Thornapple Brewing Company — Restaurant in Cascade Charter Township

Juicy good burger. A bit too much salt.

Classic Burger - $15: The 6oz burger patty was thick and very juicy with good seasoning, but too much salt. The lettuce, tomato, and white onion were fresh. The tomato was particularly thick, but taste and texture were still well within a good range. The extra cheddar cheese was amazing and just right! The garlic aioli was light and not as noticeable. The Detroit brioche bun was medium soft and held the sandwich together VERY well.

Fries - $3 extra: The saltiest fries I’ve had in Grand Rapids and I’ve had a lot of them. Other than that, they were great. They were medium cut, cooked right, and otherwise seasoned well. They were also served plenty hot!

Overall, I do think the price for the burger and fries was higher than average and not justified compared to other restaurants of its caliber. It was good, but not $18 good.

Service: I was helped fairly quickly and my burger arrived in a record 9 minutes (WOW)! The condiment tray was missing from my table and I had to ask for it so I had napkins, but this was fairly quickly remedied after I asked. She was very helpful and polite overall and was not at all intrusive.

Atmosphere: The concrete floor seemed to dominate the atmosphere. There were 4-5 booths (not many compared to the rest of the seating arrangements), tables and chairs (regular and tall), tables and benches (no backs), bar seating, outdoor seating, and games including darts and at least one pool table. There were two types of chairs and they were randomized throughout the restaurant without much order. Noise carried somewhat, but not too bad. There was 70’s and 80’s music play at medium volume.

Conclusion: It was good though salty and overpriced a bit.

Visited on a...

We were staying on 28th Street and decided to check this place out. Chase was our bartender, and he did an excellent job. He let us taste a pilsner beer I was considering, but then we saw the specialty cocktail menu and went with the Petal Punch. The presentation was nice, with a flower on top. The mixture of the vodka-rose-hibiscus and lavender syrup, with lemon juice and soda water was outstanding! Chase was tinkering with using gin instead of vodka for another specialty cocktail and we told him to make our second one with gin and we would provide the taste test. It was also quite tasty. I preferred the vodka, while my friend preferred the gin, so both were a hit.

We ordered the Elote Dip as an appetizer. It was a flavorful combination of street corn and sauce that was exceptional. It also came with a handful of chips, but for a price of $13, this seemed a little high for a dip and chips.

The bar is spacious and has a nice eclectic atmosphere feel. There are many beer and liquor selections available at this brewery, with many specials and "leaderboard" recommendations, front and center at the bar. This place is a nice stop for drinks, and it gets a pretty good crowd for dinner. We heard the couple at the table behind us tell the waitress that her husband wanted to come back again because the burger was so good the night before! That is...

I used to be a regular at Thornapple Brewing Company—2 to 3 times a week, without fail. It was my go-to spot. But something has seriously changed, and not for the better. It’s almost as if they’ve made it their mission to discourage loyal customers from coming back.

About a year ago, I placed an online order only to arrive and find the restaurant completely closed. No notice. No apology. It took me three days to get a refund—and even then, they kept the tip I had left for a meal that never existed. That should’ve been the end of it, but I decided to give them another shot. Big mistake.

Tonight, I called to place an order. The first call, I was put on hold for 10 minutes and clearly forgotten. I chalked it up to a fluke and called again. I politely explained what had happened and explicitly said I didn’t want to be put on hold and forgotten again. They shoved me on hold anyway. That was it for me.

The rudeness. The complete lack of attention to customers. Thornapple Brewing has gone from being a neighborhood staple to a business that seems to have forgotten what it means to serve people. I’m officially done. I sincerely hope something else moves into that space—this community deserves better.

Also, instead of appropriately addressing the issue, they claimed I was never a regular customer. Bravo for...