Make no mistake about it, East Lansing is a college town and something all college towns have in common is their requirement for a good bar scene. MSU students and East Lansing residents are spoiled with an exceptional choice of bars on or near Abbot Street: the city’s de facto bar central.
Each and every bar in the city is buzzing with patrons every weekend. While that can be said of every successful bar in every college town across the country, each East Lansing bar also has unique specials on weeknights to enjoy.
P.T. O’Malley’s Bar and Grill
At P.T. O’Malley’s Thursday afternoons fill the bar with patrons ordering $1 burgers and $1 baskets of fries along with half off drinks. The most popular drink order is a pitcher of beer, ranging from $4.50 to $6.50. The standard pitcher contains 60 ounces of beer, which equals five standard (12 ounce) beers; therefore, a pitcher of beer at $4.50 would equal less than $1 spent per beer.
General management senior Brady Lehman likes going to P.T. O’Malley’s because it’s different from some of the other bars around the city.
“I like P.T. O’Malley’s a lot. It isn’t like Rick’s or Harper’s in that it’s more laid back and a good place to go with a group of friends and grab a beer or two,” Lehman said. “Their Thursday special gets a little crazy sometimes. A lot of people I know go there.”
Dublin Square Irish Pub
At Dublin on Wednesday, drinks and dinners, with some exceptions, are half off from 9 p.m. to close.
Dublin General Manager Rick Sauer discussed the drink selection at Dublin.
“We sell a lot of craft beer, and have a pretty good whiskey list and most are popular, but we don’t have really one drink that stands out. We’re pretty even across the board,” Sauer said. “We do sell a lot of Jameson, being an Irish bar. But lately bourbon and some American whiskey has been doing well for us. A lot of people are actually ordering Jameson and ginger (ale) right now. ... For our bourbon, old fashioneds are selling pretty well.”
Harper’s Restaurant & Brewpub
Like Dublin, Harper’s has a half off special on food and drinks Wednesdays, though the Harper’s half off special runs all day and night. Harper’s also has happy hour daily from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m., during which time all drinks and drafts are half price.
Joe Bahnweg works at Harper’s and talked about the Wednesday night special leading to big crowds, but also another unexpected day.
“Wednesday night we are pretty full because of our half off special,” Bahnweg said. “We also have a half off special on Sunday that might not be as well known about as it could be, so we have more people on Sunday because we’re open and other bars aren’t.”
Harper’s has a few drinks more frequently ordered that stand out in his mind.
“I would say our Long Islands are pretty popular. Also our purple Gatorade shot and the lemon drop,” Bahnweg said.
HopCat
HopCat specializes in beer, beer and more beer.
With more than one hundred beers on tap, HopCat is a must for beer aficionados. The most popular beer is a fruity rye ale called “soft parade” from Shorts Brewing Company.
