The Union Cabaret & Grille

All the servers I have ever had have always been very friendly and attentive. Sometimes, the food takes a little longer than expected. The food I have had has been ok, but I think I need to try more on the menu. Overall, nice live music and great vibes.

My friend and I came for drinks after having dinner at Principle. Union is cozy and they had live music. Though I must admit, it was kind of a shitshow. There was one guy on stage, singing and doing his thing. He was inviting drunk people to use the mic and get on stage and beat tambourines/​etc. It was kind of like watching a car crash, it’s horrible, you know it but you can’t stop watching.
The waitress was nice but it took at least 10 minutes for someone to come over. My friend got one of their specialty cocktails and he really enjoyed it. I attempted to get a glass of their red blend but they were out of it? Okay… So I got the samoa cookie martini. I normally don’t go for that kind of thing but it sounded good. I got two and they were each made differently. It also seemed like there was only one bartender so it took forever to get drinks. It’s was okay but forgettable.

Five of us stopped here for an early dinner. We’ve been to many restaurants in Kalamazoo, but had never been to the Union. We started our meal off with portabella fries and lobster fondue. Both were exceptional and I would order again. All of us were pleased with our meals — Brisket, BBQ shrimp, Blackened Chicken Pasta, Veggie Burger and Macaroni and Cheese. Very attentive waitress. We definitely have this on our list of restaurants to visit again.

A nice place to eat downtown, with live music on a regular basis, plus good daily specials

Really terrible. Too much cover, to poor food and drinks take forever and are sloppy. Maybe more of a lunch spot.

I like this place. It has a nice atmosphere with a large bar and small stage for local performers. While I enjoy live music, it does get a bit loud to hold conversations. I’m usually happy with the food here, but this time my burger was a bit overcooked. I order mushroom swiss burgers at many places, and I’ve definitely had a better burger elsewhere. I was with a party of 18 that was handled by 1 server who did a fabulous job and even split checks for the entire group. I can tell this is a popular destination in downtown Kalamazoo since there is usually a wait to get a table, especially the weekends.

I have been to The Union on about 5 occasions. The first 4 times I ordered ribs, mac and cheese, greens and a cup of gumbo. Always consistent, always amazing. I dined here for lunch on 11÷11÷15 and was an epic disappointment. First I ordered a cup of gumbo and it was good as usually and it came out quickly. I tried my husbands Italian wedding soup and it was good as well. I decided to try something different and ordered the Dirty South Burger. It is a steak burger with pepper jack cheese, jalapeño bacon, crayfish and alligator. I thought it would be a flavor explosion but it was the blandest burger ever. I tried my husband’s pork po boy and tasting air would have had more excitement. Two bland dishes :(So I took a chance on dessert and ordered the apple fritters. Took a big bite and they were raw in the middle… nothing but dough. I sent them back and got new ones that the restaurant covered. Service was good as usual and the place has a great ambiance. I will return but hopefully they will have a better cook because several people who dined this day for lunch noted how the food was flavorless.

Went in for a drink to kill time before our dinner at Principle. Drinks were less than stellar. I ordered a cherry vodka and club soda expecting something that tasted like cherries, but what i was given was was two cherries with some maraschino juice. Either they did not put enough vodka or the flat club soda was killing the slight cherry flavor. My husband accidentally spilled his beer and the bartenders didn’t even help out with napkins or with the spill, even when i asked for club soda for my sweater. I would not come back.

Such a great place to go for a casual date. We had Bloody Mary’s, lobster fondue and Portabella fries. Our bartender was amazing.

The food is good however you don’t get enough for how much you pay. We are usually leaving hungry or hungry a short time after leaving there. The live music is hit and miss but starts at 8:00pm if thats not your thing. We go there because they have BBQ and it’s decent but again, you don’t get very large servings and I am not one to overindulge, I just want to leave feeling satisfied and full. The Union usually doesn’t do that.

I thought the food was pretty good, I picked the wrong meal though because I was really hungry and the waitress tried to say the snapper was surprisingly filling…

Love this place! Delicious food and great service. Half off on Fridays from 3 – 5! I love every entrée and sandwich (seriously). And don’t forget the Gardner salad: the dressing is to die for!
The drink menu is fantastic. Try a mojito! Great location as well.

Can’t believe I’ve only checked in here once. I must have been to the union for lunch, dinner, desserts, and/​or drinks 100 times since it opened. Great menu, attentive service, wonderful music almost every night of the week make the Union one of the most fun places to eat and play in Kalamazoo!

The union is never going to be a place you get a craving for.
It’s ok, but there’s certainly nothing memorable about it. I’ve been here twice and to be quite honest it was so unmemorable that I had to double check it was the right place. Beer selection is surprisingly poor, but maybe that’s their point of difference since everyone else has pretty good selections.
Prices aren’t necessarily high, but the quality of the food isn’t at an equal level to their food.

So I’ve heard a thing or two about this place from friends saying that this place is top notch and they weren’t lying! The sauce selection is is diverse and they are more then welling to let you try them all! They have 6 house made Barbecue sauces ranging from sweet Carolina, black pepper corn, and chipotle pepper. I got the double cheese burger and the meat was cooked perfectly! Seared to perfection.

The Union Cabaret & Grille has great ambiance. The dim lit lounge makes you feel like you could hangout there for quite a while– not to mention there’s usually great music at night! Also, there’s a very large fully service bar if you’re craving a lovely evening of cocktails.
The service staff is extra friendly, attentive, and informative about their menu– I really appreciate it when a server knows what they’re talking about.
I’m most impressed with the unique menu selection. You’ll find some unusual dishes like gumbo with crawdads and steak burgers with gator and bacon on top. Not feeling it? There’s also classics like fresh salads, steaks, chicken, veggie burgers, and more.

The union is my «go to» place when I go downtown and expecting a good meal! Pricey for dinner but it’s worth it to me! I always end up getting some sort of steak dinner.
Two of my favorite appetizers are the spinach and artichoke dip and the goat cheese and bread. Yum!!! Will not disappoint!
When I go downtown I always get a fun martini. It’s just what I like to do! They will not disappoint with the martini selection! To me, that is a big deal! But they also have a lot of good craft beer on draft for beer lovers (I’m a beer person so I am comfortable saying that).
Students get half off meals Mon-​Thursday! Woohoo! That’s pretty great.
Entertainment is always a plus! It usually starts at 9 so if you want a nice quiet dinner I suggest going before then.
They do not except reservations that are under 10 people. Bummer!
One downside is the last few times I was sat next to the door and it gets pretty chilly sitting there.

We were from out of town (with no knowledge of Kzoo) going to a show at the State Theater and this looked like the best option after walking around.
Being a Tues night before any live music was being played, it wasn’t particularly busy but had a fine atmosphere. Our bartender was good, we had prompt service.
I was more than pleased with the craft beers on tap.
The menu was full of New Orleans style items that sounded good. I wasn’t feeling crazy so I ordered a cajun chicken sandwich with bacon. It was good, no complaints. We got our bill and made it to the show with perfect timing.

Update– I’ve been several more times since my last review and have had much better service. They also recently added done new menu items, Cochon fries, delicious. They also have some great drinks, lemon ice mojito was fantastic! Great place to enjoy food and drinks outside in downtown Kzoo :)

The Union is really hit or miss for me. I like the atmosphere. They have put out a new menu in the past year that has a lot more variety.
You can’t go wrong with the Artichoke Spinach Dip or the Lobster Fondue. The Caesar Salad is a head of romaine lettuce cut in half and surrounded by the other toppings. It looks nice on the plate, but I did not like having to cut my salad up. I have tried the brisket in the past and found it to be dry.
My main problem with The Union is the noise when a band is playing. The way the room is set up there is really no quiet place in the room to enjoy a meal and have a conversation.