Some places, you just know you are going to like the minute you walk in. So it was with this bar. Bar Bar. Bar at Braun. 327. TBa327BC. Or just The Bar. That last one makes Eric Farrell, co-owner of The Bar at 327 Braun Court, laugh. “I would never have opened a bar and called it just ‘The Bar.’ That seems so pretentious. But some people do call it that.” We may not know what to call it, but we know that we like it.
A year after opening, The Bar at 327 Braun Court has settled into itself and its space. It’s the kind of place where you instantly feel at home – if your home has funky décor and a fetal shark on the bar. After a few visits, the bartenders and servers will welcome you back and greet you by name.
Owners Eric Farrell and Ted Kennedy opened the kind of bar that they wanted to drink in. You could call it an upscale dive bar. Or maybe an “artisanal” public house. The cocktails are well made, but not pretentious. The bartenders are knowledgeable but not opposed to pouring a beer and shot if that’s what your evening calls for. The cocktail menu has something for every taste, from an improved Whiskey Sour (the Royal Pain) to a gin and tonic with housemade tonic to the best White Russian in town.
What makes this bar extra special is the commitment to local beer. They could have skipped beer altogether or – even worse – slapped some Bud Light cans together and called it good. But they made it a point to focus on craft beer. Milan’s own Original Gravity was featured on tap the night we were there. The cooler boasted selections from Bells, Founders, Dark Horse, Shorts, Keweenaw and Motor City Brewing Works, along with a few non-Michigan options.
The atmosphere changes through the week. Come early on a weeknight and you’ll have a chance to soak up the scene, chat with your bartender or strike up a conversation with one of the regulars. If you’re hungry, they offer a simple menu of bar foods – like cured meat and cheese, chips and salsa and one of our favorites – a single hardboiled egg for $1. Look for the food menu to get even more interesting in upcoming months, as they partner with different chefs to offer a weekly rotation of unique eats. Right now that means Asian street food from San Street on Tuesday nights and brunch not only on Saturday, but Wednesday night as well.
We’ll let you in on one more secret about this place, and that’s the house punch. Boozy and delicious and only $5, it’s the best deal in town. But only on Thursday and Friday nights, so ride your bike, take the bus, drive (or, if you are Patti, walk about four blocks) over to this Kerrytown hotspot.
By Tammy Coxen and Patti Smith
The Bar at 327 Braun Ct
327 Braun Ct, Ann Arbor
(734) 585-5440
Facebook: 327 Braun Court
Hours: Tues – Fri 4 p.m. – 2 a.m.
Sat 10 a.m. – 2 p.m. (brunch), 7 p.m. – 2 a.m.
closed Sun & Mon