Griffin Grill & Pub
38 W. Michigan AvenueWhen we lived in Lansing, we had a somewhat Sunday afternoon tradition. We would always make a run to Horrocks to do our shopping for the week. There’s no Horrocks in Kalamazoo, but there is one not too far away in Battle Creek .
I really just wanted to get out of the house. I didn’t care where we went, I just wanted to do something other than run someplace for lunch, so I suggested we go to Battle Creek.
We still did need lunch, so we started looking for a place in Battle Creek. We’ve both had people recommend a Mexican place, but we had Mexican last night, so that will have to wait. Instead, we found a bar downtown.
Griffin Grill & Pub is on Michigan Avenue north of Capital Avenue in downtown Battle Creek. It’s a pub with a fairly plain storefront. As we were driving by, I was actually attracted to the building next door that looked either empty or closed. In fact, I drove right by the place without seeing it. I was going to drive around the block so we could do another drive-by.
As we drove behind the place on State Street, we found a big parking lot. I pulled in and as we got closer, I actually found the backdoor entrance to the pub and saw people coming out, so we knew it was open. We found a parking spot and headed for the backdoor.
When you come in the back, there’s a long hallway that leads to the main bar. We sort of stopped and waited. A waitress told us to find a seat anywhere. She pointed out that the bar was smoking and there was another room that was non-smoking. That’s where we headed.
The non-smoking area is clearly an afterthought as far as the building design goes. The wall that connects the bar to this room was clearly an exterior wall at some point. The room is a long narrow space with booths on one wall and two tops on the other.
We were noticed by a lady who seemed to be bussingn tables. She grabbed a couple menus for us and said a waitress would be right with us. We saw two waitresses in the doorway sort of dividing up the tables between themselves and deciding who was getting what.
When a waitress did come over, we both ordered Coke’s.
For lunch, I, no surprise here, went with a burger. I ordered the Smokin’ Bleu Burger. I wasn’t asked how I wanted the fresh, hand-crafted burger patty cooked, but it came out a little past medium. It wasn’t pink, but it was still juicy and had a lot of flavor. The sandwich was topped with two slices of smoked bacon, bleu cheese, and BBQ sauce. The bun was really soft. It wasn’t a common food service bun, but I really don’t know how to describe it. There was a lot of bleu cheese on it which was fantastic. The sandwich came with house made chips. For $3.50 more, I could have gotten fries and coleslaw. I didn’t want the slaw and that much for fries didn’t seem worth it. I took the chips which were really good. There’s really something great about home made chips.
J ordered the Hot Pepper Jack Potato soup and a side salad. The salad was pretty basic with just some iceburg lettuce and tomatoes. She thought it was odd she wasn’t asked about dressing. A little cup of ranch came with it, so that’s what she had to use. She really liked the soup. It’s a creamy blend of Pepper Jack cheese, ham, potato, and onion. She ate about half of the salad, but finished off the soup.
Our bill was only a little over fifteen bucks which is a great price for lunch. I was already to sing the praises of Griffin until it came time to pay. It took forever. From the time J’s plate was taken until the time we walked out the door it was twenty minutes. It took a really long time for our check to be brought to the table then it sat there for ten minutes, with the credit card on top of it, waiting to be picked up. Then, the waitress did finally take the check and walked away. A few minutes later, I notice her carrying out a tray of food. Where’s my credit card sitting while she’s doing this? It’s not in her hand because she didn’t come right to us when she was done. It was another five minutes. Is my card sitting on a counter somewhere where anyone can pick it up and walk off?
On one hand, the food was pretty good and it was really well priced. We were both happy with our selection. I can’t complain about anything up until the end of the meal, but that end left a really bad taste in my mouth. Cashing out should take five minutes tops. Taking as long as it did then wondering about who has access to my credit card is not the way I want to leave a restaurant.
Smokin' Bleu Burger
Side Salad w/Ranch Dressing
Hot Pepper Jack Potato Soup
SW Michigan Dining 
I’ve been to Griffin’s four or five times. Although I don’t like the new exterior (it looked WAY better on the outside when it was green with gold trim). Anyways, we always go to the smoke-free section as well and actually enjoyed the lighting provided by the windows next to the booths. Amongst our group of friends, we usually order a combination of burgers, fries, etc. Anyways, we’ve always quite enjoyed our meals (we’ve actually never had a complaint or dissatisfaction in any of it), and haven’t ever had such a long wait during checkout (perhaps due to having paid with cash every time). Hope you have a more enjoyable trip next time, as we’ve had several pleasant experiences while dining at Griffins.
Nice food photos but you caught us in the middle of renovation of the front of the pub. You can see our completed new look on Facebook/Griffin Pub. Besides a little embellishment(the Griffin isn’t open on Sunday nor has it ever been) your review was fair. The menu offerings mentioned are very popular and I’m pleased your meals satisfied you both. As a restaurant owner in this industry, I am ever vigilant about making sure our staff doesn’t disappoint our customers. The dining experience can seem like an easy process, but at times can be anything but. Please be assured when credit cards are taken, we do not leave them unattended. As an owner, I will help run charges. When we do get it wrong, we listen, we empathize and we ask what we can do to make it right. I hope we get a chance to make it right with you.
I love this place! Any time of day you get wonderful service and fantastic food! The servers are extremely well versed on beer knowledge, which is great given the wide variety of beers they have on tap! The environment here is different any night of the week, it never feels like I’m doing the same thing any time I go to the Griffin. Best steaks in town!
People can say what they want about this place but in my opinion it is the best watering hole I have ever been in my life. The owners are friends of mine but that happened after they bought The Griffin, its the kind of place that I enjoy going to because its where everyone knows your name, your drink and apparently I am not the only person that feels this way. Try getting in there on a Friday or Sat night its always packed. I moved from Battle Creek in 2011 and I can tell you that I miss my watering hole.Remember if a friendly place with great atmosphere is what you want then The Griffin is the place to be.