Z's Bar & Restaurant

This review is strictly on their chicken wings, nothing else. If you’re looking for good chicken wings then look elsewhere. $21 for a dozen wings that have got to be the tiniest, absolutely smallest wings I’ve ever seen. Even with the breaded coating they are tiny. If they offered naked wings they would look like they came off of a Cornish hen. I had to take some photos just to document the comically small size of these wings. In one photo you can see the drumstick bone next to a standard wet wipe pack for size reference. In another photo you can see a chicken “chunk”. Not quite a drumstick, not quite a flat. There was probably more breading than actual chicken meat on these things. This place should seriously consider getting a new supplier for their wings, or lower the price. Have always enjoyed coming to Z’s, but this is the first and last time ordering wings.

I came here because I heard the ribs were amazing. Turns out not to be true, they are very mid-level at best. Not a lot of flavor, and kind of dry. The service was really nice, and the atmosphere seems fun, the ribs do not live up to the reputation, unfortunately.

We didn’t eat there but grabbed some drinks instead. The service was good and our waiter was lighthearted. He brought us drinks in a relatively short time and checked in on us enough but not too much. The other staff was friendly as well. The exterior seating was ok but a little crammed. The interior seating has more room but if you want fresh air, then outside and closeness it is. The beers were beers. So not much to say about that. lol

Good food. Great atmosphere. Service was a little slow but it was busy. Huge drink selection. Highly recommend 💚💯💯

Was staying across the street for a conference so the convenience was great! One day I got the mac and cheese with grilled chicken and it was great. Big enough that I saved some for lunch the next day. Went over this evening to try the "award winning" ribs. I don't know who gives the awards for this but they were far from award winning. They weren't bad but not great. Really dry, kinda flavorless. No problems with service, waitress was polite and efficient.

Great bar atmosphere very traditional, and the restaurant portion of the bar or the food was great. I went in there to actually grab a carry-out but I decided to sit down and stay. I placed an order for the chicken sandwich. By the way was spectacular. They did mess up I wanted no barbecue sauce or on the side and they forgot but I was in a hurry by the time I placed the order within five minutes. It was ready so they must’ve been, anticipating some big crowds. Regardless, can’t expect much more from a bar/restaurant than this. I would definitely recommend this place for quickly grabbing a drink or getting some food or staying all night great atmosphere

I was happily surprised with the size of the location and service we received. The menu is burgers, pizza and the like. The drink menu is expensive and they have memberships for more deals. It was a very good option as it was close to our hotel and on the way to Devos. We were in and out quickly and it wasn't fast food.

Attended for dinner, just before trivia started. This was my first wet burrito and it was super yummy. I got the beef and I do not regret it. Generous portions too. We also had a blue chicken burger with seasoned tater tots which where simply amazing! The Spinach dip with pretzel bites were also super yummy. Once trivia started it was too loud to have a conversation, so if you are going to chat, go before trivia.

Ribs. Burgers. Beer. Karaoke. Honestly that's all you need. Z's has a special place in my heart as it's the place me and my classmates would decompress after long hours and exams at GVSU downtown. I will always love Z's

Been here a few times. And every time it sucks!! Idk how they are still open!! But it is the only place around that is open late and serves food. Sat at the end of the bar where they place the orders. Was sitting there after ppl left for 15 minutes and no one would even speak to us. Eventually I asked one waitress if she can take a to go order and she said she couldn't steal ppl from the bar. I said well they haven't waited on us and we been here while so we will stand up and wait. She said she couldn't and we still waited. So we had to call the phone to get a to go order places while we was at the bar!!! Horrible horrible service and food!!

Casual restaurant bar with late night food and fun. Quick service and nice staff. I would definitely come back here.

Not the best...not the worst. Drink was STRONG - which I really liked. To-go food came out 20 minutes after I ordered. The thing the peeved me the most was the host water in the sink running constantly and them not scrubbing any glasses clean. They would dip the glasses in 3 types of liquid and call it clean. That's not clean - just sanitized. That explains the lipstick on the side of my glass. Anyways, it's an okay place to go if it's one of your last resorts.

Food was excellent and service was okay.. Only issue I have is that being a non drinker, I feel as if the other patrons who were drinking were receiving more attentive service. I think that all servers need to pay attention to all customers at all times. Your tips depend on it...

I wanted to like this place but unfortunately it was not up to my normal food service standards. We walked in for lunch as a group of 4 only to find out that there was no table service. You had to place your order at the bar, and take your drink to the table. I had a chicken wrap that was mostly tortilla with a little chicken with lettuce and little more. This was substandard for the price they were selling it for. I feel i'm qualified to make these observations as a person who has been a leader in hospitality for over 30 years. When you work in hospitality you have empathy for the workers and it's not them, just a poorly operated businesses during lunch at least that should strive to do a little better.

Well this place is pretty popular. I went at about 8:30 on a Thursday and it wasn't busy. Picked up around 10 when there was karaoke. I did not eat anything, just had a couple of drinks. It's dark in here. Pretty old. I heard it may be one of the oldest bars in GR. It could use some updates. They had decent beers on tap. Some bar tenders were great and others must have hated their lives. It's an average place.

Came in on a Monday at 7pm. Place was clean, sat at a half full bar. Ordered a drink. One bartender looking like she was taking care of the whole restaurant and bar. Too much work for one person. While I was waiting for another drink, the trivia speaker started. It was super loud and kept cutting out mid sentence. I had planned on ordering food, but decided between an overwhelmed bartender, and a loud trivia speaker I would just bail on the whole thing.

If it's after 10pm in this area, this is pretty much your only choice. It's not a bad choice, just know what you're in for - this is a friendly, rowdy bar with bar food. Bavarian pretzels with cheese, Buffalo chicken egg roll and BBQ pork were all pretty good. Drink menu is BASIC - there is no cocktail menu. Still, this place is not bad (definitely not as bad as its Yelp score represents).

Horrible experience. Staff was good, but management was rude and not nice. Robert Butler is his name and he ruined our experience . Staff was awesome, but to call people out from across a room as a manager is not acceptable over one chair. Then we wanted to cancel our food order so we could leave and he proceeded to bring our food and not set it on our table, but threw it down with no care in the world. I don't work in the restaurant industry, but I know for a fact that is not how you should treat your paying customers...

Wow okay I decided to try it once again to see if maybe that bouncer had quit or been fired, I have memories here and I don't think I'll be back again. Parked in the garage across the street as there are some other bars my group was going to. There's people smoking crack/meth 1000 feet from the door. Never seen that before. Tons of homeless sleeping next to the building. I thought I wound up in San Francisco. Anyway get to the door and guess who's working.... The bouncer reeks of weed and whiskey. We get inside get a drink and sit down. 20/30 minutes go by and I'm feeling weird. I wasn't feeling good decided to leave with the group and go back to my house and we're walking to the garage and I blackout in my friends arms. I watched my ONE drink from the time the bartender handed me until I left that night. Woke up in the ER! This bar need to be shut down for good cause I'm lucky it was just a roofie and not other drugs. I'm sure that bouncer had something to do with it because he's always so friendly with that bartender

I landed late and hungry at the airport and come to find that Grand Rapids is a food desert at night, aside from this gem that was recommended by the front desk hotel. This was the perfect place to visit. Great selection of beers and that meat lovers pizza hit all the right spots. I also loved that there was karaoke. What an excellent introduction for a first timer in Michigan.

Came here for lunch and later for some drinks to end the night. It's a great local hang with a huge bar and a TouchTunes jukebox. The bartenders were all great and there was a huge selection of drinks. I had the black and blue grilled chicken sandwich and shared some chicken nachos. It was so much food and really good for a bar. Highly recommend!

Went here by word of mouth and it did not disappoint. The service was fast and friendly. Ordered the Z's burger with onion rings. The half pound burger was juicy and the onion rings were crisp and not to greasy. Very laid back atmosphere with a very welcoming vibe. Menu had tons of appealing choices, so will definitely be b

Great spot for late nights eats! Although it's not that big inside, it's pretty cozy. Usually at night, you seat yourself, which can be kinda hard because the two times we visited it was quite busy. The pizza was my favorite, great crust and delicious toppings. If ever in the area again, I'll surely go by there again. If you're in the area and need someone here to go on a late night.. Z's is the place!

Busy friendly loud tonight with people having fun. Good appetizers, strong drinks-- entrees looked god, big portions:)

The wings were way overcooked, to the point where I couldn't even taste the Cajun dry rub. The thin crust pizza was way undercooked. it was a wet sloppy mess tasting horrible. The bartenders seemed more infatuated with talking to there friends at one end of a 60 foot bar. I watched a waitress eat from a patrons plate before bringing it to them! Not a good experience at all.

One of the worst restaurants in downtown Grand Rapids. Our party of 6 was seated at the smallest 6 top table, elbow to elbow, hip to hip. We asked to add an extra table for more room and the inexperienced green haired hostess refused to accommodate us in any way. There were two 4 top tables that would have worked, but she claimed at 820pm that they "might" get busy and couldn't seat us any differently. (There were an easy 10-12 tables open). The manager stood at the host stand and did NOTHING to rectify the situation like most restaurant managers would do. There is no customer service at this restaurant. We walked out and went to another restaurant around the corner and had a fantastic dinner and drinks. STEER CLEAR OF Z's!!! Plenty of other awesome restaurants in Grand Rapids.

This is absolutely a 0 star dive bar for old locals only. 0% inviting. 0% on food. 0% on vibes. 0% on service. I want to say this place had potential because of the outside seating and fun dark space. The man at the door was insanely rude. My friend was dressed in a nicer shirt and dress pants and the bouncer guy checked his ID, said your all good, then threw his ID across the floor. Clearly discriminating because we're from out of town and didn't fit the extreme casual standards they had going on. Then after we sat down and ordered, he came over to us and say "what's your f***ing issue bro?" To the same friend. My friend was extremely confused and said "sorry , what?" And the bouncer gave him a look similar to a pug about to tear up a bone. We were scared and confused and immediately paid and left. WEIRD!! Never coming back.

The service, food, and drinks were exceptional. My mom and I wanted a good bar with all of the above plus a good place to sit and play Keno. They had all of that and even more than we expected. We got there at 6:00 on Saturday for dinner and stayed well past that having a great time with our server, April. The staff worked together as a team, from the bartenders, hosts, food runners, and even the manager. We will be back for sure when we're back in downtown Grand Rapids. It's literally a stones throw away from the JW Marriott and we'll worth the 2 minute walk.

Loved coming to Z's for the past 4 years since i moved to Michigan, my experience was nothing less than ruined and I can find a new place to spend my Saturday nights and i will be to tell all my family and friends to do the same. This is all because of the employee at the door who i believe was the bouncer, was extremely unsanitary who reeked of weed. He asked for our ids with bloodshot eyes, smelling, and ACTUAL THROW UP CHUNKS stuck in his beard. We asked if there was a wait for the bar and quite literally said "N-word, no look around". NO JOKE, I am appalled and disgusted, he must have thought it was okay to say the n-word to us

Great portions where that's hard to find these days. Open late, which is why I ended up here and did not expect the food to be as great as it was, especially since the place was packed. Amazing Rueben and cheese curds.

Three stars for food. Find pub food. I ate there twice and am trying to remember what I ate. Kind of a like a kiss at a high school dance. I remember it happening but the details are irrelevant. Drinking, what a scene. Wow. If you want to party like a bro this is the joint. Seems like a backwards baseball cap, golf shirt, and cargo shorts are required to party there. Not a bad thing, just saying. Know before you go. The bouncer was a cool guy and had the situation under control.

Many drinks and not too overly priced. The pulled pork was good, could use a little less sweet BBQ, but overall, totally fine. Great place for gathering and drinks. Five starts for drinks 3.8 for food.

Delicious. I couldn't wait to dig into the wet burrito that was delivered so quickly I had to have the driver wait. The chicken inside is pulled to perfection. At first, I thought ketchup was a lame choice for default onion ring sauce but one bite in and I realized I didn't need it at all. Fantastic all the way around.

The bouncer wouldn't let Gina in, she was the most sober one of all. I'm very disappointed in the establishment and the credibility of the bouncer.

Honestly the worst customer service I have ever experienced in my life. This makes me sad to enjoy Grand Rapids. Brutal experience

We love Z's! We're from the Detroit area and whenever we come to GR, we're at z's all night. The food is delicious, and the drinks are cheap. After the wedding, around 20-25 of us showed up to z's. We sat in the front part of the patio where they don't typically serve you. But the girl serving outside was sooo awesome, and actually served our massive group with ease. She didn't skip a beat! Got all the food and drinks out promptly, while dealing with our crazy group. She was so sweet and funny! I wish I got her name.

To be honest, we didn't have high expectations for this place. It's a dark bar/restaurant attached to a store that's on the side street near the hotels. We stopped in around 5:30 on a Friday before a Griffins game and the place was pretty full! The service was quick and friendly. Their beer list was pretty impressive but they were out of my wife's first choice. My wife ordered the Tandoori Chicken Tacos and really enjoyed them. I ordered 12 wings, which to my surprise, were on the happy hour menu. I didn't realize they were discounted until we got our bill. I wish someone would have explained the happy hour details. It's funny that another negative review mentions kids at the bar because there was actually a young girl, maybe 7, sitting at the bar with her parents. Overall, not a bad option before a game.

Super quick service stood out big time. Busy start of the holiday season and I had food in 10 minutes. Very nice ambiance with the lights and americana. Best Mac and cheese I've had in a very long time.

Friendly service and decent food. Had quick service, decent beverages available. Ambiance was nice.

The tater tots were super crispy, with the right amount of crunch, piping hot, and just the right amount of salt. A lot of places don't make tots that well, so I was impressed. So impressed I even told strangers we crossed paths with on our way home about the tots! But, the mac n' cheese could use a lot of improvement. The sauce tasted like water with a sprinkle of cheese. The ribs were mushy, and tasted average, but at least they were fall off the bone and not tough. Excellent service! Shaun was our waiter and he was AMAZING!

Talk about a go-to bar in GR! I was introduced to Z's through my friends- This is a hot spot for pre/post concert drinks, late night festivities and a post-work place of choice for lots of restaurant industry folks. I love karaoke at Z's, I love the *STRONG* drinks here, the trivia, the regulars, and most of all, the staff! Centrally located downtown, the only downside to Z's is you'll likely pay to park here. There are a couple nearby garages, but it usually costs between $5-10 for a few hours. The bartenders always take great care of us, particularly if regulars are around. This place is the epitome of Midwest friendliness & hospitality. Honestly, the food is excellent as well! I'm pretty obsessed with their flat crust pizza (made on a super thin & crispy tortilla) and the kitchen staff always accommodates my peculiar topping choices. The cheese curds are always on point as well. As far as bar food goes, Z's nails it! Their kitchen is open late too, which can be crucial after a few of their potent drinks. I am lucky to be a regular patron here at Z's, kudos to the staff for keeping the experience fun & pleasant. This place oscillates between famous and infamous for a reason! PS: watch out for "mind-erasers"

Need Friday plans? We got you covered. ⁣ ⁣ Z's is the place to be! Located at 168 Louis Campau Promenade, this bar & restaurant is hidden behind the classic pop art LOVE sculpture in downtown GR. ⁣ ⁣ GOT KARAOKE? Z's does! They are moving outside for the time being, so grab your friends and stop by Tues-Thurs from 8pm-12am for a good time! ⁣ ⁣ Our recommendation: If you're looking for a place with amazing wings and/or ribs, you need to visit Z's!! ⁣ ⁣

This is a super good find if you want super fast food and drinks. We were in and out within 45 minutes on a Saturday at 6PM! Egg rolls were amazing and so was their ranchero wrap! Service was great and t was right across from our hotel!

Service was really slow. Short staffed and waited 15 minutes to get a second beer. No thanks!

This place is grungy, the food is overpriced and disgusting. The manager is incompetent and rude. Go here for drinks, but not food. The last time I was here I the manager made me physically sick, his snarky remarks were disgusting like his food. When I say that the JW Marriott I had food to go and they missed an item, they never Reimbursed me and the manager got nasty when I tried to explain the situation

Went to GR for some sales calls and a conference. Ended up at Z's for dinner one night. Had the spicy burger. The food was good and the bartenders service was spot on. Another night I went over after a long day and had a few cocktails with some industry people. Loud and fun

I'm updating this review to reflect a clearer picture of everything that I love about Z's. First, I love to sing!! What I don't love is that everywhere I can go sing karaoke, I have to endure sitting in a bar. For this reason, I seek out karaoke experiences that help me feel like I'm out enjoying a nice dinner and get the opportunity to sing as well. I truly enjoyed the chicken tandoori tacos! The only critique I have here is that the rice seemed a bit underdone or just dried out like it was baked or in a crock pot. In either case, I hope my feedback can help to improve it not end it. The tacos were amazing! This is just one spot you could make them better. The beer cheese dip was dead on!! I loved the ambiance because nothing about Z's was screaming the bar atmosphere. There was even one guy sitting at the end of the bar drinking coffee all night. I enjoyed people watching here too. Everyone has a story and this place reminded me of Allie McBeal! I loved it! Very upper class establishment with great food, served ALL NIGHT and I truly had a great time!

I haven't been there in a while, so I'd thought I'd see if it was any better. First of the service was top notch. The food was meh. I had a spicy chicken sandwich that was bland and not spicy at all. My fried ordered The Cuban sandwich. He'd been hungry for one and we chose Z's because they had it on the menu. "The Cuban" came on pumpernickel rye bread??? WTF is that? Pumpernickel came from Germany, and unless my geography is a bit off....that is a long way from Cuba, or Miami or Tampa (where every you want to say The Cuban was invented). If you don't have the proper bread that gives the sandwich its name...then 86 it.

Needed a post wedding reception snack spot and thankfully they were open. We showed with 15 people and through the chaos our servers found us a couple tables and we were grateful. The pizza was truly delicious - everyone loved it! Nice bar selection. The manager was very rude. At first the only table she would offer was one standing option. After a number of tables were open for extended time we asked to sit down. Multiple servers approved our move, the manager came back and scolded me suggesting we moved without asking. I did not feel welcome - regardless of the large food and drink order and paying just one bill. This place seems to get the late night, over indulgent bar crowd and that's how you're treated.

The pizza here is delicious! Service was great and the crust on the pizza was extra garlicy. It was in a very convenient area. Right by van andel arena and was very homey and cozy.

Came to GR on a Labor Day vacation with my fiancé, and all I can say is YUMM!! Our first night here we grabbed some draft beers (brew Capital...DUH!) and some Buffalo chicken rolls with ranch and they were so so good! Crunchy and packed major heat! Our second night, walked over to Z's from the JW and we split the ranchero chicken wrap (crispy) and the chicken was perfect, it honestly was the perfect amount of flavors and crunch! Between service, food and brews...we will definitely be back!

Z's is an oldie but a goodie of Grand Rapids, open late with decent food. We stopped in after a Griffin's game to grab a bite to eat. It was absolutely packed and no real place to wait, no hostesses either. So it was a bit of a free for all. We waited about twenty minutes and then grabbed an table that had opened up. Hubs ordered a burger and fries, I had a wrap and fries, our friend got the breadsticks, which were huge. Overall our food was decent and the waitress friendly. The table next to us was four drunk idiots being harassing to their female waitress, not my kind of vibe. If you are hungry and nothing else is open, Z's is your spot. Otherwise, Grand Rapids has a ton of better options.

Came in here for dinner but after looking at the menu, it didn't look like a place we wanted to eat at. Only stayed for a round of drinks, it reminds me of a glorified Applebee's.

We came here specifically for an afternoon of football watching - food, and drinks. We had a REALLY good pizza - not the best ever, but pretty darn good (deluxe plus a couple other toppings), cold drinks, and ample televisions to view our games. The service was amazingly accommodating - at our simple request, music was turned off and game volume was turned on. Our server was quick and visited us just the right amount - not too little, not too much. Overall, our experience was a perfect afternoon of " bowl football", food and drink.

Thank you to Rob and Company for hosting our 30-person group this past weekend. Yes, 30! Your space was perfect, comfortable, cozy and the service was excellent. The food was timely and tasty. Thank you as I highly recommend Z's for groups of any size.

A great place for karaoke several nights a week. It's not unusual to find convention attendees and other folks from out of town, staying at one of several nearby hotels.

Reviewing the bar, I'd give this place 4 stars: good atmosphere, good service, reasonable prices. We went here because it's one of the few places we could find that serves food late. We ordered the Margherita Pizza. It came out quickly and looked good. It was the worst pizza I've had in a long time. The shredded basil was generous, but if there was two ounces of mozzarella, I'd be surprised. The tomato slices were thicker than the crust. The crust was well baked, but the sauce was horrible (canned?). For $22, I was very disappointed with the overall product. Again, our waiter, Sean, was great. He kept our glasses full in spite of the packed location. As a bar, I'd go back. If you're hungry, skip it, even if it's the only place open...or at least skip the pizza.