You know, I've been to Powell's twice now, and it's good for what it is. If you want a bar that serves well-mixed drinks, go to Sidetrack and shell out 8 bucks for it. Powell's has decent prices, (not amazingly cheap but never expensive, 3.00 drink specials and cheap pitchers of domestic beer,) a few surprisingly nice choices of beer on tap (Oberon, hard cider,) really nice bartenders, and a 40-something crowd on slow nights. It's not too loud on weeknights, so it's a good place to bring a friend and get wasted. Our motto here is "Go to Powell's if you're not looking to meet anybody." We go to Powell's when we want quick service, no wait, and a bill that won't break the bank.
Review Source:Pool tables,dartboards, and the ultimate laid back atmosphere...that's Powell's. Â Powell's is your friendly neighborhood dive bar, located right by Eastern Michigan University, but definitely NOT a student bar. Â What goes along with your friendly neighborhood dive bar? Â Well, that'd be cheap drinks and greasy food, and there is plenty to go around. Â They have some really unique mixed drinks and I have had quite a few good ones, along with a few questionable ones, too.
I don't come here that often, but every time I do I have good time. Â I wouldn't go out of the way for a visit, but if you're out in Ypsi and have nowhere else to go this is a good bet!
Located at 625 North Huron Street, just off the campus of Eastern Michigan University, Powell's Pub is your a typical all-American neighborhood bar. The atmosphere is rather dive-y, but it wasn't like that years ago.
Opened in the early 1949 by the Beaudette family as "George's Huron Inn," this was the place to come if you wanted a nice and quiet atmosphere to enjoy a drink after a long day at work, or taking graduate classes at Michigan State Normal College, which is today Eastern Michigan University. Moreover, the food selection back then was absolutely fantastic and offered a wide variety of items. They were noted as the best place to go for seafood, especially lobster from Maine that was always fresh.
What I remember best about the Huron Inn back then, was the piano playing at night. They had "Sing Along With Eddie" who would play the piano and everyone would sing with him, in a classic British Pub style setting. You name the song, Eddie could play it by ear, as he couldn't read music.
Around 1970, seafood was dropped from the menu selection, and they served more of a "meat and potatoes" type of fare. However, they offered great soup and sandwich selections for lunch and dinner. George's was noted for their cheeseburgers, and it was quite common for the kids at EMU to order them for pickup. Likewise, their freshly baked bread was to die for.
It was at the same time that George's Huron Inn started to become more like your typical neighborhood bar and grille. What I miss are the cute college girls in mini-skirts and Go-Go boots, who were the waitresses back then. As I write this, I wonder what happened to Cheryl and Helen who used to work there in the late 1970s? Nonetheless, those were the good old days, when you would hear college professors talking about all the places they traveled to around the world, or local politicians mentioning what projects would be coming to the area to make it a better place.
Food is a three, not much variety and not much that will not add to the poundage. Tasty-ish but I felt a little ugh afterwards. It was not worth the guilt except maybe for those pickles. Mmmm fried pickles. Not too spendy in here, lots of food and drink specials it seems, which of course I like.
Atmosphere here is congenial and local. Not too many students which is fine by an oldster like me. Other clientele were welcoming and charming to newbies, much appreciated here. Its just laid back here. No worries though, you will still get everything fairly quickly from the staff. You will likely feel right at home here right away.
Pool tables and dartboards provide some entertainment beyond people watching. Trivia night definitely is of interest. I will go back, maybe to try one of those cheesesteaks that Janis's husband likes while I try my luck at trivia with James.
Went over last evening for the first time. Â Parking lot needs serious snow and ice removal, very treacherous conditions. It also was somewhat difficult to locate the entrance door.
Once inside we found a small, friendly neighborhood bar. I do mean friendly. We were greeted as if we were regulars.
Pool tables, dart boards, video somethings and flat screens cover one wall and area. Small amount of table seating. The bar is long with ample seating and seems to be a preferred area by the regulars.
Not a big selection of draft beer,but I was happy with the Bell's Winter White. The food choices are most definately bar food fare. If fried and or microwave is not to your liking eat first or after your visit here. I personally enjoyed it and highly recommend the combo appetizer basket. It consists of onion rings, chicken fingers, mini tacos and cheesesticks. My S.O. found the cheese steak hoagie/fries to his liking.
So as Arnold said "I will be bach"!
I've been going to this place for a couple of months now for their Monday trivia night. Though our team does not always win, I always enjoy myself. The drink specials are to my delight (bucket O' PBR = $13). The bartendress, Jaimie, is very nice and attentive.
I went one Saturday afternoon to watch a Tiger game on one of their nice TVs. Different staff, different experience (lesser). Still OK for a neighborhood bar.
The beer selection is not what I'd like, but I just fool myself into thinking its 1965 or something.
Too bad the smoking ban has affected the true atmosphere.
I like it! Â I'm kind of jealous of Dan and Tara that they are walking distance from this bar. Â I'm also kind of baffled why I never discovered it while a grad student at Eastern. Â It's not a student bar at all, as they say, but it's right around the corner from where I always used to park, on Jarvis St. It would have been the perfect place to wind down with a drink after an evening class.
I appreciated dive-ery just as much then as now, and I'd like to think that I wouldn't have been a young fool (maybe a mid-twenties fool?), but perhaps I was just not ready yet to discover the totally laid back, accepting, sometimes entertaining (in that friendly-but-non-threatening drunk guy in a Carhartt jacket way) haven that is Powell's. I ran into a random friend (other than the friends I was meeting) there as well, which says good things to me.
Oh, also -- please note the black-light carpet. I have no idea why it's there, but it makes me think of a bowling alley, and I am somehow charmed by this. Extra points.
Yep, it's smoky, but the servers were plenty nice, and Monday night trivia (which is said to be a different crowd from most nights) was super-fun. Â I'll be back, for sure. Â And I might even venture to try the food! Â Who knows... I can see another star sneaking onto my rating given more time to get to know the place.
Still 4.75 stars, but I have to give the food a bit more attention! It's a limited menu, but the fried pickle spears are my favorite deep-fried thing these days. Definitely the best fried pickle in town (that means something in Ypsi). Sometimes they run a $10 pizza and pitcher combo, and really, the pizza is good. I prefer the thin crust, but I tried the thick crust last weekend and found it had a nice flavor. Again, burgers are not so great, but I'm basically avoiding burgers altogether these days.
Review Source:Powell's is one of my favorite dive bars. Â Prepare for secondhand smoke, surly but accommodating staff and a guy that shouts "jackass" at the athletes on television who earn his derision. Â I'm excited that Sarah was offered a drink by an inebriated gentleman. Â That sounds just like the Powell's I know. Â And Spencer is right that very few students frequent the pub despite its proximity to EMU. Â This is a quite a treat for Ypsilanti residents who want to hit the town without seeing giggling, immature fools. Â The crowd is always very laid back. Â Wild Bill hosts karaoke on Wednesdays and Saturdays.
If you're hungry, the food is consistently greasy. Â Try the fried pickles. Â They have specials everyday so something is always super cheap. Â Saturdays feature one dollar sloppy joes. Â Drinks are also quite affordable, but a bit watered down.
Powell's "Pub" is really more of a local neighborhood bar, kind of divey. They have a pool table and darts. It's my understanding that they host karaoke a couple nights a week, but I've never been there for it.
Drink prices are reasonable, though you won't find any exotic microbrews here. Though it's very near the Eastern Michigan University campus, the clientèle leans toward 30-something and 40-something couples and singles rather than students.
On a recent visit with a friend, we sat on some tall stools drinking beer and chatting. Toward the end of our stay, a drunk gentleman who appeared to be one of a group of regulars offered to buy us drinks, for no apparent reason. We turned him down since we both had to drive home, but I guess that tells you something about the friendliness of the customers.
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