GR Eats | Blue Dog

One of our favorite West Side hangouts is Blue Dog Tavern. It's off the beaten path and a local hole-in-the-wall bar, but it has an awesome atmosphere, including scrolling pictures of dogs on the TVs, and even better tater tots! The Buffalo Tots are my favorite and my mouth waters just thinking about them. Their hotdogs are pretty good too, despite looking the opposite :) My favorite is the Ditka. If you're ever in the mood for a low-key drink and love dogs it's a pretty great place!

Grand Rapids | Downtown Market

One of Grand Rapid's many gems is the Downtown Market. It's located half a mile away from the heart of downtown (down Ionia St) and features a ton of "stands" and restaurants. Apparel, beverages, baked goods, food to order, etc.; this market has it all. Within the past year two well known east Michigan restaurants have opened up: Slows BarBQ and Social Kitchen and Bar, both excellent places! The closest thing I can compare it to is Pike's Place Market in Seattle, but it's still a little different. They offer cooking classes, host parties/wedding receptions, and different weekly events, such as beer specials and outdoor lawn games in the parking lot. If you're ever in the area with a large group that has different taste buds it's a great place to go due to the variety of options (BBQ, Mexican, seafood, sushi, desserts, etc.).

GR Beer City Ale Trail | New Holland Brewing Company

Last month while we were in Holland for the Tulip Time Festival we stopped at New Holland Brewing Company, another brewery on the GR Beer City Ale Trail, for an appetizer and drinks. Thomas got a flight with 6 beers and we shared the Pepperoni Pinwheels appetizer. The pinwheels were delicious, they're basically like pizza rolls, and way bigger than we were expecting. New Holland is expanding this fall and opening a location in Grand Rapids, which I'm sure will be awesome as well!

GR Beer City Ale Trail | Founders Brewing Company

Next stop on our Beer City Ale Trail is Founders Brewing Company. Around here Founders is referred to as "The Beer Mecca." It is Grand Rapids' iconic craft brewery; the brewery that people travel from all over the country for. It has received numerous awards/titles: World's 3rd Best Brewery, they produce 5 of the World's Top 100 beers and one of those, KBS, was even voted America's Best Beer on ratebeer.com. It's a BIG deal around here and one of our favorite Grand Rapids spots!

They always have something going on. On Monday evenings they offer discounts on almost all of their beers. On Tuesdays they have open mic night, live acts on Thursdays and Saturdays, and a Jazz concert one Sunday every month! Not to mention their big events like the KBS Release Party or Founders Fest. It's safe to say that it's Thomas' favorite beer in the city and my favorite atmosphere.

GR Beer City Ale Trail | Odd Side Ales

My husband would say it isn't a weekend without a trip to a local brewery (or two..). This past weekend we ventured to Odd Side Ales. This brewery actually isn't in Grand Rapids, it's a 35 minute drive away in downtown Grand Haven. Grand Haven is a beautiful beach town right on Lake Michigan.

Had we not been with friends who had already been there we would've never found the place! There are no signs and it is in the middle of a "strip mall." Once inside, it was a pretty cool place. Wide open, ample tables, and a few games (including the infamous "bubble hockey"). One important thing to note is that they don't have a kitchen/serve food. They do, however, allow you to bring food in from outside. So we picked up gyros on the way and took those in.

Prior to visiting this brewery my husband had only ever had one of their beers so he opted for a sampler. He enjoyed all of them, especially the Sweet Potato Pie and Hazel Nuts.

Check this restaurant/brewery off of our never-ending must visit list! Don't worry, there are approximately 1,000 more ;)

GR Eats | The Waldron Public House

About a month ago it was announced that McFadden's was closing and a new restaurant, by the same owners, would be taking it's place. I can't really comment much on McFadden's, because I had never been there, but I did hear a lot of not so great things from people who had which is why we never went.

We love checking out new restaurants and bars, especially downtown, so when I saw that the new restaurant, The Waldron Public House, was opening Valentine's weekend I told T we needed to check it out! We obviously didn't have time that weekend, but we did the following one.

On Friday's they have an all you can eat Fish Fry from 4-9pm for $9.99 (with the purchase of a drink), which is an awesome deal if you ask me and it does not disappoint! The meal was delicious, I loved the lighting and ambiance, and the service was great. They have a live jazz band on Friday and Saturday evenings and there's a cool hangout lounge if you're stopping in just for drinks.

The next time you're in Grand Rapids you should definitely check it out!