Legends Sports Bar and Grille

• 1027 E. Michigan Avenue
• Paw Paw, MI 49079
• (269) 415-0123
• Website
• Menu

Surprise.  I overslept again.  I wanted to get up and take J to lunch before I had to go to work.  It may be a long holiday weekend for most, but not for us.  It’s just another weekend with the same old work schedule…although we did have plans to go to a BBQ in Marshall and my brother was bringing his family for a visit, so it was going to be a busy weekend packed in to our same old weekend work schedule.

I fell out of bed just before 11:45 and stumbled in to the living room and complained about oversleeping.  I told J I was hoping to go to lunch.  She said if I could give her twenty minutes to shower, we could still get to lunch and get me back home before 2:00 so I could head to work in Grand Rapids.

A few weeks ago, I saw a review on Urbanspoon for a sports bar in Paw Paw.  I looked up the website and found a menu that was loaded with my favorite food….burgers.

Legends Sports Bar and Grille is on the east side of Paw Paw on Michigan Avenue east of the intersection with Hastings Street.  It’s a small blue building that’s easy to pass by.  You’d be missing out if you don’t give pause on your travels through Paw Paw and give this place a shot. 

I was happy to see several cars in the parking lot early on a Saturday.  A sports bar that does a good lunch business usually has a surprisingly good menu.

We tried to go in the front door, but it didn’t budge when I pulled on it.  I noticed some duct tape on the door which made me think it was broke.  I found out later it was just stuck.  We actually ended up exiting through that door, but we entered through the back door.

The dining area and the bar are all in one space.  There are only about a dozen or so tables in addition to seats at the bar and all but two of those tables were full.  We chose the regular table closer to the bar over the pub table along the back wall. The decor is what you would expect in a sports bar.  There are TV’s strategically placed around the perimeter and there are newspaper clippings hanging on the walls.

The waitress and the bartender were the same person and she grabbed a couple menus not long after we sat down.  Had I not been going to work, I would have had my choice of craft beers on tap, but since I did have to work, I went with a Pepsi.  J wasn’t sure what she could actually drink here since she off caffeine for a few month so she stuck with water.

I was very excited about the burger menu.  They have over twenty different burger creations which made picking just one almost an impossible task.  It took me a long time to finally make a decision.  The burger I chose goes by the name Not Breakfast Burger.  The 1/4 lb ground chuck burger is topped with hickory smoked ham, banana peppers, cheddar cheese, mushrooms and an egg cooked over medium served on an onion roll..  The mushrooms didn’t really do anything for me on this sandwich so I asked to leave those off.  This burger was fantastic.  I’ve mentioned several times in the past I love eggs on burgers.  It sounds stupid if you’ve never had it, but there is something about putting an egg on top of fresh beef.  The ham is grilled which adds even more of that great greasy flattop flavor.  The banana peppers added just the slightest heat and sweetness which counters the saltiness of the ham.  The sandwich comes with choice of sides.  I went with the Bottle Neck fries which are crispy, golden beer bettered steak fries.

J was very surprised to find a large selection of gourmet bar sandwiches which made decision as tough as mine.  She went with the Turkey Bacon Honey “D” This sandwich is a pretzel with hickory smoked turkey, bacon, swiss cheese, honey dijon mustard, lettuce, tomato, and onion.  Saying she loved this sandwich is almost an understatement.  The bacon was cooked exactly as she liked it.  It was very crispy and there was plenty of it.  The turkey was thinly sliced and had both a smokey and grilled taste to it.  When we walked in, I think she was just expecting bar food, but she told me several times how much she liked her sandwich and how surprised she was we found this place.  She also went with the Bottle Neck fries, but she was so involved with the sandwich that she almost forgot about them.  I ended up getting a few, but she was reluctant to give them up.

Our bill was just a bit over $18 before tip.  Legends is the kind of place I almost want to call a hidden gem, but I’m sure that’s not the case for people that live in Paw Paw.  This is the kind of place that is totally worth the trip for J and I from Kalamazoo and it’s a place that I will remember whenever I want a good greasy burger.  I know there’s plenty on the menu that J will like and they have a pretty good beer list so we could easily make it an evening.

Not Breakfast Burger w/Bottle Neck Fries

Turkey Bacon Honey "D" w/Bottle Neck Fries