McFadden’s Restaurant & Saloon

It was meh. Ordered a Black and Bleu burger but they forgot the bacon that came on it and it came out well done instead of medium rare like I had requested. The service was excellent, the bartenders were very attentive. The drinks were pretty good, not sure if I would try the food again though (pretty sure I had food poisoning last night afterwards, but I also had fries at the griffins game so it could have been that as well).
In summary, excellent drinking bar, it is a good time.
But skip eating here if thats what you had in mind.

Wow, I’ve never been so disrespected. The staff here is extremely rude and the food tastes like it came from the freezer. The worst is I had a BUG in my cocktail. First and only time I visit this place.

I was a guest at a private event this past Saturday and the way you guys treated the host (young black male) was horrid! I work downtown in community relations and for all the rhetoric I hear about increasing diversity downtown, McFadden’s consistently and contiguously has «customer service» issues with their guests of color, particularly young black males. It’s disgusting. The way he was treated by the server, asking him for money and being rude an condescending literally made me sick! I will NEVER patronize McFadden’s nor would I recommend ANYONE else too, whether they’re black or not. But seeing as I, myself, am black, I’m sure the thought of no black person ever frequenting your establishment again is a comforting one.

Basic bro bar that plays the same bad pop music all the time. If you like overpriced drinks & not being able to walk around, this is the place for you.

Gross & Dirty
Totally saw a mouse when we went in for dinner.
Has the health department been here?
Dinner was below par for a «pub/​bar» menu, yea you don’t expect bar food to be anything special but you expect it to edabile.
Do not go here the food straight up suck and it is pretty dirty.

Went to Mcfaddens for a comedy show for laugh fest. Their ability to get people inside their club it is so pathetic, you should never sign up to do it. We were sent to the alley behind the bar in freezing temperatures with an elevator that only took eight people every four minutes. This was an awful way to start what should be a very fun night. Get your shit together, McFaddens…

I use to like this bar when I first turned 21 but now it’s starting to get old to me. From the sloppy drunk chicks too the weird ass security it’s just too much. Couldn’t get in with a plain black t shirt. I mean a black t shirt is like one of the cleanest looks around but I guess not at this place. Never had the food but the bar at night is a mad house.

My experience here is 100% based on happy hour. They have killer drink specials, and apps that are really reasonable. It’s a good wooden top bar, the staff is really friendly, and it didn’t seem like there were a dozen hipster douche bags roaming around the place. They do have an alternate bar in the back where someone was having a private party, and that looked like a pretty good spot if you’re looking for 20 to 30 friends to join up.

Not a bad place but not fit for groups. The food was overpriced but took only a fair amount of time to get to the table. If not for location there is no reason anyone would go out of their way to dine here. Many better prices, and options with in walking distance. I would suggest taking that walk.

I’ve never eaten here. But they have decent drinks, and every time I’ve gone here, I’ve met some great groups of random people. I guess that doesn’t contribute to the actual bar itself, but I feel like if you can drink in good company (especially strangers), then it’s all good.
The service is really good. The first time I went, it was late on a weekend so they were super busy. The woman was really good about splitting bills, running tabs and getting back to us in a timely manner. The second time, the guy was super funny, had great suggestions and was good about splitting bills, running tabs and getting back to us in a timely manner, too.
It’s a classic bar atmosphere. I don’t know how else to explain it. You can dance, drink, talk, etc. comfortably here. It’s not too loud, either.
My only complaint really is that their bathroom is in the basement.

I cannot properly review this place because the fellow checking IDs at the door wouldn’t let me in because I was wearing a «plain, black t-​shirt.»
My wife and I went out to dinner at Stella’s Lounge (go here instead), and then we decided to check out the area, so we thought we’d stop at McFadden’s for a drink. I just happened to be wearing a plain, black t-​shirt. So this was my first – and last – McFadden’s experience.

I’ve never eaten here but the «saloon» is terrible. I’ve had a few drinks here a few different times and my goal is always get out of there ASAP. As a bar it’s a joke. Service is terrible, long lines, fights pretty much every night I have been there. And you get to pay cover for this wonderful experience.

Came here for a rehearsal dinner and was pleasantly surprised! Based on the Unilocal reviews I was unsure how this dinner would play out but it was a great time.
The dinner was in the pearl room on the top floor and it was AWESOME! Wait staff and bartenders were very attentive and helpful. The seating has a fireplace and nice big leather couches. And the table presentation was very nice. There was a dance floor and I could see this being a cool place for a party as well.
The food was pretty good as well. We had bread, salads, cordon bleu, mashed potatoes, pasta, and zucchini. Everything was delicious.
I took a quick peak at the rest of the venue and it looked like your typical bar scene but it seemed like it would be pretty fun!

THE worst customer service I have ever received. Never in my life have I felt so disrespected by this establishment and their hired security staff. My boyfriend was escorted out of the bar after respectfully inquiring why a fellow friend of ours was kicked out without explanation. My boyfriend and I were seeking to find out what the issue was so we could apologize for a friends potential misbehavior, but that was apparently an issue for this bar.
Bottom line, if you’re looking for a good bar with a friendly atmosphere, don’t go here. I would suggest The Woods or other Ionia bars. They have definitely lost the business of myself and many of my friends… and I am apart of a sorority…
Cheers McFaddens!

What can I say about this shitty wanna be Irish named dump?
Well, you willI definitely leave McFadden’s greasier than when you arrived. It’s chock full of frat guys and popped collars, incoherent girls who screech «OH-​MY-​GOD YOU GUYS! THIS IS MY –FAVORITE– SONG!» whilst falling over on the frat guys who try to buy them light beers. Place smells like vomit and the floors are sticky as hell.
Some of the bar staff seems friendly enough. Other hate life.
«OH-​MY-​GOD YOU GUYS! THIS IS NOT MY FAVORITE BAR!»

Coordinated a group dinner here and McFadden’s did a terrific job in accommodating all our needs — created a limited menu, separate checks for the group of 30. They had an upstairs separate from their first floor which had pool tables and its own bar, which provided some fun entertainment and a great area to socialize! Which is really perfect since Grand Rapids hosts a lot of business conventions and conferences in it’s downtown area.
Food here is pub food and the portions are good sized and prices are just right.
Definitely recommend for any groups to come check out McFadden’s! Pleasure to work with the restaurant events coordinator!

I went to McFaddens with my cousin and her boyfriend last Saturday (11÷10÷12) for an early dinner because my cousin stated that she had never really explored downtown Grand Rapids since moving there. I thought McFaddens would be a great place to take them for dinner before we went to a movie.
Well, after the hostess looked at us, we had to patiently wait to be seated because the hostess had to make personal plans for after work with a gentleman first, as she was holding our menus. Seriously?
The place wasn’t entirely busy when we arrived. It was around 5:30−6pm, but somehow we still had to wait a significantly long time to be greeted by our server. She was unprofessionally friendly — like when my cousin’s boyfriend stated that he wanted french fries WITHOUT the seasoning, she basically said that they’d be gross without the seasoning and said, «No, you’re getting them with the seasoning on them. They’re good, trust me. If you don’t like them, I’ll eat them. I love them.» She made him quite uncomfortable, so he ended up not ordering anything. My cousin ordered the hamburger with fries and requested there to be chili on top of the fries. I ordered the quesadilla appetizer.
After our order was put in, an hour rolls by. we noticed that a large table on the same floor as us got served their food (and they sat down after us), so I asked our server what was up. She came to our table THREE different times to tell us, «sorry, your food should be coming up any minute now.»
We missed our movie we purchased tickets for because of this. Our food never came. I asked the server finally to speak to the manager.
The manager didn’t come. We waited another 15 minutes! I really don’t know why the three of us didn’t just walk out at that point.
Finally, our food came after an hour and 20 minutes, which was delivered by one of the managers who then apologized and said that our ticket accidentally got pushed behind other tickets and that he’d give us a ’round of drinks’. Awesome, right? Well, not exactly.
The glass of beer that was handed to my cousin had a chip in the glass! She didn’t notice it, the lighting in the restaurant isn’t very bright, and there was an orange covering the chip (she odered an Oberon). My cousin ended up CUTTING HER LIP on the glass and started bleeding!
Not to mention, when we received our cold food, my cousin got an order of «loaded» fries — bacon and cheese on top — NOT the chili fries she ordered. He said he’d take the fries off our bill, but I kept explaining to him that we didn’t order those and we didn’t want them in the first place! If you’re going to comp something out of courtesy, at least comp something we ordered.
They took her burger off the bill after I had to get up and walk all over the restaurant to find the manager to tell him my cousin’s lip was BLEEDING because of their broken glass. Our server didn’t frequent our table as much as she should have, which is why I had to inconveniently walk all over the restaurant to find someone to speak with regarding this matter. A pub crawl came in as we began to eat our food, and they were sat down in all the booths next to us, so we literally had to scream at each other to have a conversation. Why didn’t they seat us where the rest of the dinner patrons were? There were other available seats.
Not only did we miss our movie, but my cousin cut her lip, we could barely hear each other, and our food was messed up and cold. and they threw us a $ 10 gift card to come back. COME BACK? Why would we want to come back to this awful establishment EVER?!
Honestly, after an experience as horrible as that, I do believe they could’ve handled that in a more professional matter. I think our entire meal should’ve been comped. We’re talking horrible service and SAFETY violations, and even worse — INJURIES here. When I mentioned this to the server, she said, «well, we HAVE already done a lot for you guys here.»
Don’t go here. Waste of time and money. Imcompetent, unprofessional staff.
**CHECK THE OTHER REVIEWS — Everyone is correct on how awful this place is!

Food has sucked every time I’ve gone from overbreaded & overcooked fish & chips to potentially good burgers that taste like a charcoal briquette. To the cook, «Are you fucking stupid?» I ate it and was sickened just as a reminder to NEVER go there again. Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on you. Supposedly, the mac&cheese tastes mediocre, but the serving is so small — and for eleven dollars? This place gets worse the more I even think of it. If you’re a FOODIE, then DON’T WASTE YOUR MONEY OR YOUR TIME AT MCFADDENS.

Dirty.
Sticky.
Vomit encrusted.
Great place to get ruffied.
Douche bag factor= MONUMENTAL.
DON’T GO TO McFADDEN’S.
This place was recently purchased by the same people that own Hocat, Stella’s, and Viceroy. I heard a rumor that it is going to be changed into a different type of bar, the change can’t happen soon enough.

McFaddens is your typical college bar. Giant lines frat boys and sorority sisters waiting in line to get wasted on their first beer. Generally on Friday and Saturdays you can find at least one wasted girl crying on her cell phone outside the entrance.
In my opinion, its not terrible place to get a beer and bite Sunday — Wednesday. But I stay away Thursday through Saturday. Wednesday nights are real decent with $ 1 domestic pints.