Bar Divani

Pros:

Interior decoration and atmosphere is fancy and easy on the eyes. Selection of liquors more upscale than other bars.

Cons:

Everything else. Bar staff were no classier than employees at McDonalds. They horsed around the entire time, shouting jokes to each other while leaving my empty plate and glass to sit in front of me. To get drinks from the top shelf, they climbed up onto the shelf where they mix drinks, hanging onto the wall. There was zero attempt by bartenders to engage me in conversation, until I started chatting with the people at the bar next to me. Then, the bartenders would butt in and try to be a part of our conversation. The chef, when not in the kitchen, came out and sat at the bar near me and shared a drink with his buddy.

The food does not live up to the price. The lamb sausage looked and tasted like the cheap polish sausage you get at the grocery - tough, excessively salty, and very little flavor.

Dubstep and hip-hop played on the sound system the entire time. A grungy fellow who looked homeless came in and started dancing among the tables near the bar. An bartender pointed it out, but another bartender said he was a regular and that he should be allowed to continue to dance by himself to the hip-hop playing on the sound system.

This was our first visit.  My mom and I used a Groupon on a very slow Friday afternoon.  We loved the ambiance, drinks, and especially the food.  We had wonderful service too!  

Highlights:
White BBQ chicken flat bread with duck bacon!!
Lavender Vodka Lemonade

Bar Divani reminded me of a lounge style bar/restaurant in L.A.  It was a nice change of scenery.  Looking forward to our next visit to GR!

Bar Divani is an upscale restaurant in the bar district of Grand Rapids.  It has a good location and a decent ambiance.  Staff is helpful and attentive.  That's where the compliments end.

Visiting the restaurant this past weekend with a few friends, we came for drinks and a few small plates.  My wife and I split a small plate and 7 drinks and left with an $80 tab.  With their very limited beer list and stingy drink pours (a well-iced rum and coke goes for $6), this restaurant is priced for a much bigger city.

We shared small plates with other couples at our table and were not impressed with any of the food.  A small plate of lamb sausage was $15, dried out, and flavorless.  The ribs were slightly better, but the quality and portion size were not worth the price the other couple paid.  The point of small plates is to get several and try a variety.  The prices of these plates made that not an option.

Finally the ambiance.  The inside of the building is very nice, decorated as a wine cellar which is pertinent for their multiple wine tasting events.  However, the few times we've visited, the sports TVs have been the center of attention for the whole room, ruining the wine aficionado atmosphere that they have obviously spent a lot of time trying to cultivate.

Ultimately, I would say that the only saving grace of this restaurant is their reputation for wine tasting events.  But with other restaurants nearby that offer much larger wine selections with better food and a more affordable menu overall, why go here?