Browndog at the Shuffle
325 Riverfront DriveWhen J and I moved to Lansing in 2008, we were really excited for the Lansing City Market. We didn’t have anything like that where we were living at the time so a year round market sounded really exciting.
It turned out to be a bit of a disappointment. It wasn’t the bustling market we had hoped it would be. In fact, it was kind of on it’s last legs. The building that had been there for about 70 years closed and the market moved in to a new building across the parking lot in 2010. The site of the original market was redeveloped into an apartment complex.
That new building last about nine years and closed in 2019.
It sat empty for a few years until it was developed in to Lansing Shuffle, a shuffleboard social club and food hall. That business opened in January of 2023 and that’s what occupies the space still today.
I was in Lansing for work one day last week. I had only one quick job assignment then needed to run back to Grand Rapids to finish a project with a co-worker. I wrapped up in Lansing just before noon. I told my co-worker I was going to grab lunch then I’d meet him back in Grand Rapids.
I headed towards the old Lansing City Market because I saw there was some tasty looking food options in the new Shuffleboard club. I don’t think I ever went in to the Market once the new building was built so this was a totally new experience for me.
Lansing Shuffle is right near the riverfront and across from Jackson Field on Riverfront Drive right off North Cedar Street. Riverfront Drive leads you in to the parking garage for the Lansing Center but off to the right is a small parking lot for the Lansing River Trail with a few two hour parking spaces. The building is a giant metal building. It doesn’t have the character of the old market but it has the utility needed for this modern day space.
The space is kind of set up like a mall food court. Along the east wall there are a number of dining options all set up just like you’d find at the mall in the 90’s but these are the typical Sbarro type places. They’re all local joints with a wide variety of different cuisines.
There’s one lone restaurant on the other side of the space towards the back and that’s actually where I was headed. It’s Browndog at the Shuffle which is a sister location to Browndog Barlor & Restaurant in Northville.
The order area is on the side facing away from the seating area. There is a cash register there but there’s also an order kiosk and it appears they’d rather you use that as no one even acknowledged I was standing there looking at it. I would have waved them off anyway. I like the order kiosk. It gives me time to think and to customize the order the way I want it.
Browndog also does hand dipped ice cream. The ice cream is handcrafted in small batches by the Browndog Creamery so it’s not like the same stuff you’d get at every other ice cream shop in town. I probably should have gotten ice cream but I didn’t.
I put in an order for the Spicy Bacon Burger and upgraded the fries to Truffle Fries. The cost came out to $25 which seemed high to me even at the time of ordering but I did it anyway. I was there and it looked good.
There’s a lot to do at Lansing Shuffle while you’re waiting for your food. There are a lot of table top games spread throughout the area and more available at the front desk.
There are some Nintendo consoles set up in the back corner. Again, you just need to go get the controls from the desk by the entrance off Riverfront Drive.
And there is, of course shuffleboard. The courts are outside under a covered area on the northside of the building. When they have shuffleboard going on, it looks like there are bars outside so you can grab food inside, then head outside, grab a drink and play.
I took a seat in the dining hall waiting for my food to be made. There’s a really large dining area that will remind any 80’s kid of their local mall long before malls started dying off.
There’s also a really great outdoor area along the Grand River. You can just get your food to go and sit out there on a nice day.
They don’t hand out buzzers but instead send text messages when the food is ready. My phone starting dinging about 10 minutes after I put the order. I went up to grab it and realized they made it for dine in instead of to-go…which was clearly printed on the ticket with the food, but whatever, I wasn’t in a big hurry and it probably was best if I just sat down and ate.
I started with the fries. I did the $4 upgrade to Truffle Fries. The fries were kind of thin and could of used a few more minutes in the fryer. They were cooked all the way through but they were kind of floppy. They used a powdered truffle seasoning. It was good, but was it $4 good? In the future, I’d probably skip the truffling and just go with regular fries only because of the cost.
The burger I ordered was the Spicy Bacon Burger. This sandwich is made with fire seasoning, a spicy slaw, Sriracha aioli, pickles, pepperjack cheese, and applewood smoked bacon. The burger comes on a brioche bun. The question about this burger is not whether it’s good, it’s whether is $20 good. I know food is expensive right now and I know restaurants operate on a pretty slim margin. I get it. But I expect to pay $20 for a burger at a pub right now and this really isn’t a pub burger. Maybe they locally source their meat? Maybe that’s what makes it expensive. The burger was good. I had no problem with the taste. It wasn’t really spicy but I have a pretty high spice tolerance…but it was a tasty burger. I just had some reservations paying $25 for the meal and it didn’t even include a drink. The same burger at the Northville location is $5 cheaper so there’s clearly something about the convenience and this location that make the food more expensive.
Food was great. I have nothing but good things to say about my meal from that perspective. The price turned me off a bit. I’m not mad about stopping for lunch at The Shuffle but I don’t know if it will be high on my list for a place to go out of my way for again. The space is really cool though. And it’s definitely a good place to hang out with a group. If I’m in the area for a Lugnuts game, yeah, I’d stop in.
SW Michigan Dining 