I headed down Jackson Road in search of bar treasure. And I found it at Banfield's Westside Grill & Tavern. From the first night that I wandered in the door, the bartender Jeremy has treated me like a part of the family. As I became a regular, I met Steve, Tracy, Laura - all of them great people who offer great service, and are always interested in how I am, what's new, and how life is going.
A couple of key Westside perks:
* Trivia Night, karoake, etc. All hilarious.
* Big Buck Hunter. For those of us with a more redneck predisposition towards video games.
* Good food. I'm particularly fond of their turkey Reuben... However, I'm particularly partial to the turkey Reuben as a concept in general.
* They always have Two-Hearted, my favorite, albeit rather ubiquitous, beer choice in Michigan. Even if it is $6 for a tall one... My only teeny-tiny complaint.
Don't mistake my meaning here. The Westside is a dive, but it's a friendly dive with sports posters on the walls and Keno on the machine. It's one of those "Where everybody knows your name" kind of places...
Long story made longer, I now call the Westside my bar home. Eventually I did meet a lovely tall man fortuitously sitting on the stool next to me. Incidentally, when I gave him my number, he actually called. Now that I really think about it, I'm glad that I gave my phone number to that bartender in Ann Arbor... -
Review from mike w.
Ann Arbor, MI
6/5/2010
Let me start by saying I have been here too many times to remember, and some that I don't remember.
It has unexpectedly good food, my personal favorite is the chicken sliders w/ fries for $6. Ask the waiter for Tabasco, use generously. For some reason this is a great combo. Can't go wrong with the red meat options either for the price. Burgers are good, Bistro steak good as well.
Good enough selection of beer. Great place to catch the last part of a game! -
Review from Julie M.
Ann Arbor, MI
11/7/2010
Game day or not, the service was abysmal and the food was just tolerable. Problems with the bill weren't resolved to my satisfaction and I won't go back.
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Review from Christie M.
Ann Arbor, MI
9/24/2010
I'll never eat there again. I was sick for days after some 'westsliders'. Server was rude and drinks seemed watered down
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Review from Erik H.
Whitmore Lake, MI
6/5/2009
Definitely a bar-type eating environment. We went here one Friday evening and it was so loud in one of the dining rooms that it was actually popping my ears. I would recommend the ground beef nachos which are large and very good. My father had the chicken nachos and didn't like them at all though. The Westside Burger is a very large double bacon cheeseburger and while mine wasn't the best, it was definitely impressive when it came out. My girlfriend said her taco salad was very good. I would recommend eating during the middle of the week if you'd like a more relaxing dining experience but if you are social then Friday night is a good night.
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Review from Jim K.
Ann Arbor, MI
2/21/2010 1 Check-in Here
Great bar atmosphere!!!
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Review from Chris G.
Ann Arbor, MI
10/19/2009
The west side place is much nicer than the one near campus, but ... it's still a bar with a restaurant. You have to walk through the bar to get into the restaurant, and it might remind you of why you don't care to go to bars in general ... dark and smokey. The big restaurant room is however light and the air is clean. As for the food, they do an outdoor grilling thing 4 nights a week (not Fridays) on cherrywood and whoever is doing the grilling really knows his/her stuff. Even the grilled broccoli is fantastic. Also excellent: the caesar salad with grilled salmon, the black bean burger, and the West Side burger. And the one time I tried the ribs they were a winner. Forget the pizza though - thin toppings and a terrible crust. And most of the appetizers are lik at any other bar/restaurant.
In decent weather they have a bunch of tables outside. You're in the parking lot, but it's not bad. They also have a video game room for the kids. Don't expect this place to be quiet.
And that's another nice thing about the place - it's west of town, south of the I-94/Zeeb Road exit, out where they can have their own parking lot. -
Review from Unbiased A.
Ann Arbor, MI
3/11/2010
Pretty middle of the road on most of the bar food items, but the wings are fantastic. As a hardcore wing fanatic, I give Westside 4 stars on the wings alone. (I'd give 5 stars if they had fried pickles!) Definitely worth the price of admission.
