We Finally Gave Hopcat a Try

A couple of weeks ago a friend and I decided to finally check out the much raved about Hopcat in Detroit. Coincidentally, on that particular night we were also heading to the last show at the Magic Stick. It seemed fitting to go to this new hot spot, like we were saying goodbye to the old Detroit while checking out the new Detroit. Even though I am all about the growth and expansion of our City, there is some lingering sadness that goes along with this advancement. So, I was somewhat skeptical about this new bar in Midtown. Well, now that I finally sucked it up and checked Hopcat out, I can't wait to go back.

Hopcat is a bar & grill that offers 130 craft beers on tap and hosts live music on select nights. As soon as I walked in the door, I was already into this place. In the center of the room there is a large wrap around bar featuring the many taps, while awesome works of art featuring some of Detroit's biggest names in music adorn the walls. My friend and I ventured in to Hopcat for dinner, but with over 100 beers on tap, how could we not order one? Our waiter was very knowledgeable of the beer selections and helped us navigate the list a bit. There were a bunch local favorites on there, like Ghettoblaster and Loonie Kuhnie, but also quite a few that I've never heard of. The list is constantly changing too. So this is a great place for beer connoisseurs to visit, and with new selections all of the time, you have a reason to keep going back.

On to the food. We were absolutely starving so we decided to start out with an appetizer. We ordered the Buffalo-Blue Pretzel Nuggz. I have been dreaming about them ever since. They are bite size soft pretzels, covered in hot sauce, and sprinkled with blue cheese crumbles. Absolutely delicious. This is a great alternative to boneless wings for all of you vegetarians, and they were a super tasty treat for meat lovers too. Since I am a meat eater, for my meal I decided to go old school and try a burger with the infamous Hopcat Crack Fries. It definitely was a good burger! And the fries were delicious. At first I wasn't sure why they called them crack fries. I mean, they're good. Well, once I was almost done with my fries and just wanted more of their delicious cracked pepper, potato-y goodness, I understood. I was hooked. My friend got the Reuben Kincaid, which was a vegetarian take on the Reuben sandwich, featuring porter mushrooms, sauerkraut, grilled red onions, spinach, Swiss cheese & Thousand Island dressing. A great option for vegetarians, but this carnivore also thought it was awesome and very filling.

When we first walked up to Hopcat, we really didn't know what to expect. We figured there would probably be a long line and we might not even get in. We were pleasantly surprised when we were immediately seated and we quickly were happy with our decision to give this place a try. Definitely some good food and cool vibe. Now this leaves me curious about the Huma Room, where Hopcat features live music. I will definitely be going back soon to check out that part of this new Detroit bar. For a list of their upcoming shows and events click here.

Hopcat Detroit is located at 4265 Woodward Ave. in Detroit, just kitty-corner from the Majestic. They are open Monday thru Saturday from 11 a.m. 'til 2 a.m. and on Sunday from 10 a.m. 'til 2 a.m. On Saturdays and Sundays they offer a special brunch menu as well. To see a beer list and to take a peek at the menu, head over to Hopcat.com/Detroit.

~C