Nightlife in Grand Haven

In addition to sating stomachs with pulled-pork sandwiches and entertaining ears with live music, Michigan Beer Cellar's dedicated staff fills glasses with libations fresh from its microbrewery, winery, and artisan distillery. The restaurant's plush, leather sofas sit beneath its rust-hued ceiling, and at a blond-wood bar, bartenders serve house brews and a variety of wraps and sandwiches. A glass of mocha-java stout awakens taste buds craving a darker brew, and the cellar's servers pluck bottles of Michigan Apple Delight wine directly from in-house wine trees to complement local Amish cheeses and snack plates.

At The Venue, part restaurant and part nightclub, chefs whip up platters of Indian cuisine alongside classic American pub grub, Mexican specialties, and Italian fare. Culinary excursions around the world kick off with Indian appetizers such as the aloo tikki potato patties speckled with ginger and garlic, then venture across land and sea and some people’s vacation houses toward Italian-centric entrees of lasagna and the hawaiian pizza’s ham, pineapple, and bacon. The bar slings craft beer and house wine to pair with savory flavors or rinse delectable crumbs from hands.

After hours, The Venue transforms into a dance club illuminated by black lights and fluorescent hues. High-top seating and three VIP areas fill the space, and a full bar area fuels the party with well drinks, shots, and cocktails. Drink specials populate the bar each night, as do droves of dancers dressed according to The Venue’s frequent themes.

Although 36th Street Lounge features a number of high-topped tables and booths, sitting is far from the only option. Live bands perform throughout the week and energize the crowds with high-octane sets. Other nights, DJs keep heads bobbing with eclectic mixes and karaoke allows guests to show off their ability to read. In addition to dartboards and a handful of arcade games—such as Golden Tee and Ms. Pac-Man—the bar features two pool tables.

The 36th Street Lounge kitchen crew whips together a menu of somewhat elevated bar fare. Fettuccine noodles arrive slathered in savory alfredo and sizzling fajitas receive dollops of teriyaki sauce. Regardless of the menu's inspirations, each dish pairs well with a drink from the bar. Bartenders pour frosty drafts of iconic brews and mix a number of cocktails using flavor-infused liquor.

What’s now known as The Comedy Store was once called Ciro's, a nightlife hotspot in the 1940s and '50s. Playing host to glitzy stars and shadowy mobsters, the club's history is shrouded in rumors of mafia assassinations and untimely deaths. However, the joint buried its seedy past by converting to a comedy club and helping launch the careers of such legends as Richard Pryor, Jim Carrey, George Carlin, David Letterman, and Dave Chappelle. The younger La Jolla location lets laugh-starved patrons bask in the same high-powered comedic atmosphere as its progenitor.

Seasonal Grille’s owner, Justin Straube, always dreamed of opening his own eatery that embraced a simple concept: fresh, local food that changed along with the seasons. “I envisioned a restaurant where new menus would come out as the seasons would change, and it would feature seasonally fresh items and I’d get locally what I could,” he told Elizabeth Clark of the Grand Rapids Press in a 2010 interview. The menu—which features sausage, sauces, and other ingredients that are made in-house—is anchored by a collection of Italian classics, including lasagna, ravioli, chicken marsala, and oven-borne pizzas topped with pepperoni, sun-dried tomatoes, pepperoncini, and pesto. Seasonal dishes complement these staples, as does a full fleet of wines from Italy, Spain, Argentina, Australia, and the United States that features robust flavor profiles and the ability to say “corkscrew” in three different languages.

Mirroring the local inspiration he used for the menu, Justin also incorporated Hastings’s landscape in designing Seasonal Grille's location. He chose to renovate the more-than-100-year-old Hastings Press building, but kept its most interesting architectural elements: arched windows, exposed-brick walls, and an industrial-grade ceiling vent that whispers local trivia facts as cold air passes through. A new mahogany bar acts as the space’s centerpiece, with high bar stools providing the perfect perch for watching the live bands that occasionally play inside.