Babs’ Underground Lounge

Beautiful space, and reasonable priced drinks — I am sold! Bab’s underground is on Ashley. The door is a little hard to find, as it is not marked, but look for the address number, go inside the door and head towards the down stairs. You will most likely meet a friendly doorman checking IDs.
Very dark, almost uncomfortably dark, however the ambiance created is fantastic. Great TV screens in the lower bar, lounge area and pool table in the upper lounge. It is almost a swanky cigar-​bar feel. High backed chairs and rich dark leather in the intimate seating areas make casual convo seem like shade deals going on. How fun!
The bar is fully stocked, topped off with friendly bartenders. I forgot how much I liked Bab’s. I did notice a small selection of munchies on the menu, reasonably priced as well.
Great for groups of friends, bar hopping.

Good bar, fair prices drinks, good atmosphere for drinks, the people were a nice blend
I would come back

Clean place once your in here it totally doesn’t look like it belongs here. I love it

Babs almost succeeds at being a hip underground speakeasy, without the pretension of most speakeasies. It’s easy to miss, and walking through the front door really does feel like you’re crossing a threshold into a secret but somehow inclusive club.
The crowd is mixed – some undergrads, some grad students, some young professionals, some middle-​ages couple, groups of coworkers, etc. There’s lots of dark wood, a few pool tables, cushy bar stools, well-​dressed bar tenders, and edgy art on the walls. Cocktails are made with care. Some are very strong (my date was tipsy before she finished her Manhattan), some less so (my Tom Collins was tasty, but weak). Edison bulbs are suspended from the ceiling, giving off a warm light that’s not too bright. So far so good, Babs.
But then there is a giant flatscreen tv right next to the bar, which kills the vibe. The sports, the bright blue light, the bros there to watch sportball – none of it fits in. There is also a light gray stone wall and several flashing arcade games by the pool tables. It feels more suburban rich kid basement than speakeasy.

Great place to be any night of the week. Great bartenders and pool specials on Tuesdays and Wednesdays.

This doorman thinks he deserves some major award or something… Needs to either lighten up or just get laid for once, wouldn’t let me stand by the door alone to wait for my über (wanted me to wait outside alone in 20 F weather). Someone needs to tell him to to step off or how to talk to girls I guess…

Nice quiet atmosphere. Great server. Cocktails are also good.

Okay, I went to Babs’ Underground Lounge for the first time last night, and I had such a great time! I will admit that I came from the Old German – where I drank a liter of their Porter Beer – so my opinion might be slightly skewed. Regardless, the presence of the staff is what really made this a great night. As soon as we came up to the bar, one of the bartenders gave us a menu and asked if we needed anything right away. We wanted to look at the menu, and then we were ready, another bartender got our drinks. Friendliest bartender ever – Josh made delicious drinks efficiently while I pestered him about Bar Rescue. I had two Lavender Hills, which tasted like melted popsicles.
Long story short, Josh is the best and made our night!

Cool bar. Lots of beers on tap. Very much a Michigan scene — which I kinda like. Pool tables, dark bar, very dungeon and undergroundish Nonetheless, a staple for any Michiganitte.

Babs’ is truly underground in more ways than one. It is, quite literally, underground — in the basement of a seemingly normal looking office building. Also, it’s not easy to find the entrance unless you know where you’re looking.
Babs’ caters more to the graduate and local scene, which I’m good with. There’s a lower section with tables and some lounging and dancing areas and the bar. There’s also an upper area (only by 3 or so steps) with pool tables and a long counter with high chairs. Waitresses tend to you in the upper area but some people prefer to go to the bar themselves. Overall they make good drinks and service is relatively quick. Good times.

I had never been here before, and went with a group of friends on Friday night.
THE GOOD:
–It almost feels like an office setting, until you take the stairs down and get into the bar area. I wonder if originally it was an industrial space?
–The drinks — I had the Strawberry Fields martini ($ 8) and it was delicious — it had strained strawberries in it. I may have drank it a bit fast because of that, lol. I know that Black Pearl is normally $ 10 – 11 for martinis so $ 8 is not too bad.
THE OKAY:
–I liked that it was a big space, but it didn’t entirely feel like a bar because of that.
I’ll probably come back to Babs at some point when I am back in the area.

Babs underground is a great place if you don’t know where it is then I’m not telling you will have to try and find it on your own that’s the whole point about this place

I was taken here by some friends. Like other reviewers have mentioned, this bar is certainly not the easiest to find if you don’t know it is there. It is in the same complex as the law firm Smith Haughey Rice Roegge.
The joint was hopping when we got there, but we managed to snag a table right after coming in. It appeared that they offered wait service, but no one ever came by. The crowd seemed to be a bit older, but this bar definitely caters to a younger crowd. They even advertise special shots. In the end, we got tired of waiting for service and left.
Looks to be a nice bar, but if you are over 30, you may want to go elsewhere.

Came here with a few coworkers after getting some drinks down the block.
It was dead empty on a Wednesday at 10pm — but that was fine for us. The décor is a little dated and you know you are in a basement but hey — it’s in the name of the place. Very large and open, two pool tables and a few tv’s.
Strong cocktails at reasonable prices. Shout out to the maker’s Manhattans — strong but not to sweet, how i like them.

I went to Bab’s with a group of friends on a Thursday to grab a drink and shoot some pool. The place was pretty empty, which was fine for us, but still kind of odd. The pool tables were nice and there were plenty of cues that all seemed to be in good shape! They had a few TVs showing Thursday Night Football and decent background music.
They also have a special on Thursdays that for $ 7 you get a shot of bourbon and a short beer. The problem I had with this place was the service was fairly shoddy. We were a group of four and the service was fairly slow. Even though the place was empty… Also, our server really screwed up our checks at the end and after it was fixed they kinda blew it off and were rude about it.
Overall I’d say it’s a pretty cool bar if you’re looking to shoot pool in a very low key environment. Just be prepared for service to be on the slower end!

A group us grad students came here last night (Friday) because someone knew they’d have room for all 12 of us after Mash was crowded. Really low-​key chill and pretty much empty until 11.
Two pool tables. A TV. Ample seating. Pretty good background music playing. Pretty sure they don’t serve food but we came to drink. I’m a sweet drink cocktail girl. Had the Fruity Fitz ($ 8) — was okay. Had the Apple Cider Martini ($ 8) — *really good* — had another.
All in all, a good place to go for a good time. Not my favorite bar ever, but I’d definitely go back!

I went here for a beer on Friday night– and it was EMPTY!
There were a few people playing pool, but not much for people at the bar.
The bartender was very nice, attentive, and wanted to strike up a conversation with us.
The location is strange, but I think that’s part of the fun– that you have to really «know» Ann Arbor to get there easily.
They did have a «beer and a shot» special for $ 7 if that’s your thing.

Bab’s is great!
Lot’s of locals. Super busy between 11pm — 2am .
There is always a good crowd though.
Josh (Head Bartender/​Manager) is super great! when I have a bar of my own, I would love to have someone like him running it.

Decent vibe, drinks aren’t terribly expensive, but really crappy service. I was a Babs’ for a party last weekend; the organizer had reserved the back room for us. When I got there it took at least 10 minutes to locate a server, and then another 5 to explain that we were there for the party, and then another 10 at least for her to take orders, forget a couple, come back with some, make another trip to the bar… rinse and repeat. We had to keep the door to the back room open even though it was so loud in the pool area that we couldn’t hear the game we had on. THEN it turns out that although the organize had called several times to confirm the reservation, the bar went over capacity and half our party was left waiting outside, even though Babs had promised our whole group would be allowed in. We ended up leaving pretty quickly.
Maybe it was just a mis-​communication, but the way the whole situation was handled ensures that I won’t be returning.

Good drinks, fun place.
Bartenders are nice. I remember my friend spilled her drink everywhere and they made her a new one.
Pool tables in the back. Comfy seats, kind of lounge-​y, as the name of the place might suggest. It’s not a club/​dance floor.