Always a Bottle to Pour: Butcher's Union

Downtown Grand Rapids has some amazing food and drink options. You can fill up a month trying a new place every night. One of my favorites, though, is Butcher's Union. A place known for whiskies, bourbons, and scotches covering a wall at the bar. It also has great food and a fun atmosphere.

With 4.5 stars on Yelp!, 4.5 on Tripadvisor, and 4.7 on Google blue, exterior doors are ever inviting.

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The atmosphere inside is of a long-time establishment. The lighting is just right: brighter in the day and softened at dusk. While slightly tight wanting to walk from the entrance to the back, the tiled floor reminds you of a old train station, and the furniture gives an air of grandeur. Dominating all of this is the Wall of Whiskies and other assorted beverages (maybe I should trademark that - it's a tad long, though). The lengthy bar encircles beautiful bottles. Two TVs and the digital cash register sadly mar this perfect wall slightly. Luckily there are more than enough bottles to draw the eye.

The Bridge Street Old Fashioned is the staple of their drink menu. It is bourbon, bitters, and sugar on ice. First drink I order every time. There are several other options to quench your thirst: mules, pitchers of sangria, manhattans, and cocktails with various other spirits. Add that to the options of bourbons, whiskies, and ryes, as well as a few beers on tap and in cans, your thirst will always be quenched.

Drinks are not the only thing on the menu. No, there is food to fill that belly. Among the salads, shareables, and plates, I recommend the Peppercorn Slab Bacon and Mild Mannered Meatballs to share or eat on your own. I have not come across a bad dish, yet.

Post Covid vaccine, this was actually the first place that I ate inside. It was still on the "indoor" patio with vaulted glass ceilings and limited seating, but I knew it had to be my first restaurant to be back inside. I've been there two more times in the last few months both revisiting the patio as well as sitting out on the sidewalk. On perfect Michigan summer nights, the sidewalk is the place to be.

To make it even more inviting, they have added a beverage cart. It does stand imposingly high. At my modest height, I felt I was a kid trying to order from the adult's table. They have a limited number of drinks, pre-mixed cocktails and slushies, for offer. Which makes sense. Drinks served down from the cart overloads are still refreshing - even if served in plastic cups.

Overall, BU is my favorite spot downtown. Get your reservation in, because this place is rightfully hopping during the beautiful Michigan weather. Check it out and have a drink or three poured neat or mixed up to your liking.