Kalamazoo Beer Exchange — Restaurant in Kalamazoo

DISCLAIMER! I am not a fan of beer. To me, it all tastes the same and I hardly ever drink it. Now, why did I give this place 5 stars? Well, because it's simply an awesome and super fun place. As you are walking by, from the windows, you can see that it has what most bars have: pool tables, darts, a lively atmosphere and even some arcade games. But the real charm of the place lies in its theme. The whole concept is based after the stock exchange, hence, the name "Kalamazoo Beer Exchange." Now it's theme does not just stop with its decor, rather, it forms the basis of how you'll be ordering beer throughout the night. You see, when you first walk in, you are greeted by a large board displaying various beer names and the prices next to the names in green with an arrow pointing up, or red with an arrow pointing down. The way it works, is that every 15 minutes the prices of beers change. Those beers that are being frequently will have their prices rise. In contrast, those beers that are not really being bought have their prices reduced. So if you have eclectic taste in beer, you'll be saving some bucks. That's not the best part. Once in a while, the beer market crashes and ALL the beers have their prices greatly reduced! I did try the food and it was really good, but nothing too amazing. As I mentioned, I'm not a fan of beer so I can't really comment on that, but I did try a guava beer and it was.... interesting to say the least.

Honestly, you should just go to have a unique beer ordering experience. This is definitely the most fun I've had at a...

I was really excited to check out the beer exchange and I did not live up to my expectations, but I'd go again. First, the website has minimal information to plan a visit. The hours on website, Google, and Facebook were all different. Walking passed in person they have a sign at front door that has opening for bar, kitchen, and when the market opens* Upon entry you are either brought upstairs to the restaurant with stand height tables, outside with bar height patio tables, or downstairs to long bar and bar height tables. So the inside upstairs is best for families with young children, but it also has the least decor for a stock market. Food was average. I'd say we enjoyed the cheese curds the most. The nachos were underwhelming as the chips we made from fried wanton and there was very little meat added. Beer options were great. And when the *market finally opened at 6pm, they rang a bell (inside only) then turned on TV's to show the changes in price that happen every 15 minutes. Servers go around changing the beer menu on table to hide starting prices. Although they're cocktails were good, beware on pricing. Ordered an old fashion and they charged us $21 for one cocktail. I inquired if that was accurate and I was told because it was made with knob Creek. 😩 Service was good! I'd go again with friends as an evening out, but don't recommend...

A Must Have! I had the good luck to find this place while traveling the midwest with my better half. Parking was easy and just down the street. The moment I stepped in, the set up caught my eye. With pool tables and pinball machines in the lower floor and a restaurant bar on the top; I was definitely intrigued. Service was prompt, and it did not take 2 minutes before I had ordered a cold beer and was informed of the eating choices. The Draught selection is great and extensive, once it arrived the beer was frosty cold and delicious. For my meal I had the Aristocrat burger and beer battered fries which were FANTASTIC. Once I lifted the burger, I refused to put it down. Not because it wouldn't hold if I put it down but because the flavor was so delicious, I just refused. This burger is their take on McD's Big Mac. It reminded me of not seeing a friend for a long time and then running into them and them looking great and doing great in life. That's what I felt was what happened with this evolved Big Mac. It was also interesting seeing families with younger children come in and feeling so comfortable at a bar. Then I saw elderly veterans walk in and feel at home. One of them even mentioned "Wow, you guys actually have Miller High Life on draught" promptint the waiter to reply "We aim to please all crowds" and...