Rick’s American Cafe

The place is overcrowded on the off-​days of Friday and Saturday, and isn’t worth your time on any other day. the place is dingy and you’d be better off somewhere else.

You don’t go to Rick’s for clean floors, good conversation, or food. You go there to drink shark bowls, dance in the dark, and sing along to the last song of the night with your best friends! It is a basement, there is a line, and it’s crowded, yes, but you won’t be in A2 forever, and I promise you once you’re out of undergrad, there is nothing that compares. Enjoy it while you can — and have a shark bowl and dance on the speakers for me! Go Blue and Go to Rick’s.

Not horrible, but not particularly impressed. The floors are very sticky. People usually come in after getting very drunk.

What can I say about Rick’s that hasn’t already been said? It’s hot, sweaty, blackout drunk dancing. That’s it. Dance with random people. Not just guys or girls. People. Regardless of gender. It’s so packed in here that you can’t really decide for yourself who you dance with. You’re controlled by the flow of the crowd. I will warn you though, if you dance with the wrong girl, you may get a dirty look from the guy who is dancing with her at that particular moment. And he may even threaten to fight you or even try! But he’ll probably be too drunk to cause any damage.
Also, there’s always a line.
But, it is what it is and some people love it. I don’t.

Terrible establishment. Denied me service on the basis that I was Latino. I’ve never seen such blatant racism. It’s a shame because I just wanted to enjoy myself.

It’s way too loud to hear anyone talk unless you are yelling (maybe because of low ceilings), but they do offer $ 3 beer specials and have enough room to fit a lot of people

Rick’s is a filthy bar; frat sludge galor! The floor is always sticky and I wonder how often they even wash the thing. Not my scene, but usually come here for the entertainment of people watching alone! This is the only reason I gave this place two stars. The place is usually packed full of college aged kids acting a fool.

They arrest you here.

The rite of passage for a college student attending school at U Mich is to go here for his/​her 21^st birthday. You get to cut everyone in line and enjoy a night of drunken debauchery at Rick’s.
I went here around midnight for a friend’s 21^st in the middle of November when it was freezing cold and the line wasn’t too bad. We probably waited about 5 – 10 minutes before going in. Girls get to go in for free while guys have to pay a small cover. Once inside, we wanted to do coat check but the line was super long (we waited a good 10 minutes and it moved a few feet). We decided to just hold onto our jackets and dance the night away.
Rick’s does offer a great selection of music and a really big dance floor. The place was packed but my group still managed to find space to dance on the stage near the coat check area.
I don’t attend U Mich so I don’t think Rick’s is that special but I can see that Rick’s means a lot to all the U Mich kids.

I realize that folks rate this place higher and say things like, «If this isn’t your scene, don’t come here.»
That’s fine. This isn’t my scene. And I’ve ranked places 3 stars because, hey, the place didn’t wrong me, it just wasn’t fun.
Rick’s is so filth-​nasty that I had to drop it to 2 stars.
Not only is it not my scene, but a friend ended up bleeding profusely because of broken glass. Dirt and sticky floors are one thing — shrapnel is another.
Best advice if you’re going here? Wear workman’s boots. And probably be a little tipsy before you even show up.

Yeah, no. If you love sticky floors and sweaty, sloppy people, then this place is for you. Unfortunately, I’m not one of those people.
I guess this place is good for finding an easy hookup, but since I’m not looking for that, I was not feeling it. The upside was they were playing some good throwbacks to get people to dance, but I also felt like I needed to be 10x drunker to be there. And I went during the summer. Everyone kept telling me that the place gets so much more packed and stickier during the school year.
Definitely not worth waiting in any line for and DEFINITELY not worth having to pay a cover.

I would give this place seven out of 5 stars if I could. The steak & eggs was oooooohhhh gee to the whizz. To DIE for. My portable thermometer fluctuated at times but still maintained a reading between 45−60° centigrade. Plus its located in the Midwest. Did I mention the rigatoni? Well, that’s for another time. I’m here always and forever second floor first pillar from the right of the Budweiser sign.

An Ann Arbor classic, this is where you end the night. Don’t go before 10:30 — 11:00ish if you want a crowd. Arrive before 11:30 if you don’t want to wait in line. If you value cleanliness/​personal space over fun/​dancing/​cheap drinks, this is not your place. When you talk to the bartender, the magic word is «mind probe.»

As the Duke of Ricks (maybe other people are too drunk to check in, maybe they are too ashamed… probably both) I feel uniquely qualified to write this review. I have worked in Ann Arbor for the summer for the last 10 years and lived either at the Crawford House or Zaragon, both of which are a drunken stumble away from Ricks– so I have spent my fare share of time here.
If you don’t like dirt, sleeze, grime, filth, flarn, filth, sketchy guys, prostitutes, drinking piss or a BAC above .99 then Rick’s is probably not for you. So many negative reviews seem to come from people who would be more at home at some place tamer like Ashleys or the Church of Latter Day Saints– how did these people end up at Ricks? It is not as if they are falsely advertising. I digress…
Here are some Rick’s Tips
1. no sandals or open shoes of any kind– this is to avoid getting stepped on and gangrene (or worse). Seriously.
2. You should only be drinking Sharkbowls– everything else is terrible and overpriced and can be gotten somewhere else; on the other hand sharkbowls will turn you into a god damned sexual tyranosaur and give you killer dance moves. The correct ration is no more than 3 people to a sharkbowl, and red is better than blue.
3. Leave before 1:50– when they start playing Journey (terrible), sweet caroline (awful), and the gambler (a metaphor for your post Rick’s sexual experience). Leaving before 1:50 also allows you to get your potential night partner outside before they turn on the lights and shatter your dreams
4. Don’t dance in high traffic areas– like the line from the bar to the bathroom. If you do you are going to get multiple drinks spilled on you, kicked repeatedly, possibly barfed on, and repeatedly groped.
5. Don’t use the bathroom unless its a life or death situation. They stamp your hand when you come in, so you would be better off leaving Ricks to use a bathroom somewhere else or just going home. The bathroom at ricks is the heart of darkness and things you see in there can’t be unseen… or unsmelt.

When here on a Saturday night. Had heard about it in the past so I was not expecting much. As I was told you might as well wear waders in there because the floor will be soaked with drinks that were spilled on the floor. Five dollar cover, five dollar Jack, five dollar Redbull and vodka.
Decently priced college meat market, and of course the overly drunk 21-​year-​old
coeds that go along with it.

I probably shouldn’t be reviewing this place since I only remember about 20% of my one experience here.
Nonetheless, I had fun, and it lived up to what I was expecting, which was a ratchet basement club in a college town filled with inebriated college students. Oh! And a bonus – I didn’t fall! Whoever contributed to the creation of the sticky floor was looking out. I am sad to say that Seattle lacks places like Rick’s.
Good times, Ann Arbor, good times.

Little known facts:
1. The sticky floor: That’s a safety feature. Prevents slipping.
2. The basement location: Provides sense of accomplishment upon climbing your way to freedom. Much like that prison in Dark Knight Rises.
3. Bad mixed drinks: A gift to the indecisive! The only things you should order here are shots, sharkbowls, and beers.
4. Sparse décor: Intentionally done so that no one feels out of place or not good enough to enter. Rick’s loves you for who you are.
5. Repetitive music: It’s a public service. Who has time to keep up with the top 40 these days?
Yes, when viewed in the light, Rick’s is pretty gross. But to leave it at that would be missing the point. You don’t come here for the quality drinks, posh surroundings or great DJ. There are other places for that. You come here to dance and be a drunken idiot with friends. With that intention in mind, Rick’s succeeds marvelously.

Ricks: where life is forgotten amidst bros and (rhyme with an «H») for train wreck of a time.
I’ve heard AWEFUL stories of lust, violence, and spilled drinks on sorority/​fraternity types that frequent this establishment. I went in dressed as a bro with that in mind, and had a FAN-​FREAKIN-​TASTIC time!
People watching does qualify as a sport here.
Sunglasses (the less you see, really) improves the experience.
Faux classy (suits, ties) are in here, but the atmosphere is completely the opposite.
Giggling aside, you must go to this cultural watering hole at least once before leaving Ann Arbor. Especially when you just have to get down.

Lol. The floor here is covered with a black sludge at the end of the night that can only be described as «Rick’s Juice.» I had a friend who wore flip flops here, and I’m pretty sure she died soon after leaving.
The place is full of creepers errynight. ERRYNIGHT. And people always are getting into fights or almost getting into fights. I’ve had friends almost get punched because they were mistaken for other people. Some guy wanted to fight me because I was dancing with «his girl.»
The only reason to go here is because you have a huge group of classmates all going for a ridiculous celebration, and people want to get sloppy. The sharkbowl is a good way to do just that.

worst.