Longbranch Saloon & Eatery

• 606 Spruce Street
• Vicksburg, MI 49097
• (269) 649-1961
• Website
• No Online Menu

Working on a Friday wasn’t enough to stop J and I from eating out.  I got home around 6:00 and even after a big pizza lunch, I was really hungry.  J was all ready to go when I walked in the door, so I pretty much set my bags down then turned around and headed right back out.

The funny thing, I decided I wanted to go to Vicksburg for dinner.  That’s funny because I just came from Three Rivers, so we headed back down US-131 the way I just came.

For quite a while now, I’ve been wanting to go to the Lonbranch Saloon & Eatery on Spruce Street on Vicksburg’s northeast side.  Not only did the place just have the feeling of a place we would like, but the name was enough to get my interest.  Not that “Longbranch” is anything really special on it’s own, but it shares a name with a favorite place of mine back home in Illinois.   Of course, I had to see if it would compare. 

We arrived in Vicksburg a little before 7:00 to find a pretty full parking lot.  The outside of the building has been built up to look like a Wild West Saloon.  It’s a theme that would carry over to the inside as well and part of the appeal to me.

We followed another couple in to find a large, spacious dining room and bar.  The tables are more dining room table than restaurant tables and, to my knowledge, none of them are smaller than four tops.  Most of the tables are for larger parties or community gatherings.

For some reason, we both pictured the place a little bit darker, but it’s actually pretty well lit, bright, welcoming space if you like the western atmosphere….and we do.

The menu is rather large with typical pub fare and a few dinner plates.  We, of coures, went straight to the sandwich section as our server went to get our Coke’s.

To my surprise, there was a Kobe burger on the menu.  You would bet I got that, right?  Yeah, I surprised myself and passed on it.  I did get a burger though.  I went with the chili cheese burger which came topped with cheddar cheese and chili.  The sandwich was served on a seeded bun with the chili under the cheese so it didn’t make as big of a mess as I thought it was going too.  Still, I was afraid to put it down because it was dropping a little chili and I hate putting my bun into a mess on the plate.   The sandwich was really good.  The chili was pretty mild which is fine with me.  The sandwich came with skin on fries fried up to a delicious golden brown.  Very good meal.

J took a leap of faith and ordered the pulled pork sandwich.  No indication on the menu if the meat was roasted or smoked, but it was served in big chunks of pork which is how I like.  J was a little nervous when she got it because she doesn’t like biting through tough meat, but the pork turned out to be very tender and she didn’t have a problem with it.  The meat was sauced, but it wasn’t swimming in that sauce.  She said it was a sauce that leaned on the sweeter side but not overpoweringly sweet.  Her sandwich also came with the same fries which she used to wipe up extra bits of sauce that fell on to the plate.

After we finished, our waitress disappeared for quite a while.  I had an empty plate in front of me and was sucking on ice cubes from an empty glass for a good ten minutes before the waitress came back to drop off the check.

That check was a little over $22.  I liked the Longbranch.  I like the feel of the place and I like the above average bar food menu.  I wish it was a little closer to the Westside of Kalamazoo, but Vicksburg really isn’t that far to drive for a good meal.

Chili Cheese Burger w/Fries

BBQ Pulled Pork Sandwich w/Fries