Side Bar East Lansing — Restaurant in East Lansing

I don’t even now where to start. Our attempt to have dinner at this bar was most chaotic and underwhelming. Party of 4 arrived at 5:45pm on a Tuesday. We found a table, were greeted by Sophie who took our drink and appetizer order. After the wine arrived, it all fell apart. We asked for waters that were never brought to the table. The bruschetta was lukewarm and mediocre. The food orders we placed were double checked by the waiter and still came out all wrong: steak was advertised as being served with a salad, mashed potatoes and asparagus; it arrived 45 minutes after we ordered with no salad or potatoes. Instead, it arrived not medium rare but well done and when asked about the potatoes, the food runner shrugged her shoulders, said she was not a waiter, and left. Another person came over with a plate of what looked like rice and more asparagus. Confused, we asked what that was all about and the answer was “the rest of your order”. As for the other entrees, the two salads were okay but again, orders were wrong: salmon was supposed to be grilled and was blackened, dressing on the side was not served. Lastly, the pasta dish was brought out in a take out container because at this point, after waiting for almost one hour, we were done. Pesto pasta was all clumped together, lacked seasoning, and the shrimp not blackened but barely thawed. And no side salad. All this to say the food was terrible. The service was unprofessional. Our waiter disappeared the moment we asked why it was taking so long, given that restaurant had empty tables. The bartender who dropped off the food literally slammed the plates on our table and asked one of us to leave because we were being loud. We asked for boxes, the check and a manager. The boxes took forever, the check was outrageous, and the manager… well, there was no manager in duty. When we finally got the check and walked to the bar to pay, a manager showed up and was about to comp our tab after being explained what we had experienced. And then, the snooty and entitled bartender told him we had yelled at her and we had no choice but to hand them the credit card. No one, and I mean no one at this establishment knows what they are doing. I think there was only one waiter, two disoriented food runners, one grumpy bartender who acted like a manager, and who knows how many cooks. For the prices they charge ($12 to add salmon to a salad, $54 for the leathery steak, $65 for a charcuterie board), one would expect much better. Never again will we set foot in this place. Sometimes one or two things aren’t perfect and that’s okay. This was a nightmare, everything went wrong and there was no attempt at fixing it and no apologies offered. And if you care, they don’t card anyone. Great...

I had one of those experiences where I wanted to leave a good review to show the establishment that I had a good time, but also didn't in fear of too many others having that same experience and it becoming difficult to reserve their private space for future events. Last night, we all but got snowed in for our planned event so we had to improvise and move up the time on short notice so that people could drive home safely. The staff was amazing! The pizzas came out perfect and were served an hour and a half earlier than originally requested. Our private bartenders Samantha and Victoria handled our group amazingly and were extremely attentive. The space itself was beautiful and tucked away from the rest of the bar. Working up to the event, I corresponded with Alexis who helped me put the food order and event planning into motion. She was extremely easy to work with and understanding as the event details changed often. I sincerely hope Sidebar understands how much we appreciated their professionalism and efforts in planning our event because I feel like I can't do it enough justice here with just a...

Great atmosphere, Great food, Great staff. There are a few issues though. Hours need to be more consistent. The owner closes the bar early if business is slow. This is true because I heard it from the wait staff. Another issue during the weekdays they're open till 11:00 p.m. they serve food until 10:00 p.m. that's acceptable. Friday and Saturday they're open till midnight but there kitchen still closes at 10:00 p.m. The kitchen should be open till 11:00 p.m. an hour before close Just like the other days. I would have came there tonight for dinner but I called and was told the kitchen was...