Odd Side Ales — Restaurant in Grand Haven

Bigger is not always better. Less is sometimes more. However, Odd Side Ales has managed a massive expansion with poise, although they fall short in a few areas. Nevertheless, I recommend them, especially if you're into beer.

Like Pacman, Odd Side gobbled up the adjacent floor space in the historic Piano Factory building in downtown Grand Haven on 1st and Washington. As a result, they occupy the entire space from the Washington street side to the wine store deep in the brick building. Seating now exceeds 125 in their bar, taproom, and (new) coffee shop. Some may have fumbled such an ambitious expansion, but the folks at Odd Side have done a stellar job at creating a space worthy of your attention.

Let me explain the layout: the entrance off Washington (sidewalk side) now hosts SIDE BAR, a self-titled "Artisan" coffee shop. This space has tables, high and low, and benches. Two garage doors have been installed to allow for fresh air off busy Washington Street. It's an excellent spot to watch Grand Haven breathe. This area seats about 64 people.

Side Bar serves Mad Cap Coffee, the only coffee house in Grand Haven to do so. Mad Cap is excellent coffee, as good as any in the area. The baristas at Odd Side (with a few exceptions) are young and not expertly trained at crafting a cup, but that's a quibble, the coffee still shines through, and it's the atmosphere that you're here for anyway. Side Bar also offers sweet treats from Grand Traverse Pie Co (as of this review). $2 drip coffee is available. Wifi (spotty) is available, and it's very nice of them to have several outlets.

The bar is now a wrap-around, and it seats close to 40, situated directly behind the Side Bar Coffee counter. I do not drink beer, so I cannot give a first hand account of their offerings, but based on their success, I presume Odd Side brews are excellent. The bartenders seem capable, a special shout-out to Cassidy, who is always friendly and gives the best customer service on the staff, by far. She seems genuinely happy serve customers and she comes out from behind the bar, which few employees here do.

Food is not prepared on site, but they offer a menu from the Toasted Pickle, who deliver from across the street. You will pay a delivery charge, but it's worth it. The folks at Toasted Pickle are very nice, and they work hard to provide a quality menu. I suggest the chicken wings or the Cuban sandwich. The Pickle Poppers are great too. I don't know how committed the Odd Side staff is to Toasted Pickle, I've seen some rivalry between the two, but we'll see if it gets ironed it.

NOTE: Odd Side DOES allow outside food in their establishment.

This location has dartboards and board games, and they host trivia in the fall and winter. Because of their location and ample space, they end up hosting several groups, like the running club and other organizations who meet here.

I recommend Odd Side for beer lovers, coffee lovers, remote workers, young, old, tall, short, and so on. It's a fantastic spot with a view to Grand Haven and excellent drink and food options.

I remove one star due to the indifferent service and cleanliness. It's mentioned in other reviews, and it's a little puzzling. It filters down from everyone on the bar side, it almost seems like many staff members are unhappy to be here. I've also witnessed staff complaining and rolling eyes about customers. That's not acceptable: customer service is the most important marketing you do, and you can't afford to take people for granted. If Odd Side addresses the sort of moody atmosphere, they will get a fifth star. But they'll also need to start being proactive: staff rarely clean or bus tables. I've bused my own table to many times I should be invited to the employee holiday party. The windows and doors look like they are cleaned about every two weeks.

It will be interesting to see how they manage their growth: will they rest on having a great location and ignore customer service (like The Grand, Theater Bar, and Kirby) or will they focus on customers and create the best gathering...

I had some out of state friends visiting, both very much into beer and both very interested in checking out Odd Side. Since we were making the drive from Grand Rapids, I really hoped the trip would be worthwhile.

Due to the holidays being upon us, Odd Side was opened earlier then normal. We arrived just after noon where as they normally aren't open until 2 on a Tuesday.

While somewhat familiar with downtown Grand Haven, Odd Side was hidden in what I could best describe as a mall for rich people. What gave away their location was a lady walking out their door carrying a 6 pack.

The first thing we noticed were the colorful and fun mugs hanging from their walls. In fact, the chandeliers, tables with check boards painted in their centers, and overall fun design of the room pointed to a well thought layout. While the brewery was not very busy, I suspect at night they can bring the business.

With so many options on their beer menu, the logical thing to do was get a flight. Their version of a flight consists of five 5 Oz pours for $10. Reasonable. I mentioned my visiting friends were in town from Madison WI, so we determined an equally logical decision was to buy 3 flights.

I'm a huge porter and stout fan. As we shared drinks and socialized, I can say the beers were solid. I use untapped to record my drinks, and my average rating was around 3.75, which is higher than most breweries I frequent. Favorites include Morning Wood and Cherry Wood. Odd Side has a great variety of beers on tap and seems comfortable creating all sorts of adult beverages, including tart, bourbon and IPAs. If you are looking to take some home, be sure to check out their beer cooler as they had several flavors we couldn't get in draft form. The only type of beer I didn't see available was a nitro, which is often my favorite.

The people working were very friendly. And by people I mean the one bartender we spoke with. He seemed knowledgeable and handled all orders efficiently and quick.

The bathroom is a decent walk away, as it's located in the mall area. Not a big deal, but after several beers, you tend to walk a little faster. It was kept in fine shape and smelled well, unlike many bathrooms I use at breweries.

If you are planning to eat at Odd Side, revise your plans. While they have some snacks like popcorn, the $2.50 asking price seemed like a lot for a handful of fun. There are plenty of other places you can find a great meal in and around Grand Haven. Still, I often find breweries the have great food, so I was slightly bummed they don't have a kitchen.

Odd Side is a great place to visit, and if I lived closer, I'm sure I would stop by often to check out what's new. Highly...

OMG! I wish I had a smartphone back when (everyone else did…..don’t laugh), but fast forward to now. I have been here a few times over the years. Right now, I have been reminiscing (although it’s May 31, 2023) about my trip in August 2015, when the brewery had not yet acquired every other store in existence to expand to the street. Not that I don’t like and appreciate what they have done, but you know what it’s like to take a trip down memory lane and miss how simple things were. And maybe how cool it was to order off of a chalkboard. Again, I love what they have done. I love the garage doors and dig the framed TVs. The beer is fantastic as usual. The addition (and/or change) of some pretty cool 😎 staff along the way helps to add to the ambiance as well. With the addition of spirits…..I tried the Cilantro Vodka (and I am not a huge vodka fan, but…) and very much to my surprise was…well…CILANTRO!!! I absolutely love that herb. I know not everyone does, but that’s because they don’t know what they are missing. Needless to say I bought a bottle. This with the compliment of Detroit City Distillery’s Horseradish Vodka will make one hell of a Bloody Mary!

Thank you to Ethan who was awesome and attentive, to Ixy for also being amazing and sporting a very cool Steamboat Willie tattoo (without the wheel Lol). Also, to Nick, my fellow Mexican food loving friend…..thank you (thank you ALL) for all the hospitality. See you next time. Cheers! 🍻

P.S. this is by far the longest review I have...