The Watershed Tavern & Grill

The beer selection is really just okay and the food is fair. However, they always seem to have a full parking lot in the evening, so clearly people enjoy this place.

Food poisoning. Greyish green meat. Whole place reeks of mold.
Enough said.

Stopped in for a quick burger and beer. Asked to taste a beer on tap, bartender even gave me some water to cleanse my palate, props for that. Beer was good so I wanted a pint, however he didn’t come back. Watched for 10 min while he talked about personal life with a waitress, his back was to me but I made eye contact with waitress 4 or 5 times, clearly I wanted service. Finally got my beer and menu 15 min after sitting at the bar. I was the only person at the bar.

The Watershed has gone through several phases over the years and has now settled in to its sweet spot: a neighborhood bar and restaurant with beverages and cuisine to suit just about any palate. Lots of regulars at the bar who all know each other and the staff, but they don’t make others feel unwelcome.
Beer selection includes the domestic standards to please that crowd but also offers a nice rotating selection of craft beer. Watch their twitter feed for special tappings, like KBS and Backwoods Bastard on tap together on our recent visit!
The food menu is not necessarily innovative, but everything is prepared well. On our recent visit my wife had the nachos and they were among the best bar nachos we’ve ever had as they were pleasantly lacking in the greasiness that typically spoils ground beef nachos. We also had a smothered mac-​n-​cheese dish recommended by the bartender and it was excellent.
The facility has been upgraded over the years and features a bar area, somewhat separate dining room, and a large patio area. Nothing fancy by an y means, but well maintained and a good size.
Service at the bar (from the bartender) is always great. Service in dining room can be spotty but there is usually a manager floating around that can assist.
They have live music most evenings if you are in to that sort of thing, and the regulars definitely will cut a rug!

On occassion the food and service is spotty… but generally far better than the average bar food. Drinks are not watered down. Atmosphere is good. Easy to get into unpretentious.
Most of the time i have the salads. I like that itnis open early. This bar is one of the three bars on the corner of lake lansing park and is right near lake lansing. Has a patio as well.

I love the Watershed! The only reason it’s not 5 stars is because most of the time the food takes a while to get. I really don’t mind though because the food is good and the drinks are cheap. The staff are excellent! I don’t think they come much better than one of their bar tenders, Arby. He would be an asset to any business. Thanks again and we’ll be back soon!

Been to The Watershed on a few occasions and really enjoy it.
The service is above average but can get scattered at times when they are slammed. The pour is always very strong on mixed drinks, which coupled with their daily food specials make The Watershed a good out of the way place for date night. I find the food to be very good with a nice assortment.
I would recommend the watershed to anyone in the greater East Lansing/​Haslett area looking to avoid the busy Downtown East Lansing.

This place is great for what it is. If you are expecting a high-​class bar with fancy food, keep going. The food is well above normal bar food and has a pretty good variety as well. The daily specials are great, including all day happy hour on Sundays and Mondays where you can get 25 oz. PBR’s for $ 2 and $ 1 off every drink on tap. It is more of a local bar across the street from Lake Lansing where the regulars are friendly and welcoming. Staff has always been great each and every time. If you want good food and drink without paying an arm and a leg, this place has it. Plenty of TV’s to watch the game too and live Keno.

Had a steak that was actually cooked the way I ordered. Long Island iced tea was made perfectly and reasonably priced. Sat on the deck– not much of a view but nice to sit outside.

I’ve seen a lot of negative or sketchy reviews but my experience here was great. We came in around 915 on a Friday night looking for a bite to eat, they checked our IDs (one of us was under 21) and they told us to have a seat. Both the host and waitress were friendly and helpful, the menu had a nice variety, and they had a decent selection of beers on tap. There was good music playing when we started, around 10pm the DJs started so the lights went down and the music got louder so if that isn’t your scene, just come in and be out beige 10pm on Fridays/​Saturdays.
The burgers we ordered were awesome (Three Bs and Haystack). Excellent flavor, excellent toppings and great size for the price (around $ 9 each).
The best part by far was the in house made chips, sliced russet potatoes deep fried with garlic and other seasonings. They were by far the best chips I’ve had. My fiancée ordered sweet potato fries with hers, and they were great as well!
Overall we both had a great experience, and we’ll definitely be back!

It seems some people on here really don’t think much of the place. I came here with a party and I can’t say I saw any reason to harp on the place. Maybe some of the servers there could use a new line of work but ours was just great. Drink orders had a few hitches with some beers being taken off the list but that just means you try a new one. As far as I could tell, everyone in the party thought their food was just fine.
It’s a local restaurant, nothing exceptional, nothing horrible. Part of me wishes it could move a block over to the lakeside, as long as no mosquitoes come with the meal.

I really like the «shed», especially for lunch. Whoever is in the kitchen likes to experiment, and the experiments are usually great. Some dishes have some heat; again I like that. Dinner time is a bit more chaotic, food is still good with new dishes appreciated. Two problems: room is often cold. When it’s not cold they’ve got too many flies, flypaper might help!

Watershed is totally a local townie bar dive, and that’s not a bad thing. I came here with a huge group when I was in town for a wedding — a huge portion of the wedding guests went out together the night before the ceremony. They had live music, which was a lot of fun, and there was a lively atmosphere because the Tigers were in the playoffs (sorry if this is a sore subject for Michigan folks…) The drinks were ridiculously cheap compared to what I’m used to in Chicago — they had giant beer steins that I had to hold with two hands, and I think they were only $ 4. Add to that that it was ladies’ night and things were half off for women, and I got some seriously cheap drinks. It was totally packed and therefore hard to reach the bar or the bathroom, but I’ll blame that on the giant group I was with. This is definitely a fun place if you happen to be in the area!

My husband went for dinner last Friday night. We sat in the bar, which was nice; good ambiance. Our food was good (we split the prime rib) then enjoyed watching the MSU basketball game (Carrier Classic) on their large HD tv’s.
Good food, friendly waitstaff, decent drink prices.

I have been wanting to check this place out but it just never worked into the schedule when I would be in the area. Our group of four was promptly welcomed upon entering. It was not particularly busy on this evening. The server was very knowledgeable about the special offerings on the menu and the beverages from the bar.
We all enjoyed our selections from the menu and the prompt service. We would return again if we are in the area looking for somewhere to grab a bite and a beer!

My wife & I had our first date in this place, when it was known as «Jefferson’s», in the mid ’90’s.
The menu has really not changed all that much in the interveining years, and the consistent quality of the food keeps drawing us back there.
We live just North of Lansing, and are not put off at all by driving to The Watershed for a couple of beers and a lunch or dinner .
Watershed’s daily food Specials are usually quite good, as are their burgers; and you have got to try the Shed Chips.
There is always a good selection of beers on tap, including some fine, and seasonal, microbrews.
The Shed features a realxed crowd, and the outside dining area is spacious and relaxing.
This is a nice place to go during any season of the year, and although it’s located on Lake Lansing Road; it still retains an off-​the-​beaten-​path atmosphere.
I’m sorry that reviewer Hank M. had a bad time with the Shed’s service;
I can’t explain it, as our service has always been rather good.

I really like this place. Despite the negative reviews, this little tavern rocks! I’ve been here a handful of times and never had a bad time. The owner is awesome (met him the first time), the bartenders are friendly and prompt. They also like a heavy pour which is not ever a problem.
I actually ate my dinner there for the first time tonight (although I have drank it there before!), and had their portabella sandwich. It was excellent, very flavorful! I had veggies on the side and they weren’t pathetic and soaked in butter like some place across the streets usually are (they might have a nice rooftop deck, but really the menu blows… all fried food, nothing fresh ever… gross).
Watershed’s menu is actually quite a notch above what you expect for a «tavern and grill.» I expected burgers and fried food, but was pleasantly surprised to find salmon, sirloin, and even beef stroganoff on the menu… Interesting choices for the «pub» you think it is walking in…
Beers were cheap! YAY! Good specials!
Patio is awesome! They even provide citronella candles and bug spray! Yes, bug spray! It’s nice eating outside and not getting eaten alive!
I actually really love when I find a gem like the Watershed. It looks like it might not be anything special on the outside, but seriously it’s a wonderful, laid back tavern and grill with an awesome staff who is attentive and friendly, an excellent menu, cheap beer, and overall kick a** atmosphere…
Don’t be a douchebag, give them a shot! They rock!

Yuck. The service was slow and the food was worse then eating in a college dorm. We used to go when it was jefferson’s and then Gus’s, but not anymore. The restaurant was out of the salmon and my burger was blah. Nothing special to write home about. If you are looking for something good and close by… Try the Blue Gill Grill, just down the street.

NEVER AGAIN.
We’ve tried this place over and over again, but after repeated bad service, average food and overall bad experience I finally decided to give it a much deserved Unilocal!rating of ONE [1] star and commit to never going there again.
Not sure if the management cares, as their service in the dining area is always lacking with little improvement. Either the wait staff is too young, too high or just not aware or interested. Seems like there is no accountability.
The atmosphere is a cross between a small town bar and restaurant. The layout is not that bad — they have made many decent improvements (field stone, increased bar area, out door patio and flatscreens) to the place over the last few years. But the place smells and gives the impression of it not being clean. Not sure if it is the sticky table tops or the smell of old, stale beer.
Can’t have a conversation for any dinner past 7:00pm as it seems there is always some DJ/​musician who feels it necessary to play music fit for a venue three times as large.
The food is decent, if this rating about the food I’d give it 3*s but very inconsistent. The pricing is fair and the portions are solid. Decent offering and menu. But the other shortcomings — whether it is the incompetent service, the smell or the noise — of this place do it in, not so much the food.
Back when this was Gus’s it was a MUCH better establishment. The Haslett area needs a restaurant with good food, good service and a nice ambiance. If I want a bar scene, i’d head to the Mayfair and/​or the Blue Gill Grill, both much better places at being bars than this place.

We used to go to the Watershed more often before it changed menus. I’m not sure if the owner/​manager switched but the waiter told us they were going to a smaller, more bar-​like menu. While they used to serve a large variety of yummy items (burgers, sandwiches, full meals, etc.) now there were just a few choices listed up on the board. We haven’t been back since.