The Butter Run Saloon

I’ve been meaning to stop in for some time. I had a meeting close by around lunch time so we ate there. I had a Burger and Onion Rings, with a Samuel Adams. My wife had potato skins and Escargot. The food was good, not exceptional. Unfortunately, the service was a little below average. Our waitress was pleasant but just a step behind. We would ask for something and she would either forget or bring it late. However, both my wife and I enjoy a good Bourbon and didn’t have time to enjoy one, so we’ll be back.

Burger is your standard fare. Good eats for the price, through. I’ll be back to try the Reuben next!

Couldn’t have had a more negative experience this evening. I’m so disappointed because the Butter Run is a great local place that we usually enjoy but tonight as we celebrated my husbands birthday we had a Terrible experience. We had a group of 10 people and our service was beyond unacceptable. Jennifer was our sever, and after an evening of slow and incredibly rude service she had the audacity to come up and question our tipping amount!!! Her exact words were «I’m just checking, your only leaving me 14 $??» (This was for one bill, each couple had their own) now that was over 15% tip even though our service was slow and she complained anytime someone asked for anything. I understand it was a larger group, but it was a Tuesday night, not that busy, and her behavior was the worst and most disturbing thing I have encountered. So disappointed that this is how we celebrated my husbands birthday. Everyone left upset and angry. I’m saddened to not want to return to this local bar. Thanks for ruining the night Jennifer.

Great bloody, great Moscow Mule, decent breakfast, an okay lunch.
Bloody Mary keeps me coming back.

We’ve been here a few times and food has been consistently good. Corned Beef Sandwich is excellent. Wine list is surprisingly good. Service is spotty a best (the server seems confused), but forgivable in a small neighborhood restaurant.

Great place for food and drinks. A little divey place, you can tell the locals and regulars– but it doesn’t hinder your experience.
Known for their whiskeys and bourbons; but their beer is pretty stocked as well! All-​in-​all a great small place with big flavor and plentiful drinks.

We got a combination of of appetizers and some whiskey and both were great. Walked out happy on a Sunday night.

I had some breakfast here recently and ordered the eggs benedict. They were pretty good, however the hollandaise sauce was really cold, and almost gritty.
Also, the waitstaff seems a bit aloof. Almost as if they can’t handle waiting on multiple people.
I do enjoy the fact that I can go there any try basically any bourbon that I might desire.

Nice beer selection and soccer on TV. Tons of unique whiskeys also.

Going to try it again another night… hopefully better the second time around.

Solid local hangout. Great whisky selection. Not the best food I’ve ever had, but is always pretty good.

They have an excellent selection of whiskey and rye but everyone is drinking bottled beer, really! We had to ask the bar keep for the list. This could be so much more then a burger and beer joint!
«Could be“are the key words! It feels like another Gilbert’s —
bad food and every day beers

Their food is very good. If you like chili, their’s is top notch. There brunch is very good and inexpensive.
They have a very warm and friendly environment and the staff and food is great.

Stopped in last night for a drink and something to eat, wife needed a cup of their beef barley soup which is outstanding and I had the half sandwich with a cup of chili, they give you a choice of sandwiches and wasn’t sure which to choose so asked Jen our server and she recommended the roast turkey on toasted cranberry bread with cranberry relish… Crazy good
The servers are always friendly, the food is outstanding for a corner joint, the beer is always cold and the prices are super reasonable can’t ask for anything more

Best amaretto sour in town and the fried pickles are a diet cheat that is worth it! The fish and chips, Reuben, burgers, soups and salads have all been delish!

Ordered a pint of bud light and it was warm so I mentioned it to the waitress and she told me that the draft beers are warm… place sucks hole avoid

Sadly I’m updating my review with no so great info.
In the numerous times I have been back to Butter Run the service has increasingly gotten worse. I think last night was by far the worse.
The food and drinks are still great but the service… you’d be better off serving yourself.
Our waitress tonight was so slow and just not all together. I sure hope this trend ends and takes swing in a better direction.

Real food! No lunch meat! Roasted turkey. Cooked to perfection corn beef. Club is super! Love the turkey w/​cranberry relish, cranberry nut bread sooo very good! Reuben & corn beef sandwich yum! Steak fries well done are worth it. :)

Well, an employee reached out to me, and told me to take my extra star back, so… No problem! I aim to please…
In my prior review:
I complained that their menus are in three ring binders, unprofessional!
I complained that they have a badass popcorn machine that should be an awesome draw to their bar, but they choose to store menus in it instead, unprofessional!
I complained about the quality of beer on their «craft beer list», unprofessional!
And I complained about the quality of their food, again unprofessional!
Then one of their employees reaches out to me, and has this to say:
«Thank you for bumping us up a star however you can just keep it. I have read reviews by you about several different places and you are rarely happy and extremely hard to please. You should just cook and drink at home so everything Will B (pun intended) „perfect“. You don’t like how a menu is presented… as long as the food on that menu is good it really doesn’t matter what the menu looks like especially in a saloon! You mentioned the popcorn machine… well we are truly sorry that your visits were ruined because there are items in a popcorn machine that doesn’t get used anyway. I’m sure that reflects on how your food and drink is going to turn out. You don’t have to like our place but we and alot of others love it. Just don’t come back if it’s so bad for you… please! Because quite frankly I’m sick of you bashing us!!! Thank you and have a wonderful day.»
I’m really not that hard to please. I absolutely love Sai Thai, Little Z’s, and Achatz Burgers and Fries in St Clair Shores, all within a couple miles of this place, but the east side has very few, quality food/​service options, especially south of Hall road. Wise guys (just up the Street on Harper) does a pretty good job for bar food. What this guy fails to address is that fact that it wasn’t just the presentation and storage of the menu that I didn’t like, the food actually sucked too. Like I said, the baked potato was a warmed-​over, hard, soggy mess, the «house made» raspberry vinaigrette was thick and awful, and the iced tea was gross. Sorry if I don’t want your cooked 4 – 6 hour ago baked potato, your bad dressing, or your bad tea, sorry you hide from negative aspects about your food, by picking on smaller items in my review, but I’m most sorry for your lack of professionalism, which is what I have referenced in EVERY SINGLE REVIEW I HAVE MADE about this place, then you reach out to me and prove me right yet again, unprofessional!
Have no worries, I’ll never set foot in there again, and I travel in groups. I’m actually the one that suggested we give it another try last time I was in there, and brought 3 people with me. Never again, not if 20 people want to go and I’m the only dissenter, I’ll walk to somewhere with better food and service. You say that «some people» like your garbage? Good for you, and like I said in my prior review, literally ALL of those people are over 50. No one under 30 comes here, that is, no one with actively working tastebuds comes here, and for good reason.
Keep rejecting constructive criticism, and keep running people away from your establishment, and tell me how it works for you… Everyone else on that corner has failed in recent history, I don’t expect anything different for you. Ha, how’d that whiskey tasting «charity event» go for you guys last week at Barister Gardens? I’ll tell you how it went, thousands of people invited 2 confirmed on Facebook, and less than 10 groupons for the event were purchased. It was a huge bust, again, another unprofessional venture from your less than professional owner/​manager. Maybe I’ll like the next place that buys the joint.

Any e-​mail titled, «22 Best Bourbon Bars in the Country» has a guaranteed 100% open rate in my inbox. Vodka might be my wife, but bourbon is most definitely my sexy mistress.
Scroll list… Scroll list… Scroll list… WHAT?! Now I expected Kentucky and other southern state shout outs, but I’ll be damned… St. Clair Shores, Michigan. The place of my birth and less than a mile from my grandparents’ house. Sounds like as good of an excuse as any to pay gma and gpa a visit.
The food that I saw (and somewhat sampled) seemed average at best, but the bourbon menu? Solid. And extremely reasonably priced. The Basil Basil cocktail I ordered was strong and delicious. But not strong enough to prevent me from ordering a Four Roses Small Batch on the rocks. Holla!
In other news, I loved the atmosphere here, but was less than satisfied with the wait staff’s knowledge of the various whiskey offerings. If you’re one of the best bourbon bars in the country, your servers should probably know a thing or two about your drink menu, but she was super sweet, so I forgive her. And let’s be honest, after two of their drinks, I could have cared less if she told me there was no corn in their bourbon.
Butter Run (great story behind the name by the way), I just might be planning a few extra trips to see my grandparents on your account.