Woodward Avenue Brewers Menu

  • Appetizers
  • Nachos
  • Flat Bread Pizza
  • Soups
  • Big Bowl Salads
  • Side Salads
  • Quesadillas
  • Burritos
  • Tacos
  • Loose Burgers
  • Boca Burgers
  • Wraps
  • Hot Oven Grinders
  • Sandwiches
  • Beverages

Healthy Meal suggestions for Woodward Avenue Brewers

  • Appetizers
  • Nachos
  • Flat Bread Pizza
  • Soups
  • Big Bowl Salads
  • Side Salads
  • Quesadillas
  • Burritos
  • Tacos
  • Loose Burgers
  • Boca Burgers
  • Wraps
  • Hot Oven Grinders
  • Sandwiches
  • Beverages

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Sorry, We are updating this restaurant cholesterol menu details.

  • Kristin G.

    Beer=mediocre, Food=mediocre. But I keep coming back. Why? I like the casual feeling of the place. It's easy. It's fun. I've had some really great nights out with friends here. If you want a spot to meet up with a friend and catch up on things, it's a great spot. They have a nicely stocked juke box and a pool table & photo booth. Their "thing" is license plates, which are peppered all over the walls and even the menus are made with them. It's location is perfect: on Woodward just south of 9 mile. Right in the heart of Ferndale. Mondays rock, they have 1/2 off all food items after 4pm. My hubs and I like to split the "Topopo" Salad. It comes in a GIANT mixing bowl type salad bowl. It's salad greens mixed with black beans, jack cheese, tortilla strips and salsa. The dressing is really nice and creamy meets tangy with tomatillo and avocado. It's not going to blow your mind, but it's tasty and a great price for the amount of food you get. As for beers, my "go to's" are the Custom Blonde and the Ruby Lager. I'm not a big fan of sweet beers but lots of my gal pals like the Raspberry Blonde. Give em a try, decide for yourself!

    (3)
  • Rachel W.

    I love 1/2 off food on Mondays! I think the beer is great (I love the Custom Blonde) and really enjoy their food selection. Sometimes it feels as if they are short staffed... the servers always look like they are bustin' their buts trying to get to all of the tables. My fav menu item: the Mexican dishes! YUM! They are all great!

    (4)
  • Shelby H.

    They were all out of raspberry blonde, which I was bummed about. We tried the custom blonde and it was good but nothing to write home about. We both got sandwiches and they were disappointing to say the least. I got the cashew turkey sandwich and it looked (and tasted) like something I could have thrown together in my own kitchen in two seconds. It was two pieces of regular loaf bread with turkey lunch meat, some melted cheddar, some shredded iceberg lettuce, and whole cashews thrown onto it. As we were walking out, I saw someone with a salad that looked good. They serve it in a big wooden bowl. The service and environment were both good. I'd go back another time to taste some beers, but I likely won't order food again.

    (3)
  • Maureen M.

    This updated review is for their special events only. As I mentioned, my husband and I met here 10 years ago. I was looking for a good excuse to have a party, so I thought we'd throw one here for our anniversary. Staci, the manager, was great to work with. She responded to all of my emails & silly questions quickly. The events menu looked great. The prices seemed very reasonable. I was concerned about ordering enough food, & Staci was very helpful in making suggestions. We could only reserve the upstairs area near the pool table & photo booth, which ended up being okay even though I really wanted to set it up downstairs. There is no fee to reserve the space & it was ours all night. The only downside was that there are 2 huge windows & the sun was beaming in, making it very warm. We ordered: Mini Franks in pastry (50 pcs): super tiny, but tasty. They were gone within the 1st hour, & less than 15 guests at this point. Mini Quesadillas (30 pcs/order: Chicken Avocado & Beef w/ Green Chile) They were small, and kind of skimpy on the filling. These were not cheap, & a little disappointing. Pinwheel Sandwiches (120 pcs): These were also super tiny, but a ton of them. No one knew what kind they were & a little apprehensive. I couldn't remember what they were either, but I knew they'd be good & they were. People dug into them later. Cheese Display: Holy crap. There were 3 kinds of cheese, & a TON of it. They were small little cubes. I think this was a waste of money & cheese. There was so much left over at the end of the night, & people ate plenty. The only reason I know that is because the crackers were disappearing. You'd never know from looking at the cheese. Vegetable tray: They forgot to bring this out, & I forgot I ordered it. They brought it out later, after people had already been munching. It looked great, & the ranch was yummy. Too bad there was a lot left over for this too. Mexican Display: 3 dips, Black Bean, White Bean, and Garden Fresh's Mild Artichoke Salsa w/ chips. I'm pretty sure there was a 4th one...and I have no idea what it was, but it was damn good. Everyone ate the shit out that dip. They were all afraid of the bean dips because they didn't know what they were. No adventurous eaters here! You'd think that was enough food for 30 people. Absolutely not. I ended up ordering 2 more trays of quesadillas, reubens (28 little sandwiches), and pizza (30 pcs). I am shocked at how much these people ate! I am kicking myself for ordering more quesadillas because they were expensive & I didn't realize it. I just wanted to get something out there quickly because food was gone & still had plenty of people coming. I should've taken the bartender's suggestion and ordered carry-out pizza! She said it wasn't a problem. Damn it. I was pleasantly surprised at how good the reubens are. I don't like sauerkraut. I ate it anyways and liked the sandwich a lot. Too bad all of the bottom pieces of bread stuck to the pan. The pizza was pretty good as well. The other disappointments: We never had a waitress. Granted, we were very close to the bar, but we had plates everywhere. I think I saw 1 waitress come by & pick some up the entire night. We paid an 18% gratuity, so I think we should've had a waitress. It's my own fault for assuming we would, and not asking. I really hope that tip goes to the cooks & whoever set the area up. I was constantly refilling our soda pitchers because my husband's family doesn't drink alcohol & they were drinking that stuff like it was going out of style. Every time I turned around, they were empty. The photobooth kinda sucks. It's $3/strip. The quality is not very good & blotchy. The strips kept getting stuck, and there are lines going through every single one of them. We tried to wait as long as possible to let them dry, but it didn't matter. I realize that the old school photobooths aren't supposed to be great quality, but nowadays, it's super easy to build a photobooth & get the software for it. As the night was wrapping up, my husband went to the bar to settle our tab. I walked downstairs with my stepbrother & his girlfriend out to their motorcycle. As we got to the door, the manager on duty (Ray, I think), frantically asked me if he could cash me out before I left. Ummm....really? He thought I was walking out on that big of a tab after being there ALL night (7pm-1am), & they had our credit card. Silly man. I'll cut him a little slack for getting more food to our party quickly. Masha was our bartender, & she was really cool. They have this Swedish Fish vodka drink that was AWESOME. Staci sent me an email thanking me for having the party there. I responded with some feedback from the night. Sadly, she has not responded. I'm disappointed. Overall, everyone said the food was great, and really enjoyed the party. Would we do it again...no, not with food. WAB still has a special place in our hearts.

    (3)
  • Peggah G.

    I'm not a beer person. I'm not really a bar person (especially if there isn't a trivia game, or a computer trivia thing). I'm definitely not that into this bar on a Saturday night. Went there for a 'birthday party' and it was pretty crowded. Everywhere you stood you were pretty much in the way of someone else. It was loud and smokey, like most bars. The decor was pretty nice, but the food list left me unsatisfied. I know I'm picky, but I like when some places have something I'd want to eat. The prices seemed decent for the food, and okay for the beer. The only reason I'm giving this place an A-Ok, is because on my way out I saw a photo booth. I'm not sure if it functions, but I definitely approve. Also, since I am a bit on the anti-social side, I didn't care for knowing nobody. Especially since everyone there seemed to know everyone else.

    (3)
  • Dea A.

    The beers get 1 stars for flavor and 3 for creativity (but failing). The raspberry blonde tastes like a flavorless cider, it was a boring chick-friendly beer (if you hate how beer tastes, you might enjoy this beer). The vanilla porter is sweet and disgusting with an artificial vanilla aftertaste. The hefe-weizen wasn't even worth finishing. The food was a big pile of "meh". The menu was trying to be Tex-Mex, which is so odd, because none of their beers on the menu catered to Mexican food. The produce they served is actually quite fresh (the only reason it gets 2 stars and not 1). It's just so boring. It's so ... Qdoba / Chipotle. What struck me odd is the scene. There wasn't a single attractive person there. Was it because it was 50% off food night and the beastly people come out? Was I just in a bad place (ground floor)? I NEED SOME EYE CANDY WHILE I AM EATING PEOPLE! It's a BAR! Maybe they were at the Emory? Oh, right, and the bathrooms. You know what I never need to see? The n-word written all over the bathroom stalls. Ladies, ladies, ladies! NOT CLASSY!

    (2)
  • Jessica S.

    Yeeeeesh, WAB.... what happened? When I lived in the Ferndale-area, this was like, our default spot on Monday nights. The bartender was an acquaintance of ours, it wasn't terribly far from the house, the prices were decent as was the beer selection, they have pool tables, food, that funny little photo booth and an alright jukebox.... not a bad spot to hang. Admittedly, it had been about 2 years or so since the last time I had set foot into the WAB. Not for any particular reason; it just hadn't come up on the list of "Places to Go" within our social circle. We got in a little after Midnight on a Wednesday evening a couple of weeks ago. The place was DEAD. Literally, 4 other people in the whole place-- 2 of which were friends of ours that we were meeting there. Whatever. Not a dealbreaker by any means. We all grabbed seats at the bar and ordered drinks. I was pleased to see that the Raspberry Blonde was still on tap, and happily ordered a pint of my old favorite, as well as an order of the chips and salsa (Garden Fresh, yeah!) for our group to nibble on. (If it would have been earlier, I would have opted for the taco salad. OMG, with a little extra dressing, so yummy!) The service was spot-on, the chips and salsa were delicious... the beer? Ugh. Wow. Definitely did not taste like I remembered. I nursed my pint for about an hour and 15 minutes, just trying to make it through. (Awoke the next morning with a nasty headache as well :( After one beer... whaaa??) The little photo booth seems to have seen better days as well. Took 20 minutes for our strip of photos to develop, and when they did come out, the ink was smeared and the photos were so dark you could barely see them. That thing needs some serious service work done, or it just plain needs to be put out to pasture. Extra creepy points for the short, brown-haired guy who spent most of his time either behind the bar, seemingly glaring at us (maybe the 6 of us coming in ruined his plans to go home early?) or walking around looking pissed off. Oh, and he actually locked the doors on 2 of us while we were outside smoking-- after we specifically asked the bartender if we could go outside and smoke and not get locked out, seeing as it was right around last call. We had to call one of our friends who was upstairs sitting at the bar to come down and let us back in. Kinda rude there, chief! (That's right, I called ya 'chief.') Props to Masha for the great service. She's the only reason this isn't a 2-star review. Other than that, a very disappointing experience.

    (3)
  • Andrea R.

    I was here with a bunch of Detroit yelpers on Monday night- a great list of beers and half priced food on Monday nights! And so I did the unthinkable...I ordered a glass of chardonnay and didn't order anything to eat. My reasoning: 1) I absolutely hate beer. Tried to like it for years and have decided I'm just a wine/hard alcohol type of gal 2) I just ate enough for 10 people at Slow's before coming here and there was absolutely no room for food...even very affordable half priced food! So I probably didn't get the true experience of WAB, but from what I saw I liked. It was very busy (especially for a Monday night), but we were lucky enough to score a table for 10 or so fabulous yelpers. Everyone seemed to enjoy their drinks and while it didn't appear that anyone was blown away by the food i did hear murmurings that it was well worth the price on that particular evening. And our waiter did a nice job of keeping the drinks flowing throughout the night. My one complaint is that I guess Detroit still allows smoking in bars because I woke up the next morning smelling like an ashtray (lovely), but the entire state is to blame for that one...so no fault of WAB. I can see why this is a popular spot for people in Detroit...hey, I'd be a regular on Monday nights just for the affordable grub!

    (4)
  • Tara Z.

    Okay, so maybe I was a bit too drunk by the time I finally went inside to really appreciate this place, but major points from me for sponsoring the Pig and Whiskey festival. The staff was so helpful--my friend and I traveled down for the festival, so we called the brewery in advance for hotel suggestions in the area. They even remembered us when we actually showed up for the festival!

    (4)
  • Craig S.

    A lot has already been said, but I have to add that the microbrews at this place are awesome. If you're looking for something fun to do with friends, you might want to try the try grabbing one of the long booths (plenty of room for all). A personal favorite is the Raspberry Blonde, no it isn't a waitress, it is the tastiest of all the micro brews here : ) Also be sure to get Jugs....jugs jugs jugs...no not what your thinking...whoa first the Dirty Blonde and now jugs, you people reading this have a dirty mind lol. I was referring to the half gallon jug "growler" of tap micro brew that you can buy for only $12 each, and save the jug because refills are always $10. Note you are all dirty people thinking about a cheap $10 dirty blonde with jugs...naughty naughty. As and added note I do highly recommend as a snack the Triple Cheese sandwich (it has pesto, 3 cheeses of course, tomato and onion on a grilled focaccia) served with chips and a pickle spear. I've never had a bad experience at this place and I've been to it atleast 20 times since moving to area. This is exactly what you'd expect in a tasty microbrew spot. Thumbs Up !!!

    (4)
  • Chanell S.

    The WAB is like an old friend (one that you generally like but don't need to see every weekend). Though this place doesn't blow me away, they offer a great deal with their 1/2 Off Food special on Monday nights. I don't think I would go any other day though.

    (3)
  • Angie J.

    Subpar service and food. Beer is great though. Mondays are half off food. We only go on Mondays now. Our server tonight was *horrible*. We're used to the service not being very good, but this topped it. Our waitress actually rolled her eyes at us when we asked for a to-go box. Stale, cold, and tasteless food. I guess they figure that the more beer you drink, the better the food will taste?

    (2)
  • Jennifer B.

    During my most recent visit (09.10.11) my date ordered the chicken and avocado quesadilla, which was incredible. (The table next to us actually interrupted our conversation to ask about it because it looked and smelled amazing.) Disappointing was the bruschetta that I recommended. It was served on toast. You read the correctly - not a nice Italian bread or French banquette but a piece of toast that you would use to prepare your kid's PB&J. THE BOOZE I like that they carry local stuff though I always get the beer. * My date got the raspberry blonde to start and it tasted mostly of rasberries. A little fruity for our taste. * I love the ruby ale and it's all I get. * The pale ale is also pretty tasty. The beer menu isn't as extensive as other area microbrews but for the price, location (walking distance from my house!) and overall vibe, it's worth coming back. PERFECT DATE LOCATION I've found this is the perfect 2nd date location, or perfect place for a nightcap. (Example, during a different visit, a date and I had dinner at Anita's and two beers at WAB to cap the evening.) The atmosphere, good service and pretty decent menu make it a great place to be yourself and get to know someone. GROUPS I've also been with a group and found that just as fun and the staff as accommodating. In this case, it was the micro-brew meeting group so I didn't know anyone particularly well. One person drank too much - he was quiet but slurring his words - and I was impressed that our waiter was attentive enough to cut him off. It saved all of us the challenge of that conversation.

    (4)
  • Fran D.

    Terrible terrible beer. I cannot say this enough. Vanilla porter and raspberry wheat being the worst - obviously brewed using too many artificial extracts. I live down the street so if I find myself here, I drink the guest tap. Food isn't great, either, but if you're into the hipster scene then this might be your spot. If this place was BYOB, it would be awesome.

    (2)
  • Chris D.

    WAB is a brilliant gem in a scruffy setting - and it shines. The upstairs / downstairs arrangement with the Loving Touch pool hall makes it even better. The basics are all there: The beers are solid, but not genius. The Fall Ale had some sort of haze issue, which the bartender noticed and swapped out for a better one without me even asking. The pale ale is solid and tasty as well. Foods are all accounted for, with a generous thought given to vegetarians - unusual for pub fare. I've never had anything less than solid, friendly service here. I really enjoy watching people. The clientele are broadly "hipster," but with a wonderful Detroit edge. 20 somethings, 30 somethings, and a few 40+ folks mingle, chat, and drink their worries away. Obscure music plays, and wireframe christmas trees hang from the ceilings to celebrate - perhaps - some pagan holiday known only to Ferndale.

    (4)
  • Jennie C.

    Best Bloody Mary of my life. Phil should be knighted. Here's what it is: A tall, perfectly mixed beverage with a killer garnish--THREE olives on a tiny plastic sword (and let's be honest: they should always be on a sword), slices of crispy cucumber hanging off the glass, and a pickle spear in the drink. The guy next to me at the bar volunteered that NOTHING about this drink appealed to him, and I countered that everything he hated was exactly what I loved about it. If it were nutritionally possible, I would try to survive on pickles and olives alone. To each his own, dude. Cheers! To the most polarizing beverage the world has ever known!

    (5)
  • Brian M.

    The goods: Great spot, right on Woodward. Place was busy, but sat down right away. Very clean dining room, with a cool vibe. License plate menus! Beers are good with growlers available to go. :D Rueben was good, but slightly on the small side. I suggest a "pint-o-rods" for an app. Cheap and tasty, with 3 kinds of mustard to dip your pretzels in. Service was fast. Prices are good. The Bads: Normal burgers are not on the menu? (Guess I have to go to the Emory for that.). I liked the beers on the guest taps better than their beers. The verdict: I've been here on several occations through the years, and never had a bad time. Good food, good beers, good service. That said, I feel like this place could be so much better than good, but they aren't. Oh well, maybe someday.

    (3)
  • Andrew R.

    Not bad, but not too great I always seem to have a good time when i come here, but it has more to do with my friends then the bar itself. The beers are good, but they don't rotate their selection enough/at all. The food is OK, but nothing really to talk about. Finding a seat here is always a pain in the ass, no matter how big or small your party might be and the waitstaff ranges from great to horrible.

    (3)
  • Mike D.

    What can I say about a place that makes their own beer.. quite a bit actually, but most of it isn't good. The beer is so pedestrian and bland, its not even funny... Most people who drink beer think its great, but I guess any step up above drinking a Bud Light would taste like a liquid orgasm to them. To me, Bud Light is like fermented baby piss. The beer here is better than the baby piss in a bottle, but its nothing special. Most of the beers taste like they have had too much water added to them, so they have this watered down light feeling in your mouth, like something should be there but really isn't. I guess when I think of beer, I want a beer with some body and taste and all that... The food is another story.. not sure who they have back there cooking, but they need to stop watching the food channel, cause they cant cook. I'm very picky about food and I dont expect 3 star Michelin dining from a Brewery, but I do expect something that actually has taste to it beyond just the bland and boring.. their beer and food have one thing in common, they both are tasteless. Service is sub par and you get too many of the hipster douche bags floating around there. I guess if your palate is that of a 6 year old or you dont expect much from things you ingest, then go here.. If you want something more special and different... get the hell out of Ferndale and away from trying to be seen as someone who is cool and hip, if you were cool and hip, you wouldn't go where all the masses go.

    (2)
  • Rett A.

    Very cool and unique local brewery. There are two different seating areas. We sat in the upstairs lounge at the bar. The designs in the building are super cool. Give it an updated yet rustic feel. Very hipster atmosphere. Food and drinks were well priced, and tasted incredible. I got one of the daily special sandwiches. It was super unique and tasted delicious!

    (5)
  • Taylor A.

    I went to the WAB last night after walking around downtown Ferndale. A friend and I were just looking for a place to have a beer and an appetizer. The beer was alright, the food was mediocre, and the service could have been better. I will go back and try some pizza and give this place another chance.

    (2)
  • Jessica Y.

    Yikes, this place has yet to deliver. Mediocre food. Mediocre prices. Mediocre beer. I just think their quality has slipped and there are far better places in the area. They can accommodate large groups which is a plus and have a prime location but that can't carry you forever. I hope they up their game!

    (2)
  • Allison F.

    The WAB has some great specials, which is the main reason I've visited. For example, every Sunday, all their beers are only $2. Their happy hour, which runs Monday through Friday from 3pm-7pm, offers a slice of pizza, a beer and a shot of Jim Beam for only $10. Would I come here without HH prices? Probably not. The service is lackluster, with servers hiding in the back rather than ever coming to check on customers. Also, the beer is good, but not great. Their Raspberry Blonde is an easy-drinker and I really like it, so I stick with that one. My husband has tried them all, and as a homebrewer, can make tastier and more complex brews. Check it out for happy hour, but skip it if you're looking for great service and a huge selection of beers.

    (3)
  • Gary B.

    Two story building off Woodward Top level is a bar with taps, lower level is able to open up to air with sidewalk seating. The house beers range from okay to good. The happy hour prices are good. The food is lower end pub but well made. A fun vibe in a simple setting.

    (3)
  • Mashia K.

    The service I just received was so terrible. The guy forgot to put my order in so I waited almost an hour for wings. Then I told him to just box it up, while im looking at it in the kitchen and it took him another 7mins.... Not acceptable.

    (1)
  • Gary R.

    A pretty good menu that leans towards Mexican food but I like that! Plus, there are tons of vegetarian options so everyone should be able to find something to order. I tried the chicken and avocado quesadillas which, on the surface sounded awesome but were less than memorable. I wouldn't recommend them. However, the tostadas were huge and a big hit as was the california wrap and the pesto chicken grinder. Huge! But what would keep me coming back is the beer. And the Detroit Maiden IPA was really good. And at $3 a pint before 7:00? Perfect!! I'm a fan!!!!

    (4)
  • Albert K.

    This is the the bar that introduced me to Ferndale. It may have lost its luster over the years because of all the shiny new and trendy places that have popped up in the Fern, but it is still a solid bar. I think much of the hate is based more on the fact that it had the audacity of becoming popular. Back in the day you could walk into this place on a Thursday night and grab a seat pretty easily, have a bite, shoot pool and listen to music without much trouble. Eventually, this became impossible, with the explosion of the Ferndale bar scene. It was like those people who got pissed at the Black Eyed Peas or Liz Phair for going mainstream. To those people, I say, "Get over it." They had a solid selection of craft beer, good booze, solid views of the area, interesting seating, an eclectic jukebox and reasonable eats. It is not a place looking for accolades, it is just a bar and judging it on this basis, I don't see how you could knock it down to a three.

    (4)
  • Michele A.

    I am adding a stay because the food was much better this time. The pizza we got was hot and tasty with lots of cheese. We also got the dessert pie which was amazing with strawberries and chocolate. The only issue was it took 30 min to get! Our server never told us it would take that long or that it was a pizza pie in dessert form. Service is still super slow and our water was never refilled. He pretty much only came by to drop off food otherwise we had to flag someone down to get another round of drinks.

    (3)
  • Angela W.

    We drove out of our way to get here after church, and it was just ok. Apparently their menu had changed a lot since the last time we had come here, because my husband's favorite, the quesadilla, the ONLY reason we came here from Redford, was not on menu that was handed to us anymore. We don't drink beer, so I can't tell you how the brew is, but my husband and son weren't fans of their root beer. (It could be because they're not used to home brewed type of soda.) My daughter thought her kid's pizza was ok. My husband didn't like his meatball sub. My son couldn't get his mouth around his huge sandwich (not that it's a bad thing at all. ;) but I enjoyed my Balsamic chicken sandwich with tomato soup instead of fries or chips. If we head back out to that part of town again from Ypsi, I'd probably pick somewhere else, like the Emory across the street......that is, unless they bring that quesadilla back.

    (3)
  • Jessie G.

    Ok so I'm a hophead, therefore I thought I was gonna not like this place. Boy was I wrong. I love the decor in here. They have a new menu and it is a delightful one. The flights here aren't the best but the service is top notch! Kareoke night always catches me off guard but nevertheless I always love it here.

    (4)
  • Alyssa R.

    I'm sure I wrote a review for the WAB. In fact, I distinctly remember writing it in my car right after I ate there... A small recap of my experience... I went here after their menu revamp and was super excited to try their food. The menu looked cool. The food sounded good. It had all of the makings for a fresh new start. Pre-revamp...The WAB in my book has just been "OK". They weren't horrible, but they weren't awesome. I honestly never go here unless a friend wants to, BUT I was willing to try it again because of their revamp and the food descriptions. The following is the nice version of my review since my other disappeared... I ordered two gluten free pizzas and a mushroom appetizer (balsamic, goat cheese, and spinach). The gluten free pizzas , both the WAB bahn mi and the Optimus primavera were really quite horrible. They lacked toppings, i.e., they didn't have enough to actually cover the whole crust... And the crust was no Rene's Gourmet Pizza... When you think of pizza, you think... Warm, fluffy, cheesy deliciousness. Was it that? No. No it was not. It was like a hard, stale, thick, cornmeal cookie. I was really sad we ordered two pizzas and even sadder when I got the bill and saw how much it was. It was not worth it. I had high hopes for them. With gluten free and vegan options popping up in more dining establishments one would think this would be spot on considering their menu boasts these options. Oh, and the appetizer was slimy and soaked with balsamic. The spinach didn't seem fresh at all. I didn't think that those ingredients could be bad... I eat everything and anything and... I walked out of this place with my boxes of leftovers in hand (I debated whether to leave them there but it was so damn expensive) and tossed them in the garbage outside. I know this seems harsh but... Unfortunately it's all true. Now to give them their due... They have an awesome venue. It's really a nice place to dine and look out over woodward. Also, I am aware that maybe their regular gluten menu is delicious... But alas I will never be able to try that. I would love it if they could do their vegan and gluten free options better. Hope they make it...

    (1)
  • Sandy V.

    Cool atmosphere, nice beers on draft for a decent price. Good for large groups. We had a birthday party there that was a lot of fun. Service was standard. Food was standard. Easy to meet and talk to other people inside.

    (5)
  • Sameera G.

    So I left my phone and wallet at the bar. And then walked to another bar. Christian, handsome fancy vest wearing barkeep, followed us to the second bar to deliver forgotten phone and wallet. SO NICE. Attentive service too. Go WAB.

    (5)
  • Christine R.

    5 stars for raspberry blonde beer! I have been CRAVING it since attending the UYE in Jan. I finally made a trip back with my hubby tonight after fattening up in Hamtramck. Its a great location, great vibe, decent food, and fantastic beer. It was slow on a Thursday night, which was perfect for us. Who craves beer, honestly? I sound like an alcoholic, but this beer makes the WAB :)

    (5)
  • Jessica S.

    I'm a big fan of chill places where you can have a decent beer & some good veggie friendly meals. This place did it with their laid back style & very ecclectic menu. In a great location and I already know I'll be back this weekend for some raspberry blondie and a session in the photo booth.

    (4)
  • Heather J.

    The rumour goes the WAB recently underwent major changes due to the involvement of the owners. On a cold evening during the dinnertime rush in January, prime time to see all sorts bellying up, the bar had an almighty two people. What happened to this cornerstone of Ferndale dining? You need only look so far as the menu. Gone are the kitschy menus squashed between vintage Michigan license plates with a broad assortment of quesadillas, nachos, grinders, and sandwiches served up using chips. The missing items were part of the kitchen's charm and sorely lacking in replacements. Now the paper menus are clotted by a strange assortment of pizzas, and very limited supply of sandwiches, salads, and appetizer combos. Sandwiches are served up with noodles or salads, which may serve to please the vegans, but noodles rarely go well as a side with a tasty pint of beer. My fellow diners and I were mildly repulsed by the kitschy candied bacon served in a mason jar without even a properly sealing lid. The meat tasted too salty and sweet, lacking any sort of caramelized or sugared quality. I'm Canadian, and my country's bacon tolerance is long indeed. How can you possibly mess up bacon? Additionally one of the members of my party ended up with the equivalent of dry, flavourless ground beef served as a side with the equally tasteless beer cheese soup and a dry baguette that probably counted as the best part of the meal. Advertise something as beer and cheese, it best have some beer flavour. If the WAB's signature brew is anywhere in there, they simply stood a pint beside the tureen and counted themselves done. The beer used to be the mainstay of the place, considering B in stands for brewers. They still have many of their signature drinks on tap; the blonde continues to mark the high point on the menu, which makes this a rather fancy watering hole and not a whole lot more. Snacks blend fairly badly with the daily assortment out there. Once upon a time WAB partnered to Treat Dreams and Valentine Vodkas, though these combinations are sparse and far between. I do not recall seeing any Valentine offerings, not surprising given the entry of Valentine Vodka into a proper distillery up the road last year. Given the venue, it hasn't much changed. A wide variety of tables and oddly shaped booths fill out the second floor bar area, and seating for large crowds can be accommodated given a bit of forewarning. The latest renovation squashed more booths along the windowfront, sensible given Woodward Avenue is a prime slice of real estate at any time of the year. Rolling doors still give a superb patio in the summer, and its location is a frequent haunt for festivals like Pig & Whiskey and food truck rallies. There's an old adage: if it ain't broke, don't fix it. I don't know what prompted the WAB to undergo a major change, considering the Mexican-heavy menu was pretty tasty and trustworthy. Changes to personnel suggest deeper meddling than updating the offerings. Given stiff competition along 9 Mile from One-Eyed Betty's and the Emory, I can't justify coming in here anymore. Look elsewhere for a decent meal.

    (2)
  • Carole H.

    On a cold snowy Saturday night, a couple girlfriends and I were tired from a long day and looking to grab a bite somewhere in Ferndale and then head out of there before the nightlife bar crowd filled in for the night. We stopped by 2 other places that were packed out the door with people before heading just across Woodward to the WAB, which was oddly not crowded at all. I'd been here before in some years past, but being that I don't live on this side of town, sometimes forget about it. The upstairs is clean, and warmly lit. Our server - whose name I can't recall - was attentive and pleasant as can be. The menu was a lot smaller than I remembered, which surprised me - mostly pizza, calzones, and a few sandwich offerings. But, even out of those few options there were a couple things that caught my eye. I ended up settling on a sandwich with turkey pastrami (which you don't always find on a sandwich menu) and other delicious fixings I can't quite remember, but man was it good. Came with a cup of tortilla soup that hit the spot just right. As we stayed and chatted after our meal, we saw the place filling up as the evening got later. Even after we cashed out, our server kept returning to check in on us, refill waters, etc. As I left I found myself thinking that I need to keep the WAB in mind more often, because we really had a great dinner here.

    (5)
  • Blaise B.

    Nothing about the WAB wows me, but it is a solid place to spend some time in Ferndale. The wine they have is as cheap as it gets, yet is still $5 a glass. I can buy a whole bottle of that stuff for $5. I hear the beer is good, but I don't like beer so I have to rely on hearsay for that. The food is decent. I feel like the menu is too small.

    (3)
  • Jen Z.

    This place used to be great back in the day. I remember when you couldn't find a place to sit on a Friday night! Now, all the good bartenders quit. The place is dirty, beat up, and tired. It badly needs a facelift. They've gone through a few menu generations over the last 5 years and nothing seems to stick. They aren't a very good pizza place so I'm not sure why that is the direction they went. I miss the big salad bowls, nachos and the yummy sandwich rollups from Ann Arbor. The turkey chili was the bomb! Their menu used to be fresher and healthier. The beer has always been there mainstay. I tried to get a keg for a party once and they told me no. I think that's always kind of miffed me.

    (2)
  • Caleb Y.

    At this time in Michigan being a craft/micro-brewery is a hard thing to be the best at since there are so many. I was unimpressed overall. The beer was okay, but it all tasted a little 'thin' to me - kind of watery. I just guess I have had many beers I enjoy a heck of a lot better - and not even too far away from this establishment. Also, I was unimpressed by the feel of the space. Seemed kind of dirty/grungy. Perhaps this is the feel they desire, but I did not like it. There are a lot of other watering holes in the surrounding area where I would rather drink a beer at.

    (2)
  • Kate U.

    This place is good! I have a few friends that live in Ferndale and have been here a few times to sit outside on the patio for lunch. First off, the location is awesome- it's a great people watching spot right on Woodward. You definitely won't get bored waiting for your food. I was a little disappointed with the beer that I had, I'm more of a fan of less hoppy beer and mine was really hoppy. I've heard the raspberry beer is the beer to get. Will need to try that next time. I had the burger with fries, and was pleased with my choice. The burger was perfectly cooked and the fries were as you'd expect. I'm giving this place 3 stars because I think they have the potential to be even better. First off, the ambiance is awesome, they already have that. Between the license plate menus and the michigan stuff everywhere, it makes you feel right at home. This place has "pure michigan" written all over it, in a good way. The food was kind of what I expected, wasn't blown away and I wasn't too impressed with the beer. I expect a lot if this place is a brewery and I just didn't enjoy my beer that much. I felt like the experience was a little overpriced for what you got.

    (3)
  • Jake A.

    I don't think I've ever gone out of my way to go to WAB. I've only ended up here when I'm riding the coattails of someone else's plans. The look and feel of WAB is very nice and has the potential to be a real great spot. Their beer is not very good. When you make the decision to make your own beer in Michigan, you have to really be up to the task of blowing your customers away with your creation. Their beer just simply doesn't do it for me. The food is decent though the selection is quite short. I understand they've changed the menu recently to feature more pizza which I've yet to try. This isn't a terrible place, it's just not that special. If some friends say they're meeting here, I'll go.

    (3)
  • Nick M.

    The menu is tiny but the beer is very good. We sat outside a few weeks back, on the patio, and it was a very sunny day. It also happened to be during the PRIDE Festival so there were many people blustering around Ferndale. The service is...okay. It can definitely be better. It took our server ample time to give us plates for our pizza and to refill our beers, which was annoying. He looked aloof, like he just didn't care. Fix that, WAB! As for the food, three of us guys shared two pizzas (Extreme Clientele and The Usual Suspects) and they were pretty delicious. You can't go wrong with splitting pizzas at a bar, especially when the menu is so abridged. I like the place and the location, but the service needs to be better and the menu needs to add a LITTLE something extra. Variety is the spice of life !!

    (3)
  • Christie P.

    Love the wings! This is the Ferndale place to come and grab a beer. Low key but still a fun atmosphere.

    (4)
  • Christi G.

    Recently moved and went here for the first time last night. Food was great and we did not have to wait at all for a table on a weekend. Only concern was the waitress was a bit preoccupied but we were not in a rush. Would definitely go again!

    (4)
  • Mike L.

    In my opinion, the only thing worse than the concept of Yelp are people who regularly write Yelp reviews. With that in mind, I was kind of disheartened by reading reviews of the WAB on here. Yeah- maybe the gluten-free menu is lacking and man...I can't believe they charge money for wine when you could go buy a whole bottle of wine at a store for $5! As if that doesn't describe every damn restaurant in the universe. And kudos to the clown who left a one-star review and wrote, "I hope they make it" at the bottom...you know, because 18 years in they are still just hoping to keep the doors open... As a person who lives in Ferndale the WAB is a solid place to get a pizza and some beer. They have a new surf-and-turf pizza (shrimp, lobster, sirloin steak and prosciutto with a chimichurri sauce- hands down the best specialty pizza I've ever had). In my experience, the service is always top notch. I wish they'd do a little more experimenting with some seasonal brews (the core menu of beers has basically been the same since I move to Ferndale 5-6 years ago). That said- the Detroit Maiden IPA is fantastic and the Raspberry blonde is my go-to. Based on food and beer, this place is a solid three-star place. But given that the WAB is a huge supporter of the local community and that they have a huge hand in every festival that comes to Ferndale, I give them four. Is the liquor expensive? I don't know. I don't go to a brewery to drink mojitos. And neither should you. Drink the beer. Eat the pizza (soups and apps are all good too). And you'll be fine.

    (4)
  • Kristoffer M.

    This place is known for their Raspberry Blonde. Some people can taste the raspberry, some can't. I get a nose of it the first few sips, then it seems to disappear. Still, it's a good beer. The ambiance is pretty nice. License plates here and there, a spattering of metal throughout, it's dark and industrial, but in a fun way. It definitely fits into the neighborhood. The food menu is great. I haven't had anything here I hadn't liked, and few things I hadn't salivated over just thinking about. What should you get? Well, you can get a whopping bowl of phenomenal nachos, big enough to feed 4. They're hands down the best nachos I've ever had. Or get a flavor packed wrap. The veggie burger isn't too bad either! The beer is alright for a brewery, but the food makes the trip worth while.

    (4)
  • Candice K.

    It has been years since i have been here and wow have they improved. Better menu and more beer options. My friend got the vanilla beer and enjoyed it. I got the twisted tomato salad. Soo yummy. Fresh moz, smoked tomatoes, greens, pesto, crusty bread and balsamic! There was a decent amount of people for a monday night. Cute fall decor and good service. There is plenty of seating. Perhaps i will come back on the weekend. Beers were about $4 and food was $7-$10. Not bad at all!

    (4)
  • Lisa P.

    When they first switched their menu, I was not too sure. But a year later, they really have it figured out. The calzones and pizzas are fabulous. Nice light crust. The smoked tomatoes and smoked portobello are wonderful. Fresh mozzarella. Best pizza place in Ferndale. Plus the Detroit Maiden IPA and the GD Irish Stout are amazing.

    (5)
  • Ron R.

    This place was really amazing, the staff was excellent, the beer was amazing, we didn't eat here because we eat at home we only go to breweries for the one simple thing... beer. My girlfriend and I have been to 15 Michigan breweries and we plan to visit EVERY brewery in the state of Michigan and I would rank this brewery #3 in my list so far, the other bad reviews r from people who are not coming here to enjoy the beer itself. We had the flight and on my flight I had the Raspberry Blonde, Irish Red, Vanilla Porter, Custom Porter, Irish Stout. Every beer I had was phenomenonal. Raspberry blonde had a sweet raspberry and orange taste it was really food, Irish red had quite the pine tree taste and I love that taste from a red, the Vanilla porter blew me away because every vanilla porter I have had never tasted this good, not even atwater's. The custom porter did what a porter was supposed to do, taste great with astounding flavors of a burnt coffee, and the Stout. WOW! where do I start with the great full flavors all the way to the creamy chocolate filling. This place was a shocker because it has a nightclub/ bar scene when u first walk in but u sit down and the staff r friendly and help u with ur picks I would DEFINITELY come here again. They also do sell Growlers here.

    (5)
  • M C.

    Not impressed. Hole-in-wall bar & grills seem better. But my friend says this is a good place for pizza. Only been here twice. First time--late night drinks upstairs. Great waitress but overpriced liquor. Second time--lunch on the patio. Slow service; however the server was very polite. Mediocre beer & a horrible salad. The chicken on the salad came cold. I guess it's smoked...? Which was not communicated by the server upon ordering. I ordered a basic salad with no onions & grilled chicken, but they served a sad salad WITH onions & the weird cold, smoked chicken. I suggest sticking to pizza & the Vanilla Porter if you enjoy feeling uncomfortably full.

    (1)
  • S J.

    It's ok, I guess. We were really frequent half off Monday goers. That's one of the things gone with this new menu and change of identity. My biggest question is why they did it? What wasn't working before? They had the only place with that type of menu in town. Now they've switched to pizza and paninis... Nothing particularly special. We tried it out tonight as they were supporting the high school marching band (the owners are great people and support the local schools). My son was.very disappointed that the pretzels were gone. There are great vegetarian choices, so that is helpful and notable. I got a panini which on the menu looked fantastic, but wasn't much anything special. My husband had one of the pizzas which was so greasy that he couldn't pick it up and eat it. He said it.was.good but again nothing remarkable. The kid's options are three, pizza, grilled cheese, and a snack board. All come with carrots (there are literally no more chips of any kind). The snack board is a great effort at something other than nasty frozen options for kids and I think most families will like it. All in all, I really miss the old WAB. I miss the pretzels, the burritos, and I mourn the loss of the turkey chili on behalf of my friends. I miss the half off Mondays, which were hopping every time we went. I miss the extremely awesome license plate menus (did they have to get rid of those too?). I can't say I'll come back now. If I want gourmet pizza, we've got lots of other options. I appreciate the donation to the band and everything you have done for our community. I just can't get on board with the new WAB.

    (3)
  • B C.

    First let me start by saying I've been going to the WAB for 10 years now. I live in Ferndale and this has been a local favorite for me for years, which is why I can't give them less than 3 stars even though I really want to at the moment. Lately, this place SUCKS. The WAB USED to be a wonderful neighborhood brewery, offering $2 pints on Sundays, 1/2 off food on Mondays, Karaoke on Wednesdays, and other specials to draw people in. The staff rocked, and they had a good menu! Ok, the beer was never one of their strong points, but the atmosphere made up for it. NOW... CURRENTLY, the menu is shitty, and the service has gone down hill! Why did they decide to become a pizza place? Does that make sense? It's a BREWERY! When I think of brewery food I DO NOT think of PIZZA. They should've revamped their beer menu, instead of changing the food. The old menu had variety. I actually really enjoyed it. Why change it? Ok, so they decided to become a pizza place. But the pizza isn't great. It's ok. But the salads, and the appetizers are horrible! They don't pair well with pizza, or beer. I went there with friends the other night and we ordered the "You Dip, I Dip" or whatever, beer and cheese dip. I got the vegan one, and my friend got the regular. Let me say it was the most DISGUSTING thing I've ever had put in front of me. I'm not exaggerating. I'm not picky, and I never, ever, ever return food. This was the first time in my life I had to return a menu item. It looked like cat food and smelled like vomit. The server was really rude when we mentioned that we didn't like it, but the manager handled it for her and gave us a refund.... WOW! I was shocked to receive food so awful from the WAB. My advice to them is if they are keeping the pizza, they should rethink the appetizers and salads; Keep it simple! They are trying too hard. Choose appetizers and salads that pair well with beer and pizza! Other than the horrible menu and increasingly shitty service, I still love Wednesday night Karaoke nights with Masha. She's awesome and it's a good reminder of what the WAB used to be, and what it could be once again.

    (3)
  • Lyndsi W.

    They are kinda located in a quiet spot of Ferndale. Not a area I love to be in cuz it's too quiet for being in Detroit area. Lots of street parking and they once hosted and great street fest with beer and BBQ and I had a great time!!! I love the little plastic cup I got at the fest cuz every now and again when I grab that to make a drink it takes me back to that fest that the WAB hosted and it's a great memory from my past!

    (4)
  • Big D.

    Love this place!! Great beers and great specials. The customer service is good and the food is amazing!!! The staff are quick, attentative and friendly.

    (5)
  • Brian B.

    The new menu is spot on and everything tastes fantastic. New beers are excellent as well.

    (5)
  • Paul M.

    So, the problem with the WAB was never the food--ITS THE CRAP BEER. Granted, the food wasn't the best, but there was a variety and it was consistent. The food was never good enough to get me in that place on any day other than half off Mondays which they have since done away with. I visited the WAB last week with a friend and was semi excited to see a menu full of pizzas -So I ordered a margherita pizza. The pizza did not even come close. The crust recipe is terrible, and it tasted like it was made just before they put it in the oven. Any experienced pizza maker knows that the key to good crust is fermenting it all day. What a shame they spent all of that money on a brand new pizza oven. I'm sure all of the hipsters will probably go there anyway since it's cool to like things that no one likes anymore.

    (1)
  • Matteo C.

    Whoever decided to change the menu to "pizza" should be fired - at a minimum. Way to piss-off 75% of your loyal/local customers. Such an awful decision, I almost don't even want to drink here anymore...AMLOST. The Vanilla Porter is still tasty, as are the cloudy beers. Keep the Brainiac away from the beer, and I'll still come by for some drinks. As usual: Awful service, with rude, "cooler-than-thou" tattooed hipsters arrogantly walking around + garbage food. Yeah...I'll come for cheap beers on Sundays, but that's it - until they go out of business, that is. Here's hoping the owner gets this message.

    (1)
  • Steve K.

    Stopped in for a coupla beers and some lunch today with my son. Went to the upstairs bar, which was sorta quiet, but had a great ambience. Been downstairs before, which is very cool & open to the traffic on the Ave. Don't know why there is all the crabbing about the new menu. While the pizza is NOT what you get at your local mom & pop place, if that's what I'm looking for, I go to a mom & pop place. Their pizza is unique, and I thought it was pretty good. I also tried their Goodfella panini. While I wish there was a bit more meat on it, it was fresh, different and pretty tasty. The beers are not up to Bell's or Founders, perhaps, there is a decent selection, and their porters are quite good. I'd rather a place had a smaller menu that they can maintain quality on, rather than a wider menu - very few restaurants/breweries/bars can be all things to all tastes. I will definitely go back.

    (4)
  • Mike W.

    The music is good. Food menu never changes and most items are mediocre unless they have a half off price deal going. Main beers haven't changed in years and all are a bit watery. Order the mead if you want a healthy pour.

    (3)
  • Otis M.

    Like the WAB. Great car and people watching in the summer months. Good selection of traditional bar food. Beers are fresh, tasty and cold.

    (4)
  • Tim M.

    Woodward Avenue Brewers is okay: Their venue is good, their beer is okay, and their food okay. Their locally known for their raspberry blond ale, which is pretty good. I'm usually not a fan of fruit beers but this particular one is pretty good. Other than that, their other beer is good, not worthy of a pilgrimage to Ferndale or anything but nothing to scoff at. Woodward's venue is pretty cool; located on the second floor of it's building Woodward's venue features a large bar to sit at as well as high-top tables and a raised area around the outside walls of the bar with additional tables to sit at. The raised up area is pretty interesting; I've never seen anything like it. It's about 6steps (about 4 feet) above the floor space by the bar. As a result people sitting at the bar and the high-top tables near the bar have an amusing view directly below the table tops on the raised area. The hilarious end result is that you occasionally get a front row seat of couples getting handsy under their tables. Additionally, Woodward Avenue is pretty active in Ferndale's "DIY Street Fair" (which is always a blast); Woodward always is set up downstairs below their usual venue selling beer tokens and doling out beer for the fair. Beer: 3 Venue: 4 Food: 3 --------------------- : ~3

    (3)
  • Julie G.

    Updating my review. I realized that it had been 2 years since we had been here so we tried it again for the first time since the menu change. Went there early afternoon on a Sunday. Not overly busy but there were patrons in the upstairs. I kind of missed the old license plate menus but was pleasantly surprised by the number of pizza offerings. And the beer we selected was in stock! (The last couple times we had come here the beer we wanted was out, so this was nice) Raspberry Blonde for me and Detroit Maiden for my dining companion. Very good beer, just like I had remembered. We ended up with a small cheesy bread and a Wabanh Mi Pizza. The small cheesy bread was a perfect appetizer for two and the pizza (a thai inspired pizza with pickled veggies, roast port, onion, jalapeno, sesame seed and siracha) was absolutely delicious and, again, a perfect size for a light lunch for two. We came here for the beer anyway. The server was very nice and we had a great time people watching out the large front window. Will come again to try some different pizza or maybe a sandwich, the menu looked very tasty!

    (4)
  • Robbin Y.

    Great place with Great owners!! Love the Raspberry Blond brew with the chicken quesadillas, chips and salsa... especially on a summer afternoon on the outdoor patio area. Fun people watching, great vibe.

    (4)
  • Steve W.

    This place has an eclectic menu. What a refreshing change from the usual bar food or try to sell you everything under the sun restaurant menu. The burritos kick ass. Great outdoor seating right on Woodward during the summer. Wait staff is always good as well.

    (4)
  • Mei L.

    came here quite often with people from work. great food love the photo booth they have..........great touch karaoke downstairs...........goood times.........

    (5)
  • Tom L.

    A few friends and I went to some local theatre at the Baldwin in Royal Oak to see Rent. It was a great show, but the prelude was a wonderful meal and conversation at one of my favorite breweries, the WAB. I've been to the WAB more times than I can count over the last few years. From a quaint sidewalk-side dinner in the summer to a wedding reception that took over the entire second floor, the place holds some exceptional memories. Those memories are created by the environment of the WAB but also by the exceptional food and beer that they serve. As an avid beer connoisseur, I've always enjoyed the WAB both for their own brews as well as the guest brews they house. On this most recent visit we started with some pretzel rods and delicious mustards and accompanied that salty goodness with some delicious cold barley soup. I enjoy the Ruby Red. It's sweet taste and light hops make it a beer that goes down again and again...and sometimes again. I've not found any of their beers I don't enjoy, and have found a number of guest brews as a result of my patronage! The food at the WAB is nothing to shake a stick at either. I love the flat bread pizzas. The BBQ chicken is my favorite but from Tex-Mex to salads, to their delicious loose burgers, the WAB's food doesn't let down. Its worth noting that my most recent visit was also with two veggies and they were thrilled with the grilled vegetable wrap. The Thai wrap, the sandwiches...its all great! Not to mention, you can wash it all down with a delicious root beer float or Sanders hot fudge Sunday. One of my favorite parts of the WAB is that they do it right. They do their best to keep it local and are always the first place to support local events and activism. They're the kind of local that makes a community proud and when it's proprietors continue to expand (owning the Emory and the Loving Touch), you know they love the community as much as the community loves them. This is a great place...get here, open up your Michigan license plates, and enjoy!

    (5)
  • David M.

    I went recently for the Food Truck Rally outside the place. I have yet to step inside of it but any place that uses the street to throw a party and has good beer like that is alright in my book.

    (4)
  • Sarah G.

    What do I like most about the WAB?? Monday nights!!!! 1/2 off food night. Loves it!! They have very tasty grub....and it tastes even better when it is 1/2 off! The beer is also delish. I always hate when I walk into brewery's and they smell all like hoppy and yeasty. No bad smell here...just yummy beer and good food. Oh! one more thing. They have a great jukebox! Mt Chalet used to have the #1 jukebox in town...but then they switched to that dumb electronic thing and now the WAB moved up to first place.

    (4)
  • Mitch A.

    Went for a late dinner on a 1/2 off monday. Split our meals: tostadas and WAB Dip. They replaced the french dip on the menu with WAB Dip-add squash, onions, etc. Since we were sharing I asked for veggies on the side. I really liked the veggies. Our tostadas weren't greasy. We left full. Everything was the right temp. Service was nice. the host didn't lie when he said it was just a 10 minute wait. Liked sitting outside. We decided we could definitely come on any 1/2 off Monday, but probably no other day of the week.

    (4)
  • Dil F.

    Loved it then hated it then loved it now don't think about it all that much anymore. The brews are a mixed bag but when they're good they're good. I agree with others that the Raspberry Blonde is stellar and well-crafted. Makes a good head, a bright carbonation, and a wonderful afterglow on the tongue. On the other hand, my immediate reaction to sipping on their wheat beer for the first time, was that it tasted like bananas and snakes. Yes, you read that correctly... I don't know what it means, but that's what i said, and it was not good. The food is awful. Hands down. It always SOUNDS great on the menu (they know how to appeal to your lingual imagination) but the final product never materialized as something you'd order again. I should correct this. Under the "awful" food category, food gets WAY worse than at WAB, so, I think the awful stems from the huge let-down of expectation between the menu and the taste. It's not really awful food in and of itself, but it's not living up to their descriptions. Disappointing would be more accurate. The final balancer is that the space is excellent (a KILLER ground-level patio when the walls open up in summer) and a playful set-up on the upper-deck. They also carry my preferred tequila of choice, which isn't that rare, but I'm giving them credit anyhu. I'd go for beers if I was in Ferndale, esp. in summer, and esp. during Dream Cruise, but I never give it a thought otherwise.

    (3)
  • Henry B.

    I like the beer here. Not bad but not great. I was here for a Yelp Elite event on a Monday and they gave us free pizza. It was half off Monday so food was cheap for food too. The bartender working that night was pretty busy so getting a drink was difficult. I had to do a little clap thing to get his attention. To his credit, he apologized for not being attentive. Food here is bar food so take that for what it's worth. It's not a place that prides themselves on service or food but it's a good place to get a drink with some friends to catch up.

    (3)
  • Sarah E.

    This was my first time here and I have to say it wasn't exciting. The food was okay the service was lacking. Over all, it wasn't memorable, or delicious. Next time I'm in the area, I'm going to pick somewhere else.

    (2)
  • Jennifer M.

    This place is so good. I ordered a raspberry blonde and a pizza. The chicken on the pizza was a bit dry, but overall very good. The waitress was awesome too!!

    (5)
  • Nicci K.

    I love the WAB. It is one of my favorite bars in Ferndale. I don't think I have had a beer I didn't like here. The raspberry blonde is amazing. The food is just ok. Typically I'm here to hang out with my knitting group to hang, have some appetizers, some brews and to knit. The service has been excellent despite that we are normally a large group. Love the Happy hour throughout the week and half off food on Mondays.

    (4)
  • Justin M.

    The first thing you notice when you walk in the door is the wall of license plates. Then there's more license plates. Then the menus are license plates. You won't end up seeing that everyday. These plates add to the very cool atmosphere of this place. It's hip but not so hip it's in your face and you feel like a clown wearing Old Navy instead of American Apparel. The menu isn't all that varied but the food is alright. I got a roast beef grinder and it was about what I expected. Their chips and salsa are delicious, mostly because of the chips. My girlfriend got some sort of salad thing and it was f'n huge, I think it was their taco salad. Their beer is pretty tasty, I got the hefeweizen and it wasn't too shabby. It was a little light for my taste but that's what you get with a hefeweizen. My girlfriend got the raspberry blonde and I preferred that. There are hints of raspberry but it's not overpowering. My buddy got the pale ale and it was very very hoppy. I liked it, but it's definitely not for everyone. Prices are pretty good, a little on the high side. I think it was about 8-9 bucks per sandwich and 4-5 bucks a pint for the beer they brew there. It's a very cool restaurant and very laid back. They seem supportive of other locals business and also of recycling and all that, which I appreciate. Overall, I wish the food was a bit better but the restaurant is nice and the beer tastes nice. This was the first time I've gone to WAB and I'd definitely go again.

    (3)
  • John M.

    Poor service, bad food. The pizza was almost as good as the frozen pizza from the grocery store.

    (1)
  • Chris M.

    Ah, the WAB. Been coming here for years, but now finally got the chance to review. WAB is standard Ferndale fare for restaurant/bar combo. Its a bit trendier than Royal Oak, the music makes Royal Oak look like a childs playlist, the food is good, prices are right. The beer is always great. The vanilla porter is my favorite, but sometimes they run out, which makes me a sad panda. However, the great part is, they always have great back up beers. The Hefeweizen is delish and the raspberry blonde is dead on for what it is. Overall, 4 stars on beer. I just hope they start brewing a few new varieties soon. The food is an interesting mix of everything you could imagine. Flat bread pizzas (my fav), loose burgers, mexican-american stuff, burgers, wraps and plenty of veggie options too. Was a favorite place to go while I was dating a vegetarian, as many other places in that price range are just mediocre. Never really had a bad experience with food, so 4 stars. Sundays is $2 pints, Mondays is half off food. So service on those nights can get a little dicey, but its understandable. Any other night? Ace. 4 1/2 stars. Overall, yeah, stop reading this and give them a shot, its worth it.

    (4)
  • Matt W.

    The WAB is a lot like Myspace. It was awesome in 2004 but not so much anymore.

    (2)
  • Michael C.

    I've went to the dark side! I can remember the days when WAB's beer was decent and the food was a-okay. After my most recent trips here, I think I'm taking a break for a while.I've been there twice a month since June and I think I need to stop! It seems that they have either had a brewing problem or keeping their lines clean... because the beer is skunky as hell now. Which? ALL. My stand-by, the Ruby, now tastes like it's been sitting out in the sun for weeks. It's far far worse than just going up the street and getting a Killian's... so what's the draw now? I've learned my lesson that WAB is most definitely an alcohol buzzkill. If I want to stop having a good time and stop drinking... this is a good way to do it. Otherwise, I'm going to Danny's!

    (2)
  • Lauren W.

    The WAB is one of my favorite places in Ferndale. I love the beer, the food is decent bar food and I love the atmosphere. (Oh! And the menus! Love the license plate theme) My favorite menu items are the quesadillas and the French Dip sandwich...seriously the dip is one of the best I've ever had, and I've had lots of them. Best part? They have happy hour. On FRIDAY! Not many places do that. I believe from 4-7 p.m., you can get $2 pints of their craft beers, and $3 Jack and Jim drinks. They also have apps for half off. Can't beat it. (this may just be a winter thing, so be sure to call ahead to ask) The blonde, Hefe-Weizen and vanilla porter stout are delish, but my absolute favorite is the raspberry blonde...can't go wrong with fruity beer (can't help it, I'm a woman!) - just enough of a fruity taste that isn't too overpowering or sweet. If you're in F-dale, this is a great, casual place to go...but get there early. Most nights, especially in the summer when the patio is open, it gets pretty busy.

    (4)
  • Lucy K.

    I went here for a birthday gathering this week, and overall I enjoyed the experience. The Raspberry Blonde beer was quite tasty, and fairly potent! I also tried a few sips of my friend's drinks, including their homemade root beer (tasty, not too sweet) and their red vodka drink (which I sadly cannot find nor remember the name of, but was very good mixed with Sprite, but a little too cough-syrupy for me when straight). I liked the big patio, although we ended up sitting up top because we had 11 people there. The service was ok - our server refilled our drinks in a timely manner, but took one table's food order a good 20 minutes after the first table's order (we had two tables together) which was a little strange. But he was cute, and no one was mad, so it was ok. I had the gazpacho and the thai wrap. I really enjoyed the Thai wrap and the tortilla chips that came with (homemade, I believe). The gazpacho was tasty, but I haven't had a lot of different gazpachos, so I can't really say how good it was in comparison to others. The chocolate gelato was very tasty, but was very chunky, which was a dislike for a couple of my friends, but not for me. My friends raved over the BBQ chicken pizza that they ordered. The atmosphere was fun, and we had a good time. We'll be back!

    (4)
  • Jenn V.

    Up until last night I would have given them a better review. But one of their bartenders was really rude to me and completely embarrassed me in front of a bunch of people at the bar. They have typical bar food, although they try to "dress it up". Lots of 'tex-mex' dishes and random sandwiches, but I wouldn't bother eating there. Half the time it comes out cold. They have 1/2 off food on Mondays after 4pm, and that is the only time I would consider bothering. I don't drink beer, but my boyfriend likes getting growlers to go there. The price is pretty reasonable ($12, or $10 for a refill), but I know a lot of people that don't like their beer. The atmosphere is pretty cool.. they have a pool table, photo booth, juke box and a cool view of Woodward. The waitstaff is touch and go. I'm pretty ticked at one bartender in particular. I've had him before and have left him generous tips considering service was nothing spectacular. And yet tonight he was downright rude to me. Some of the staff seem to have the notion that customers are in the way of their cigarette and socializing time. I'll keep that attitude in mind the next time I leave their tip. I'll still go there.. it's close to my house and it's a good place to go with friends on the weekend. I just won't feel obligated to leave my standard 20% tip. UPDATE: I was mad enough that I emailed the manager. It seems a little like overkill, but I guess they were the last straw for me. I am just so sick of bad service, and felt like maybe the only way to help the issue is to make management at local establishments aware of it. The manager emailed me back promptly, profusely apologizing for the experience and said that it is a problem that they will work on. She also said that employees will no longer be allowed to smoke behind the bar. Although I am a smoker, I have NEVER worked in a restaurant or bar that allowed me to smoke while waiting on customers. Only problem is, I am afraid that if I do go back again (which is likely considering it's proximity and the fact that they have growlers) that the bartender in question will definitely know that I ratted on him.

    (2)
  • Taurean V.

    Been here twice, both times on absolutely packed 1/2off food nights. Would I come here if the food wasn't half off? No. Portions seemed truncated, perhaps due to said timing, flavor was there and the ingredients seemed quality but poorly prepared. At no point did I feel like paying double (the normal price) for anything I ate seemed reasonable. The beer was also a let down. They have a small selection of basic brews - your basic mainstream options: IPA, Red, Bud Light copy, etc. Sadly their guest tap was the best beer on the menu the last time we went. I will say their location/building and the atmosphere on these packed nights were probably the best things they have going for themselves right now. Make every night 1/2off food night and improve the beer and it would be a great place to hang out.

    (3)
  • Deborah R.

    I finally had the chance to eat the noms here (stopped in on a Monday when food is 1/2 off) and ordered the Thai wrap. It was awesome. All of the ingredients fresh and a really good taste of the peanut sauce. If you're not looking to be in an overly crowded place then definitely drop in here on a Monday lunch break, and plus the food is 1/2 off!

    (4)
  • Chelsea M.

    So yah- don't go for the food. Like don't eat any of the food. Just drink the beer. I'm only rating this three stars because of the beer. The beer at WAB is great. We tried three different brews and each was excellent! They have a pretty good happy hour- $2 pints from like 4-7. As for the food. I think my first few sentences sums it up pretty well and one of the other reviewers hit the nail on the head. Everything they serve tastes like it was microwaved. Even at half off I found the food very unsatisfying. The service, well, that seemed kinda hit or miss. At first we thought the service was great. The server was prompt, had great timing, and was friendly. Then, 3/4 through out meal he disappeared. He quit checking on us and took forever for the check and our payment. Bottom line is- drink the beer at the bar and skip the rest!

    (3)
  • Hymae W.

    Went here again and found myself highly disappointed with the beer and the burrito. I must have been starving the first time I went here because it wasnt close to good the second time

    (2)
  • Denise C.

    I LOVE WAB. I love the mini grilled veggie nachos. House made chips with zucchini, cauliflower, broccoli, and more. Add some Chalula and it's award-winning. I also love the wines that they feature. I like taking advantage of half-off food on Mondays. I can't say that much about the whole menu because I'm addicted to the nachos.

    (4)
  • Amanda A.

    The ideal place to wind up drinking and snacking in Ferndale. The prices are fair, there is a great selection of beers (lots of Michigan brewed, always a plus) and every time I've had food here I've been quite pleased. The staff is always friendly and there's a good crowd of people. Little to no douchebags, which is ideal. Overall a good place to hang out, especially in the summer when the outdoor patio is open.

    (4)
  • Emily G.

    The best thing about WAB is after you pay your bill, and you're free to get the F*$# out.

    (1)
  • Stephanie C.

    I honestly feel like this is my second home. I can't count how many Mondays I've wandered up to take advantage of 1/2 off food night or how many times I've I've piled dollar bills into the jukebox, always stocked full of great songs. There have been birthday parties, going away parties and unexpected reunions of all kinds at this joint. I can't imagine Ferndale without it. There is no better place in town to score an outdoor table for people- watching and summer dining. Perhaps no bar in the area has benefited more since the arrival of the May smoking ban -it did get a bit hazy upstairs despite efforts to control the smoke. But these days it's possible to gulp down a smooth Vanilla Porter (described oh so deliciously on the menu as liquid chocolate cake) and snack on chips and salsa without a hint of smoke trailing by -not even for old time's sake. The WAB menu is fresh too. Order up a salad just to watch your friends' eyes pop out of their sockets. The Topopo is my favorite and it's big enough for a family of five. But I've also been known to crave the Veggie Wrap, a delicate balancing act of avocado, cucumber, tomato and more. Perfect on a summer evening paired with a Custom Blonde.

    (5)
  • Jean P.

    I've been to the WAB a few times now and it has always been enjoyable. The atmosphere is pretty laid-back, the people-watching is decent, the food is good and the beer is very very good. Most recently I went with my husband and brother after a long long day of moving furniture and heavy boxes into our new house. I had the Raspberry Blonde and LOVED IT - I could go for a pint right now, actually. My husband and brother tried the IPA, the Porter, and a few others, I think...good thing we live close enough to walk home, yes? They didn't flip out over the awesomeness of the beer, but they seemed to enjoy everything well enough. As far as food, I got one of the pita pizza thingees, which I pretty much always get in one of the many tempting flavors (what can I say, I'm a sucker for baked cheese). The vegetables tasted like they came from a frozen bag instead of fresh, but I just love the way the crispy crust tastes with that cheese! My hubby got a thai chicken wrap which was very large and he liked very much. My brother reported that the looseburger was nothing to write home about, "okay" at best. We ate on the outdoor patio and the service was GREAT - never a dry glass. The food-server originally brought out the wrong entree for me and had to go back to the kitchen, which caused our primary waitress great consternation and prompted her to check on me often after that. I was halfway through my 2nd glass of Raspberry Blonde, so I didn't care! But, it was nice of her to be concerned. Anyway, I always have a great time there and would be proud to bring a visitor. Gotta show off our local brews when far-away friends stop by!

    (4)
  • Darin E.

    As part of my Michigan brew pub tour, I hit this place for lunch with a friend. I had the Turkey Cashew sandwich with a Pale Ale. This was a great pairing, if I say so myself. The sandwich was served open face on excellent bread, with alfalfa sprouts and avocado to complement the nutty, meaty, cheesy goodness of the sandwich base. The Pale Ale was excellent too - very hoppy, but in a floral way rather than the deep, back of the palate bitterness you get from an IPA. Our server was a bit rattled - didn't write stuff down then had to keep coming back to confirm the orders. They also pretty much forced us onto the patio, which on an average summer day would be a fantastic place to sit, but on our visit was made a bit uncomfortable with nearly gale force winds whipping through. All in all a great lunch -- I'll be back!

    (4)
  • juston m.

    reasons the WAB sucks: the bartenders who don't pay any attention even when you're sitting right at the bar. the fact that they spend all their time at the end near the bathroom socializing and smoking. people stare. i've gotten good gossip that they cook nothing. it all goes in a microwave before in enters your mouth. the beer is pretty tame and nothing really jumps at you. reasons the WAB is worth it sometimes: they have a great setup downstairs. open air and tables facing woodward. a great jukebox. they sponsor the DIY festival (but i always drink beer from other places). they have a real photo booth and i have lots of photos from it. its only about a 10minute walk from my house. my boyfriend likes their cashew chicken sandwhich. like the rating says its A-OK love, juston

    (3)
  • Kady D.

    I was between 2 and 3 and I figured since I was the only one who didn't enjoy my food and everybody else liked theirs I should round up. We went on Monday with the Mother in law for the half off food and so my husband could have a few beers. We started with the tomitillo/avacado dip which was pretty good. I ordered the French Dip- this is the thing, I've never in my whole life had a sandwich or any food at all that I was so indifferent about. It wasn't bad at all but it certainly wasn't good. The bread was in this weird place between toasted and just bread and the meat while tender was completely flavorless. Even the Au jus tasted like water with a little bit of beef base mixed in. The chips and pickle on the side were pretty awesome but the sandwich should be the star ,right? My husband had the thai chicken wrap and he loved it, as well as his raspberry blonde beer ( I'll have to update after I can drink again) MIL had some other veggie wrap and she also loved hers. I did order their root beer that they make themselves- that alone is 6 stars the best I've ever had! It was a cool place and there were some other things to try on the menu so I'll be back. - One last thing, we seemed to have two servers? They weren't that busy but we were sat by one guy and then a girl came by for our order, the guy brought the food and checked on us and she brought our bill and ignored us the 17 times she walked by. It was kind of confusing but I over tipped a little bit hoping they were splitting because he rocked!

    (3)
  • Michelle I.

    The WAB is your typical brewery/pub/bar grub place with that cool Ferndale edge to it. I've been here for many occasions for drinks and socializing. I always stick to the Raspberry Blond brew. I've had a few mixed drinks here as well, but beer is what the WAB does best. I like the layout of the upstairs, with the many tables and booths. I also enjoy the patio area during the summer, that is, if its open. Recently, I came here for dinner since Mondays is 1/2 off food. Service was great. Our server was very attentive and sweet. The food arrived at a lightening fast speed but was mediocre. I had the Asian Chicken salad. Its not hard to mess up a salad, so it was decent. I got really annoyed with the 'house made' Asian dressing. It was all separated and would not mix well after I would stir it up with my fork. I ended up with a really oily salad without much flavor. I may give the food here another go in the future but from other reviews, food doesn't seem to be WAB's forte. But I will definitely wait til 1/2 food Monday. Until then I will stick with the beer!

    (3)
  • Greg N.

    I've been to this place a handful of times, and I gotta say I'm not too impressed. If you've read any of my reviews, you know that I'm a pretty big beer geek, and with them being a brewery(especially a Michigan brewery) I expected the beer to be a lot better. Simply put, it's beer brewed for the masses, with slight tweaks to make it sound and taste a bit better. The food is alright, but nothing special. The ambiance, and crowd is usually pretty good, and is short on douchebags, which is a nice departure from some other bars in the area. Overall, I would probably go back with a group of friends, but never for just a pint and some nibbles. Cheers!

    (2)
  • Maurice G.

    I've gotta give it to Rock City. I had no idea what to expect, visiting Detroit -- and my fiancee's home state -- for the holidays, but I came away HIGHLY impressed. There is a general spirit about the W.A.B. that encapsulates Detroit and Michigan as a whole, kind of a diamond-in-the-rough, blight-chic, perseverance that is highly infectious for outsiders. Man, and I really loved this bar/neighborhood. W.A.B.'s bartenders were delightful and its patrons pleasantly drunk. W.A.B.'s clientele seems to be the "finally earning a decent paycheck, now lets go get fucked on Delirium" variety. Which, hell, is exactly my kind of scene. This will be on my list of Detroit pubs NEXT holiday season.

    (4)
  • drew k.

    After drinking over 1,000 different types of beer, i have decided that WAB is the official king of crap. Nice work. It takes a lot of hard work and dedication to absolutely sucking ass to achieve this status. The beer is not only flat and tasteless, but has notes of infection due to an unclean brew house. I highly doubt that they even brew with cracked grains and probably use flavor concentrates to achieve tastes like "raspberry." The management should take note that the guest tap may be the best seller in the house and is usually tapped out. I wish it didn't suck so bad, it was the closest bar to my house for two years and I am always hesitant to make my way there even on half off food Monday, which is still overpriced garbage. Speaking of which, exactly how in the hell do they "cook" food there anyways? It seems like every item on the menu comes frozen, dried concentrated and prepackaged, kinda like convenient sysco food products. Yummy. Reminds me of really bad frozen TV dinners stuck in a microwave and then a salamander to toast. I'm pretty sure they do not have a single stove top burner or oven in the house. hmmmmmm.... The bar staff is pompus and conceited. Table service is usually on point tho. I can't be hating on some of the floor staff who has never let me down. The crappy bar service comes as no surprise. Finicky, pissy, poorly tattooed hipster d-bags in Ferndale working at a crappy bar? Surprising to say the least.. I usually go for that air or confidence mixed with a little drunk, but these peeps are hella out of control and super annoying. Especially the bartender who scoffs at every order like I am asking for a kidney donation. One night I was alone and ran up a twenty dollar food tab on a Monday. The bartender exuberantly pointed out that I was expected to tip on the full amount of the bill that was half off by circling the amount on the tab and double tapping the bill with his pen. I was getting up after paying to use the bathroom without leaving a tip on the slip. I had a credit card and was leaving cash which was in my front pocket. Even before i had gotten out of my seat to reach in my pocket, this fool snagged my cc slip and was jocking me like i had stiffed him. Really? What a chache box. I have been serving my whole life and would NEVER approach a customer like that, and certainly would not stiff anyone, including those who check their greasy ass jersey shore haircut in a knife more than they check on my drink. Long and short. Please, please, please avoid this place. I have no particular reason to give them a bad review other than the whole place is sub standard and i love beer enough to type about it. Cheers.

    (1)
  • Joey J.

    White rice inside the burrito? Shakes head and mutters shoulda read my own review before coming back here. The Vanilla Porter is still a great beer, though.

    (2)
  • Tomas T.

    Raspberry blonde- Is that the way I like my women or is it a beer? Since I am reviewing a brewery, if you guessed beer, you would be cor-rect. This place would be awful, except for two things- 1. On Mondays they have 1/2 off food which is mediocre, but worth 3 dollars 2. Their selection of beer (especially the raspberry blonde *wink* wink*). When you walk in, you have two options- turn right, and sit in a semi-cold room that can get a bit crowded, or turn left and take the secret ninja path. This path leads you to the upstairs. There are generally a good number of people and the crowd is pretty friendly. On Mondays there could be quite a bit of a wait for a table, but it is worth hanging out and having a few beers. The raspberry blonde, has the sweet aroma of raspberries that rushes through your nostrils and intoxicates your soul. So if you dont like raspberries, hold your breath. Not a bad place to get drinks with a friend. I would not eat there again on purpose.

    (3)
  • Selina V.

    everyone always wants to meet here for food/drinks. I honestly don't have a good time at the WAB. I always have to wait to get a drink while the bartenders chat amongst themselves or compare tattoos or whatever they are doing behind the bar. They do have a photobooth which is one of the only reasons I stop in here. I'm not a big beer drinker but since they have a full bar I could be satiated if only it didn't suck so much to hang out here. I've spent lot's of time in bars that fancy themselves cooler than you and I'm too old for it. It's Ferndale not flippin LA, get me a drink already!!!!!

    (2)
  • Lish D.

    The WAB has been a second home ever since I moved back to metro Detroit. From special events to half-off Mondays, the WAB is one of my top 10 metro Detroit destinations. I really appreciate the variety of food the WAB offers. I'm a vegetarian, so I always feel like I have a lot of options here. My favorite sandwich? The triple cheese. Years ago a server recommended adding avocado to it, and I've been adding it ever since. Try it the next time you order this sandwich- I promise you won't be sorry. The WAB uses fresh ingredients with their food and you can taste it. I love to hang out in the lower lounge when it's open. Very cozy and nice street views. The summer seating is a must, but get there early- it goes quickly! Monday nights are half-off food. Again, arrive early! The WAB's prices are already very reasonable, so it's a steal when it's half off. Drinks specials pop up every now and then, so just ask. I'm not the first to say the WAB has the best juxebox in town! You can also pick up free wi-fi, too. Definitely love this place.

    (5)
  • Ian E.

    I have really mixed feelings about the WAB. I love the space, the feel of the bar and patio and always receive good service. The beer is just ok. The food....disgusting. I keep seeing people say it's "ok for bar food", but I don't understand how the food here can be described as "bar food". Bar food to me is something like Sneakers, New Way or Tony's. The WAB is a full on Bar AND Restaurant. I can't defend the food at all, even with the 1/2 off Monday special. The food was always bland and often times made me sick. I refuse to eat there ever again, but I wouldn't say no to meeting friends for a beer or two.

    (2)
  • Kaylee H.

    Comparing this place to other brewhouses in the area constitutes the four stars.... The beer - a fair price and always good. The guest brews are sometimes surprising, randomly Michigan-supportive and almost always great. I also dig the vanilla porter to smooth out the itchy throat I get from all the smoke (May can not come any quicker!) The food - maybe I luck out by not having microwaved crap (as shared by other reviewers) but I dig the food I usually throw into my chowing rotation -- the veggie nachos, tuna melt and black/white bean dip. Note there's really no meat there, and maybe that's where the microwave comes into play. It's apparently no secret Monday is half off night, so swing in yourself to test out the good vs. crap food tug of war going on here. The atmosphere - smokey yet inviting. Wait staff is always nice. Never feel out of place here and happy to come for work or play.

    (4)
  • Mark S.

    Always a great meal, attentive service and brewed on site beer!

    (5)
  • Colin G.

    One of the things that I do in my travels is go to local brewpubs. It presents problems sometimes as far as driving goes, but I manage. This particular brewpub (colloquially known as "WAB") was recommended to me by locals (this was my first time in Detroit), so I made sure to stop in. I came just before dinnertime and the place was dead. There was one table taken and the bar had four other people, who were all screwing with their cell phones. At first I thought that they only had one beer on tap, called the "Green Hornet" or something like that. I ordered it, but was told that they had others, and was given a beer list. The covers to their menus are the old style (blue) Michigan license plates. Cute. Various Michigan license plates also cover the walls behind the bar. The rest of the interior is brick and, to me, very much looks like a brewpub. By sitting at a table, you get the pleasure of a relatively nice view of the busy Woodward Avenue below. They have TVs, but were muted and showing sports. I used to go to a bar in Houston that would always have IFC on its TVs, so it was interesting to watch. I thought that it was a much better idea, especially considering its hipster clientele, and I feel that more places should follow suit. My Marvel Comics character beer (it wasn't really called that, but I can't find their list online) was excessively hoppy but light on the flavor, which is often a problem when breweries try to do really hoppy beers. I also had a sample of, I believe, the porter, which wasn't bad. Personally, I think that this place would do a lot better if they had a happy hour, because they do nothing to bring in early crowds right now. On the plus side, this is a non-smoking establishment, and the only brewpub in Ferndale, one of the hipper sections of Detroit metro. My main gripe is with the parking, and it's not the WAB's fault, it's Ferndale's. There's a metered lot right outside, but the meters run until something like 9pm every night. WTF? And this the case all over Downtown Ferndale, not just in that lot.

    (4)
  • Justin O.

    I wish I could give a half star... cause the WAB would get a 2.5... I used to hang out here a lot. I used to love this place. I think I just got a little older (not too old though ;-P) and now prefer a more serene environment to put back a few beers. But back to that 2.5... Reasons? The food sucks. I guess I like the Asian Salad w/chicken but most of it is microwaved crap (like many other reviewers have mentioned). WAB beer is marginal at best, but the guest tap almost always rocks - so hit that up for certain. The crowd is douchetastic these days. If the 'scene' is what matters to you, then this is the place to be 'scene'. So show up, don't forget to sport your skinny jeans, vintage tee and grandpas glasses. The WAB has outdoor seating in the summer months - and its OK, but they need an actual awning like Pronto has (the sun can get pretty unbearable). Even though the douchbag hipster crowd is not my crowd - the jukebox is terrific (go figure, eh?) I guess this place is OK.... but if I had to pick from the three WAB owned bars - this would be last on the list... ... still beats the abortion that is the 'new' Rosie O'Gradys!

    (3)
  • Dawn N.

    I have been going to the WAB since they opened and what cannot be denied is that its still the place to go to listen to new music, have great people watching over a wonderfully cold chilled ale. That said since having kids, its the most kid un-friendly place (which hey I get it...its a bar) but with the smoking and all...just not fun. Wonder what this place is going to look like when the smoking ban goes in May...

    (4)
  • Ben G.

    The WAB has a fantastic jukebox, an underused pool table and a real deal photobooth. It also has a patio, free wi-fi, good bartenders, and an assortment of food. I've been there a number of times and will go back many more. It's a great place to meet friends for a drink.

    (4)
  • David M.

    i ordered the beef burritto saturday night and it was by far the worst restaurant food that i've eaten in a year. it is bad by design - there is only meat (apparently low-grade ground beef) inside, with all the good stuff - the cheese sauce, onions, etc. on the outside. the meat is as dried out as mattress stuffing. poorly designed, tastes terrible... thank goodness the beer is good.

    (2)
  • Dawn A.

    My boyfriend took me here and it was tasty. I had a Scrumptious Salad that was HUGE! Got the dressing on the side and took the left-over half to go for the next day's lunch!

    (4)
  • Katie H.

    I have never tried the food here, but the beer is great and brewed onsite. The jukebox is one of the best in the area and the service is pretty good. This is definately one of the better bars in the Royal Oak/Ferndale area.

    (4)
  • Keith C.

    A fixture in Ferndale with 1/2 off food on Mondays. They serve 'alternative' bar food. Besides their Long Island Iced Teas we love their Nachos, Black Bean or Chicken Avocado Quesadillas, Bruschetta, BBQ Chicken Pizza and the Turkey Grinder.

    (4)
  • Kalyn M.

    I can only comment on the food at the WAB- I'm not a beer drinker and my dad REALLY wanted to go there (this has been the case a few times) so.... The WAB is a very casual, relaxed place....almost too relaxed....by that I mean I'm not sure if they wipe down the menus or tables. They were very sticky every time I went there. The first time I got quesadillas and they were okay. Kinda tasty - satisfied. The next time I went I got chicken tacos. The food wasn't bad (as in spoiled) but the chickens seasoning was nauseating to me. My dad got the beef tacos and they were pretty good. The service was horrible this time and our waiter seemed like he wanted a big tip so he could have some spending money for whatever he was doing after work. The first order of tacos came out pretty late after ordering and those tacos were looonngg gone before the next order came out. Like 30 mins after the first order came to our table. The salad I ordered (I think it was house with their in house made salad dressing) was VERY good. The view is great at this place. If you want to check it out, go ahead- not a total waste. But if you decide to skip it, I don't think you're missing much.

    (2)
  • Chad O.

    Mmmmm...Hefeweizen, other than that average in my book.

    (3)
  • Matthew D.

    I'm really tired of the term "hipster." Can I officially be the first to say that label has jumped the shark? I'm hearing it everywhere now and it seems like many people use it in the completely wrong context. Apparently everyone in Royal Oak is a hipster because I see the term everywhere. This crowd is more of the young professional crowd. The Raspberry Blonde and the Pumpkin beer are both awesome... and the nachos were great. Don't go there to watch a game... TV's are nowhere.

    (3)
  • Sinead t.

    This is the place that my friends who don't live in Ferndale always seem to want to go to. I don't understand it at all--the food is mediocre at best, and the WAB beer tastes like cardboard (get one of their guest taps, they at least seem to bring in good stuff from other breweries). The music on the jukebox is pretty good, and they have big tables for larger parties.... but I seriously don't get the hipster infatuation with this place.

    (2)
  • Scott H.

    I have always had a good time at the W.A.B. A common meeting place for my group of friends from Spec's Howard. Especially on Monday nights with half off the food menu. The W.A.B's flat bread pizza's are delicious as well as the list of their own beers. Located right on Woodward in Ferndale the W.A.B has a neighborhood feel to it and the servers are always friendly and helpful. I do miss the W.A.B on Mondays ...

    (4)
  • yakob j.

    I used to live right around the corner from the WAB, so it has a special place in my heart. Mondays half off food, so expect about a half hours wait during summer. My favorites are the Turkey Cashew sandwich, Topoppo salad with thousand island dressing ( don't knock it till you try it), and the vegetable pizza. If you do go on a Monday, and it's packed, expect to wait at least 20 minutes for your food, that's just a given. other than that: Great outdoor/indoor patio Great Jukebox ( good classic / indie mix) Pool-table and photo-booth Respectably down to earth staff Key location right between The loving touch and the Emory (which caters to the same crowd) and if you do go on monday, tip on the cost of the original bill, it's only right.

    (4)
  • Tim E.

    Well, the beer was ok, yup, just ok. I have had better. I enjoyed the atmosphere but the food was lackluster even by "bar food" standards...burritos, nachos, etc. All "ok" but nothing worth going out of your way for. I think it was the lack of quality service that sealed the one star rating though. I would like to support my neighborhood bar, but I would hope the neighborhood bar would provide what the chains can't. Unique food at a good price with exceptional service. None of which I found here.

    (1)
  • kelly w.

    I would have to agree with most of the previous yelps-- good jukebox, fun crowd, habitually packed, half-off food on Mondays is never a bad thing. The food I have had there-- half-off or not, has never disappointed. I have had the chili (I can't remember if it was turkey or chicken) burrito which I liked, as well as their pizzas-- pesto chicken... I dove in as soon as the waitress set the plate down. I'm pretty sure she feared losing a limb due to my ravenous state. I am not however, the biggest fan of their beers. The red is my favorite, but in all honesty, I would rather cross the street and go to the Emory-- for some reason I just like the atmosphere better there.

    (3)
  • Cate W.

    Dear WAB, I like your raspberry blond beer, and I like your patio. I like your afternoon drink specials and I wish I liked your food. I know it's bar food, but being the sister restaurant of the Emory, knowing they're capable of those burgers, means you ought to step it up a little. I recently ordered your beef burrito, after asking the server her impression ("It's really good!") and was completely underwhelmed. When it arrived it was cold and virtually spiceless. The cheese was cold inside of it. I didn't send it back because it was 8:30pm and I'd been expecting to eat supper around 7pm (e.g. I was way too hungry to complain). WAB, when I order a burrito, even a faux Mexican burrito, I am expecting something in the way of seasoning, and your dish was lacking. Furthermore, one of your employees said it was good, which makes me wonder whether something is wrong with me or with you. Since hunger is the best sauce (this isn't mine, but someone else's maxim), I'm going to say something is wrong with you. Sorry. I liked the description of the chicken and avocado quesadilla, so maybe I'll try that next time and write a retraction. For now, maybe jazz up the burrito?

    (2)
  • Andrea H.

    The beer was awesome....but the French dip sandwich, not so much. Hardly any meat and no cheese!

    (3)
  • J S.

    Been here twice. Last time I'll ever go was lastnight. Our server (short dark hair female) was the worst server. She got the order wrong and was more preoccupied with chatting with her friends to the point that another server brought our beers , food, and cleaned our table. She also didn't come serve us when another member of our party came. Lastly she mixed up the checks. The food was mediocre at best. What is up with giving potatoes chips? That a lunch side not for dinner. Beer is ok depending which you order. Ambience is what I like the best. Lastly, I know this is bad but we decided not to leave her a tip. She actually chased us down outside and confronted us. Last time I checked tips are for the service you receive and not obligatory. I have never not left a tip. It was a consensus of a group of 6 not too. My rec is to go to Royal Oak Breweries. We will never go to WAB again.

    (1)
  • Victor R.

    Been to WAB several times and we love it. The beer is great and so are the salads. Try the taco salad, its enough to fill even a big guy like me as an entire meal. The vibe is a little hipstery but the food and beer make it worth it. Out door seating right on Woodward is great when its nice out. Half off entrees on Monday afternoons.

    (4)
  • Sara A.

    Probably one of Metro Detroit's most popular bars, this Ferndale hotpot offers microbrewed beers, a scrumptious menu and a pleasant mix of locals form rockers to lawyers. Locate don Woodward, just south of 9 mile this hip bar is always great time. With a menu that features salads big enough for an army, tasty grinders, and awesome nachos, the WAB will leave your tummy happy. If libations are what you're looking for the WAB has got you covered. Serving delicious, flavorful micorbrewed beers like Pale Ale, Porter, and a Raspberry Blonde to die for, the WAB offers beer drinkers a little piece of heaven. In addition to the brews h WAB offers patrons a small, but tasty choice of wines from Pinot Grigio to Pinot Noir. I highly recommend stopping in on Monday when all appetizers are half off which means more money to spend on their yummy beers or a mixed drink from the full bar. Whether you're looking to catch a Pistons game or play a little pool while sipping on a beer the WAB is guaranteed to satisfy.

    (4)
  • Curtis E.

    Pretty much the best spot in the area for a post work bite and brew. The patio down stairs is key as the sun goes down but you could end up fighting for a table. There's a good mix of people, but in general it's a pretty hip Ferndale crowd looking to relax. Food is generally above par for brewery food, and there are many choices to choose from. The beer selection is not the highest quality(you're limited cause they brew their own on site) but they'll never leave you thirsty, and they even host a few guest brewery taps that rotate periodically. This is a 3 star joint that gets that extra star for having half price food on mondays. The whole damn menu is half off.

    (4)
  • Jess N.

    I used to like this place. But, the crowd it has been attracting in the last couple years is different than before... "douchebaggery" I've heard them called, and I'd say that's accurate. The drinks are alright, the beer really isn't that good, and it's expensive. Their food is not what you'd expect for a mid-range price point - it's all microwaved! Most of the food is "tex-mex" type. The salads aren't even good, they come to you soggy. The staff is not attentive at all, they are there primarily to socialize and smoke at the bar rather than to serve the customers. It's very loud and the acoustics are horrible. The only good things are that there is a nice outdoor patio and they use Garden Fresh salsa items (the chips and salsa are the only good things they serve food-wise). They do have 1/2 off food on Mondays, but it's not even worth it then.

    (1)
  • Jennifer H.

    Three strikes you're out WAB. The first time my husband and I went here, the food was ok and the service was mediocre. I'm giving it one star because the beer is good. The second time we arrived with a party of 6 and we were basically told that we wouldn't be seated and we should go somewhere else. They didn't even bother to say, "Well for a party that large you might have to wait an hour or two". No, the employee basically said "Sorry there is no room at the inn, go somewhere else" Against our better judgement, we decided to go there last nght because there was just 3 of us. We got a table right away and the server came up to us shortly after we sat down. I started to think gee, maybe this time it will be different. WRONG!! The server made a comment about how happy he was we weren't ordering food because it makes it easier on him (wouldn't he get a bigger tip if we were eating??). That didn't bother me so much but I thought it was strange. What bothered me is the server didn't come by once while we were drinking our beers. We finished, waited 10 or 15 minutes and we didn't even see him pass by us or at any other tables. We wanted another beer but the slow service changed our minds. We decided to get our bill. We didn't even get that. We just figured out the bill on our own and left cash on the table. I will never go back here again, which is unfortunate because we love breweries and we usually find them to be pretty consistent with food and service.

    (1)
  • Sarah R.

    This brewery was very accommodating when I was here with a group of about 12-14 people for a meeting of young professionals. They gave us a big table upstairs and were attentive without being intrusive. The decor is fun; the walls are decorated with license plates, and the menus are as well. During the summer, there' s a nice patio area with lots of live, fresh greenery. And, the beer is good, too. I tried a darker brew and a lighter one, and enjoyed them both. The food was also a little pricey but good. Parking is pretty easy here- there' s a metered city lot right behind it. You'll just need to bring a stack of quarters with you.

    (4)
  • Sarah L.

    If you love chz sandwiches try their triple cheese one with pesto sauce, yum! Burritos are very filling. Pretty much the entire menu is damn good. Jukebox is full of eclectic music. Only one pool table, but if youre friendly join in on someone elses game! Variety of ages and backgrounds venture here. Staff is great too. Wear what you plz and you still dont feel out of place. It is small for large parties of 5+ and it gets very crowded on the weekends, but I don't mind it. I had a going away party of 20 and we mingled all over the WAB and didnt have a problem. I'm not much for brewed beer so I can't say much about it, but I've heard it's a hit or a miss. If you're looking for something like Royal Oak dance clubs to show off your new duds or just yourself "GO HOME". This place is a place to just relax and hang out with new and old friends. They also own The Emory and Loving Touch, but the WAB is by far the best.

    (4)
  • Bill W.

    The WAB is a great place to get food when it's half-off, I recommend going around 4 PM on Monday as it tends to get pretty busy later on. They have healthy selections for vegetarians and they have Boca Burgers too, good food but I only go there to eat on Mondays. The salads are huge so you can share them or take the rest home. The food has never been bad when I have eaten there. Hipster staff, great indie music selection both downstairs where the staff picks the tunes and upstairs on the jukebox. When it's warm there's an excellent patio right on Woodward which I really love. I took my cousin and his friend out on Labor Day weekend Sunday night when they have 2 dollar pints from 9 PM until close, usually it isn't very busy at all on Sunday nights but it was slamming then. Our server Rob provided us excellent service even though it was extremely busy. The beer is good, I liked the Raspberry Blonde; it smells delicious but it is extremely sweet, sweeter than Founder's Rübæus but it's not for everyone. Of course the WAB is no Kuhnhenn or Dragonmead when it comes to beer, they aren't trying to be and the prices reflect that too. The beer styles are brewed with populism in mind and The Vanilla Porter is the best beer of theirs to get. If you're not used to drinking craft beer the Custom Blonde and Ruby are the ones to get. Remember that you can ask for a taste of a particular beer before you order it; it's free and it's never good to be stuck with a pint of beer you don't like. I highly recommend ordering off the guest taps, while they only have about 1-2 guest beers on taps they are personally picked by Greg Burke who brews the beer there and are always great. Usually it's a local selection like New Holland or a an imported beer like Pilsner Urquell which is a Czech Pilsner. If you happen to be with a true beer snob, just head across the street to the Emory which is owned by the same owner as the WAB.

    (4)
  • Youneeq Z.

    We always have a good time at this place. Can bring a group a friends or take a date. Even have rabbit food for the veggie heads. Has two levels, outdoor seating, a pool table, elevator for accessibility. Great views onto Woodward for the ppl watchers. Pretty nice. Could use more space for possibly one more pool table and more items on the menu for us carnivores, but otherwise I always recommend the place.

    (5)
  • CJ J.

    The WAB reminds me of a smaller, local BJ's brewery. I liked it. It was greasy pub food and drinks. I met up with people from our Warren office after work and we all got together and hung out. It was the first time I saw flurries! I didn't even know what those were! :D You can yo inside which is cool. I can't imagine having some greasy grub and beer and then trying to get outside in the snow to have a yo break. There are a few pool tables inside, the waitresses and bartenders were nice, beer's good, and the sundaes were good. I really liked their menus!!! The front and back covers were license plates that were held together by o-rings. I jacked one and took it home with me!!! Hahahaha It was a chillen, good, greasy, buzzed time with the colleagues. Darn you Michiganders!

    (4)
  • Rob Z.

    While the raspberry blonde and the pumpkin ale are stellar, the service has gone down hill as of late. While at the bar the past two trips there, trying to flag down the bartender is like trying to hail a taxi in New York City. If you don't know what that is like, well it is almost impossible. After that, things run much smoother, but based on trying to get initial service, my review stands.

    (3)
  • Jennifer K.

    Great place to hang out with your friends! I have had some ridiculous times here. Great jukebox also (when it isn't being overrun by hipsters...ugh.). The food is just "eh", but the beer selection is really good. Grab yourself a couple of growlers, some friends, and head back to someones front porch for some laughs. Recommended if you are in the 'hood.

    (3)
  • Miike G.

    5 outta 5!!! This place is it!! Great craft beer, food and atmosphere. When I lived in Ferndale, I frequented this place 1x week.

    (5)
  • Matt V.

    Food was cold and would not have been good were it hot either. I got quesadillas, wife got veggie burrito. Service was bad, four tables, one server, still waited 10 minutes just to have the bill taken, and we had to walk it up to her where she was socializing at the bar. She did not even ask why we didn't eat our food. Beer was not very good. Will not return.

    (1)
  • STEVE H.

    My Favorite Restaurant in Ferndale. Get a Growler to bring home, the Pale Ale is my favorite middle of the road, amber beer. The quesadillas are great, sometimes a little soggy because the chicken is so moist, just let your server know before ordering. Good place to sit outside and see the cars roll by.

    (5)
  • Jason P.

    Decent micro brews. Fair food. Half off is nice on Mondays, but bad on Tuesdays when you have the trots from their Mexican cracker pizza. I hope you're still in a band.

    (3)
  • Shawn M.

    Of the breweries in the Royal Oak/Ferndale area, the WAB is still my favorite. The vanilla porter is excellent and I just sort of get a craving for it from time to time.

    (5)
  • Kelsea F.

    I used to go to WAB all the time when I lived in Ferndale. It's a great neighborhood bar with fantastic beer. Although the patrons sometimes seem to be the finalists in a "who's the most hipster" competition, it isn't overwhelming. Besides, their pints are ridiculously affordable at like $3.50 each. They make a really good porter and amber ale, although my personal favorite is the vanilla porter. You can order small glasses for around $2.50 if you don't want a whole pint or you want to try a few varieties. They always have a couple outside beers on tap as well, which are good to try. I haven't had much of the food but it's definitely a step above your typical bar food. The best thing about this place, aside from the beer, is the jukebox. I can never resist playing some songs, I think mostly due to the novelty of actually wanting to play the songs in a jukebox. They change it up fairly often, so you can hear a lot of the newest albums there. I won't pretend that my boyfriend and I haven't had a few tipsy Bright Eyes sing-alongs here. Also, there is a rather large outdoor seating area that is really nice during the summer. This bar is always a good bet: great beer, good music, fun crowd.

    (5)
  • Rachel M.

    Not my first choice in Ferndale for food....but def a first choice for beer and ambiance! I dont mind the flat bread pizzas, I just wish there was more flavor and heart and soul in their food!

    (3)
  • Todd E.

    It's only A-OK if you go on a Monday for half off food. Their menu is limited, because I don't think they have a deep fryer. The food is only ok if it's half off. Nothing special. Some of the beers are really disgustingly wretched. The porter is alright. The atmosphere is cool, and the jukebox is amazing. The downstairs patio is fun. Just don't expect a really decent meal.

    (2)
  • L P.

    I generally have liked their beers and I like the overall feel at the place. The service definitely lags though and often I've had to get up and get a server, in fact finding one can be tough. The food is not horrible but don't expect gourmet. I do like the jukebox selection and the place has a great vibe in summer with the open windows and streetside eating/drinking.

    (3)
  • Rebecca C.

    I went here last night for some food after a long day moving. Food and beer really hit the spot. I thought the ruby beer was quite nice. Service was good and atmosphere was nice except for all of the smoking. I can't wait until Michigan goes smoke free like the rest of the country -then this place would be better.

    (3)
  • Bryan V.

    I am not opposed to this bar. It's a cool place to meet up, cool to sit by the windows or outside. Service is good. I am not a fan of the vanilla porter. The rasberry blond was good. Food has been pretty good. It's in the "bar circuit" there at 9 Mile&Woodward area. The stairs are tough. I have fallen, several friends have fallen, I have been there when others have fallen. Just pay attention better than me and you'll be A-OK.

    (3)
  • Naoko M.

    I'm not the biggest fan of their food but I would still give them 5 stars, cause WAB is just a nice local brewery to visit for a drink. I used to order salads because they taste really good, but the portion size is just too huge. I wish they had half-size choices :( Other than that, they have Tex-Mex, burgers (incl. Boca burgers), wraps, pizza (they use pita-type bread instead of regular dough), and soups too. They were selected as the best brewery in the area several times in local magazine/newspaper polls. You can get their beer to take home in growlers too. Pros: - Lively atmosphere - Friendly staff - Variety of microbrews (my two favorites: Custom Blonde & Hefeweizen) and they are cheap, too. - Lots of vegetarian/vegan choices - Outside seating in summer on Woodward Avenue Cons: - Food is okay - They stopped serving 'Garden Fresh' tortilla chips!! :( - I don't care for some of their beers, but this is usual in most microbreweries for me

    (5)
  • J.D. O.

    The WAB is a good place to go and hang out with your friends and have some good food and above-average beer. I admit I'm a bit spoiled with us having so many great breweries in the Detroit area, so the WAB's beer just may seem average by comparison. I would definitely suggest you check it out if you are in the Ferndale area.

    (3)
  • Jay D.

    The worst thing about this place is the customers. There is always a plethora of overly drunk frat boys who feel obligated to linger in large packs. I went with some female friends, and 4 out of 6 of them swore they would never return after being ogled, groped, and solicited on their way to the restroom. This isn't the WAB's fault. But still. Your patrons are annoying as they get. The beer is decent, though I wish it was 4 bucks a pint instead of 5. I think five is really pushing it. The food is par. I don't crave it or anything, but it always hits the spot. I think the servers are superb. I find the bar staff unfriendly.

    (3)
  • Dann A.

    Meh. It's a cool looking place, but I've never ordered anything good to eat save for the pretzel sticks and hot mustard. The jukebox rocks out whatever is popular in Pitchfork this week and there's WiFi, so that's a plus. It's a microbrewery, so don't go in expecting to order a Budweiser or whatever. The blonde is pretty good, and the patio area is nice in the summer, but Motor City Brewing Works in Midtown Detroit is better in every single way. If I'm in Ferndale and looking for a drink, I might stop by, but the WAB is not what I'd consider a destination watering hole.

    (3)
  • Matthew C.

    I look forward to going to the WAB whenever I end up in the metro Detroit area. As soon as the sun goes down I start tasting their porter. It's pretty good. If you see someone with pretzel sticks do not assume that they are free and belong to everyone at the bar. They are on the menu, if you start eating said pretzels the people who paid money for them will probably get pissed. This happened to me a few years ago but, luckily, the girls who had ordered them thought it was charming or something. The staff rules. I call a few of them friends. All in all this is a great place to drink away your nights. They have half off food too (Mondays?).

    (4)
  • Barry S.

    2.5 Would be more correct. Not impressed at all. Cocktails here suck. Happy hour is the only time i would ever consider going here and only for the Jameson on the rocks for 3$ other than that i'll pass

    (2)
  • Parisa K.

    I agree there is a good jukebox. I have to disagree with some of the posts about the food, tho. I enjoyed all the food I've had from there. I remember especially liking the pizza (I think one really good one is a veggie pizza and another good one is bbq chicken), as well as some southwest-like salad we ordered one time. The beer is good as well. They definitely have some interesting flavors, as well as your more traditional beers. I've had some I really like and others I didn't care for, but it's always good to have options. The atmosphere is great as well. Whether you are with just a few friends or a large group, WAB is very enjoyable and fitting. I have to say that whenever I go there, I feel like I see a variety of people, not just hipsters. Personally, I like the staff as well and haven't had bad service there yet.

    (3)
  • John X.

    Great atmosphere, beer is pretty good. The outdoor seating is great for warm nights. Great jukebox too.

    (3)
  • starli h.

    well, i went back. twice. during the day. service is better when the shitty crowd isn't there, and the day staff doesn't seem to be full of themselves. but the food was really half-assed and the when the place isn't filled with smoke it smells like poop. literally.

    (2)
  • Chris C.

    Terrible, terrible, terrible. Food stinks, beer is awful and the service is even worse. It's like the inmates run the prison there. I have given it many chances but I will never go back.

    (1)
  • Theresa U.

    Ordered the chicken ceasar salad and had food poisoning. ick.

    (2)
  • Atom G.

    Best made beer on Woodward. Great food and a lively local bar. Too many good things come to mind about this place. That smell when you walk in is the fresh fermenting of the beer, unless you think someone drank too much watch your step. No worries here at this pub because the food is great and the beer is outstanding.

    (5)
  • Laura H.

    I used to love this place, especially on half- price food Mondays. The vanilla porter is quite yummy. However, I went there this past Monday night and became violently ill the next morning (and the rest of the day)with food poisoning. I will NEVER go back to the WAB again... and I would recommend that you don't either.

    (1)
  • Ms K.

    I love the WAB (rhymes with drab not bob)...Good beer..good food...we had our wedding rehearsal dinner there...very chill atmosphere...Definitely our bar of choice to hang out at in "The Fern"...oh and the Emory (same owners) across the street is pretty awesome too...very cool modern decor over there...not as retro Motor City as the WAB.

    (4)
  • Carrie B.

    We love WAB! From the original car-themed menus to the excellent food and funky atmosphere, we give it two thumbs up. I'm a firm believer in ending on positives, so we'll mention that the things we don't care for are the smoke in the upper room, the noise when it gets really busy (loud rock paired with loud conversation), the steep stairs, or the crowded booths, though you CAN avoid the crowds by hitting it up for a weekday or Sunday lunch. I've rarely had a bad meal there. The Topopo Salad, Turkey Chili Burrito, hummus, Reuben,and the Thai chicken wrap are my absolute favorites, not to forget the homemade salsa and chips. Every fall we partake in the pumpkin ale and their selection of wheat beers. Even the Diet Coke seems to taste good surrounded by good food and good friends. Plus, with half-off food Mondays and Entertainment Book coupons every year, you can always catch a good deal. Check them out the next time you are in Ferndale. It's worth it!

    (4)
  • Jen M.

    I've used to come here all the time when I lived in Michigan and was here when I was in town for the holidays. It's a great spot to meet friends. The beer is decent, not horrible but not anything spectacular, and the food is pretty typical. But you can always find a spot for your party and the service is pretty good, so I don't mind coming here.

    (4)
  • Amy B.

    We stopped in for a quick brew and to check out the new menu. We like it! Much lighter and faster and yet a big step up in presentation and quality. I am going to miss the giant salads of the old menu but the pizza and more smaller plates are a welcome addition.

    (4)
  • R M.

    Wow - what happened??? I am not usually one to write negative reviews, but after such a terrible experience, I just had to warn others from wasting their money here. I'll start off by saying that I, like many others, had been a frequent WAB customer for years. I enjoyed their menu, atmosphere and cool character that it had (the signature license plate menus have been replaced by bland paper menus that look like oversized coasters) My Saturday evening experience at the WAB not only offered up tasteless empty calories but also some of THE worst service I've ever received at a restaurant. I am going to bulletize things to keep them clear: - The two of us sat down and waited in the patio seating area. After several servers walking right past us, we had to ask for help. The process took 15 or so minutes. - Ordered two beers. They arrived nearly 20-30 minutes later. We ordered our food (an appetizer and a thin crust pizza) from their new menu at this point. - Waited for food...and waited...and waited...finished our beers...waited some more...oh yeah, and waited a bit longer. 45 minutes later, our appetizer arrived. Not once in between did the person helping us stop by our table. I saw his co-workers visit all the tables surrounded us that they were assigned to, but this guy managed to completely forget about/ignore us. - Ok, so the appetizer arrived, after all that waiting. No napkins, no utensils. The guy helping us was ever so surprisingly, once again, nowhere to be seen. My friend literally had to get up to hunt down some napkins and utensils. - Pizza finally arrived. At this point, it was probably about 1 1/2 HOURS after arriving. I have gotten Chicago style deep dish is less time than this "gourmet thin crust" disaster - but I'll talk about the crap food in a minute. - The girl who brought out the pizza put it on the table without saying a word. Thankfully, my cat like reflexes (har har) kicked in soon enough for me to ask the back of her head for PLATES, before she power walked away. Freaking plates!! Her response was...drumroll please... "Oh, you need plates?" - After choking down some of the food, we were definitely ready to exit as soon as possible. The end was near!! Finally! All we needed was our check. And so we waited...and waited....and waited. Then we asked another server to please let our guy know we were ready. Still...nothing. Once again, my friend had to GET UP, hunt someone down and ask for the check. -He finally came by with the check! It was a glorious moment to know we would be able to leave soon! It's a good thing we had no desire to take any of those tasteless leftovers with us, because you better believe he never asked if we needed a box. -We then promptly evacuated. Overall time spent - close to 2 1/2 hours. Number of times we were proactively helped by our server without having to physically get up to ask for it? O N C E! Now...the food from the new menu. Tasteless, bland garbage. - The "chorizo" and beer cheese dip appetizer. It's called "I dip, you dip, we dip" or something. The dip came with five small and thin slices of baguette. Once the tiny bread slices are gone, you will have most of the dip remaining no matter how much dip you try to load on to each little circle - I promise. I put the word chorizo in quotations marks because side of "chorizo" (the cheese and meat were in two separate bowls) looked and tasted like greasy ground beef with some cayenne. I have had chorizo before - many times in fact. That was not chorizo, so why call it that? Anyway, on top of that, the cheese dip was totally tasteless. A salt shaker would have come in handy to try to add SOMETHING to it, but we didn't feel like waiting an hour for it. - The Smokearita pizza - pretty much their margarita pizza. Soggy crust, bouncy ball rubbery cheese and once again, totally tasteless. It takes effort to somehow leave out the flavor on something that calls for fresh basil, but they certainly managed to do it. I guess what I'm saying is that the only time I'd ever eat the new WAB food is if I find myself in the middle of a zombie apocalypse and had to, in order to not die from starvation. Ok, ok maybe a little dramatic, but there are MANY delicious food options in Ferndale (Dino's and Christine's Cuisine being two personal consistent favorites - check them out!). Why allow yourself and your wallet to fall victim to crappy food and just plain unacceptable service?? After all of that, I had never been so excited to walk out of an establishment. It's sad really. I have had countless enjoyable visits to the WAB over the years. I can say that I will definitely NOT be returning again, though.

    (1)
  • Esther G.

    Guess how many times in our 1 1/2-hour stay at the WAB (I checked the time) we were approached by a member of their wait staff. Zero. Not for drinks, not for food, not for anything. ZERO TIMES. NO ONE CAME TO WAIT ON US. EVER. I've been here several times before, and never had non-existent service so was pretty confused more than anything. (We just got our drinks up at the bar.) Everyone else around us was getting waited on, except for our group of five. Were we wearing signs on our backs that said "Stay away" or had the Loser sign painted on our foreheads? That seems to be the only logical explanation. Ridiculous.

    (1)
  • Steve K.

    Good beers. Ok atmosphere. Awful food. I've eaten here many times trying to give other items a chance but never enjoyed anything I got, especially for the price. The beer ia good, especially the vanilla porter. Kinda noisy but it's a bar. Good place to hang out and drink but the emory is my choice out of the WAB, loving touch and emory (all owned by the same) to eat and drink.

    (3)
  • Cari M.

    Going to WAB doesn't excite me like it used to when I first moved to Ferndale. It's decent but I don't expect to be wowed when I come here. It's a great hang out spot of course, and service is consistently good. The food is just meh though. Specifically- the grilled chicken salad. I didn't like the taste of the chicken much at all. I would much rather eat at other places close by but I'm sure I'll still frequent the WAB because if you live and play in Ferndale - it's a good place to go :)

    (3)
  • Elliott B.

    I'm fan of their beer's and patio. They allow dogs on their patio which is great and they welcome them out there. The menu is small but works for pizza and a salad.

    (3)
  • Jim R.

    WAB's new menu is shit, and the worst betrayal to occur in Ferndale. It's not that I didn't care for the options. The food is an insult to the customer. Good luck.

    (1)
  • G C.

    Did you give the WAB your old blue license plate to put on the wall? If so, I think you should ask for it back. Because the WAB you knew and loved is gone. They've tossed out their inventive, diverse, well thought-out menu and replaced it with poorly thought out and not very well made pizza served on plastic plates. And, oh yes, they now offer a charcuterie plate, just like every other restaurant. They also offer higher beer prices. It's sad, really sad. If popularity of their old menu was waning, I'd suggest that maybe it's because the quality of the food and the cleanliness of the restaurant had slipped a little in recent years. Maybe fix that instead of tossing the whole menu. But it's too late for that. Nothing to do now but pour one out for the cashew turkey, the topopo salad, and the Pint-o-Rods.

    (1)
  • Gretchen B.

    What an absolute disappointment ! No more half off Mondays! No more wonderful menu! No more amazing taco salad! Now WAB has become a pizza parlor only! The choices on the debuted menu are horrendous! Oops did I say choices ; there are none!! All I heard was patron after patron complaining . I left sad and will unfortunately not return! This used to be one of my favorites! Utterly dissatisfied !!

    (1)
  • Vidhi B.

    Been going here with coworkers about once a month for over a year. Casual atmosphere and ample space for our large, boisterous group. Went there a couple of weeks ago, ordered some food and a raspberry blonde (my favorite), left happy and full. And then woke up Sunday morning heaving and puking. A terrible case of food poisoning for two days! And I wasn't the only one! 4 of us from our group were out of commission on the exact same timeline and we realized that all of us had beer at the WAB. Not sure if it was the tap line or what, but we know we definitely won't be going back any time soon.

    (2)
  • Christy O.

    It is with sadness in my heart that I write this review. The WAB has missed the mark with their new menu. The thing is, Ferndale is getting kinda awesome. There's something amazing in almost every category in a two mile radius. Gluten free pizza? Check. Burgers, small plates? Yup. WAB, while I never loved their old menu, at least held the category of brewery with fine brewpub food, if you ever happened to be ambling around looking for something to soak up a bit of booze, or wanting to share some chips and dips with pals. But that has changed. The new menu looked good on paper, but is in actuality just kinda slopped together. I really don't understand why one should even have gluten free pizza if its not on par with other g-free pizza in the area, instead a crumbling and hard cornmeal mess. Try as I might to imagine the toppings on real dough in case g free was the problem, the toppings themselves were thrown together and not inspired. The WABahnmi used canned pickles as part of their "pickled veggies;" and the ricotta cream all but died as it dried up into the cornmeal crust on the Optimus Primavera. The app was a mess too; thrown together soggy portabello drowning in flavorless ricotta. WAB: you gotta be something in some category, but fancy pizzas just ain't your thing. Pick an angle that matches your brews and pleases a late night crowd. I'll wait for your new transformation and return someday when it's safe. #edibleeatables @edibleeatables ***important side note: as a lover of food, it's a HUGE pet peeve if I can't customize, especially with pizza. I realize that this isn't Burger King, but "have it your way" is how many restaurants roll now. Why it would have been difficult to slap on one more topping is beyond me, and trust me, their pizza could have used a bit of zing anyway. So another tip: take a page out of Blazes pizza's book and let people add a favorite topping. OK- rant over!

    (1)
  • Donovan B.

    First and foremost....bring back the old menu. Bring back the themed license plate menus and the tortilla soup along with the bbq chicken pizza. "If it isn't broken dont fix it.". I did like the beer I had yesterday. The food took a while so we had the beers on the house, which was cool. As always I sit by the window for scenery but to be honest how wierd and undelightful the new menu was, it kind of didnt matter. Im giving "The W.A.B" 3 stars because at one point I liked this place a lot (still do for some of their beers). 1 star was taken away because the new menu wasnt good and half off mondays is not a special (im not cheap, just know good food with a good deal). The other star was because it took over 45 min for our food to come and all in all they need to go back to the way it used to be.

    (3)
  • Amy H.

    WAB - WHAT IS GOING ON WITH YOU? The past few times I've went, the service is extremely shotty, and the beer is almost undrinkable. My last few beers there tasted like dishwater. I'll definitely keep visiting you WAB, in hopes that these few times were just flukes. I enjoy your jukebox and your nachos too much to not come back.

    (3)
  • Adam S.

    Stopped by for the first time a while ago ago after a trip to The Detroit Zoo. We sat in "the lounge", with the two garage style doors open on this particularly warm late summer afternoon and admired the "Detroit style" decor; license plates littered the walls rather than paneling, wall paper or tile. Pretty cool. It was pretty dead, there was only one other table was occupied (it was Tuesday afternoon...) but I'm really glad that we stopped in. I had three beers during this visit (The Hefeweizen, Pale Ale and Ruby Lager) and I thought that all three were well crafted, highly enjoyable and true to style. The Hefe is served in a 20oz glass rather than a pint. Win. The wife and I shared a flat bread pizza, which was good, but not great... I'm giving the food a "3", but to be fair, we only sampled the one item. I'd like to be a little more adventurous next time when it comes to the food, even though the menu seemed to be "standard" brewery fare. The selection is bittersweet. I like and lament the fact that there aren't 45 beers to choose from (unlike a few other local brew pubs). This makes my decision on what to start with, and get next simple, but there's not much to build on. No IPA at the time of my visit, no seasonal in house brews, two similar guest taps (both were imported Oktoberfest styles), and the cream ale and porter are on the menu twice: Cream Ale just and Cream Ale w/ Raspberry, Porter just and Porter w/ Vanilla. Otherwise, our server was attentive (yes, it was slow, but I've been in some places where slow business = slow service...) and the prices were very reasonable. $4 pints ($5 for the XL Hefe). Our bill was around $20.00. Not bad for three craft beers with lunch.

    (3)
  • David P.

    The WAB will always hold a place near and dear to my heart, because this is where we decided to get serious about bringing Detroitnet.org back and doing something good with it. The beer? Solid. The food? Decent. The downstairs is nice in the summertime if the weather's decent, but I'm much more of a fan of the upstairs area. Nice bar area, plenty of seats with a variety of sizes that'll handle just about any sized group you want to bring here. The license plates turned into menus are a cool touch. A little kitcshy, but still cool.

    (4)
  • Rachel B.

    Well, it certainly didn't help that we visited the WAB on possibly the most disgustingly humid day of the year so far. But I did really like the garage door that opened up and let the breeze roll through. We were covered, but it felt like we were sitting outside. I really enjoyed my Hefe Weizen. But then I got reeaaally sleepy afterward. What?! Reading other reviews has brought me to the conclusion that something about this brewery's beer is making people feel hung over after only 1. I did also try my sister in law's Raspberry Blonde, and it was just ok. She loves the Vanilla porter, and were it not 90 degrees outside, I might have opted for that too. Food was not too great. Nothing to scream about. The service was fine, but certainly not friendly. I took it upon myself to grab a high chair and return it when I was done (not sure if that's protocol, but when you work in a restaurant and you've got nothing in your hands and are waiting on no one, and you see someone with a kid in one hand and a big-ass high chair in the other, you should probably help. Just sayin'!)

    (2)
  • Brittany L.

    I've been going to the WAB for years. I think their drink and food specials are great. It's a fun place to meet up with friends and catch up. That being said, holy hell did we have some bad service tonight. We were there for ten minutes waiting for our friends and when they got there, we assumed that we had to go to the bar to get our drinks since a server didn't approach our table. While our friend was there getting our drinks, the bartender told the server to go to the table. She came up and threw drink napkins on the table and asked us what we wanted. We told her that our friend had gone to the bar to get our drinks and she left. We had to flag her down when our last friend joined us and she was very short with him when she asked if he wanted to open a tab or close out. We decided to leave and go next door to drink since the service there was so bad. She didn't even ask us if we wanted another round when we were finished with our first. When we were leaving the second bar, she came up to us and confronted us about our one friend's non existent tip. When our friend started to explain to her that she was short with us and we felt like she was treating us like a nuisance, she proceeded to tell us that were all banned from the WAB and she would remember all of our faces. I don't know what makes a server think that they have the authority to ban customers who have been regulars there for years when she was the one being rude or how she thought it was okay to confront customers outside of the establishment just because she is no longer at work and clearly had one drink too many. The group of friends that I was with have all worked in the restaurant industry for years (including myself) and we couldn't believe that a server would behave like this. Just completely unbelievable and disappointing.

    (1)
  • Dan H.

    I am really bummed that I am giving this place only one star. I really liked this place A LOT before their recent menu changes (AKA totally new menu). This place was our go to for good food and good beer, for my girlfriend and I. To change the menu slightly, remove a couple old items and add a couple new items, would be strategic. To change the menu completely and not keep a single item from the previous menu is disappointing as a regular. I hope the owners are receptive to their customer's feedback and revert to the old menu. As one reviewer put it, "if it isn't broke, don't fix it". The WAB boasts about their 17 year citizenship in Ferndale, why did they change what made them the awesome restaurant/brewery they were?

    (1)
  • Dave F.

    I love this place. Had the Wab Turkey sandwich with the root beer made in house. The jicama slaw makes the sandwich! Everything was amazing. Will definitely be back again.

    (5)
  • Scott K.

    The pizza flayed my mouth like a furious and impatient lightning god. It might have been tasty, I have no idea. It's super-cheap on half-priced Mondays.

    (3)
  • Karina K.

    We came here for our high school reunion, with a large group in a private room. Nothing was really that memorable, beer was good, don't remember much else except that the venue was great for about 100 people.

    (3)
  • Regina S.

    This is one of those "first date" places for me. At one time, I was quite the habitual dater. My getting married eventually stopped this... LOL But, when I was dating on the regs, I had a few blind dates that all lead me here. I suppose because it's big, it's easy to get to, you don't need reservations, and it's a light atmosphere. I don't remember the food being super good or bad, so i'll go with good. I do remember alot of quesadilla options... When I would go here on my many first dates, I always ordered their custom blonde, which is a nice light beer. I am NOT what you call a beer "tryer" really. I mean, sure, I like beer enough, but I don't like stout, or dark stuff, or too fruity of stuff, or crazy sludge from the bottom of a sewer stuff. I like a basic lighter beer, so it's nice that they have lighter offerings for girls like me. Other than that, the place is cool. Gets pretty loud sometimes, but hey, you just roll with it and talk louder. /Dates!!!

    (3)
  • Vagner W.

    it breaks my heart to give this place such a low rating, as I have spent countless hours eating here in the past 9 years... for some reason they do not seem to know how to cook thin crust pizza... second time that the pizza is raw or borderline raw... middle is soft and soggy, toppings run off... adding the gluten-free option and it was a mealy mess... they need to cook the pizza based on how the bottom of the crust is, and not the top cheese layer... that was well done, though some of the toppings under were cold... will still go to the Emory... $40 tab for two uncooked soggy pizzas... lucky we were hungry, otherwise we would've left...

    (1)
  • Calder W. K.

    Great ambiance, good location. Service is just Ok, not terrible not great. New menu is alright although a huge negative is that kitchen won't make substitutions (eg goat cheese for swiss cheese). Beers are pretty good and they rotate new brews in consistently.

    (3)
  • Mike R.

    Used to love this place. Went today and ug. Service was fine but...Menu completely changed and very minimal. I guess the good news is there are some vegan items which my wife likes. But we had two items and both were bla. Beer list is also very minimal and only 1 normal IPA which was average and the cider same. No bottle beer so u are very restricted. They will not last long with this menu/beer selection. WAB will survive I am sure but they will have to change.

    (1)
  • Joe B.

    So disappointed in this place. With this awesome venue and prime location on Woodward avenue in Ferndale there is no reason this place should not be blown out at all hours (like most places in the area) . Almost any other craft brewery in the state is packed wall to wall at any given time. What gives? Well for starters their beer, food and service are not good. We went there the other day because we heard they had a new menu and we really want to like this place a lot. The IPA and Porter were both horrible and the service was just as bad. One bartender chatted it up with a single customer the whole time we were there while the other was in back doing whatever. A simple "hey how are you" "check out our new menu" btw "our beers are half off right now" would have been nice but dude didn't even make eye contact. No desire to even try the food after seeing and reading about it.

    (1)
  • Jenni H.

    As some of the other reviewers have said, I know the WAB certainly has a loyal following but I just can't get on board. Probably the only positive is that it's a good place to bring groups--they always seem to have plenty of seating. The beer is ok, with the raspberry blonde being the best, IMO (in a not particularly competitive competition). The food (I can only speak for the veggie-friendly options) is generally mediocre--not horrible, but about what I'd expect in terms of vegetarian food at a bar like this. Also (and this is what knocked one whole star off), I noticed one of the other reviewers mentioned something about nastiness in the men's bathroom...I can't speak for the men's room (thank goodness!), but the women's room has been pretty nasty every time I've been in there. It basically looks like they don't clean it all day or that drunk people have been using it constantly (which I *know* is not a legitimate excuse, even for a bar, at 5pm on a Wednesday, unless its St. Patrick's day of course). But seriously, ladies, do not use the bathroom here. Stay strong and hold it!

    (2)
  • Kelly K.

    We had our rehearsal dinner at the WAB and they made it one of the best nights of my life!! We were in the downstairs room and they totally went above and beyond with the decorations - twinkle lights everywhere, a custom license plate Welcome sign, and a great set-up for our appetizer table and guest tables! We ordered two appetizers - they layered dip, and hummus - both were totally demolished by the time dinner arrived. Our server was super quick and took wonderful care of us. Everyone absolutely loved their food! I always get the chicken avocado quesadilla and it did not disappoint - shredded chicken, fresh avocado, and black bean paste made my dinner perfection. My soon-to-be husband ordered the french dip and it was SO GOOD. I'm not going to lie, I ate half of his dinner when he was talking to people :( It was so tender and the au jus was super flavorful.

    (4)
  • Lisa M.

    It's a nice place to hang out after work with coworkers and the food is great but the service leaves a lot to be desired. Also, I understand that most restaurants add gratuity for larger parties but it's generally announced also, it's recommended not mandated which leads me to my one other complaint - our service was horrible one night and we opted to not leave the full amount of what the recommended gratuity was and crossed it out and wrote a new amount. Much to our surprise the following day our bank account had the full charge plus our tip on it. After 3 days of trying to get ahold of people who could do something for us, the original amount was refunded but the experience left a sour taste in my mouth.

    (3)
  • Jim W.

    Poor service, it took nearly 2 hours for food to arrive at the table after ordering. Asked for silverware which took another 10 minutes after food arrived. We will not return.

    (1)
  • William S.

    The other day my friend invited me to lunch at this place. What a nice surprise. I had a turkey grinder and it was delicious - fresh and tasty. On top of that, I had their homemade root beer which was really great. For lunch - the place was pretty much empty. So sad for such a decent lunch venue. I don't drink beer so I can't comment on it......I wasn't there at night so I don't know about the nightlife. What I DO know is it's a dang decent place to catch a decent lunch and chat with an old friend. I'd definitely go back again.

    (4)
  • S G.

    Can't beat $2 pints on Sundays. We had an awesome late lunch and the food is always interesting!

    (4)
  • Dan M.

    Love the WAB. This is just a downright good spot to waste a night. I came here during a power outage last summer and nearly all of their food had been killed off but they did manage to save some salsa. We ordered a few rounds of beer and devoured the chips/salsa like they were going out of style. Service is pretty prompt too, no concerns there. Give this must-try spot a chance if you have not already.

    (4)
  • Josh S.

    really solid sitting in the summer, two garage doors lifted give the whole bar a open layout. they have a good variety of brews, blonde, pilsner, brown, IPA, etc. All are quite delicious. standard bar food, nothing amazing, nothing terrible. really go for the atmosphere and good craft brew

    (4)
  • Andy L.

    Cool place to hang out in the summer with the basement bar and outside seating. Has a good selection of custom beers offered brewed on-site. Great selection of food, I love their quesadilla especially deluxed or whatever they call it when they add enchilada sauce and cheese.

    (3)
  • Michael C.

    The WAB is my go to place in Ferndale. All of these one or two star reviews surprise me. There have been a few times where it took a few minutes for a server to stop by, but I've had that in many places. The food here is really good, I'd give it three stars and the beer five. My only beer complaint is that I wish they would switch it up more. As for servers bad attitudes, I've never seen it.

    (4)
  • Tanya A.

    I absolutely am in love with this place. Their Vanilla Porter is to die for delicious! Their vegetarian Ruben is phenomenal, and the atmosphere is amazing. I love their decorations and their menus are one of a kind. Huge returning fan!

    (4)
  • Cheryl A.

    Came here to end a date night with a few drinks. The ambience was nice with dim lighting, candles on the tables, and having multiple levels. Tried their new NOS beer which was pretty good and their drinks were nicely priced. The bar is situated right downtown with easy parking. We will definitely return in the future.

    (4)
  • Erik M.

    Something is wrong at the WAB. My friends and I always ALWAYS get a hangover from drinking here. It's not right. Is it dirty taps? The bartender spitting in the glasses? General funkiness growing on the walls? That's gross. I've switched to hard liquor here just to avoid it. For a brewery, this is not a good reputation. Recently the staff seems to have shifted from local plaid-laden Ferndalites to very attractive, but very unattentive waitresses. Trying to get your tab is like an NPR journalist trying to get a question answered at a Mitt Romney speech. Here's a fun secret: the WAB's kitchen consists of a microwave and a fridge. They do a pretty good job working with what they have, though. Big salads, nachos and that sort of thing. The pretzels come with hot mustard, which is nice. They have auto-tune karaoke on Wednesdays which is lots of fun, pretty much the only reason we come here. We used to consider the WAB to be the cornerstone of the Ferndale bar scene. Now it's the red-headed stepchild with lice. I much rather would hang out at the Loving Touch. Same owners, but a much better experience from service to beer quality. Now who has the number for the guy on SpikeTV that figures things wrong with bars? I want to solve the hangover conundrum.

    (2)
  • Brion R.

    "I'm not always in Detroit, but when I am, this is the place to go" I was here the day it was born (I mean opened). I've always enjoyed the wonderful craft brews in a variety of flavors and the good, solid food. Since then, the successful owners have expanded to own many other nearby establishments. Summer in Detroit would be incomplete without a Growler from the WAB. Or hanging outside and have a bite and their delicious beverages. the WAB is like an an old car, maybe it doesn't have the latest gizmos, it won't win you any races, but damn it is comfortable to drive. Tips: Rarity of the good jukebox. Raspberry Blond Beer is and Amber beers are top.

    (4)
  • Beggars D.

    The Nachos are fantastic(love the black beans and the tortilla chips are dynamite). Jukebox is fantastic and it crosses many genres. The staff has some of the kindest, hardworking, and genuine around!!! FAVORITE BAR over the past 15 years. The Cabresto Silver tequila is top notch as well.

    (5)
  • Molly n.

    I have to say I like they changed the menu up but wish they would've kept some of the favorites, no more Mexican food or awesome chicken salad, bummer! Also loved the pretzels and mustard, perfect with a beer, too bad that's gone as well. The beer is never cold enough, but we always let that go because the food was pretty good, will go back and give it another shot

    (3)
  • Shane H.

    Pretty good beer. I've taken a look at a couple of their bar food plates, pretty legit for bar food. The rasberry blonde is tasty and dangerous. The WAB is a perfect place for a casual get-together (again). one of the places where you can walk in, sit down, get some drinks and chill out with friends. nothing crazy. no lines either. simplicity is the essence of an awesome drunken fun night. and WAB knows that.

    (4)
  • Monica W.

    This is a great place to stop in with a group as I have been found to do while meandering around Downtown Ferndale in the cover of night. Their beers are not exemplary by any means, but I don't find them mediocre either. Like many reviewers I think the raspberry blonde is the best out of the bunch and food wise go with the pesto bruschetta (but make sure to pronounce it incorrectly otherwise you will find yourself repeating it over and over and just feeling like tard). Speaking of tards! I really hope the one that my friends got to get a whiff and view of sitting on the floor in the men's bathroom is not a common occurrence! I would ask who would do such a thing but I think I know.. I've heard of websites... So, so, nasty. Disappointing too because this spot has a really cool atmosphere inside and a fantastic patio to utilize during warmer months. I know it isn't necessarily WAB's fault that they have a poopy patron but I think I am doing them a favor by giving three stars after that regardless. Having only stopped in for a drink a handful of times it is going to take a few more for me to feel comfortable with the ratio of noncrap to crap visitation. People often complain about bathroom attendants but keep in mind they are the first line of defense against these foul experiences! Bathroom atmosphere aside, the multilevel upper area is really neat and if you have a chance to get a spot near the windows can enjoy watching Downtown while listening to a great music selection. This is totally my kind of laid back spot for gabbing with old and new friends!

    (3)
  • Joe B.

    I know a lot of people are crazy for the WAB but I just can't get on board. The food is actually really good for bar food and the portions are generous - so 3 stars there. The beer is just not up to par, sorry to say and perhaps that's a bit harsh but it all seems a little one note. I like some serious diversity in flavor backgrounds and a willingness to get a little crazy from time to time. The raspberry blond is one of the better beers but I'd like something more adventurous out of them. So 2 stars there. That being said, I concur with Kristin G., the ambiance is pretty chill, a little hipster but it has a cool Motorcity vibe to it with all the license plates hung. The downstairs open air seating is pretty cool too-a good spot for a first date and it's refreshingly busy on a sunny afternoon. The upstairs has a pool table and a cool vintage photo booth while the seating is along huge windows that overlook Woodward. Very cool! 4 stars here. So I'll stick with the 3 stars for the whole shot since the owners have began a small monopoly in the area and I really like the Emory and the Loving Touch.

    (3)
  • Paul S.

    Across the board mediocrity.

    (2)
  • Anjelica A.

    Stopped in last night after at least a year away. Glad to say that the WAB is still excellent: fast service, clean establishment, good selection of beers. I tried one of their guest taps this time (the Atwater Vanilla Java Porter) and it was amazing. One of the best things about the WAB is the size of the place - it never feels too claustrophobic, or like I have to hear every annoying thing that someone else is saying. There is music playing, I can hear my friends and they can hear me, but no one else has to hear us and we don't have to hear anyone else. Love it!

    (5)
  • Amanda K.

    This place is our go-to local eatery. Mondays are 1/2 off food. The topopo salad is amazing and huge. The turkey chili is unlike any other and the cashew turkey sandwich is so delicious and unique. The brew is great and they also have a full bar. I have had parties here and they have a cool little section upstairs that is a great spot for a group of people to gather. We get take-out from here all the time, too. everything is really good.

    (5)
  • Annette J.

    Family confession: my Grandma likes a good growler from WAB. But who can blame her? When I told her I was going out to WAB for lunch one day she asked me to bring her some beer. What can I say? She likes a cold one now and again. So a beer was delivered and she's a fan! I too, am a huge fan of WAB. One of my favorite spots to grab a bite and a beer and hang out. Love the crowd that trickles in, their commitment to the community (loved hitting Crafternoons there for a drink and some handmade shopping and their sponsorship of DIY Street Fair makes the event), and the super swell staff. The food isn't out of this world but it's great bar food. Tasty, filling sandwiches, great pizzas, and the most garlicky chicken nachos I've ever had. For realzies. These nachos? They're awesome. I don't do spicy so anyone looking for a plate of real zingy nachos may be disappointed but the chicken on there is so delectably garlicky, it was love at first bite. And 50% off their menu on Mondays? Hot damn. Nachos for everyone! The beer selection is great. Big fan of their raspberry blonde. It's even better on a warm summer's night on the patio. The space is awesome. Plenty of room to chill out both at the bar or at a table. Photobooth (was out of order last I was there but hopefully that will be repaired soon), pool table, and a killer jukebox playing some sweet rock and roll both local and beyond. Lovely decoration for the holidays right now too (love the hanging christmas trees!). The crowd is great, not annoying or bro like. And did I mention the staff is swell? They are. Kevin, Staci, and Paula in particular are just gems. WAB is a totally kick ass local bar with tasty, cheap eats, good beer and good tunes. Love it!

    (5)
  • Brian A.

    Let me give it to you straight: If it wasn't for the half-off Mondays, I probably wouldn't come here unless invited. The beer is just mediocre; I fully admit to being spoiled by Kuhnhenn's in Warren (true masters of the art), so other local microbreweries just end up tasting "homemade" rather than truly "crafted." That said, I'm a fan of their well-chosen guest taps. The other night I had Delirium Noel, which was phenomenal. The in-house brews? Meh. I've been here four times, and all four times I've received what I would describe as "perfectly mediocre" service. The staff is friendly and non-pretentious, but they are inattentive and easily distracted by friends/regulars. I've had several situations now where I was waiting for quite a while for some sort of attention, and I noticed my server was chatting happily with others. When you DO get attention, they're very nice and perfectly professional. 50/50. The food is really uninspired. I have yet to discover a dish that wowed me. The feeling I get is "I could have made this at home." The menu makes things like the "Tuna Bacon Grinder" sound very exciting, but what you end up with is GFS tuna with too much mayo, served on a bun with a slice of bacon. After four different attempts at finding a "wow" meal, I'm settled on a solid three stars. WAB is the very picture of perfect mediocrity.

    (3)
  • Wally S.

    I really didn't get to spend much time here but from what I did experience, WAB was OK. Their pale ale was good and a pint hit me in the head quite quickly. The food on the other hand as dea a. mentioned was "meh". The pizza looked real good, but tasted very generic. When I'm out in Ferndale again, I'll give this place another go.

    (3)
  • Kelly S.

    What happened to this place? The food used to be good, service good but the food tastes like something gone wrong from an episode of kitchen nightmares. BLECH! No thank you

    (1)
  • Nickie P.

    We went there last night and enjoyed being able to sit outside. I ordered the Raspberry Blonde, which had a nice, light taste. My boyfriend tried the mead, but we were both disappointed...it was advertised to be like sangria, but was not nearly as tasty or sweet as we thought it would be. He got some sort of porter after, which was pretty good and had a nice chocolatey aftertaste. We also had a pizza which was just fine. All the drinks were very cheap, which was great. Overall, I'd say the food and drink here isn't anything too exciting, but I would go back just to sit on the patio and have a drink in the summer air.

    (3)
  • Emine S.

    I went here during the DYI Festival (which was AWESOME). My friends and I were starving and decided to settle on WAB. It was mediocre all around. They ordered a taco salad, I tried the dressing, it was mayonnaise based and way too heavy. I had the WAB Dip, the au jus was a little to salty for my liking. I doubt I'll ever go here again.

    (3)
  • Ryan M.

    Just had lunch there and the new menu is excellent. Food was great and the service, as always, was very good.

    (4)
  • Kim G.

    Cool place with a good atmosphere, average prices. Although, you have better luck just going to the bar than waiting for a server. I haven't tried the beer (friends liked it though), but the root beer is not very good.

    (4)
  • Doug B.

    Beautiful spring/early summer type day here - so off to try WAB and the patio. Nothing like the sound of cars whizzing by here in the motor city. Service was good. Attentive, friendly. Food. I choose the Asian Chicken Wrap. Too many carrots, but otherwise it was pretty good. Peanut flavor wasn't overpowering as it can be in some of these. Would have liked to have more pea pods in place of the cheap carrots. Big enough to fill me. I did enjoy the chips and fresh salsa that came with it. Too nice of a day to just drink water, so I had a Raspberry Blonde. Nice summer sipper. I'd have it again.

    (3)
  • Anna S.

    The WAB is oookkkaaaaay. It's not great. I don't really get it. I've lived in Ferndale for over 5 years and we've been here several times. The 1/2 off food on Monday was the big draw, but we hated battling the crowds, and frankly, the service and beer isn't great-enough to warrant the battle. Since I enjoy my fried foods, I could never figure out why they didn't have fries and that's a turn-off. I was OBSESSED with the taco salad for a while and then I had a saddening epiphany. Allow me to explain: The taco salad is tasty - it's lettuce, tomatoes, black beans, seasoned ground beef, cheese, tortilla chips and 1,000 island dressing. I LOVE this combination, and I kind of longed for it weekly. Until recently, I went back after a long stint away, and another girl I was dining with also had the salad. While eating, she exclaimed, "it's just like a Big Mac!" Then it dawned on me - there's nothing "special" about the salad, really. It's just a familiar combination of flavors that already go together. Not that that's bad, or wrong. But it just took the air right outta my balloon and I realized that the salad was just good in a generic, I-already-recognize-this-flavor-combination kind of way. I've just never been impressed with the service or the beer, either. The service at The Emory is much nicer. Again, it's not a bad place, and I would go back; I just don't feel it's anything to write home about.

    (3)
  • Rachel M.

    Great in-house brews in fabulous Ferndale! The staff is incredibly friendly and the open air patio makes for a perfect place to grab some appetizers and a couple cold beers.

    (4)
  • Sam L.

    This place is symbolic for me of a terrible food trend that has spread like the plague from the shores of California. Okay, so I'd like for you to close your eyes and take journey with me. Your friend tells you theres this great place that offers fresh, west coast food, and homemade beer. You go; you eat; you imagine that you've done something marvelous for your body...I mean the food was so bland, and there were so many green things, that the food is probably making its way through your digestive system like Dr. Phil, curing all ailments on the way down, granting you eternal life. You go home; you stare out the window; something is wrong; you are empty; your life is out of balance...why am I not living like a human being you ask? Why have I chosen to disregard ancient culinary traditions in favor of white Cali folk's attempts to "correct" Mexican food? WAB and places like it are soulless and will lead to soullessness. The food food is so dull that you might catch yourself, as I did, blankly staring out the window, inadvertently drooling onto their novelty license plate menus. I prefer to be more specific in my descriptions of food, but there were really no tastes to hold onto. I ate a burrito, but it also could've been a large piece of iceberg lettuce with sour cream on top. Folks - please stop supporting California "health food". It must stop now! Asheville, NC used to be a unique place with its own culinary tradition, specific to Appalachia. Now it is whole wheat wrapped cale and grain with sour cream. Restaurant Owners - if you really want to offer Mexican food, make some friends outside of your usual all-white drum circle and get some advice from them. Something must be done.

    (1)
  • Ann J.

    On a recent tour of breweries, the WAB was our last stop, and definitely the worst. Expecting a brewery, the setting was more like a regular bar, and the beer was average and made most of our party feel a little ill. They did not have seating to accommodate us. The service was very poor. The food was not great, we ordered a number of appetizers and stopped there, not because we weren't hungry. The D.D. ordered hot tea, waited 20 minutes, and the tea was tap water warm twice. This was my first and last time here!

    (1)
  • Zac C.

    This review really hurts to write, because the WAB has been a go to for me in Ferndale for a long time. As a former visitor and now Ferndale resident, the WAB was one of my mainstays. Not anymore. This isn't about them getting rid of 1/2 off Monday nights, this isn't about them changing the menu, it isn't even really about the beer, even though I will mention it. This is about the service. I went last night on 4/7 for the second consecutive Monday night. Last Monday we were there, I was informed of the new menu by the multitude of messages posted around the bar/restaurant (Side note: You sound like you are apologizing for your new menu, and after how terrible the service was two visits in a row, perhaps you should be apologizing for that, not your new menu) I was actually pretty excited because I was always underwhelmed by the food before, but at least it was solid. I saw the new menu, which looked great, and was very excited to try one of the new Pizzas. I asked the waitress for the same beer that my friends had ordered before I got there, and I was served the wrong beer. Oh well, I'm not picky, I drank it. We ordered our Pizzas after what had to be 15 minutes since I had received my beer. Our pizzas came out and I couldn't help but laugh. They were not even round shaped, but instead oblong, with strange appendage like shapes jutting from the pizza. Who cares right? If it tastes good, Awesome! Well it did taste alright but they of course forgot the sauce on my friend's pizza. When we brought this up to the waitress she apologized and said "Yeah, they forgot it on the last one too, sorry let me bring you a side." Okay, first off, don't admit that and second off, if you screw something up, take it back and fix it. So after a VERY long wait, we finally got the sauce, ate our pizzas and left, pretty underwhelmed, but I figured I would be back because they told us Pizzas would be 3 dollars off on Mondays. Fast forward to last night, 4/7. Monday night, 3 dollars off, and I figured by now, they would have their stuff together with the new menu. Boy was I wrong, we waiting 10 minutes before a waitress even greeted us. They didn't have the beer I wanted (Whatever, not that big of a deal) so I ordered my second choice, disappointed, but not the waitresses fault. We order our Pizza 10-15 minutes later because our waitress was nowhere to be found. I ordered a pizza with Pesto, Mozzarella, Arugula, Chicken and Prosciutto. The waitress quickly told me that I could only have 2 toppings on the create-your-own pizza, even though the menu clearly stated it was 2 dollars for each additional topping. I pointed this out and she relented and allowed my three topping pizza. Of course the wait for the Pizza was over 20 minutes and when they came out, my pizza has red sauce instead of pesto. So this is twice in two trips where they couldn't get a pizza right. My friends Pizza, which was supposed to have Smoked Gouda, had strips of sliced Gouda placed on top of the pizza, very unevenly I may add, and not even melted at all. I pointed out my Pizza was wrong and they said they would remake it. Here is where it gets hilarious, I watched at least 15 pizzas go out before I finally said something, 30 MINUTES LATER. When I tell the waitress I thought the wait was kind of ridiculous, she told me "Well, yeah it takes awhile to make" Okay... sure, but that doesn't change the fact that I had a bad experience. When I said this, she defensively responded "Well fine, I'll take three dollars off your pizza" Wait... what? It's Monday? "Oh, that special was last week" Okay, so you get rid of half off Monday and say you will have new great specials and you get rid of it after one week? This set me off, I waited another 10 minutes for my pizza which I now asked for them to just pack up and take home. Never once did I get a genuine apology, never once did they ever try to make it right. If you are changing the menu and you know that there will be growing pains, wouldn't you do everything in your power to make up for your mistakes? I wasn't asking for free food, or beer, but jeez, you could have done something better than last week's special. Sorry WAB, your service has gone completely downhill, and it's pretty much as bad as the Emory now (worst service in Ferndale) Sorry, but it seems like you are losing a lot of customers, and will continue to turn off any of your new ones.

    (1)
  • Lyubava T.

    I think WAB is a great fun place to have a drink after work, as a dog owner and a Ferndale resident i love that i can walk there and sit on the patio with my furry friend, service is always great! Honestly,NEVER had a bad experience... I like their beer,the guest tabs are always fun to try, as far as the food goes..well it's BAR food!!! I love their Sunday's $2 beers & half off food Mondays.

    (5)
  • Laurel M.

    I really have a love/hate relationship with this place. When they are on, they are ON. Great mixed drinks, fun bartenders and waitstaff, Amazing service... tasty food.. But lately I've found myself staring at empty water and beer glasses, and stale food. Can be really hit or miss, but it's worth a shot!

    (3)
  • Myrtle M.

    When I turned 21 and didn't know much about beer or care much about food, I loved this place. I lived up the road, and it was an easy hike and a fun place to hang out on the weekends. Since I've learned a few things, I don't think the WAB is much to write home about. For me, it lost its luster when I found out that all their food is frozen and then microwaved. And their beer...meh. It depends on the batch, really. I've had great Ruby Red Lager, and I've had nasty Ruby Red Lager. The brewing is very inconsistent. I'd say their biggest claim to fame is their Custom Porter. You can't really go wrong with that one. They do have a great patio and also some nice window seating upstairs, but otherwise, meh. Just meh. Oh, but Monday is half off food night, so if you like half off microwaved food, do it!

    (2)
  • Amy W.

    It pains me to do this, but I have to alter my original review for the WAB. I used to LIVE for the half-off food Mondays at the WAB. A raspberry blonde and a loaded quesadilla made Mondays a little less painful. The food was okay, but when paying full price, it was a bit over-priced. However, they had a good selection of appetizers, entrees, and sandwiches. I was at the WAB last night for the first time since they changed their menu, and I was quite disappointed. Their menu was cut almost in half. I am not sure why they made the change, but I found myself missing the old WAB food lineup. Their main focus appears to be pizza, with a handful of pannini sandwich options and a couple appetizers. Meh. The raspberry blonde is the only reason for me to come back.

    (2)
  • Haroun K.

    The WAB is all ambiance. The food is terrible, and the beer is terrible. But sitting on the patio on a warm summer's night is a marvelous time. I have learned to sit back with just a coke, and watch as everyone else grimaces from the food and beers.

    (4)
  • Stacey D.

    The WAB ditched the old menu. New menu is nothing special. It's pretty much just pizza and the pizza is not great. And it's overpriced for the size. Bummer, I always loved the WAB. Won't be back here again.

    (1)
  • Erin M.

    I really use to love WAB. When I first moved to Ferndale it was such a great little place. OK beer and outside seating and a diverse menu. A little less than a year ago they chopped down the menu, taking out some of my favorite dishes. okay. No big deal. It was still convenient and close and good quality. I noticed everything slipping but this last time has convinced me never to go back. We were at our table for 15 minutes before a waitress came to our table, threw one menu (for three people) on our table and left. She didn't even look at us. It was another 15 minutes when she came back to our table and asked us if "we wanted anything" Nah, we're just sitting in a restaurant for our health! We ordered beers, which came out promptly, but the food we ordered took another 25 minutes. So 45 minutes we've been here and when the nachos do show up they're ice cold. Colder then the ambiant temperature of the air. Like they intentionally put them in the fridge or something! All of this happened on a Saturday afternoon in a half empty restaurant. That was it. We paid for our beers and left. I would have given them a chance to fix it, but god knows when our waitress would have come back and we went to the restaurant to eat because we were hungry! We ended up at Imperial instead. Which is excellent.

    (1)
  • Pepper S.

    Went to the WAB last night for dinner, was the 2nd time I have been there, the first time I have ordered food. I had the turkey club, it was good, the grilled focaccia bread was delicious! I had a root beer vodka that was mighty tasty. My boyfriend had the Thai Wrap, he said it was good and I believe him because his plate was completely clean when he was done. The thing I was most impressed with was the service. If you have read any of my other reviews I can be discouraged by a crappy waitstaff even if the food is good. The young girl that was waiting on tables was kicking ass. I looked around about mid way through the meal and noticed she had about 12 - 13 tables. You would have never know though, she was always right there at the right time, drinks stayed full, and never seemed stressed out or "in the weeds" I don't know her name but she was petite with red hair and glasses. Thanks WAB for a nice evening! We will be back

    (4)
  • Valerie G.

    So - I am not the biggest fan of this place- but I don't exactly hate it either. I'll start with the food- It's not very good. Call it Tex-Mex or whatever you want to call it - it tastes microwaved. I don't even like to eat food out of the microwave in my own house- I don't want to pay extra for it. The nachos and tacos are okay- and the salads are large... but that's about it. Food is half off Monday evenings, and that's probably the only time I eat there. Likes- I like the beer actually. I had pumpkin ale last time I stopped by, and I am a big big fan of pumpkin beers. I am not a big fan of porters, but my husband l-o-v-e-s the vanilla porter. I like sitting downstairs or outside on a nice summery evening. There is also a pretty cool chill vibe upstairs on the weekends. Also- they recycle. I heart recycling. Bathroom needs some work.

    (3)
  • Delsean L.

    1/2 off Mondays are a good way to get a night out. Good weather gives you an option to dine outside or upstairs next to an open window. Staff is friendly and the owners do quite a bit to support community events.

    (4)
  • Evan M.

    How can *anyone* recommend the food, let alone the Tex-Mex? I ordered a chicken burrito -- hold the beans -- and decided to splurge by "making it deluxe," which promised to douse the burrito in enchilada sauce, cheese, and red corn chili. Fast forward 35 minutes, and the burrito arrives: good size, yes, but there's barely any sauce on top; what's there is blatantly watery. Cheese was sparse, and looked unmelted -- a sign of the lukewarm temperature within. Chicken inside had decent flavor, but there was barely any cheese packed within, and I had a hard time spotting rice. I get this isn't supposed to be fancy. I get that this isn't supposed to be gourmet. I understand that it's pub fare. But does it have to be mediocre? At these prices, it shouldn't be. When Chipotle, of all places, can serve a fresher, better tasting burrito for $3-$4 less, this was beyond disappointing. As for the environment? We arrived 7 pm on a Wednesday, and ended up waiting about 44 minutes for a table for four. Server rarely remembered to check in, even when repeatedly walking past our table with empty drink glasses piled on the corner. While walking out to put more $$ in the parking meter (who knew 2 hours wouldn't be enough just to eat?), noticed a foul smell emanating from the bathroom at the top of the stairs. "Out of order," read the sign; I don't even want to know why.

    (1)
  • Pete D.

    My friend Kevin loves this place for the beer. I went there for the food. I should have gone for the beer. This not a foodies kinda place, But the beer is good but not that good. NOT the worst I had but not anything new or special. Get the Beer your like it.

    (3)
  • Erica M.

    Don't like the food. Don't like the beer. Love the WAB. Do you follow? The food is boring and just kind of "there." Granted, this is much more forgivable on Monday nights, when they have half off all things edible! On these occasions, I go for the Turkey chili or the taco salad...something that will lay a good base for the... Mediocre beer. Don't get me wrong. I'll drink it. It's not that it tastes especially bad, it's that it always gives me the WORST hangovers the next day. Not sure if it's their keg system or the beer itself, but even just one of these and I am dragging a** the next day. In spite of all of the above, this place really does have something about it. It's cool without being too cool. You can show up in a dress or yoga pants. Nobody cares. Sitting outside for happy hour in the summer is the best. And the jukebox is Awesommmme.

    (3)
  • Alexandra K.

    I agree with my brother, Haroun K. It's all about the ambiance. Menus made out of license plates, quirky music and wait staff. Not the best drinks -- though large servings -- and I'll take his word on the food. Added bonus? I had an AMEX deal, so while the bill was $12.50, I only ended up spending $2.50. Not too shabby. Would definitely come back.

    (4)
  • Michael S.

    Wow, what happened to this place? The WAB was always a place to go and get good food, good beer, and a smile. Now when you walk upstairs it's like going into a Young Republicans meeting and Fox News was on at the bar the last time I was there. This place always use to be pretty special to me considering it opened on my 21st Birthday 17 years ago yesterday and I honestly don't think I will go back. One thing that would do wonders for this place, besides an overhaul on employees that don't crack a smile at all, would be to get a better Brewer in there again. The beer now is no comparison to when Grant was running the Brew House. What happened to the Root Beer too? The WAB always had the best nitrogen charged Root Beer to give you that cascading effect you get from Guinness. This place really seems to be falling by the wayside since The Emory & The Loving Touch opened by same owners as the WAB. I can't speak for the rest of Ferndale, but I sure would like to see one of the other two establishments close in an effort to bring the WAB back to what it use to be.

    (2)
  • Ashley H.

    New beers! Woo-hoo! They now offer an IPA instead of the pale ale and an improved hefeweizen. More reasons to love WAB!

    (4)
  • Molly C.

    This place had delicious drinks, but I wasn't too crazy about the food selection. The pizza was not very delicious. The service was very nice though, and people were polite and friendly in general.

    (4)
  • Kirsten T.

    The WAB is a really cool spot, awesome decor. Their food is also pretty great, especially for those who don't eat meat. The beer is good, but never amazing. I've had maybe 2 beers that I would want to take home in a growler, but the rest are definitely drinkable. Just not my favorite.

    (4)
  • Gary B.

    Two story building off Woodward Top level is a bar with taps, lower level is able to open up to air with sidewalk seating. The house beers range from okay to good. The happy hour prices are good. The food is lower end pub but well made. A fun vibe in a simple setting.

    (3)
  • Mashia K.

    The service I just received was so terrible. The guy forgot to put my order in so I waited almost an hour for wings. Then I told him to just box it up, while im looking at it in the kitchen and it took him another 7mins.... Not acceptable.

    (1)
  • Albert K.

    This is the the bar that introduced me to Ferndale. It may have lost its luster over the years because of all the shiny new and trendy places that have popped up in the Fern, but it is still a solid bar. I think much of the hate is based more on the fact that it had the audacity of becoming popular. Back in the day you could walk into this place on a Thursday night and grab a seat pretty easily, have a bite, shoot pool and listen to music without much trouble. Eventually, this became impossible, with the explosion of the Ferndale bar scene. It was like those people who got pissed at the Black Eyed Peas or Liz Phair for going mainstream. To those people, I say, "Get over it." They had a solid selection of craft beer, good booze, solid views of the area, interesting seating, an eclectic jukebox and reasonable eats. It is not a place looking for accolades, it is just a bar and judging it on this basis, I don't see how you could knock it down to a three.

    (4)
  • Michele A.

    I am adding a stay because the food was much better this time. The pizza we got was hot and tasty with lots of cheese. We also got the dessert pie which was amazing with strawberries and chocolate. The only issue was it took 30 min to get! Our server never told us it would take that long or that it was a pizza pie in dessert form. Service is still super slow and our water was never refilled. He pretty much only came by to drop off food otherwise we had to flag someone down to get another round of drinks.

    (3)
  • Caleb Y.

    At this time in Michigan being a craft/micro-brewery is a hard thing to be the best at since there are so many. I was unimpressed overall. The beer was okay, but it all tasted a little 'thin' to me - kind of watery. I just guess I have had many beers I enjoy a heck of a lot better - and not even too far away from this establishment. Also, I was unimpressed by the feel of the space. Seemed kind of dirty/grungy. Perhaps this is the feel they desire, but I did not like it. There are a lot of other watering holes in the surrounding area where I would rather drink a beer at.

    (2)
  • Gary R.

    A pretty good menu that leans towards Mexican food but I like that! Plus, there are tons of vegetarian options so everyone should be able to find something to order. I tried the chicken and avocado quesadillas which, on the surface sounded awesome but were less than memorable. I wouldn't recommend them. However, the tostadas were huge and a big hit as was the california wrap and the pesto chicken grinder. Huge! But what would keep me coming back is the beer. And the Detroit Maiden IPA was really good. And at $3 a pint before 7:00? Perfect!! I'm a fan!!!!

    (4)
  • Alyssa R.

    I'm sure I wrote a review for the WAB. In fact, I distinctly remember writing it in my car right after I ate there... A small recap of my experience... I went here after their menu revamp and was super excited to try their food. The menu looked cool. The food sounded good. It had all of the makings for a fresh new start. Pre-revamp...The WAB in my book has just been "OK". They weren't horrible, but they weren't awesome. I honestly never go here unless a friend wants to, BUT I was willing to try it again because of their revamp and the food descriptions. The following is the nice version of my review since my other disappeared... I ordered two gluten free pizzas and a mushroom appetizer (balsamic, goat cheese, and spinach). The gluten free pizzas , both the WAB bahn mi and the Optimus primavera were really quite horrible. They lacked toppings, i.e., they didn't have enough to actually cover the whole crust... And the crust was no Rene's Gourmet Pizza... When you think of pizza, you think... Warm, fluffy, cheesy deliciousness. Was it that? No. No it was not. It was like a hard, stale, thick, cornmeal cookie. I was really sad we ordered two pizzas and even sadder when I got the bill and saw how much it was. It was not worth it. I had high hopes for them. With gluten free and vegan options popping up in more dining establishments one would think this would be spot on considering their menu boasts these options. Oh, and the appetizer was slimy and soaked with balsamic. The spinach didn't seem fresh at all. I didn't think that those ingredients could be bad... I eat everything and anything and... I walked out of this place with my boxes of leftovers in hand (I debated whether to leave them there but it was so damn expensive) and tossed them in the garbage outside. I know this seems harsh but... Unfortunately it's all true. Now to give them their due... They have an awesome venue. It's really a nice place to dine and look out over woodward. Also, I am aware that maybe their regular gluten menu is delicious... But alas I will never be able to try that. I would love it if they could do their vegan and gluten free options better. Hope they make it...

    (1)
  • Jessie G.

    Ok so I'm a hophead, therefore I thought I was gonna not like this place. Boy was I wrong. I love the decor in here. They have a new menu and it is a delightful one. The flights here aren't the best but the service is top notch! Kareoke night always catches me off guard but nevertheless I always love it here.

    (4)
  • Sandy V.

    Cool atmosphere, nice beers on draft for a decent price. Good for large groups. We had a birthday party there that was a lot of fun. Service was standard. Food was standard. Easy to meet and talk to other people inside.

    (5)
  • Sameera G.

    So I left my phone and wallet at the bar. And then walked to another bar. Christian, handsome fancy vest wearing barkeep, followed us to the second bar to deliver forgotten phone and wallet. SO NICE. Attentive service too. Go WAB.

    (5)
  • Heather J.

    The rumour goes the WAB recently underwent major changes due to the involvement of the owners. On a cold evening during the dinnertime rush in January, prime time to see all sorts bellying up, the bar had an almighty two people. What happened to this cornerstone of Ferndale dining? You need only look so far as the menu. Gone are the kitschy menus squashed between vintage Michigan license plates with a broad assortment of quesadillas, nachos, grinders, and sandwiches served up using chips. The missing items were part of the kitchen's charm and sorely lacking in replacements. Now the paper menus are clotted by a strange assortment of pizzas, and very limited supply of sandwiches, salads, and appetizer combos. Sandwiches are served up with noodles or salads, which may serve to please the vegans, but noodles rarely go well as a side with a tasty pint of beer. My fellow diners and I were mildly repulsed by the kitschy candied bacon served in a mason jar without even a properly sealing lid. The meat tasted too salty and sweet, lacking any sort of caramelized or sugared quality. I'm Canadian, and my country's bacon tolerance is long indeed. How can you possibly mess up bacon? Additionally one of the members of my party ended up with the equivalent of dry, flavourless ground beef served as a side with the equally tasteless beer cheese soup and a dry baguette that probably counted as the best part of the meal. Advertise something as beer and cheese, it best have some beer flavour. If the WAB's signature brew is anywhere in there, they simply stood a pint beside the tureen and counted themselves done. The beer used to be the mainstay of the place, considering B in stands for brewers. They still have many of their signature drinks on tap; the blonde continues to mark the high point on the menu, which makes this a rather fancy watering hole and not a whole lot more. Snacks blend fairly badly with the daily assortment out there. Once upon a time WAB partnered to Treat Dreams and Valentine Vodkas, though these combinations are sparse and far between. I do not recall seeing any Valentine offerings, not surprising given the entry of Valentine Vodka into a proper distillery up the road last year. Given the venue, it hasn't much changed. A wide variety of tables and oddly shaped booths fill out the second floor bar area, and seating for large crowds can be accommodated given a bit of forewarning. The latest renovation squashed more booths along the windowfront, sensible given Woodward Avenue is a prime slice of real estate at any time of the year. Rolling doors still give a superb patio in the summer, and its location is a frequent haunt for festivals like Pig & Whiskey and food truck rallies. There's an old adage: if it ain't broke, don't fix it. I don't know what prompted the WAB to undergo a major change, considering the Mexican-heavy menu was pretty tasty and trustworthy. Changes to personnel suggest deeper meddling than updating the offerings. Given stiff competition along 9 Mile from One-Eyed Betty's and the Emory, I can't justify coming in here anymore. Look elsewhere for a decent meal.

    (2)
  • Angela W.

    We drove out of our way to get here after church, and it was just ok. Apparently their menu had changed a lot since the last time we had come here, because my husband's favorite, the quesadilla, the ONLY reason we came here from Redford, was not on menu that was handed to us anymore. We don't drink beer, so I can't tell you how the brew is, but my husband and son weren't fans of their root beer. (It could be because they're not used to home brewed type of soda.) My daughter thought her kid's pizza was ok. My husband didn't like his meatball sub. My son couldn't get his mouth around his huge sandwich (not that it's a bad thing at all. ;) but I enjoyed my Balsamic chicken sandwich with tomato soup instead of fries or chips. If we head back out to that part of town again from Ypsi, I'd probably pick somewhere else, like the Emory across the street......that is, unless they bring that quesadilla back.

    (3)
  • Carole H.

    On a cold snowy Saturday night, a couple girlfriends and I were tired from a long day and looking to grab a bite somewhere in Ferndale and then head out of there before the nightlife bar crowd filled in for the night. We stopped by 2 other places that were packed out the door with people before heading just across Woodward to the WAB, which was oddly not crowded at all. I'd been here before in some years past, but being that I don't live on this side of town, sometimes forget about it. The upstairs is clean, and warmly lit. Our server - whose name I can't recall - was attentive and pleasant as can be. The menu was a lot smaller than I remembered, which surprised me - mostly pizza, calzones, and a few sandwich offerings. But, even out of those few options there were a couple things that caught my eye. I ended up settling on a sandwich with turkey pastrami (which you don't always find on a sandwich menu) and other delicious fixings I can't quite remember, but man was it good. Came with a cup of tortilla soup that hit the spot just right. As we stayed and chatted after our meal, we saw the place filling up as the evening got later. Even after we cashed out, our server kept returning to check in on us, refill waters, etc. As I left I found myself thinking that I need to keep the WAB in mind more often, because we really had a great dinner here.

    (5)
  • Blaise B.

    Nothing about the WAB wows me, but it is a solid place to spend some time in Ferndale. The wine they have is as cheap as it gets, yet is still $5 a glass. I can buy a whole bottle of that stuff for $5. I hear the beer is good, but I don't like beer so I have to rely on hearsay for that. The food is decent. I feel like the menu is too small.

    (3)
  • Jen Z.

    This place used to be great back in the day. I remember when you couldn't find a place to sit on a Friday night! Now, all the good bartenders quit. The place is dirty, beat up, and tired. It badly needs a facelift. They've gone through a few menu generations over the last 5 years and nothing seems to stick. They aren't a very good pizza place so I'm not sure why that is the direction they went. I miss the big salad bowls, nachos and the yummy sandwich rollups from Ann Arbor. The turkey chili was the bomb! Their menu used to be fresher and healthier. The beer has always been there mainstay. I tried to get a keg for a party once and they told me no. I think that's always kind of miffed me.

    (2)
  • Kate U.

    This place is good! I have a few friends that live in Ferndale and have been here a few times to sit outside on the patio for lunch. First off, the location is awesome- it's a great people watching spot right on Woodward. You definitely won't get bored waiting for your food. I was a little disappointed with the beer that I had, I'm more of a fan of less hoppy beer and mine was really hoppy. I've heard the raspberry beer is the beer to get. Will need to try that next time. I had the burger with fries, and was pleased with my choice. The burger was perfectly cooked and the fries were as you'd expect. I'm giving this place 3 stars because I think they have the potential to be even better. First off, the ambiance is awesome, they already have that. Between the license plate menus and the michigan stuff everywhere, it makes you feel right at home. This place has "pure michigan" written all over it, in a good way. The food was kind of what I expected, wasn't blown away and I wasn't too impressed with the beer. I expect a lot if this place is a brewery and I just didn't enjoy my beer that much. I felt like the experience was a little overpriced for what you got.

    (3)
  • Jake A.

    I don't think I've ever gone out of my way to go to WAB. I've only ended up here when I'm riding the coattails of someone else's plans. The look and feel of WAB is very nice and has the potential to be a real great spot. Their beer is not very good. When you make the decision to make your own beer in Michigan, you have to really be up to the task of blowing your customers away with your creation. Their beer just simply doesn't do it for me. The food is decent though the selection is quite short. I understand they've changed the menu recently to feature more pizza which I've yet to try. This isn't a terrible place, it's just not that special. If some friends say they're meeting here, I'll go.

    (3)
  • Nick M.

    The menu is tiny but the beer is very good. We sat outside a few weeks back, on the patio, and it was a very sunny day. It also happened to be during the PRIDE Festival so there were many people blustering around Ferndale. The service is...okay. It can definitely be better. It took our server ample time to give us plates for our pizza and to refill our beers, which was annoying. He looked aloof, like he just didn't care. Fix that, WAB! As for the food, three of us guys shared two pizzas (Extreme Clientele and The Usual Suspects) and they were pretty delicious. You can't go wrong with splitting pizzas at a bar, especially when the menu is so abridged. I like the place and the location, but the service needs to be better and the menu needs to add a LITTLE something extra. Variety is the spice of life !!

    (3)
  • Christie P.

    Love the wings! This is the Ferndale place to come and grab a beer. Low key but still a fun atmosphere.

    (4)
  • Christi G.

    Recently moved and went here for the first time last night. Food was great and we did not have to wait at all for a table on a weekend. Only concern was the waitress was a bit preoccupied but we were not in a rush. Would definitely go again!

    (4)
  • Mike L.

    In my opinion, the only thing worse than the concept of Yelp are people who regularly write Yelp reviews. With that in mind, I was kind of disheartened by reading reviews of the WAB on here. Yeah- maybe the gluten-free menu is lacking and man...I can't believe they charge money for wine when you could go buy a whole bottle of wine at a store for $5! As if that doesn't describe every damn restaurant in the universe. And kudos to the clown who left a one-star review and wrote, "I hope they make it" at the bottom...you know, because 18 years in they are still just hoping to keep the doors open... As a person who lives in Ferndale the WAB is a solid place to get a pizza and some beer. They have a new surf-and-turf pizza (shrimp, lobster, sirloin steak and prosciutto with a chimichurri sauce- hands down the best specialty pizza I've ever had). In my experience, the service is always top notch. I wish they'd do a little more experimenting with some seasonal brews (the core menu of beers has basically been the same since I move to Ferndale 5-6 years ago). That said- the Detroit Maiden IPA is fantastic and the Raspberry blonde is my go-to. Based on food and beer, this place is a solid three-star place. But given that the WAB is a huge supporter of the local community and that they have a huge hand in every festival that comes to Ferndale, I give them four. Is the liquor expensive? I don't know. I don't go to a brewery to drink mojitos. And neither should you. Drink the beer. Eat the pizza (soups and apps are all good too). And you'll be fine.

    (4)
  • Kristoffer M.

    This place is known for their Raspberry Blonde. Some people can taste the raspberry, some can't. I get a nose of it the first few sips, then it seems to disappear. Still, it's a good beer. The ambiance is pretty nice. License plates here and there, a spattering of metal throughout, it's dark and industrial, but in a fun way. It definitely fits into the neighborhood. The food menu is great. I haven't had anything here I hadn't liked, and few things I hadn't salivated over just thinking about. What should you get? Well, you can get a whopping bowl of phenomenal nachos, big enough to feed 4. They're hands down the best nachos I've ever had. Or get a flavor packed wrap. The veggie burger isn't too bad either! The beer is alright for a brewery, but the food makes the trip worth while.

    (4)
  • Candice K.

    It has been years since i have been here and wow have they improved. Better menu and more beer options. My friend got the vanilla beer and enjoyed it. I got the twisted tomato salad. Soo yummy. Fresh moz, smoked tomatoes, greens, pesto, crusty bread and balsamic! There was a decent amount of people for a monday night. Cute fall decor and good service. There is plenty of seating. Perhaps i will come back on the weekend. Beers were about $4 and food was $7-$10. Not bad at all!

    (4)
  • Lisa P.

    When they first switched their menu, I was not too sure. But a year later, they really have it figured out. The calzones and pizzas are fabulous. Nice light crust. The smoked tomatoes and smoked portobello are wonderful. Fresh mozzarella. Best pizza place in Ferndale. Plus the Detroit Maiden IPA and the GD Irish Stout are amazing.

    (5)
  • Ron R.

    This place was really amazing, the staff was excellent, the beer was amazing, we didn't eat here because we eat at home we only go to breweries for the one simple thing... beer. My girlfriend and I have been to 15 Michigan breweries and we plan to visit EVERY brewery in the state of Michigan and I would rank this brewery #3 in my list so far, the other bad reviews r from people who are not coming here to enjoy the beer itself. We had the flight and on my flight I had the Raspberry Blonde, Irish Red, Vanilla Porter, Custom Porter, Irish Stout. Every beer I had was phenomenonal. Raspberry blonde had a sweet raspberry and orange taste it was really food, Irish red had quite the pine tree taste and I love that taste from a red, the Vanilla porter blew me away because every vanilla porter I have had never tasted this good, not even atwater's. The custom porter did what a porter was supposed to do, taste great with astounding flavors of a burnt coffee, and the Stout. WOW! where do I start with the great full flavors all the way to the creamy chocolate filling. This place was a shocker because it has a nightclub/ bar scene when u first walk in but u sit down and the staff r friendly and help u with ur picks I would DEFINITELY come here again. They also do sell Growlers here.

    (5)
  • M C.

    Not impressed. Hole-in-wall bar & grills seem better. But my friend says this is a good place for pizza. Only been here twice. First time--late night drinks upstairs. Great waitress but overpriced liquor. Second time--lunch on the patio. Slow service; however the server was very polite. Mediocre beer & a horrible salad. The chicken on the salad came cold. I guess it's smoked...? Which was not communicated by the server upon ordering. I ordered a basic salad with no onions & grilled chicken, but they served a sad salad WITH onions & the weird cold, smoked chicken. I suggest sticking to pizza & the Vanilla Porter if you enjoy feeling uncomfortably full.

    (1)
  • S J.

    It's ok, I guess. We were really frequent half off Monday goers. That's one of the things gone with this new menu and change of identity. My biggest question is why they did it? What wasn't working before? They had the only place with that type of menu in town. Now they've switched to pizza and paninis... Nothing particularly special. We tried it out tonight as they were supporting the high school marching band (the owners are great people and support the local schools). My son was.very disappointed that the pretzels were gone. There are great vegetarian choices, so that is helpful and notable. I got a panini which on the menu looked fantastic, but wasn't much anything special. My husband had one of the pizzas which was so greasy that he couldn't pick it up and eat it. He said it.was.good but again nothing remarkable. The kid's options are three, pizza, grilled cheese, and a snack board. All come with carrots (there are literally no more chips of any kind). The snack board is a great effort at something other than nasty frozen options for kids and I think most families will like it. All in all, I really miss the old WAB. I miss the pretzels, the burritos, and I mourn the loss of the turkey chili on behalf of my friends. I miss the half off Mondays, which were hopping every time we went. I miss the extremely awesome license plate menus (did they have to get rid of those too?). I can't say I'll come back now. If I want gourmet pizza, we've got lots of other options. I appreciate the donation to the band and everything you have done for our community. I just can't get on board with the new WAB.

    (3)
  • B C.

    First let me start by saying I've been going to the WAB for 10 years now. I live in Ferndale and this has been a local favorite for me for years, which is why I can't give them less than 3 stars even though I really want to at the moment. Lately, this place SUCKS. The WAB USED to be a wonderful neighborhood brewery, offering $2 pints on Sundays, 1/2 off food on Mondays, Karaoke on Wednesdays, and other specials to draw people in. The staff rocked, and they had a good menu! Ok, the beer was never one of their strong points, but the atmosphere made up for it. NOW... CURRENTLY, the menu is shitty, and the service has gone down hill! Why did they decide to become a pizza place? Does that make sense? It's a BREWERY! When I think of brewery food I DO NOT think of PIZZA. They should've revamped their beer menu, instead of changing the food. The old menu had variety. I actually really enjoyed it. Why change it? Ok, so they decided to become a pizza place. But the pizza isn't great. It's ok. But the salads, and the appetizers are horrible! They don't pair well with pizza, or beer. I went there with friends the other night and we ordered the "You Dip, I Dip" or whatever, beer and cheese dip. I got the vegan one, and my friend got the regular. Let me say it was the most DISGUSTING thing I've ever had put in front of me. I'm not exaggerating. I'm not picky, and I never, ever, ever return food. This was the first time in my life I had to return a menu item. It looked like cat food and smelled like vomit. The server was really rude when we mentioned that we didn't like it, but the manager handled it for her and gave us a refund.... WOW! I was shocked to receive food so awful from the WAB. My advice to them is if they are keeping the pizza, they should rethink the appetizers and salads; Keep it simple! They are trying too hard. Choose appetizers and salads that pair well with beer and pizza! Other than the horrible menu and increasingly shitty service, I still love Wednesday night Karaoke nights with Masha. She's awesome and it's a good reminder of what the WAB used to be, and what it could be once again.

    (3)
  • Lyndsi W.

    They are kinda located in a quiet spot of Ferndale. Not a area I love to be in cuz it's too quiet for being in Detroit area. Lots of street parking and they once hosted and great street fest with beer and BBQ and I had a great time!!! I love the little plastic cup I got at the fest cuz every now and again when I grab that to make a drink it takes me back to that fest that the WAB hosted and it's a great memory from my past!

    (4)
  • Big D.

    Love this place!! Great beers and great specials. The customer service is good and the food is amazing!!! The staff are quick, attentative and friendly.

    (5)
  • Brian B.

    The new menu is spot on and everything tastes fantastic. New beers are excellent as well.

    (5)
  • Paul M.

    So, the problem with the WAB was never the food--ITS THE CRAP BEER. Granted, the food wasn't the best, but there was a variety and it was consistent. The food was never good enough to get me in that place on any day other than half off Mondays which they have since done away with. I visited the WAB last week with a friend and was semi excited to see a menu full of pizzas -So I ordered a margherita pizza. The pizza did not even come close. The crust recipe is terrible, and it tasted like it was made just before they put it in the oven. Any experienced pizza maker knows that the key to good crust is fermenting it all day. What a shame they spent all of that money on a brand new pizza oven. I'm sure all of the hipsters will probably go there anyway since it's cool to like things that no one likes anymore.

    (1)
  • Matteo C.

    Whoever decided to change the menu to "pizza" should be fired - at a minimum. Way to piss-off 75% of your loyal/local customers. Such an awful decision, I almost don't even want to drink here anymore...AMLOST. The Vanilla Porter is still tasty, as are the cloudy beers. Keep the Brainiac away from the beer, and I'll still come by for some drinks. As usual: Awful service, with rude, "cooler-than-thou" tattooed hipsters arrogantly walking around + garbage food. Yeah...I'll come for cheap beers on Sundays, but that's it - until they go out of business, that is. Here's hoping the owner gets this message.

    (1)
  • Steve K.

    Stopped in for a coupla beers and some lunch today with my son. Went to the upstairs bar, which was sorta quiet, but had a great ambience. Been downstairs before, which is very cool & open to the traffic on the Ave. Don't know why there is all the crabbing about the new menu. While the pizza is NOT what you get at your local mom & pop place, if that's what I'm looking for, I go to a mom & pop place. Their pizza is unique, and I thought it was pretty good. I also tried their Goodfella panini. While I wish there was a bit more meat on it, it was fresh, different and pretty tasty. The beers are not up to Bell's or Founders, perhaps, there is a decent selection, and their porters are quite good. I'd rather a place had a smaller menu that they can maintain quality on, rather than a wider menu - very few restaurants/breweries/bars can be all things to all tastes. I will definitely go back.

    (4)
  • Steve K.

    Good beers. Ok atmosphere. Awful food. I've eaten here many times trying to give other items a chance but never enjoyed anything I got, especially for the price. The beer ia good, especially the vanilla porter. Kinda noisy but it's a bar. Good place to hang out and drink but the emory is my choice out of the WAB, loving touch and emory (all owned by the same) to eat and drink.

    (3)
  • Cari M.

    Going to WAB doesn't excite me like it used to when I first moved to Ferndale. It's decent but I don't expect to be wowed when I come here. It's a great hang out spot of course, and service is consistently good. The food is just meh though. Specifically- the grilled chicken salad. I didn't like the taste of the chicken much at all. I would much rather eat at other places close by but I'm sure I'll still frequent the WAB because if you live and play in Ferndale - it's a good place to go :)

    (3)
  • Tim M.

    Woodward Avenue Brewers is okay: Their venue is good, their beer is okay, and their food okay. Their locally known for their raspberry blond ale, which is pretty good. I'm usually not a fan of fruit beers but this particular one is pretty good. Other than that, their other beer is good, not worthy of a pilgrimage to Ferndale or anything but nothing to scoff at. Woodward's venue is pretty cool; located on the second floor of it's building Woodward's venue features a large bar to sit at as well as high-top tables and a raised area around the outside walls of the bar with additional tables to sit at. The raised up area is pretty interesting; I've never seen anything like it. It's about 6steps (about 4 feet) above the floor space by the bar. As a result people sitting at the bar and the high-top tables near the bar have an amusing view directly below the table tops on the raised area. The hilarious end result is that you occasionally get a front row seat of couples getting handsy under their tables. Additionally, Woodward Avenue is pretty active in Ferndale's "DIY Street Fair" (which is always a blast); Woodward always is set up downstairs below their usual venue selling beer tokens and doling out beer for the fair. Beer: 3 Venue: 4 Food: 3 --------------------- : ~3

    (3)
  • Julie G.

    Updating my review. I realized that it had been 2 years since we had been here so we tried it again for the first time since the menu change. Went there early afternoon on a Sunday. Not overly busy but there were patrons in the upstairs. I kind of missed the old license plate menus but was pleasantly surprised by the number of pizza offerings. And the beer we selected was in stock! (The last couple times we had come here the beer we wanted was out, so this was nice) Raspberry Blonde for me and Detroit Maiden for my dining companion. Very good beer, just like I had remembered. We ended up with a small cheesy bread and a Wabanh Mi Pizza. The small cheesy bread was a perfect appetizer for two and the pizza (a thai inspired pizza with pickled veggies, roast port, onion, jalapeno, sesame seed and siracha) was absolutely delicious and, again, a perfect size for a light lunch for two. We came here for the beer anyway. The server was very nice and we had a great time people watching out the large front window. Will come again to try some different pizza or maybe a sandwich, the menu looked very tasty!

    (4)
  • Amy B.

    We stopped in for a quick brew and to check out the new menu. We like it! Much lighter and faster and yet a big step up in presentation and quality. I am going to miss the giant salads of the old menu but the pizza and more smaller plates are a welcome addition.

    (4)
  • R M.

    Wow - what happened??? I am not usually one to write negative reviews, but after such a terrible experience, I just had to warn others from wasting their money here. I'll start off by saying that I, like many others, had been a frequent WAB customer for years. I enjoyed their menu, atmosphere and cool character that it had (the signature license plate menus have been replaced by bland paper menus that look like oversized coasters) My Saturday evening experience at the WAB not only offered up tasteless empty calories but also some of THE worst service I've ever received at a restaurant. I am going to bulletize things to keep them clear: - The two of us sat down and waited in the patio seating area. After several servers walking right past us, we had to ask for help. The process took 15 or so minutes. - Ordered two beers. They arrived nearly 20-30 minutes later. We ordered our food (an appetizer and a thin crust pizza) from their new menu at this point. - Waited for food...and waited...and waited...finished our beers...waited some more...oh yeah, and waited a bit longer. 45 minutes later, our appetizer arrived. Not once in between did the person helping us stop by our table. I saw his co-workers visit all the tables surrounded us that they were assigned to, but this guy managed to completely forget about/ignore us. - Ok, so the appetizer arrived, after all that waiting. No napkins, no utensils. The guy helping us was ever so surprisingly, once again, nowhere to be seen. My friend literally had to get up to hunt down some napkins and utensils. - Pizza finally arrived. At this point, it was probably about 1 1/2 HOURS after arriving. I have gotten Chicago style deep dish is less time than this "gourmet thin crust" disaster - but I'll talk about the crap food in a minute. - The girl who brought out the pizza put it on the table without saying a word. Thankfully, my cat like reflexes (har har) kicked in soon enough for me to ask the back of her head for PLATES, before she power walked away. Freaking plates!! Her response was...drumroll please... "Oh, you need plates?" - After choking down some of the food, we were definitely ready to exit as soon as possible. The end was near!! Finally! All we needed was our check. And so we waited...and waited....and waited. Then we asked another server to please let our guy know we were ready. Still...nothing. Once again, my friend had to GET UP, hunt someone down and ask for the check. -He finally came by with the check! It was a glorious moment to know we would be able to leave soon! It's a good thing we had no desire to take any of those tasteless leftovers with us, because you better believe he never asked if we needed a box. -We then promptly evacuated. Overall time spent - close to 2 1/2 hours. Number of times we were proactively helped by our server without having to physically get up to ask for it? O N C E! Now...the food from the new menu. Tasteless, bland garbage. - The "chorizo" and beer cheese dip appetizer. It's called "I dip, you dip, we dip" or something. The dip came with five small and thin slices of baguette. Once the tiny bread slices are gone, you will have most of the dip remaining no matter how much dip you try to load on to each little circle - I promise. I put the word chorizo in quotations marks because side of "chorizo" (the cheese and meat were in two separate bowls) looked and tasted like greasy ground beef with some cayenne. I have had chorizo before - many times in fact. That was not chorizo, so why call it that? Anyway, on top of that, the cheese dip was totally tasteless. A salt shaker would have come in handy to try to add SOMETHING to it, but we didn't feel like waiting an hour for it. - The Smokearita pizza - pretty much their margarita pizza. Soggy crust, bouncy ball rubbery cheese and once again, totally tasteless. It takes effort to somehow leave out the flavor on something that calls for fresh basil, but they certainly managed to do it. I guess what I'm saying is that the only time I'd ever eat the new WAB food is if I find myself in the middle of a zombie apocalypse and had to, in order to not die from starvation. Ok, ok maybe a little dramatic, but there are MANY delicious food options in Ferndale (Dino's and Christine's Cuisine being two personal consistent favorites - check them out!). Why allow yourself and your wallet to fall victim to crappy food and just plain unacceptable service?? After all of that, I had never been so excited to walk out of an establishment. It's sad really. I have had countless enjoyable visits to the WAB over the years. I can say that I will definitely NOT be returning again, though.

    (1)
  • Esther G.

    Guess how many times in our 1 1/2-hour stay at the WAB (I checked the time) we were approached by a member of their wait staff. Zero. Not for drinks, not for food, not for anything. ZERO TIMES. NO ONE CAME TO WAIT ON US. EVER. I've been here several times before, and never had non-existent service so was pretty confused more than anything. (We just got our drinks up at the bar.) Everyone else around us was getting waited on, except for our group of five. Were we wearing signs on our backs that said "Stay away" or had the Loser sign painted on our foreheads? That seems to be the only logical explanation. Ridiculous.

    (1)
  • Elliott B.

    I'm fan of their beer's and patio. They allow dogs on their patio which is great and they welcome them out there. The menu is small but works for pizza and a salad.

    (3)
  • Jim R.

    WAB's new menu is shit, and the worst betrayal to occur in Ferndale. It's not that I didn't care for the options. The food is an insult to the customer. Good luck.

    (1)
  • G C.

    Did you give the WAB your old blue license plate to put on the wall? If so, I think you should ask for it back. Because the WAB you knew and loved is gone. They've tossed out their inventive, diverse, well thought-out menu and replaced it with poorly thought out and not very well made pizza served on plastic plates. And, oh yes, they now offer a charcuterie plate, just like every other restaurant. They also offer higher beer prices. It's sad, really sad. If popularity of their old menu was waning, I'd suggest that maybe it's because the quality of the food and the cleanliness of the restaurant had slipped a little in recent years. Maybe fix that instead of tossing the whole menu. But it's too late for that. Nothing to do now but pour one out for the cashew turkey, the topopo salad, and the Pint-o-Rods.

    (1)
  • Gretchen B.

    What an absolute disappointment ! No more half off Mondays! No more wonderful menu! No more amazing taco salad! Now WAB has become a pizza parlor only! The choices on the debuted menu are horrendous! Oops did I say choices ; there are none!! All I heard was patron after patron complaining . I left sad and will unfortunately not return! This used to be one of my favorites! Utterly dissatisfied !!

    (1)
  • Vidhi B.

    Been going here with coworkers about once a month for over a year. Casual atmosphere and ample space for our large, boisterous group. Went there a couple of weeks ago, ordered some food and a raspberry blonde (my favorite), left happy and full. And then woke up Sunday morning heaving and puking. A terrible case of food poisoning for two days! And I wasn't the only one! 4 of us from our group were out of commission on the exact same timeline and we realized that all of us had beer at the WAB. Not sure if it was the tap line or what, but we know we definitely won't be going back any time soon.

    (2)
  • Regina S.

    This is one of those "first date" places for me. At one time, I was quite the habitual dater. My getting married eventually stopped this... LOL But, when I was dating on the regs, I had a few blind dates that all lead me here. I suppose because it's big, it's easy to get to, you don't need reservations, and it's a light atmosphere. I don't remember the food being super good or bad, so i'll go with good. I do remember alot of quesadilla options... When I would go here on my many first dates, I always ordered their custom blonde, which is a nice light beer. I am NOT what you call a beer "tryer" really. I mean, sure, I like beer enough, but I don't like stout, or dark stuff, or too fruity of stuff, or crazy sludge from the bottom of a sewer stuff. I like a basic lighter beer, so it's nice that they have lighter offerings for girls like me. Other than that, the place is cool. Gets pretty loud sometimes, but hey, you just roll with it and talk louder. /Dates!!!

    (3)
  • Christy O.

    It is with sadness in my heart that I write this review. The WAB has missed the mark with their new menu. The thing is, Ferndale is getting kinda awesome. There's something amazing in almost every category in a two mile radius. Gluten free pizza? Check. Burgers, small plates? Yup. WAB, while I never loved their old menu, at least held the category of brewery with fine brewpub food, if you ever happened to be ambling around looking for something to soak up a bit of booze, or wanting to share some chips and dips with pals. But that has changed. The new menu looked good on paper, but is in actuality just kinda slopped together. I really don't understand why one should even have gluten free pizza if its not on par with other g-free pizza in the area, instead a crumbling and hard cornmeal mess. Try as I might to imagine the toppings on real dough in case g free was the problem, the toppings themselves were thrown together and not inspired. The WABahnmi used canned pickles as part of their "pickled veggies;" and the ricotta cream all but died as it dried up into the cornmeal crust on the Optimus Primavera. The app was a mess too; thrown together soggy portabello drowning in flavorless ricotta. WAB: you gotta be something in some category, but fancy pizzas just ain't your thing. Pick an angle that matches your brews and pleases a late night crowd. I'll wait for your new transformation and return someday when it's safe. #edibleeatables @edibleeatables ***important side note: as a lover of food, it's a HUGE pet peeve if I can't customize, especially with pizza. I realize that this isn't Burger King, but "have it your way" is how many restaurants roll now. Why it would have been difficult to slap on one more topping is beyond me, and trust me, their pizza could have used a bit of zing anyway. So another tip: take a page out of Blazes pizza's book and let people add a favorite topping. OK- rant over!

    (1)
  • Donovan B.

    First and foremost....bring back the old menu. Bring back the themed license plate menus and the tortilla soup along with the bbq chicken pizza. "If it isn't broken dont fix it.". I did like the beer I had yesterday. The food took a while so we had the beers on the house, which was cool. As always I sit by the window for scenery but to be honest how wierd and undelightful the new menu was, it kind of didnt matter. Im giving "The W.A.B" 3 stars because at one point I liked this place a lot (still do for some of their beers). 1 star was taken away because the new menu wasnt good and half off mondays is not a special (im not cheap, just know good food with a good deal). The other star was because it took over 45 min for our food to come and all in all they need to go back to the way it used to be.

    (3)
  • Amy H.

    WAB - WHAT IS GOING ON WITH YOU? The past few times I've went, the service is extremely shotty, and the beer is almost undrinkable. My last few beers there tasted like dishwater. I'll definitely keep visiting you WAB, in hopes that these few times were just flukes. I enjoy your jukebox and your nachos too much to not come back.

    (3)
  • Adam S.

    Stopped by for the first time a while ago ago after a trip to The Detroit Zoo. We sat in "the lounge", with the two garage style doors open on this particularly warm late summer afternoon and admired the "Detroit style" decor; license plates littered the walls rather than paneling, wall paper or tile. Pretty cool. It was pretty dead, there was only one other table was occupied (it was Tuesday afternoon...) but I'm really glad that we stopped in. I had three beers during this visit (The Hefeweizen, Pale Ale and Ruby Lager) and I thought that all three were well crafted, highly enjoyable and true to style. The Hefe is served in a 20oz glass rather than a pint. Win. The wife and I shared a flat bread pizza, which was good, but not great... I'm giving the food a "3", but to be fair, we only sampled the one item. I'd like to be a little more adventurous next time when it comes to the food, even though the menu seemed to be "standard" brewery fare. The selection is bittersweet. I like and lament the fact that there aren't 45 beers to choose from (unlike a few other local brew pubs). This makes my decision on what to start with, and get next simple, but there's not much to build on. No IPA at the time of my visit, no seasonal in house brews, two similar guest taps (both were imported Oktoberfest styles), and the cream ale and porter are on the menu twice: Cream Ale just and Cream Ale w/ Raspberry, Porter just and Porter w/ Vanilla. Otherwise, our server was attentive (yes, it was slow, but I've been in some places where slow business = slow service...) and the prices were very reasonable. $4 pints ($5 for the XL Hefe). Our bill was around $20.00. Not bad for three craft beers with lunch.

    (3)
  • David P.

    The WAB will always hold a place near and dear to my heart, because this is where we decided to get serious about bringing Detroitnet.org back and doing something good with it. The beer? Solid. The food? Decent. The downstairs is nice in the summertime if the weather's decent, but I'm much more of a fan of the upstairs area. Nice bar area, plenty of seats with a variety of sizes that'll handle just about any sized group you want to bring here. The license plates turned into menus are a cool touch. A little kitcshy, but still cool.

    (4)
  • Rachel B.

    Well, it certainly didn't help that we visited the WAB on possibly the most disgustingly humid day of the year so far. But I did really like the garage door that opened up and let the breeze roll through. We were covered, but it felt like we were sitting outside. I really enjoyed my Hefe Weizen. But then I got reeaaally sleepy afterward. What?! Reading other reviews has brought me to the conclusion that something about this brewery's beer is making people feel hung over after only 1. I did also try my sister in law's Raspberry Blonde, and it was just ok. She loves the Vanilla porter, and were it not 90 degrees outside, I might have opted for that too. Food was not too great. Nothing to scream about. The service was fine, but certainly not friendly. I took it upon myself to grab a high chair and return it when I was done (not sure if that's protocol, but when you work in a restaurant and you've got nothing in your hands and are waiting on no one, and you see someone with a kid in one hand and a big-ass high chair in the other, you should probably help. Just sayin'!)

    (2)
  • Brittany L.

    I've been going to the WAB for years. I think their drink and food specials are great. It's a fun place to meet up with friends and catch up. That being said, holy hell did we have some bad service tonight. We were there for ten minutes waiting for our friends and when they got there, we assumed that we had to go to the bar to get our drinks since a server didn't approach our table. While our friend was there getting our drinks, the bartender told the server to go to the table. She came up and threw drink napkins on the table and asked us what we wanted. We told her that our friend had gone to the bar to get our drinks and she left. We had to flag her down when our last friend joined us and she was very short with him when she asked if he wanted to open a tab or close out. We decided to leave and go next door to drink since the service there was so bad. She didn't even ask us if we wanted another round when we were finished with our first. When we were leaving the second bar, she came up to us and confronted us about our one friend's non existent tip. When our friend started to explain to her that she was short with us and we felt like she was treating us like a nuisance, she proceeded to tell us that were all banned from the WAB and she would remember all of our faces. I don't know what makes a server think that they have the authority to ban customers who have been regulars there for years when she was the one being rude or how she thought it was okay to confront customers outside of the establishment just because she is no longer at work and clearly had one drink too many. The group of friends that I was with have all worked in the restaurant industry for years (including myself) and we couldn't believe that a server would behave like this. Just completely unbelievable and disappointing.

    (1)
  • Dan H.

    I am really bummed that I am giving this place only one star. I really liked this place A LOT before their recent menu changes (AKA totally new menu). This place was our go to for good food and good beer, for my girlfriend and I. To change the menu slightly, remove a couple old items and add a couple new items, would be strategic. To change the menu completely and not keep a single item from the previous menu is disappointing as a regular. I hope the owners are receptive to their customer's feedback and revert to the old menu. As one reviewer put it, "if it isn't broke, don't fix it". The WAB boasts about their 17 year citizenship in Ferndale, why did they change what made them the awesome restaurant/brewery they were?

    (1)
  • Dave F.

    I love this place. Had the Wab Turkey sandwich with the root beer made in house. The jicama slaw makes the sandwich! Everything was amazing. Will definitely be back again.

    (5)
  • Scott K.

    The pizza flayed my mouth like a furious and impatient lightning god. It might have been tasty, I have no idea. It's super-cheap on half-priced Mondays.

    (3)
  • Karina K.

    We came here for our high school reunion, with a large group in a private room. Nothing was really that memorable, beer was good, don't remember much else except that the venue was great for about 100 people.

    (3)
  • Vagner W.

    it breaks my heart to give this place such a low rating, as I have spent countless hours eating here in the past 9 years... for some reason they do not seem to know how to cook thin crust pizza... second time that the pizza is raw or borderline raw... middle is soft and soggy, toppings run off... adding the gluten-free option and it was a mealy mess... they need to cook the pizza based on how the bottom of the crust is, and not the top cheese layer... that was well done, though some of the toppings under were cold... will still go to the Emory... $40 tab for two uncooked soggy pizzas... lucky we were hungry, otherwise we would've left...

    (1)
  • Calder W. K.

    Great ambiance, good location. Service is just Ok, not terrible not great. New menu is alright although a huge negative is that kitchen won't make substitutions (eg goat cheese for swiss cheese). Beers are pretty good and they rotate new brews in consistently.

    (3)
  • Mike R.

    Used to love this place. Went today and ug. Service was fine but...Menu completely changed and very minimal. I guess the good news is there are some vegan items which my wife likes. But we had two items and both were bla. Beer list is also very minimal and only 1 normal IPA which was average and the cider same. No bottle beer so u are very restricted. They will not last long with this menu/beer selection. WAB will survive I am sure but they will have to change.

    (1)
  • Joe B.

    So disappointed in this place. With this awesome venue and prime location on Woodward avenue in Ferndale there is no reason this place should not be blown out at all hours (like most places in the area) . Almost any other craft brewery in the state is packed wall to wall at any given time. What gives? Well for starters their beer, food and service are not good. We went there the other day because we heard they had a new menu and we really want to like this place a lot. The IPA and Porter were both horrible and the service was just as bad. One bartender chatted it up with a single customer the whole time we were there while the other was in back doing whatever. A simple "hey how are you" "check out our new menu" btw "our beers are half off right now" would have been nice but dude didn't even make eye contact. No desire to even try the food after seeing and reading about it.

    (1)
  • William S.

    The other day my friend invited me to lunch at this place. What a nice surprise. I had a turkey grinder and it was delicious - fresh and tasty. On top of that, I had their homemade root beer which was really great. For lunch - the place was pretty much empty. So sad for such a decent lunch venue. I don't drink beer so I can't comment on it......I wasn't there at night so I don't know about the nightlife. What I DO know is it's a dang decent place to catch a decent lunch and chat with an old friend. I'd definitely go back again.

    (4)
  • S G.

    Can't beat $2 pints on Sundays. We had an awesome late lunch and the food is always interesting!

    (4)
  • Jenni H.

    As some of the other reviewers have said, I know the WAB certainly has a loyal following but I just can't get on board. Probably the only positive is that it's a good place to bring groups--they always seem to have plenty of seating. The beer is ok, with the raspberry blonde being the best, IMO (in a not particularly competitive competition). The food (I can only speak for the veggie-friendly options) is generally mediocre--not horrible, but about what I'd expect in terms of vegetarian food at a bar like this. Also (and this is what knocked one whole star off), I noticed one of the other reviewers mentioned something about nastiness in the men's bathroom...I can't speak for the men's room (thank goodness!), but the women's room has been pretty nasty every time I've been in there. It basically looks like they don't clean it all day or that drunk people have been using it constantly (which I *know* is not a legitimate excuse, even for a bar, at 5pm on a Wednesday, unless its St. Patrick's day of course). But seriously, ladies, do not use the bathroom here. Stay strong and hold it!

    (2)
  • Kelly K.

    We had our rehearsal dinner at the WAB and they made it one of the best nights of my life!! We were in the downstairs room and they totally went above and beyond with the decorations - twinkle lights everywhere, a custom license plate Welcome sign, and a great set-up for our appetizer table and guest tables! We ordered two appetizers - they layered dip, and hummus - both were totally demolished by the time dinner arrived. Our server was super quick and took wonderful care of us. Everyone absolutely loved their food! I always get the chicken avocado quesadilla and it did not disappoint - shredded chicken, fresh avocado, and black bean paste made my dinner perfection. My soon-to-be husband ordered the french dip and it was SO GOOD. I'm not going to lie, I ate half of his dinner when he was talking to people :( It was so tender and the au jus was super flavorful.

    (4)
  • Lisa M.

    It's a nice place to hang out after work with coworkers and the food is great but the service leaves a lot to be desired. Also, I understand that most restaurants add gratuity for larger parties but it's generally announced also, it's recommended not mandated which leads me to my one other complaint - our service was horrible one night and we opted to not leave the full amount of what the recommended gratuity was and crossed it out and wrote a new amount. Much to our surprise the following day our bank account had the full charge plus our tip on it. After 3 days of trying to get ahold of people who could do something for us, the original amount was refunded but the experience left a sour taste in my mouth.

    (3)
  • Jim W.

    Poor service, it took nearly 2 hours for food to arrive at the table after ordering. Asked for silverware which took another 10 minutes after food arrived. We will not return.

    (1)
  • Dan M.

    Love the WAB. This is just a downright good spot to waste a night. I came here during a power outage last summer and nearly all of their food had been killed off but they did manage to save some salsa. We ordered a few rounds of beer and devoured the chips/salsa like they were going out of style. Service is pretty prompt too, no concerns there. Give this must-try spot a chance if you have not already.

    (4)
  • Josh S.

    really solid sitting in the summer, two garage doors lifted give the whole bar a open layout. they have a good variety of brews, blonde, pilsner, brown, IPA, etc. All are quite delicious. standard bar food, nothing amazing, nothing terrible. really go for the atmosphere and good craft brew

    (4)
  • Andy L.

    Cool place to hang out in the summer with the basement bar and outside seating. Has a good selection of custom beers offered brewed on-site. Great selection of food, I love their quesadilla especially deluxed or whatever they call it when they add enchilada sauce and cheese.

    (3)
  • Michael C.

    The WAB is my go to place in Ferndale. All of these one or two star reviews surprise me. There have been a few times where it took a few minutes for a server to stop by, but I've had that in many places. The food here is really good, I'd give it three stars and the beer five. My only beer complaint is that I wish they would switch it up more. As for servers bad attitudes, I've never seen it.

    (4)
  • Tanya A.

    I absolutely am in love with this place. Their Vanilla Porter is to die for delicious! Their vegetarian Ruben is phenomenal, and the atmosphere is amazing. I love their decorations and their menus are one of a kind. Huge returning fan!

    (4)
  • Cheryl A.

    Came here to end a date night with a few drinks. The ambience was nice with dim lighting, candles on the tables, and having multiple levels. Tried their new NOS beer which was pretty good and their drinks were nicely priced. The bar is situated right downtown with easy parking. We will definitely return in the future.

    (4)
  • Amanda K.

    This place is our go-to local eatery. Mondays are 1/2 off food. The topopo salad is amazing and huge. The turkey chili is unlike any other and the cashew turkey sandwich is so delicious and unique. The brew is great and they also have a full bar. I have had parties here and they have a cool little section upstairs that is a great spot for a group of people to gather. We get take-out from here all the time, too. everything is really good.

    (5)
  • Erik M.

    Something is wrong at the WAB. My friends and I always ALWAYS get a hangover from drinking here. It's not right. Is it dirty taps? The bartender spitting in the glasses? General funkiness growing on the walls? That's gross. I've switched to hard liquor here just to avoid it. For a brewery, this is not a good reputation. Recently the staff seems to have shifted from local plaid-laden Ferndalites to very attractive, but very unattentive waitresses. Trying to get your tab is like an NPR journalist trying to get a question answered at a Mitt Romney speech. Here's a fun secret: the WAB's kitchen consists of a microwave and a fridge. They do a pretty good job working with what they have, though. Big salads, nachos and that sort of thing. The pretzels come with hot mustard, which is nice. They have auto-tune karaoke on Wednesdays which is lots of fun, pretty much the only reason we come here. We used to consider the WAB to be the cornerstone of the Ferndale bar scene. Now it's the red-headed stepchild with lice. I much rather would hang out at the Loving Touch. Same owners, but a much better experience from service to beer quality. Now who has the number for the guy on SpikeTV that figures things wrong with bars? I want to solve the hangover conundrum.

    (2)
  • Brion R.

    "I'm not always in Detroit, but when I am, this is the place to go" I was here the day it was born (I mean opened). I've always enjoyed the wonderful craft brews in a variety of flavors and the good, solid food. Since then, the successful owners have expanded to own many other nearby establishments. Summer in Detroit would be incomplete without a Growler from the WAB. Or hanging outside and have a bite and their delicious beverages. the WAB is like an an old car, maybe it doesn't have the latest gizmos, it won't win you any races, but damn it is comfortable to drive. Tips: Rarity of the good jukebox. Raspberry Blond Beer is and Amber beers are top.

    (4)
  • Beggars D.

    The Nachos are fantastic(love the black beans and the tortilla chips are dynamite). Jukebox is fantastic and it crosses many genres. The staff has some of the kindest, hardworking, and genuine around!!! FAVORITE BAR over the past 15 years. The Cabresto Silver tequila is top notch as well.

    (5)
  • Molly n.

    I have to say I like they changed the menu up but wish they would've kept some of the favorites, no more Mexican food or awesome chicken salad, bummer! Also loved the pretzels and mustard, perfect with a beer, too bad that's gone as well. The beer is never cold enough, but we always let that go because the food was pretty good, will go back and give it another shot

    (3)
  • Shane H.

    Pretty good beer. I've taken a look at a couple of their bar food plates, pretty legit for bar food. The rasberry blonde is tasty and dangerous. The WAB is a perfect place for a casual get-together (again). one of the places where you can walk in, sit down, get some drinks and chill out with friends. nothing crazy. no lines either. simplicity is the essence of an awesome drunken fun night. and WAB knows that.

    (4)
  • Monica W.

    This is a great place to stop in with a group as I have been found to do while meandering around Downtown Ferndale in the cover of night. Their beers are not exemplary by any means, but I don't find them mediocre either. Like many reviewers I think the raspberry blonde is the best out of the bunch and food wise go with the pesto bruschetta (but make sure to pronounce it incorrectly otherwise you will find yourself repeating it over and over and just feeling like tard). Speaking of tards! I really hope the one that my friends got to get a whiff and view of sitting on the floor in the men's bathroom is not a common occurrence! I would ask who would do such a thing but I think I know.. I've heard of websites... So, so, nasty. Disappointing too because this spot has a really cool atmosphere inside and a fantastic patio to utilize during warmer months. I know it isn't necessarily WAB's fault that they have a poopy patron but I think I am doing them a favor by giving three stars after that regardless. Having only stopped in for a drink a handful of times it is going to take a few more for me to feel comfortable with the ratio of noncrap to crap visitation. People often complain about bathroom attendants but keep in mind they are the first line of defense against these foul experiences! Bathroom atmosphere aside, the multilevel upper area is really neat and if you have a chance to get a spot near the windows can enjoy watching Downtown while listening to a great music selection. This is totally my kind of laid back spot for gabbing with old and new friends!

    (3)
  • Joe B.

    I know a lot of people are crazy for the WAB but I just can't get on board. The food is actually really good for bar food and the portions are generous - so 3 stars there. The beer is just not up to par, sorry to say and perhaps that's a bit harsh but it all seems a little one note. I like some serious diversity in flavor backgrounds and a willingness to get a little crazy from time to time. The raspberry blond is one of the better beers but I'd like something more adventurous out of them. So 2 stars there. That being said, I concur with Kristin G., the ambiance is pretty chill, a little hipster but it has a cool Motorcity vibe to it with all the license plates hung. The downstairs open air seating is pretty cool too-a good spot for a first date and it's refreshingly busy on a sunny afternoon. The upstairs has a pool table and a cool vintage photo booth while the seating is along huge windows that overlook Woodward. Very cool! 4 stars here. So I'll stick with the 3 stars for the whole shot since the owners have began a small monopoly in the area and I really like the Emory and the Loving Touch.

    (3)
  • Paul S.

    Across the board mediocrity.

    (2)
  • Anjelica A.

    Stopped in last night after at least a year away. Glad to say that the WAB is still excellent: fast service, clean establishment, good selection of beers. I tried one of their guest taps this time (the Atwater Vanilla Java Porter) and it was amazing. One of the best things about the WAB is the size of the place - it never feels too claustrophobic, or like I have to hear every annoying thing that someone else is saying. There is music playing, I can hear my friends and they can hear me, but no one else has to hear us and we don't have to hear anyone else. Love it!

    (5)
  • Annette J.

    Family confession: my Grandma likes a good growler from WAB. But who can blame her? When I told her I was going out to WAB for lunch one day she asked me to bring her some beer. What can I say? She likes a cold one now and again. So a beer was delivered and she's a fan! I too, am a huge fan of WAB. One of my favorite spots to grab a bite and a beer and hang out. Love the crowd that trickles in, their commitment to the community (loved hitting Crafternoons there for a drink and some handmade shopping and their sponsorship of DIY Street Fair makes the event), and the super swell staff. The food isn't out of this world but it's great bar food. Tasty, filling sandwiches, great pizzas, and the most garlicky chicken nachos I've ever had. For realzies. These nachos? They're awesome. I don't do spicy so anyone looking for a plate of real zingy nachos may be disappointed but the chicken on there is so delectably garlicky, it was love at first bite. And 50% off their menu on Mondays? Hot damn. Nachos for everyone! The beer selection is great. Big fan of their raspberry blonde. It's even better on a warm summer's night on the patio. The space is awesome. Plenty of room to chill out both at the bar or at a table. Photobooth (was out of order last I was there but hopefully that will be repaired soon), pool table, and a killer jukebox playing some sweet rock and roll both local and beyond. Lovely decoration for the holidays right now too (love the hanging christmas trees!). The crowd is great, not annoying or bro like. And did I mention the staff is swell? They are. Kevin, Staci, and Paula in particular are just gems. WAB is a totally kick ass local bar with tasty, cheap eats, good beer and good tunes. Love it!

    (5)
  • Brian A.

    Let me give it to you straight: If it wasn't for the half-off Mondays, I probably wouldn't come here unless invited. The beer is just mediocre; I fully admit to being spoiled by Kuhnhenn's in Warren (true masters of the art), so other local microbreweries just end up tasting "homemade" rather than truly "crafted." That said, I'm a fan of their well-chosen guest taps. The other night I had Delirium Noel, which was phenomenal. The in-house brews? Meh. I've been here four times, and all four times I've received what I would describe as "perfectly mediocre" service. The staff is friendly and non-pretentious, but they are inattentive and easily distracted by friends/regulars. I've had several situations now where I was waiting for quite a while for some sort of attention, and I noticed my server was chatting happily with others. When you DO get attention, they're very nice and perfectly professional. 50/50. The food is really uninspired. I have yet to discover a dish that wowed me. The feeling I get is "I could have made this at home." The menu makes things like the "Tuna Bacon Grinder" sound very exciting, but what you end up with is GFS tuna with too much mayo, served on a bun with a slice of bacon. After four different attempts at finding a "wow" meal, I'm settled on a solid three stars. WAB is the very picture of perfect mediocrity.

    (3)
  • Wally S.

    I really didn't get to spend much time here but from what I did experience, WAB was OK. Their pale ale was good and a pint hit me in the head quite quickly. The food on the other hand as dea a. mentioned was "meh". The pizza looked real good, but tasted very generic. When I'm out in Ferndale again, I'll give this place another go.

    (3)
  • Kelly S.

    What happened to this place? The food used to be good, service good but the food tastes like something gone wrong from an episode of kitchen nightmares. BLECH! No thank you

    (1)
  • Nickie P.

    We went there last night and enjoyed being able to sit outside. I ordered the Raspberry Blonde, which had a nice, light taste. My boyfriend tried the mead, but we were both disappointed...it was advertised to be like sangria, but was not nearly as tasty or sweet as we thought it would be. He got some sort of porter after, which was pretty good and had a nice chocolatey aftertaste. We also had a pizza which was just fine. All the drinks were very cheap, which was great. Overall, I'd say the food and drink here isn't anything too exciting, but I would go back just to sit on the patio and have a drink in the summer air.

    (3)
  • Emine S.

    I went here during the DYI Festival (which was AWESOME). My friends and I were starving and decided to settle on WAB. It was mediocre all around. They ordered a taco salad, I tried the dressing, it was mayonnaise based and way too heavy. I had the WAB Dip, the au jus was a little to salty for my liking. I doubt I'll ever go here again.

    (3)
  • Ryan M.

    Just had lunch there and the new menu is excellent. Food was great and the service, as always, was very good.

    (4)
  • Kim G.

    Cool place with a good atmosphere, average prices. Although, you have better luck just going to the bar than waiting for a server. I haven't tried the beer (friends liked it though), but the root beer is not very good.

    (4)
  • Anna S.

    The WAB is oookkkaaaaay. It's not great. I don't really get it. I've lived in Ferndale for over 5 years and we've been here several times. The 1/2 off food on Monday was the big draw, but we hated battling the crowds, and frankly, the service and beer isn't great-enough to warrant the battle. Since I enjoy my fried foods, I could never figure out why they didn't have fries and that's a turn-off. I was OBSESSED with the taco salad for a while and then I had a saddening epiphany. Allow me to explain: The taco salad is tasty - it's lettuce, tomatoes, black beans, seasoned ground beef, cheese, tortilla chips and 1,000 island dressing. I LOVE this combination, and I kind of longed for it weekly. Until recently, I went back after a long stint away, and another girl I was dining with also had the salad. While eating, she exclaimed, "it's just like a Big Mac!" Then it dawned on me - there's nothing "special" about the salad, really. It's just a familiar combination of flavors that already go together. Not that that's bad, or wrong. But it just took the air right outta my balloon and I realized that the salad was just good in a generic, I-already-recognize-this-flavor-combination kind of way. I've just never been impressed with the service or the beer, either. The service at The Emory is much nicer. Again, it's not a bad place, and I would go back; I just don't feel it's anything to write home about.

    (3)
  • Rachel M.

    Great in-house brews in fabulous Ferndale! The staff is incredibly friendly and the open air patio makes for a perfect place to grab some appetizers and a couple cold beers.

    (4)
  • Sam L.

    This place is symbolic for me of a terrible food trend that has spread like the plague from the shores of California. Okay, so I'd like for you to close your eyes and take journey with me. Your friend tells you theres this great place that offers fresh, west coast food, and homemade beer. You go; you eat; you imagine that you've done something marvelous for your body...I mean the food was so bland, and there were so many green things, that the food is probably making its way through your digestive system like Dr. Phil, curing all ailments on the way down, granting you eternal life. You go home; you stare out the window; something is wrong; you are empty; your life is out of balance...why am I not living like a human being you ask? Why have I chosen to disregard ancient culinary traditions in favor of white Cali folk's attempts to "correct" Mexican food? WAB and places like it are soulless and will lead to soullessness. The food food is so dull that you might catch yourself, as I did, blankly staring out the window, inadvertently drooling onto their novelty license plate menus. I prefer to be more specific in my descriptions of food, but there were really no tastes to hold onto. I ate a burrito, but it also could've been a large piece of iceberg lettuce with sour cream on top. Folks - please stop supporting California "health food". It must stop now! Asheville, NC used to be a unique place with its own culinary tradition, specific to Appalachia. Now it is whole wheat wrapped cale and grain with sour cream. Restaurant Owners - if you really want to offer Mexican food, make some friends outside of your usual all-white drum circle and get some advice from them. Something must be done.

    (1)
  • Doug B.

    Beautiful spring/early summer type day here - so off to try WAB and the patio. Nothing like the sound of cars whizzing by here in the motor city. Service was good. Attentive, friendly. Food. I choose the Asian Chicken Wrap. Too many carrots, but otherwise it was pretty good. Peanut flavor wasn't overpowering as it can be in some of these. Would have liked to have more pea pods in place of the cheap carrots. Big enough to fill me. I did enjoy the chips and fresh salsa that came with it. Too nice of a day to just drink water, so I had a Raspberry Blonde. Nice summer sipper. I'd have it again.

    (3)
  • Ann J.

    On a recent tour of breweries, the WAB was our last stop, and definitely the worst. Expecting a brewery, the setting was more like a regular bar, and the beer was average and made most of our party feel a little ill. They did not have seating to accommodate us. The service was very poor. The food was not great, we ordered a number of appetizers and stopped there, not because we weren't hungry. The D.D. ordered hot tea, waited 20 minutes, and the tea was tap water warm twice. This was my first and last time here!

    (1)
  • Zac C.

    This review really hurts to write, because the WAB has been a go to for me in Ferndale for a long time. As a former visitor and now Ferndale resident, the WAB was one of my mainstays. Not anymore. This isn't about them getting rid of 1/2 off Monday nights, this isn't about them changing the menu, it isn't even really about the beer, even though I will mention it. This is about the service. I went last night on 4/7 for the second consecutive Monday night. Last Monday we were there, I was informed of the new menu by the multitude of messages posted around the bar/restaurant (Side note: You sound like you are apologizing for your new menu, and after how terrible the service was two visits in a row, perhaps you should be apologizing for that, not your new menu) I was actually pretty excited because I was always underwhelmed by the food before, but at least it was solid. I saw the new menu, which looked great, and was very excited to try one of the new Pizzas. I asked the waitress for the same beer that my friends had ordered before I got there, and I was served the wrong beer. Oh well, I'm not picky, I drank it. We ordered our Pizzas after what had to be 15 minutes since I had received my beer. Our pizzas came out and I couldn't help but laugh. They were not even round shaped, but instead oblong, with strange appendage like shapes jutting from the pizza. Who cares right? If it tastes good, Awesome! Well it did taste alright but they of course forgot the sauce on my friend's pizza. When we brought this up to the waitress she apologized and said "Yeah, they forgot it on the last one too, sorry let me bring you a side." Okay, first off, don't admit that and second off, if you screw something up, take it back and fix it. So after a VERY long wait, we finally got the sauce, ate our pizzas and left, pretty underwhelmed, but I figured I would be back because they told us Pizzas would be 3 dollars off on Mondays. Fast forward to last night, 4/7. Monday night, 3 dollars off, and I figured by now, they would have their stuff together with the new menu. Boy was I wrong, we waiting 10 minutes before a waitress even greeted us. They didn't have the beer I wanted (Whatever, not that big of a deal) so I ordered my second choice, disappointed, but not the waitresses fault. We order our Pizza 10-15 minutes later because our waitress was nowhere to be found. I ordered a pizza with Pesto, Mozzarella, Arugula, Chicken and Prosciutto. The waitress quickly told me that I could only have 2 toppings on the create-your-own pizza, even though the menu clearly stated it was 2 dollars for each additional topping. I pointed this out and she relented and allowed my three topping pizza. Of course the wait for the Pizza was over 20 minutes and when they came out, my pizza has red sauce instead of pesto. So this is twice in two trips where they couldn't get a pizza right. My friends Pizza, which was supposed to have Smoked Gouda, had strips of sliced Gouda placed on top of the pizza, very unevenly I may add, and not even melted at all. I pointed out my Pizza was wrong and they said they would remake it. Here is where it gets hilarious, I watched at least 15 pizzas go out before I finally said something, 30 MINUTES LATER. When I tell the waitress I thought the wait was kind of ridiculous, she told me "Well, yeah it takes awhile to make" Okay... sure, but that doesn't change the fact that I had a bad experience. When I said this, she defensively responded "Well fine, I'll take three dollars off your pizza" Wait... what? It's Monday? "Oh, that special was last week" Okay, so you get rid of half off Monday and say you will have new great specials and you get rid of it after one week? This set me off, I waited another 10 minutes for my pizza which I now asked for them to just pack up and take home. Never once did I get a genuine apology, never once did they ever try to make it right. If you are changing the menu and you know that there will be growing pains, wouldn't you do everything in your power to make up for your mistakes? I wasn't asking for free food, or beer, but jeez, you could have done something better than last week's special. Sorry WAB, your service has gone completely downhill, and it's pretty much as bad as the Emory now (worst service in Ferndale) Sorry, but it seems like you are losing a lot of customers, and will continue to turn off any of your new ones.

    (1)
  • Lyubava T.

    I think WAB is a great fun place to have a drink after work, as a dog owner and a Ferndale resident i love that i can walk there and sit on the patio with my furry friend, service is always great! Honestly,NEVER had a bad experience... I like their beer,the guest tabs are always fun to try, as far as the food goes..well it's BAR food!!! I love their Sunday's $2 beers & half off food Mondays.

    (5)
  • Laurel M.

    I really have a love/hate relationship with this place. When they are on, they are ON. Great mixed drinks, fun bartenders and waitstaff, Amazing service... tasty food.. But lately I've found myself staring at empty water and beer glasses, and stale food. Can be really hit or miss, but it's worth a shot!

    (3)
  • Myrtle M.

    When I turned 21 and didn't know much about beer or care much about food, I loved this place. I lived up the road, and it was an easy hike and a fun place to hang out on the weekends. Since I've learned a few things, I don't think the WAB is much to write home about. For me, it lost its luster when I found out that all their food is frozen and then microwaved. And their beer...meh. It depends on the batch, really. I've had great Ruby Red Lager, and I've had nasty Ruby Red Lager. The brewing is very inconsistent. I'd say their biggest claim to fame is their Custom Porter. You can't really go wrong with that one. They do have a great patio and also some nice window seating upstairs, but otherwise, meh. Just meh. Oh, but Monday is half off food night, so if you like half off microwaved food, do it!

    (2)
  • Amy W.

    It pains me to do this, but I have to alter my original review for the WAB. I used to LIVE for the half-off food Mondays at the WAB. A raspberry blonde and a loaded quesadilla made Mondays a little less painful. The food was okay, but when paying full price, it was a bit over-priced. However, they had a good selection of appetizers, entrees, and sandwiches. I was at the WAB last night for the first time since they changed their menu, and I was quite disappointed. Their menu was cut almost in half. I am not sure why they made the change, but I found myself missing the old WAB food lineup. Their main focus appears to be pizza, with a handful of pannini sandwich options and a couple appetizers. Meh. The raspberry blonde is the only reason for me to come back.

    (2)
  • Haroun K.

    The WAB is all ambiance. The food is terrible, and the beer is terrible. But sitting on the patio on a warm summer's night is a marvelous time. I have learned to sit back with just a coke, and watch as everyone else grimaces from the food and beers.

    (4)
  • Stacey D.

    The WAB ditched the old menu. New menu is nothing special. It's pretty much just pizza and the pizza is not great. And it's overpriced for the size. Bummer, I always loved the WAB. Won't be back here again.

    (1)
  • Erin M.

    I really use to love WAB. When I first moved to Ferndale it was such a great little place. OK beer and outside seating and a diverse menu. A little less than a year ago they chopped down the menu, taking out some of my favorite dishes. okay. No big deal. It was still convenient and close and good quality. I noticed everything slipping but this last time has convinced me never to go back. We were at our table for 15 minutes before a waitress came to our table, threw one menu (for three people) on our table and left. She didn't even look at us. It was another 15 minutes when she came back to our table and asked us if "we wanted anything" Nah, we're just sitting in a restaurant for our health! We ordered beers, which came out promptly, but the food we ordered took another 25 minutes. So 45 minutes we've been here and when the nachos do show up they're ice cold. Colder then the ambiant temperature of the air. Like they intentionally put them in the fridge or something! All of this happened on a Saturday afternoon in a half empty restaurant. That was it. We paid for our beers and left. I would have given them a chance to fix it, but god knows when our waitress would have come back and we went to the restaurant to eat because we were hungry! We ended up at Imperial instead. Which is excellent.

    (1)
  • Pepper S.

    Went to the WAB last night for dinner, was the 2nd time I have been there, the first time I have ordered food. I had the turkey club, it was good, the grilled focaccia bread was delicious! I had a root beer vodka that was mighty tasty. My boyfriend had the Thai Wrap, he said it was good and I believe him because his plate was completely clean when he was done. The thing I was most impressed with was the service. If you have read any of my other reviews I can be discouraged by a crappy waitstaff even if the food is good. The young girl that was waiting on tables was kicking ass. I looked around about mid way through the meal and noticed she had about 12 - 13 tables. You would have never know though, she was always right there at the right time, drinks stayed full, and never seemed stressed out or "in the weeds" I don't know her name but she was petite with red hair and glasses. Thanks WAB for a nice evening! We will be back

    (4)
  • Valerie G.

    So - I am not the biggest fan of this place- but I don't exactly hate it either. I'll start with the food- It's not very good. Call it Tex-Mex or whatever you want to call it - it tastes microwaved. I don't even like to eat food out of the microwave in my own house- I don't want to pay extra for it. The nachos and tacos are okay- and the salads are large... but that's about it. Food is half off Monday evenings, and that's probably the only time I eat there. Likes- I like the beer actually. I had pumpkin ale last time I stopped by, and I am a big big fan of pumpkin beers. I am not a big fan of porters, but my husband l-o-v-e-s the vanilla porter. I like sitting downstairs or outside on a nice summery evening. There is also a pretty cool chill vibe upstairs on the weekends. Also- they recycle. I heart recycling. Bathroom needs some work.

    (3)
  • Delsean L.

    1/2 off Mondays are a good way to get a night out. Good weather gives you an option to dine outside or upstairs next to an open window. Staff is friendly and the owners do quite a bit to support community events.

    (4)
  • Evan M.

    How can *anyone* recommend the food, let alone the Tex-Mex? I ordered a chicken burrito -- hold the beans -- and decided to splurge by "making it deluxe," which promised to douse the burrito in enchilada sauce, cheese, and red corn chili. Fast forward 35 minutes, and the burrito arrives: good size, yes, but there's barely any sauce on top; what's there is blatantly watery. Cheese was sparse, and looked unmelted -- a sign of the lukewarm temperature within. Chicken inside had decent flavor, but there was barely any cheese packed within, and I had a hard time spotting rice. I get this isn't supposed to be fancy. I get that this isn't supposed to be gourmet. I understand that it's pub fare. But does it have to be mediocre? At these prices, it shouldn't be. When Chipotle, of all places, can serve a fresher, better tasting burrito for $3-$4 less, this was beyond disappointing. As for the environment? We arrived 7 pm on a Wednesday, and ended up waiting about 44 minutes for a table for four. Server rarely remembered to check in, even when repeatedly walking past our table with empty drink glasses piled on the corner. While walking out to put more $$ in the parking meter (who knew 2 hours wouldn't be enough just to eat?), noticed a foul smell emanating from the bathroom at the top of the stairs. "Out of order," read the sign; I don't even want to know why.

    (1)
  • Pete D.

    My friend Kevin loves this place for the beer. I went there for the food. I should have gone for the beer. This not a foodies kinda place, But the beer is good but not that good. NOT the worst I had but not anything new or special. Get the Beer your like it.

    (3)
  • Erica M.

    Don't like the food. Don't like the beer. Love the WAB. Do you follow? The food is boring and just kind of "there." Granted, this is much more forgivable on Monday nights, when they have half off all things edible! On these occasions, I go for the Turkey chili or the taco salad...something that will lay a good base for the... Mediocre beer. Don't get me wrong. I'll drink it. It's not that it tastes especially bad, it's that it always gives me the WORST hangovers the next day. Not sure if it's their keg system or the beer itself, but even just one of these and I am dragging a** the next day. In spite of all of the above, this place really does have something about it. It's cool without being too cool. You can show up in a dress or yoga pants. Nobody cares. Sitting outside for happy hour in the summer is the best. And the jukebox is Awesommmme.

    (3)
  • Alexandra K.

    I agree with my brother, Haroun K. It's all about the ambiance. Menus made out of license plates, quirky music and wait staff. Not the best drinks -- though large servings -- and I'll take his word on the food. Added bonus? I had an AMEX deal, so while the bill was $12.50, I only ended up spending $2.50. Not too shabby. Would definitely come back.

    (4)
  • Michael S.

    Wow, what happened to this place? The WAB was always a place to go and get good food, good beer, and a smile. Now when you walk upstairs it's like going into a Young Republicans meeting and Fox News was on at the bar the last time I was there. This place always use to be pretty special to me considering it opened on my 21st Birthday 17 years ago yesterday and I honestly don't think I will go back. One thing that would do wonders for this place, besides an overhaul on employees that don't crack a smile at all, would be to get a better Brewer in there again. The beer now is no comparison to when Grant was running the Brew House. What happened to the Root Beer too? The WAB always had the best nitrogen charged Root Beer to give you that cascading effect you get from Guinness. This place really seems to be falling by the wayside since The Emory & The Loving Touch opened by same owners as the WAB. I can't speak for the rest of Ferndale, but I sure would like to see one of the other two establishments close in an effort to bring the WAB back to what it use to be.

    (2)
  • Ashley H.

    New beers! Woo-hoo! They now offer an IPA instead of the pale ale and an improved hefeweizen. More reasons to love WAB!

    (4)
  • Kristin G.

    Beer=mediocre, Food=mediocre. But I keep coming back. Why? I like the casual feeling of the place. It's easy. It's fun. I've had some really great nights out with friends here. If you want a spot to meet up with a friend and catch up on things, it's a great spot. They have a nicely stocked juke box and a pool table & photo booth. Their "thing" is license plates, which are peppered all over the walls and even the menus are made with them. It's location is perfect: on Woodward just south of 9 mile. Right in the heart of Ferndale. Mondays rock, they have 1/2 off all food items after 4pm. My hubs and I like to split the "Topopo" Salad. It comes in a GIANT mixing bowl type salad bowl. It's salad greens mixed with black beans, jack cheese, tortilla strips and salsa. The dressing is really nice and creamy meets tangy with tomatillo and avocado. It's not going to blow your mind, but it's tasty and a great price for the amount of food you get. As for beers, my "go to's" are the Custom Blonde and the Ruby Lager. I'm not a big fan of sweet beers but lots of my gal pals like the Raspberry Blonde. Give em a try, decide for yourself!

    (3)
  • Rachel W.

    I love 1/2 off food on Mondays! I think the beer is great (I love the Custom Blonde) and really enjoy their food selection. Sometimes it feels as if they are short staffed... the servers always look like they are bustin' their buts trying to get to all of the tables. My fav menu item: the Mexican dishes! YUM! They are all great!

    (4)
  • Shelby H.

    They were all out of raspberry blonde, which I was bummed about. We tried the custom blonde and it was good but nothing to write home about. We both got sandwiches and they were disappointing to say the least. I got the cashew turkey sandwich and it looked (and tasted) like something I could have thrown together in my own kitchen in two seconds. It was two pieces of regular loaf bread with turkey lunch meat, some melted cheddar, some shredded iceberg lettuce, and whole cashews thrown onto it. As we were walking out, I saw someone with a salad that looked good. They serve it in a big wooden bowl. The service and environment were both good. I'd go back another time to taste some beers, but I likely won't order food again.

    (3)
  • Maureen M.

    This updated review is for their special events only. As I mentioned, my husband and I met here 10 years ago. I was looking for a good excuse to have a party, so I thought we'd throw one here for our anniversary. Staci, the manager, was great to work with. She responded to all of my emails & silly questions quickly. The events menu looked great. The prices seemed very reasonable. I was concerned about ordering enough food, & Staci was very helpful in making suggestions. We could only reserve the upstairs area near the pool table & photo booth, which ended up being okay even though I really wanted to set it up downstairs. There is no fee to reserve the space & it was ours all night. The only downside was that there are 2 huge windows & the sun was beaming in, making it very warm. We ordered: Mini Franks in pastry (50 pcs): super tiny, but tasty. They were gone within the 1st hour, & less than 15 guests at this point. Mini Quesadillas (30 pcs/order: Chicken Avocado & Beef w/ Green Chile) They were small, and kind of skimpy on the filling. These were not cheap, & a little disappointing. Pinwheel Sandwiches (120 pcs): These were also super tiny, but a ton of them. No one knew what kind they were & a little apprehensive. I couldn't remember what they were either, but I knew they'd be good & they were. People dug into them later. Cheese Display: Holy crap. There were 3 kinds of cheese, & a TON of it. They were small little cubes. I think this was a waste of money & cheese. There was so much left over at the end of the night, & people ate plenty. The only reason I know that is because the crackers were disappearing. You'd never know from looking at the cheese. Vegetable tray: They forgot to bring this out, & I forgot I ordered it. They brought it out later, after people had already been munching. It looked great, & the ranch was yummy. Too bad there was a lot left over for this too. Mexican Display: 3 dips, Black Bean, White Bean, and Garden Fresh's Mild Artichoke Salsa w/ chips. I'm pretty sure there was a 4th one...and I have no idea what it was, but it was damn good. Everyone ate the shit out that dip. They were all afraid of the bean dips because they didn't know what they were. No adventurous eaters here! You'd think that was enough food for 30 people. Absolutely not. I ended up ordering 2 more trays of quesadillas, reubens (28 little sandwiches), and pizza (30 pcs). I am shocked at how much these people ate! I am kicking myself for ordering more quesadillas because they were expensive & I didn't realize it. I just wanted to get something out there quickly because food was gone & still had plenty of people coming. I should've taken the bartender's suggestion and ordered carry-out pizza! She said it wasn't a problem. Damn it. I was pleasantly surprised at how good the reubens are. I don't like sauerkraut. I ate it anyways and liked the sandwich a lot. Too bad all of the bottom pieces of bread stuck to the pan. The pizza was pretty good as well. The other disappointments: We never had a waitress. Granted, we were very close to the bar, but we had plates everywhere. I think I saw 1 waitress come by & pick some up the entire night. We paid an 18% gratuity, so I think we should've had a waitress. It's my own fault for assuming we would, and not asking. I really hope that tip goes to the cooks & whoever set the area up. I was constantly refilling our soda pitchers because my husband's family doesn't drink alcohol & they were drinking that stuff like it was going out of style. Every time I turned around, they were empty. The photobooth kinda sucks. It's $3/strip. The quality is not very good & blotchy. The strips kept getting stuck, and there are lines going through every single one of them. We tried to wait as long as possible to let them dry, but it didn't matter. I realize that the old school photobooths aren't supposed to be great quality, but nowadays, it's super easy to build a photobooth & get the software for it. As the night was wrapping up, my husband went to the bar to settle our tab. I walked downstairs with my stepbrother & his girlfriend out to their motorcycle. As we got to the door, the manager on duty (Ray, I think), frantically asked me if he could cash me out before I left. Ummm....really? He thought I was walking out on that big of a tab after being there ALL night (7pm-1am), & they had our credit card. Silly man. I'll cut him a little slack for getting more food to our party quickly. Masha was our bartender, & she was really cool. They have this Swedish Fish vodka drink that was AWESOME. Staci sent me an email thanking me for having the party there. I responded with some feedback from the night. Sadly, she has not responded. I'm disappointed. Overall, everyone said the food was great, and really enjoyed the party. Would we do it again...no, not with food. WAB still has a special place in our hearts.

    (3)
  • Peggah G.

    I'm not a beer person. I'm not really a bar person (especially if there isn't a trivia game, or a computer trivia thing). I'm definitely not that into this bar on a Saturday night. Went there for a 'birthday party' and it was pretty crowded. Everywhere you stood you were pretty much in the way of someone else. It was loud and smokey, like most bars. The decor was pretty nice, but the food list left me unsatisfied. I know I'm picky, but I like when some places have something I'd want to eat. The prices seemed decent for the food, and okay for the beer. The only reason I'm giving this place an A-Ok, is because on my way out I saw a photo booth. I'm not sure if it functions, but I definitely approve. Also, since I am a bit on the anti-social side, I didn't care for knowing nobody. Especially since everyone there seemed to know everyone else.

    (3)
  • Dea A.

    The beers get 1 stars for flavor and 3 for creativity (but failing). The raspberry blonde tastes like a flavorless cider, it was a boring chick-friendly beer (if you hate how beer tastes, you might enjoy this beer). The vanilla porter is sweet and disgusting with an artificial vanilla aftertaste. The hefe-weizen wasn't even worth finishing. The food was a big pile of "meh". The menu was trying to be Tex-Mex, which is so odd, because none of their beers on the menu catered to Mexican food. The produce they served is actually quite fresh (the only reason it gets 2 stars and not 1). It's just so boring. It's so ... Qdoba / Chipotle. What struck me odd is the scene. There wasn't a single attractive person there. Was it because it was 50% off food night and the beastly people come out? Was I just in a bad place (ground floor)? I NEED SOME EYE CANDY WHILE I AM EATING PEOPLE! It's a BAR! Maybe they were at the Emory? Oh, right, and the bathrooms. You know what I never need to see? The n-word written all over the bathroom stalls. Ladies, ladies, ladies! NOT CLASSY!

    (2)
  • Jessica S.

    Yeeeeesh, WAB.... what happened? When I lived in the Ferndale-area, this was like, our default spot on Monday nights. The bartender was an acquaintance of ours, it wasn't terribly far from the house, the prices were decent as was the beer selection, they have pool tables, food, that funny little photo booth and an alright jukebox.... not a bad spot to hang. Admittedly, it had been about 2 years or so since the last time I had set foot into the WAB. Not for any particular reason; it just hadn't come up on the list of "Places to Go" within our social circle. We got in a little after Midnight on a Wednesday evening a couple of weeks ago. The place was DEAD. Literally, 4 other people in the whole place-- 2 of which were friends of ours that we were meeting there. Whatever. Not a dealbreaker by any means. We all grabbed seats at the bar and ordered drinks. I was pleased to see that the Raspberry Blonde was still on tap, and happily ordered a pint of my old favorite, as well as an order of the chips and salsa (Garden Fresh, yeah!) for our group to nibble on. (If it would have been earlier, I would have opted for the taco salad. OMG, with a little extra dressing, so yummy!) The service was spot-on, the chips and salsa were delicious... the beer? Ugh. Wow. Definitely did not taste like I remembered. I nursed my pint for about an hour and 15 minutes, just trying to make it through. (Awoke the next morning with a nasty headache as well :( After one beer... whaaa??) The little photo booth seems to have seen better days as well. Took 20 minutes for our strip of photos to develop, and when they did come out, the ink was smeared and the photos were so dark you could barely see them. That thing needs some serious service work done, or it just plain needs to be put out to pasture. Extra creepy points for the short, brown-haired guy who spent most of his time either behind the bar, seemingly glaring at us (maybe the 6 of us coming in ruined his plans to go home early?) or walking around looking pissed off. Oh, and he actually locked the doors on 2 of us while we were outside smoking-- after we specifically asked the bartender if we could go outside and smoke and not get locked out, seeing as it was right around last call. We had to call one of our friends who was upstairs sitting at the bar to come down and let us back in. Kinda rude there, chief! (That's right, I called ya 'chief.') Props to Masha for the great service. She's the only reason this isn't a 2-star review. Other than that, a very disappointing experience.

    (3)
  • Molly C.

    This place had delicious drinks, but I wasn't too crazy about the food selection. The pizza was not very delicious. The service was very nice though, and people were polite and friendly in general.

    (4)
  • Kirsten T.

    The WAB is a really cool spot, awesome decor. Their food is also pretty great, especially for those who don't eat meat. The beer is good, but never amazing. I've had maybe 2 beers that I would want to take home in a growler, but the rest are definitely drinkable. Just not my favorite.

    (4)
  • Andrea R.

    I was here with a bunch of Detroit yelpers on Monday night- a great list of beers and half priced food on Monday nights! And so I did the unthinkable...I ordered a glass of chardonnay and didn't order anything to eat. My reasoning: 1) I absolutely hate beer. Tried to like it for years and have decided I'm just a wine/hard alcohol type of gal 2) I just ate enough for 10 people at Slow's before coming here and there was absolutely no room for food...even very affordable half priced food! So I probably didn't get the true experience of WAB, but from what I saw I liked. It was very busy (especially for a Monday night), but we were lucky enough to score a table for 10 or so fabulous yelpers. Everyone seemed to enjoy their drinks and while it didn't appear that anyone was blown away by the food i did hear murmurings that it was well worth the price on that particular evening. And our waiter did a nice job of keeping the drinks flowing throughout the night. My one complaint is that I guess Detroit still allows smoking in bars because I woke up the next morning smelling like an ashtray (lovely), but the entire state is to blame for that one...so no fault of WAB. I can see why this is a popular spot for people in Detroit...hey, I'd be a regular on Monday nights just for the affordable grub!

    (4)
  • Tara Z.

    Okay, so maybe I was a bit too drunk by the time I finally went inside to really appreciate this place, but major points from me for sponsoring the Pig and Whiskey festival. The staff was so helpful--my friend and I traveled down for the festival, so we called the brewery in advance for hotel suggestions in the area. They even remembered us when we actually showed up for the festival!

    (4)
  • Craig S.

    A lot has already been said, but I have to add that the microbrews at this place are awesome. If you're looking for something fun to do with friends, you might want to try the try grabbing one of the long booths (plenty of room for all). A personal favorite is the Raspberry Blonde, no it isn't a waitress, it is the tastiest of all the micro brews here : ) Also be sure to get Jugs....jugs jugs jugs...no not what your thinking...whoa first the Dirty Blonde and now jugs, you people reading this have a dirty mind lol. I was referring to the half gallon jug "growler" of tap micro brew that you can buy for only $12 each, and save the jug because refills are always $10. Note you are all dirty people thinking about a cheap $10 dirty blonde with jugs...naughty naughty. As and added note I do highly recommend as a snack the Triple Cheese sandwich (it has pesto, 3 cheeses of course, tomato and onion on a grilled focaccia) served with chips and a pickle spear. I've never had a bad experience at this place and I've been to it atleast 20 times since moving to area. This is exactly what you'd expect in a tasty microbrew spot. Thumbs Up !!!

    (4)
  • Chanell S.

    The WAB is like an old friend (one that you generally like but don't need to see every weekend). Though this place doesn't blow me away, they offer a great deal with their 1/2 Off Food special on Monday nights. I don't think I would go any other day though.

    (3)
  • Angie J.

    Subpar service and food. Beer is great though. Mondays are half off food. We only go on Mondays now. Our server tonight was *horrible*. We're used to the service not being very good, but this topped it. Our waitress actually rolled her eyes at us when we asked for a to-go box. Stale, cold, and tasteless food. I guess they figure that the more beer you drink, the better the food will taste?

    (2)
  • Jennifer B.

    During my most recent visit (09.10.11) my date ordered the chicken and avocado quesadilla, which was incredible. (The table next to us actually interrupted our conversation to ask about it because it looked and smelled amazing.) Disappointing was the bruschetta that I recommended. It was served on toast. You read the correctly - not a nice Italian bread or French banquette but a piece of toast that you would use to prepare your kid's PB&J. THE BOOZE I like that they carry local stuff though I always get the beer. * My date got the raspberry blonde to start and it tasted mostly of rasberries. A little fruity for our taste. * I love the ruby ale and it's all I get. * The pale ale is also pretty tasty. The beer menu isn't as extensive as other area microbrews but for the price, location (walking distance from my house!) and overall vibe, it's worth coming back. PERFECT DATE LOCATION I've found this is the perfect 2nd date location, or perfect place for a nightcap. (Example, during a different visit, a date and I had dinner at Anita's and two beers at WAB to cap the evening.) The atmosphere, good service and pretty decent menu make it a great place to be yourself and get to know someone. GROUPS I've also been with a group and found that just as fun and the staff as accommodating. In this case, it was the micro-brew meeting group so I didn't know anyone particularly well. One person drank too much - he was quiet but slurring his words - and I was impressed that our waiter was attentive enough to cut him off. It saved all of us the challenge of that conversation.

    (4)
  • Fran D.

    Terrible terrible beer. I cannot say this enough. Vanilla porter and raspberry wheat being the worst - obviously brewed using too many artificial extracts. I live down the street so if I find myself here, I drink the guest tap. Food isn't great, either, but if you're into the hipster scene then this might be your spot. If this place was BYOB, it would be awesome.

    (2)
  • Chris D.

    WAB is a brilliant gem in a scruffy setting - and it shines. The upstairs / downstairs arrangement with the Loving Touch pool hall makes it even better. The basics are all there: The beers are solid, but not genius. The Fall Ale had some sort of haze issue, which the bartender noticed and swapped out for a better one without me even asking. The pale ale is solid and tasty as well. Foods are all accounted for, with a generous thought given to vegetarians - unusual for pub fare. I've never had anything less than solid, friendly service here. I really enjoy watching people. The clientele are broadly "hipster," but with a wonderful Detroit edge. 20 somethings, 30 somethings, and a few 40+ folks mingle, chat, and drink their worries away. Obscure music plays, and wireframe christmas trees hang from the ceilings to celebrate - perhaps - some pagan holiday known only to Ferndale.

    (4)
  • Jennie C.

    Best Bloody Mary of my life. Phil should be knighted. Here's what it is: A tall, perfectly mixed beverage with a killer garnish--THREE olives on a tiny plastic sword (and let's be honest: they should always be on a sword), slices of crispy cucumber hanging off the glass, and a pickle spear in the drink. The guy next to me at the bar volunteered that NOTHING about this drink appealed to him, and I countered that everything he hated was exactly what I loved about it. If it were nutritionally possible, I would try to survive on pickles and olives alone. To each his own, dude. Cheers! To the most polarizing beverage the world has ever known!

    (5)
  • Brian M.

    The goods: Great spot, right on Woodward. Place was busy, but sat down right away. Very clean dining room, with a cool vibe. License plate menus! Beers are good with growlers available to go. :D Rueben was good, but slightly on the small side. I suggest a "pint-o-rods" for an app. Cheap and tasty, with 3 kinds of mustard to dip your pretzels in. Service was fast. Prices are good. The Bads: Normal burgers are not on the menu? (Guess I have to go to the Emory for that.). I liked the beers on the guest taps better than their beers. The verdict: I've been here on several occations through the years, and never had a bad time. Good food, good beers, good service. That said, I feel like this place could be so much better than good, but they aren't. Oh well, maybe someday.

    (3)
  • Andrew R.

    Not bad, but not too great I always seem to have a good time when i come here, but it has more to do with my friends then the bar itself. The beers are good, but they don't rotate their selection enough/at all. The food is OK, but nothing really to talk about. Finding a seat here is always a pain in the ass, no matter how big or small your party might be and the waitstaff ranges from great to horrible.

    (3)
  • Mike D.

    What can I say about a place that makes their own beer.. quite a bit actually, but most of it isn't good. The beer is so pedestrian and bland, its not even funny... Most people who drink beer think its great, but I guess any step up above drinking a Bud Light would taste like a liquid orgasm to them. To me, Bud Light is like fermented baby piss. The beer here is better than the baby piss in a bottle, but its nothing special. Most of the beers taste like they have had too much water added to them, so they have this watered down light feeling in your mouth, like something should be there but really isn't. I guess when I think of beer, I want a beer with some body and taste and all that... The food is another story.. not sure who they have back there cooking, but they need to stop watching the food channel, cause they cant cook. I'm very picky about food and I dont expect 3 star Michelin dining from a Brewery, but I do expect something that actually has taste to it beyond just the bland and boring.. their beer and food have one thing in common, they both are tasteless. Service is sub par and you get too many of the hipster douche bags floating around there. I guess if your palate is that of a 6 year old or you dont expect much from things you ingest, then go here.. If you want something more special and different... get the hell out of Ferndale and away from trying to be seen as someone who is cool and hip, if you were cool and hip, you wouldn't go where all the masses go.

    (2)
  • Tom L.

    A few friends and I went to some local theatre at the Baldwin in Royal Oak to see Rent. It was a great show, but the prelude was a wonderful meal and conversation at one of my favorite breweries, the WAB. I've been to the WAB more times than I can count over the last few years. From a quaint sidewalk-side dinner in the summer to a wedding reception that took over the entire second floor, the place holds some exceptional memories. Those memories are created by the environment of the WAB but also by the exceptional food and beer that they serve. As an avid beer connoisseur, I've always enjoyed the WAB both for their own brews as well as the guest brews they house. On this most recent visit we started with some pretzel rods and delicious mustards and accompanied that salty goodness with some delicious cold barley soup. I enjoy the Ruby Red. It's sweet taste and light hops make it a beer that goes down again and again...and sometimes again. I've not found any of their beers I don't enjoy, and have found a number of guest brews as a result of my patronage! The food at the WAB is nothing to shake a stick at either. I love the flat bread pizzas. The BBQ chicken is my favorite but from Tex-Mex to salads, to their delicious loose burgers, the WAB's food doesn't let down. Its worth noting that my most recent visit was also with two veggies and they were thrilled with the grilled vegetable wrap. The Thai wrap, the sandwiches...its all great! Not to mention, you can wash it all down with a delicious root beer float or Sanders hot fudge Sunday. One of my favorite parts of the WAB is that they do it right. They do their best to keep it local and are always the first place to support local events and activism. They're the kind of local that makes a community proud and when it's proprietors continue to expand (owning the Emory and the Loving Touch), you know they love the community as much as the community loves them. This is a great place...get here, open up your Michigan license plates, and enjoy!

    (5)
  • David M.

    I went recently for the Food Truck Rally outside the place. I have yet to step inside of it but any place that uses the street to throw a party and has good beer like that is alright in my book.

    (4)
  • Sarah G.

    What do I like most about the WAB?? Monday nights!!!! 1/2 off food night. Loves it!! They have very tasty grub....and it tastes even better when it is 1/2 off! The beer is also delish. I always hate when I walk into brewery's and they smell all like hoppy and yeasty. No bad smell here...just yummy beer and good food. Oh! one more thing. They have a great jukebox! Mt Chalet used to have the #1 jukebox in town...but then they switched to that dumb electronic thing and now the WAB moved up to first place.

    (4)
  • Mitch A.

    Went for a late dinner on a 1/2 off monday. Split our meals: tostadas and WAB Dip. They replaced the french dip on the menu with WAB Dip-add squash, onions, etc. Since we were sharing I asked for veggies on the side. I really liked the veggies. Our tostadas weren't greasy. We left full. Everything was the right temp. Service was nice. the host didn't lie when he said it was just a 10 minute wait. Liked sitting outside. We decided we could definitely come on any 1/2 off Monday, but probably no other day of the week.

    (4)
  • Dil F.

    Loved it then hated it then loved it now don't think about it all that much anymore. The brews are a mixed bag but when they're good they're good. I agree with others that the Raspberry Blonde is stellar and well-crafted. Makes a good head, a bright carbonation, and a wonderful afterglow on the tongue. On the other hand, my immediate reaction to sipping on their wheat beer for the first time, was that it tasted like bananas and snakes. Yes, you read that correctly... I don't know what it means, but that's what i said, and it was not good. The food is awful. Hands down. It always SOUNDS great on the menu (they know how to appeal to your lingual imagination) but the final product never materialized as something you'd order again. I should correct this. Under the "awful" food category, food gets WAY worse than at WAB, so, I think the awful stems from the huge let-down of expectation between the menu and the taste. It's not really awful food in and of itself, but it's not living up to their descriptions. Disappointing would be more accurate. The final balancer is that the space is excellent (a KILLER ground-level patio when the walls open up in summer) and a playful set-up on the upper-deck. They also carry my preferred tequila of choice, which isn't that rare, but I'm giving them credit anyhu. I'd go for beers if I was in Ferndale, esp. in summer, and esp. during Dream Cruise, but I never give it a thought otherwise.

    (3)
  • Henry B.

    I like the beer here. Not bad but not great. I was here for a Yelp Elite event on a Monday and they gave us free pizza. It was half off Monday so food was cheap for food too. The bartender working that night was pretty busy so getting a drink was difficult. I had to do a little clap thing to get his attention. To his credit, he apologized for not being attentive. Food here is bar food so take that for what it's worth. It's not a place that prides themselves on service or food but it's a good place to get a drink with some friends to catch up.

    (3)
  • Sarah E.

    This was my first time here and I have to say it wasn't exciting. The food was okay the service was lacking. Over all, it wasn't memorable, or delicious. Next time I'm in the area, I'm going to pick somewhere else.

    (2)
  • Jennifer M.

    This place is so good. I ordered a raspberry blonde and a pizza. The chicken on the pizza was a bit dry, but overall very good. The waitress was awesome too!!

    (5)
  • Matt W.

    The WAB is a lot like Myspace. It was awesome in 2004 but not so much anymore.

    (2)
  • Mike W.

    The music is good. Food menu never changes and most items are mediocre unless they have a half off price deal going. Main beers haven't changed in years and all are a bit watery. Order the mead if you want a healthy pour.

    (3)
  • Justin M.

    The first thing you notice when you walk in the door is the wall of license plates. Then there's more license plates. Then the menus are license plates. You won't end up seeing that everyday. These plates add to the very cool atmosphere of this place. It's hip but not so hip it's in your face and you feel like a clown wearing Old Navy instead of American Apparel. The menu isn't all that varied but the food is alright. I got a roast beef grinder and it was about what I expected. Their chips and salsa are delicious, mostly because of the chips. My girlfriend got some sort of salad thing and it was f'n huge, I think it was their taco salad. Their beer is pretty tasty, I got the hefeweizen and it wasn't too shabby. It was a little light for my taste but that's what you get with a hefeweizen. My girlfriend got the raspberry blonde and I preferred that. There are hints of raspberry but it's not overpowering. My buddy got the pale ale and it was very very hoppy. I liked it, but it's definitely not for everyone. Prices are pretty good, a little on the high side. I think it was about 8-9 bucks per sandwich and 4-5 bucks a pint for the beer they brew there. It's a very cool restaurant and very laid back. They seem supportive of other locals business and also of recycling and all that, which I appreciate. Overall, I wish the food was a bit better but the restaurant is nice and the beer tastes nice. This was the first time I've gone to WAB and I'd definitely go again.

    (3)
  • John M.

    Poor service, bad food. The pizza was almost as good as the frozen pizza from the grocery store.

    (1)
  • Chris M.

    Ah, the WAB. Been coming here for years, but now finally got the chance to review. WAB is standard Ferndale fare for restaurant/bar combo. Its a bit trendier than Royal Oak, the music makes Royal Oak look like a childs playlist, the food is good, prices are right. The beer is always great. The vanilla porter is my favorite, but sometimes they run out, which makes me a sad panda. However, the great part is, they always have great back up beers. The Hefeweizen is delish and the raspberry blonde is dead on for what it is. Overall, 4 stars on beer. I just hope they start brewing a few new varieties soon. The food is an interesting mix of everything you could imagine. Flat bread pizzas (my fav), loose burgers, mexican-american stuff, burgers, wraps and plenty of veggie options too. Was a favorite place to go while I was dating a vegetarian, as many other places in that price range are just mediocre. Never really had a bad experience with food, so 4 stars. Sundays is $2 pints, Mondays is half off food. So service on those nights can get a little dicey, but its understandable. Any other night? Ace. 4 1/2 stars. Overall, yeah, stop reading this and give them a shot, its worth it.

    (4)
  • Nicci K.

    I love the WAB. It is one of my favorite bars in Ferndale. I don't think I have had a beer I didn't like here. The raspberry blonde is amazing. The food is just ok. Typically I'm here to hang out with my knitting group to hang, have some appetizers, some brews and to knit. The service has been excellent despite that we are normally a large group. Love the Happy hour throughout the week and half off food on Mondays.

    (4)
  • Michael C.

    I've went to the dark side! I can remember the days when WAB's beer was decent and the food was a-okay. After my most recent trips here, I think I'm taking a break for a while.I've been there twice a month since June and I think I need to stop! It seems that they have either had a brewing problem or keeping their lines clean... because the beer is skunky as hell now. Which? ALL. My stand-by, the Ruby, now tastes like it's been sitting out in the sun for weeks. It's far far worse than just going up the street and getting a Killian's... so what's the draw now? I've learned my lesson that WAB is most definitely an alcohol buzzkill. If I want to stop having a good time and stop drinking... this is a good way to do it. Otherwise, I'm going to Danny's!

    (2)
  • Lauren W.

    The WAB is one of my favorite places in Ferndale. I love the beer, the food is decent bar food and I love the atmosphere. (Oh! And the menus! Love the license plate theme) My favorite menu items are the quesadillas and the French Dip sandwich...seriously the dip is one of the best I've ever had, and I've had lots of them. Best part? They have happy hour. On FRIDAY! Not many places do that. I believe from 4-7 p.m., you can get $2 pints of their craft beers, and $3 Jack and Jim drinks. They also have apps for half off. Can't beat it. (this may just be a winter thing, so be sure to call ahead to ask) The blonde, Hefe-Weizen and vanilla porter stout are delish, but my absolute favorite is the raspberry blonde...can't go wrong with fruity beer (can't help it, I'm a woman!) - just enough of a fruity taste that isn't too overpowering or sweet. If you're in F-dale, this is a great, casual place to go...but get there early. Most nights, especially in the summer when the patio is open, it gets pretty busy.

    (4)
  • Lucy K.

    I went here for a birthday gathering this week, and overall I enjoyed the experience. The Raspberry Blonde beer was quite tasty, and fairly potent! I also tried a few sips of my friend's drinks, including their homemade root beer (tasty, not too sweet) and their red vodka drink (which I sadly cannot find nor remember the name of, but was very good mixed with Sprite, but a little too cough-syrupy for me when straight). I liked the big patio, although we ended up sitting up top because we had 11 people there. The service was ok - our server refilled our drinks in a timely manner, but took one table's food order a good 20 minutes after the first table's order (we had two tables together) which was a little strange. But he was cute, and no one was mad, so it was ok. I had the gazpacho and the thai wrap. I really enjoyed the Thai wrap and the tortilla chips that came with (homemade, I believe). The gazpacho was tasty, but I haven't had a lot of different gazpachos, so I can't really say how good it was in comparison to others. The chocolate gelato was very tasty, but was very chunky, which was a dislike for a couple of my friends, but not for me. My friends raved over the BBQ chicken pizza that they ordered. The atmosphere was fun, and we had a good time. We'll be back!

    (4)
  • Jenn V.

    Up until last night I would have given them a better review. But one of their bartenders was really rude to me and completely embarrassed me in front of a bunch of people at the bar. They have typical bar food, although they try to "dress it up". Lots of 'tex-mex' dishes and random sandwiches, but I wouldn't bother eating there. Half the time it comes out cold. They have 1/2 off food on Mondays after 4pm, and that is the only time I would consider bothering. I don't drink beer, but my boyfriend likes getting growlers to go there. The price is pretty reasonable ($12, or $10 for a refill), but I know a lot of people that don't like their beer. The atmosphere is pretty cool.. they have a pool table, photo booth, juke box and a cool view of Woodward. The waitstaff is touch and go. I'm pretty ticked at one bartender in particular. I've had him before and have left him generous tips considering service was nothing spectacular. And yet tonight he was downright rude to me. Some of the staff seem to have the notion that customers are in the way of their cigarette and socializing time. I'll keep that attitude in mind the next time I leave their tip. I'll still go there.. it's close to my house and it's a good place to go with friends on the weekend. I just won't feel obligated to leave my standard 20% tip. UPDATE: I was mad enough that I emailed the manager. It seems a little like overkill, but I guess they were the last straw for me. I am just so sick of bad service, and felt like maybe the only way to help the issue is to make management at local establishments aware of it. The manager emailed me back promptly, profusely apologizing for the experience and said that it is a problem that they will work on. She also said that employees will no longer be allowed to smoke behind the bar. Although I am a smoker, I have NEVER worked in a restaurant or bar that allowed me to smoke while waiting on customers. Only problem is, I am afraid that if I do go back again (which is likely considering it's proximity and the fact that they have growlers) that the bartender in question will definitely know that I ratted on him.

    (2)
  • Taurean V.

    Been here twice, both times on absolutely packed 1/2off food nights. Would I come here if the food wasn't half off? No. Portions seemed truncated, perhaps due to said timing, flavor was there and the ingredients seemed quality but poorly prepared. At no point did I feel like paying double (the normal price) for anything I ate seemed reasonable. The beer was also a let down. They have a small selection of basic brews - your basic mainstream options: IPA, Red, Bud Light copy, etc. Sadly their guest tap was the best beer on the menu the last time we went. I will say their location/building and the atmosphere on these packed nights were probably the best things they have going for themselves right now. Make every night 1/2off food night and improve the beer and it would be a great place to hang out.

    (3)
  • Deborah R.

    I finally had the chance to eat the noms here (stopped in on a Monday when food is 1/2 off) and ordered the Thai wrap. It was awesome. All of the ingredients fresh and a really good taste of the peanut sauce. If you're not looking to be in an overly crowded place then definitely drop in here on a Monday lunch break, and plus the food is 1/2 off!

    (4)
  • Chelsea M.

    So yah- don't go for the food. Like don't eat any of the food. Just drink the beer. I'm only rating this three stars because of the beer. The beer at WAB is great. We tried three different brews and each was excellent! They have a pretty good happy hour- $2 pints from like 4-7. As for the food. I think my first few sentences sums it up pretty well and one of the other reviewers hit the nail on the head. Everything they serve tastes like it was microwaved. Even at half off I found the food very unsatisfying. The service, well, that seemed kinda hit or miss. At first we thought the service was great. The server was prompt, had great timing, and was friendly. Then, 3/4 through out meal he disappeared. He quit checking on us and took forever for the check and our payment. Bottom line is- drink the beer at the bar and skip the rest!

    (3)
  • Hymae W.

    Went here again and found myself highly disappointed with the beer and the burrito. I must have been starving the first time I went here because it wasnt close to good the second time

    (2)
  • Denise C.

    I LOVE WAB. I love the mini grilled veggie nachos. House made chips with zucchini, cauliflower, broccoli, and more. Add some Chalula and it's award-winning. I also love the wines that they feature. I like taking advantage of half-off food on Mondays. I can't say that much about the whole menu because I'm addicted to the nachos.

    (4)
  • Amanda A.

    The ideal place to wind up drinking and snacking in Ferndale. The prices are fair, there is a great selection of beers (lots of Michigan brewed, always a plus) and every time I've had food here I've been quite pleased. The staff is always friendly and there's a good crowd of people. Little to no douchebags, which is ideal. Overall a good place to hang out, especially in the summer when the outdoor patio is open.

    (4)
  • Emily G.

    The best thing about WAB is after you pay your bill, and you're free to get the F*$# out.

    (1)
  • Stephanie C.

    I honestly feel like this is my second home. I can't count how many Mondays I've wandered up to take advantage of 1/2 off food night or how many times I've I've piled dollar bills into the jukebox, always stocked full of great songs. There have been birthday parties, going away parties and unexpected reunions of all kinds at this joint. I can't imagine Ferndale without it. There is no better place in town to score an outdoor table for people- watching and summer dining. Perhaps no bar in the area has benefited more since the arrival of the May smoking ban -it did get a bit hazy upstairs despite efforts to control the smoke. But these days it's possible to gulp down a smooth Vanilla Porter (described oh so deliciously on the menu as liquid chocolate cake) and snack on chips and salsa without a hint of smoke trailing by -not even for old time's sake. The WAB menu is fresh too. Order up a salad just to watch your friends' eyes pop out of their sockets. The Topopo is my favorite and it's big enough for a family of five. But I've also been known to crave the Veggie Wrap, a delicate balancing act of avocado, cucumber, tomato and more. Perfect on a summer evening paired with a Custom Blonde.

    (5)
  • Jean P.

    I've been to the WAB a few times now and it has always been enjoyable. The atmosphere is pretty laid-back, the people-watching is decent, the food is good and the beer is very very good. Most recently I went with my husband and brother after a long long day of moving furniture and heavy boxes into our new house. I had the Raspberry Blonde and LOVED IT - I could go for a pint right now, actually. My husband and brother tried the IPA, the Porter, and a few others, I think...good thing we live close enough to walk home, yes? They didn't flip out over the awesomeness of the beer, but they seemed to enjoy everything well enough. As far as food, I got one of the pita pizza thingees, which I pretty much always get in one of the many tempting flavors (what can I say, I'm a sucker for baked cheese). The vegetables tasted like they came from a frozen bag instead of fresh, but I just love the way the crispy crust tastes with that cheese! My hubby got a thai chicken wrap which was very large and he liked very much. My brother reported that the looseburger was nothing to write home about, "okay" at best. We ate on the outdoor patio and the service was GREAT - never a dry glass. The food-server originally brought out the wrong entree for me and had to go back to the kitchen, which caused our primary waitress great consternation and prompted her to check on me often after that. I was halfway through my 2nd glass of Raspberry Blonde, so I didn't care! But, it was nice of her to be concerned. Anyway, I always have a great time there and would be proud to bring a visitor. Gotta show off our local brews when far-away friends stop by!

    (4)
  • Darin E.

    As part of my Michigan brew pub tour, I hit this place for lunch with a friend. I had the Turkey Cashew sandwich with a Pale Ale. This was a great pairing, if I say so myself. The sandwich was served open face on excellent bread, with alfalfa sprouts and avocado to complement the nutty, meaty, cheesy goodness of the sandwich base. The Pale Ale was excellent too - very hoppy, but in a floral way rather than the deep, back of the palate bitterness you get from an IPA. Our server was a bit rattled - didn't write stuff down then had to keep coming back to confirm the orders. They also pretty much forced us onto the patio, which on an average summer day would be a fantastic place to sit, but on our visit was made a bit uncomfortable with nearly gale force winds whipping through. All in all a great lunch -- I'll be back!

    (4)
  • juston m.

    reasons the WAB sucks: the bartenders who don't pay any attention even when you're sitting right at the bar. the fact that they spend all their time at the end near the bathroom socializing and smoking. people stare. i've gotten good gossip that they cook nothing. it all goes in a microwave before in enters your mouth. the beer is pretty tame and nothing really jumps at you. reasons the WAB is worth it sometimes: they have a great setup downstairs. open air and tables facing woodward. a great jukebox. they sponsor the DIY festival (but i always drink beer from other places). they have a real photo booth and i have lots of photos from it. its only about a 10minute walk from my house. my boyfriend likes their cashew chicken sandwhich. like the rating says its A-OK love, juston

    (3)
  • Kady D.

    I was between 2 and 3 and I figured since I was the only one who didn't enjoy my food and everybody else liked theirs I should round up. We went on Monday with the Mother in law for the half off food and so my husband could have a few beers. We started with the tomitillo/avacado dip which was pretty good. I ordered the French Dip- this is the thing, I've never in my whole life had a sandwich or any food at all that I was so indifferent about. It wasn't bad at all but it certainly wasn't good. The bread was in this weird place between toasted and just bread and the meat while tender was completely flavorless. Even the Au jus tasted like water with a little bit of beef base mixed in. The chips and pickle on the side were pretty awesome but the sandwich should be the star ,right? My husband had the thai chicken wrap and he loved it, as well as his raspberry blonde beer ( I'll have to update after I can drink again) MIL had some other veggie wrap and she also loved hers. I did order their root beer that they make themselves- that alone is 6 stars the best I've ever had! It was a cool place and there were some other things to try on the menu so I'll be back. - One last thing, we seemed to have two servers? They weren't that busy but we were sat by one guy and then a girl came by for our order, the guy brought the food and checked on us and she brought our bill and ignored us the 17 times she walked by. It was kind of confusing but I over tipped a little bit hoping they were splitting because he rocked!

    (3)
  • Michelle I.

    The WAB is your typical brewery/pub/bar grub place with that cool Ferndale edge to it. I've been here for many occasions for drinks and socializing. I always stick to the Raspberry Blond brew. I've had a few mixed drinks here as well, but beer is what the WAB does best. I like the layout of the upstairs, with the many tables and booths. I also enjoy the patio area during the summer, that is, if its open. Recently, I came here for dinner since Mondays is 1/2 off food. Service was great. Our server was very attentive and sweet. The food arrived at a lightening fast speed but was mediocre. I had the Asian Chicken salad. Its not hard to mess up a salad, so it was decent. I got really annoyed with the 'house made' Asian dressing. It was all separated and would not mix well after I would stir it up with my fork. I ended up with a really oily salad without much flavor. I may give the food here another go in the future but from other reviews, food doesn't seem to be WAB's forte. But I will definitely wait til 1/2 food Monday. Until then I will stick with the beer!

    (3)
  • Greg N.

    I've been to this place a handful of times, and I gotta say I'm not too impressed. If you've read any of my reviews, you know that I'm a pretty big beer geek, and with them being a brewery(especially a Michigan brewery) I expected the beer to be a lot better. Simply put, it's beer brewed for the masses, with slight tweaks to make it sound and taste a bit better. The food is alright, but nothing special. The ambiance, and crowd is usually pretty good, and is short on douchebags, which is a nice departure from some other bars in the area. Overall, I would probably go back with a group of friends, but never for just a pint and some nibbles. Cheers!

    (2)
  • Maurice G.

    I've gotta give it to Rock City. I had no idea what to expect, visiting Detroit -- and my fiancee's home state -- for the holidays, but I came away HIGHLY impressed. There is a general spirit about the W.A.B. that encapsulates Detroit and Michigan as a whole, kind of a diamond-in-the-rough, blight-chic, perseverance that is highly infectious for outsiders. Man, and I really loved this bar/neighborhood. W.A.B.'s bartenders were delightful and its patrons pleasantly drunk. W.A.B.'s clientele seems to be the "finally earning a decent paycheck, now lets go get fucked on Delirium" variety. Which, hell, is exactly my kind of scene. This will be on my list of Detroit pubs NEXT holiday season.

    (4)
  • drew k.

    After drinking over 1,000 different types of beer, i have decided that WAB is the official king of crap. Nice work. It takes a lot of hard work and dedication to absolutely sucking ass to achieve this status. The beer is not only flat and tasteless, but has notes of infection due to an unclean brew house. I highly doubt that they even brew with cracked grains and probably use flavor concentrates to achieve tastes like "raspberry." The management should take note that the guest tap may be the best seller in the house and is usually tapped out. I wish it didn't suck so bad, it was the closest bar to my house for two years and I am always hesitant to make my way there even on half off food Monday, which is still overpriced garbage. Speaking of which, exactly how in the hell do they "cook" food there anyways? It seems like every item on the menu comes frozen, dried concentrated and prepackaged, kinda like convenient sysco food products. Yummy. Reminds me of really bad frozen TV dinners stuck in a microwave and then a salamander to toast. I'm pretty sure they do not have a single stove top burner or oven in the house. hmmmmmm.... The bar staff is pompus and conceited. Table service is usually on point tho. I can't be hating on some of the floor staff who has never let me down. The crappy bar service comes as no surprise. Finicky, pissy, poorly tattooed hipster d-bags in Ferndale working at a crappy bar? Surprising to say the least.. I usually go for that air or confidence mixed with a little drunk, but these peeps are hella out of control and super annoying. Especially the bartender who scoffs at every order like I am asking for a kidney donation. One night I was alone and ran up a twenty dollar food tab on a Monday. The bartender exuberantly pointed out that I was expected to tip on the full amount of the bill that was half off by circling the amount on the tab and double tapping the bill with his pen. I was getting up after paying to use the bathroom without leaving a tip on the slip. I had a credit card and was leaving cash which was in my front pocket. Even before i had gotten out of my seat to reach in my pocket, this fool snagged my cc slip and was jocking me like i had stiffed him. Really? What a chache box. I have been serving my whole life and would NEVER approach a customer like that, and certainly would not stiff anyone, including those who check their greasy ass jersey shore haircut in a knife more than they check on my drink. Long and short. Please, please, please avoid this place. I have no particular reason to give them a bad review other than the whole place is sub standard and i love beer enough to type about it. Cheers.

    (1)
  • Joey J.

    White rice inside the burrito? Shakes head and mutters shoulda read my own review before coming back here. The Vanilla Porter is still a great beer, though.

    (2)
  • Tomas T.

    Raspberry blonde- Is that the way I like my women or is it a beer? Since I am reviewing a brewery, if you guessed beer, you would be cor-rect. This place would be awful, except for two things- 1. On Mondays they have 1/2 off food which is mediocre, but worth 3 dollars 2. Their selection of beer (especially the raspberry blonde *wink* wink*). When you walk in, you have two options- turn right, and sit in a semi-cold room that can get a bit crowded, or turn left and take the secret ninja path. This path leads you to the upstairs. There are generally a good number of people and the crowd is pretty friendly. On Mondays there could be quite a bit of a wait for a table, but it is worth hanging out and having a few beers. The raspberry blonde, has the sweet aroma of raspberries that rushes through your nostrils and intoxicates your soul. So if you dont like raspberries, hold your breath. Not a bad place to get drinks with a friend. I would not eat there again on purpose.

    (3)
  • Selina V.

    everyone always wants to meet here for food/drinks. I honestly don't have a good time at the WAB. I always have to wait to get a drink while the bartenders chat amongst themselves or compare tattoos or whatever they are doing behind the bar. They do have a photobooth which is one of the only reasons I stop in here. I'm not a big beer drinker but since they have a full bar I could be satiated if only it didn't suck so much to hang out here. I've spent lot's of time in bars that fancy themselves cooler than you and I'm too old for it. It's Ferndale not flippin LA, get me a drink already!!!!!

    (2)
  • Lish D.

    The WAB has been a second home ever since I moved back to metro Detroit. From special events to half-off Mondays, the WAB is one of my top 10 metro Detroit destinations. I really appreciate the variety of food the WAB offers. I'm a vegetarian, so I always feel like I have a lot of options here. My favorite sandwich? The triple cheese. Years ago a server recommended adding avocado to it, and I've been adding it ever since. Try it the next time you order this sandwich- I promise you won't be sorry. The WAB uses fresh ingredients with their food and you can taste it. I love to hang out in the lower lounge when it's open. Very cozy and nice street views. The summer seating is a must, but get there early- it goes quickly! Monday nights are half-off food. Again, arrive early! The WAB's prices are already very reasonable, so it's a steal when it's half off. Drinks specials pop up every now and then, so just ask. I'm not the first to say the WAB has the best juxebox in town! You can also pick up free wi-fi, too. Definitely love this place.

    (5)
  • Katie H.

    I have never tried the food here, but the beer is great and brewed onsite. The jukebox is one of the best in the area and the service is pretty good. This is definately one of the better bars in the Royal Oak/Ferndale area.

    (4)
  • Keith C.

    A fixture in Ferndale with 1/2 off food on Mondays. They serve 'alternative' bar food. Besides their Long Island Iced Teas we love their Nachos, Black Bean or Chicken Avocado Quesadillas, Bruschetta, BBQ Chicken Pizza and the Turkey Grinder.

    (4)
  • Kaylee H.

    Comparing this place to other brewhouses in the area constitutes the four stars.... The beer - a fair price and always good. The guest brews are sometimes surprising, randomly Michigan-supportive and almost always great. I also dig the vanilla porter to smooth out the itchy throat I get from all the smoke (May can not come any quicker!) The food - maybe I luck out by not having microwaved crap (as shared by other reviewers) but I dig the food I usually throw into my chowing rotation -- the veggie nachos, tuna melt and black/white bean dip. Note there's really no meat there, and maybe that's where the microwave comes into play. It's apparently no secret Monday is half off night, so swing in yourself to test out the good vs. crap food tug of war going on here. The atmosphere - smokey yet inviting. Wait staff is always nice. Never feel out of place here and happy to come for work or play.

    (4)
  • Mark S.

    Always a great meal, attentive service and brewed on site beer!

    (5)
  • Colin G.

    One of the things that I do in my travels is go to local brewpubs. It presents problems sometimes as far as driving goes, but I manage. This particular brewpub (colloquially known as "WAB") was recommended to me by locals (this was my first time in Detroit), so I made sure to stop in. I came just before dinnertime and the place was dead. There was one table taken and the bar had four other people, who were all screwing with their cell phones. At first I thought that they only had one beer on tap, called the "Green Hornet" or something like that. I ordered it, but was told that they had others, and was given a beer list. The covers to their menus are the old style (blue) Michigan license plates. Cute. Various Michigan license plates also cover the walls behind the bar. The rest of the interior is brick and, to me, very much looks like a brewpub. By sitting at a table, you get the pleasure of a relatively nice view of the busy Woodward Avenue below. They have TVs, but were muted and showing sports. I used to go to a bar in Houston that would always have IFC on its TVs, so it was interesting to watch. I thought that it was a much better idea, especially considering its hipster clientele, and I feel that more places should follow suit. My Marvel Comics character beer (it wasn't really called that, but I can't find their list online) was excessively hoppy but light on the flavor, which is often a problem when breweries try to do really hoppy beers. I also had a sample of, I believe, the porter, which wasn't bad. Personally, I think that this place would do a lot better if they had a happy hour, because they do nothing to bring in early crowds right now. On the plus side, this is a non-smoking establishment, and the only brewpub in Ferndale, one of the hipper sections of Detroit metro. My main gripe is with the parking, and it's not the WAB's fault, it's Ferndale's. There's a metered lot right outside, but the meters run until something like 9pm every night. WTF? And this the case all over Downtown Ferndale, not just in that lot.

    (4)
  • Justin O.

    I wish I could give a half star... cause the WAB would get a 2.5... I used to hang out here a lot. I used to love this place. I think I just got a little older (not too old though ;-P) and now prefer a more serene environment to put back a few beers. But back to that 2.5... Reasons? The food sucks. I guess I like the Asian Salad w/chicken but most of it is microwaved crap (like many other reviewers have mentioned). WAB beer is marginal at best, but the guest tap almost always rocks - so hit that up for certain. The crowd is douchetastic these days. If the 'scene' is what matters to you, then this is the place to be 'scene'. So show up, don't forget to sport your skinny jeans, vintage tee and grandpas glasses. The WAB has outdoor seating in the summer months - and its OK, but they need an actual awning like Pronto has (the sun can get pretty unbearable). Even though the douchbag hipster crowd is not my crowd - the jukebox is terrific (go figure, eh?) I guess this place is OK.... but if I had to pick from the three WAB owned bars - this would be last on the list... ... still beats the abortion that is the 'new' Rosie O'Gradys!

    (3)
  • Dawn N.

    I have been going to the WAB since they opened and what cannot be denied is that its still the place to go to listen to new music, have great people watching over a wonderfully cold chilled ale. That said since having kids, its the most kid un-friendly place (which hey I get it...its a bar) but with the smoking and all...just not fun. Wonder what this place is going to look like when the smoking ban goes in May...

    (4)
  • Ben G.

    The WAB has a fantastic jukebox, an underused pool table and a real deal photobooth. It also has a patio, free wi-fi, good bartenders, and an assortment of food. I've been there a number of times and will go back many more. It's a great place to meet friends for a drink.

    (4)
  • David M.

    i ordered the beef burritto saturday night and it was by far the worst restaurant food that i've eaten in a year. it is bad by design - there is only meat (apparently low-grade ground beef) inside, with all the good stuff - the cheese sauce, onions, etc. on the outside. the meat is as dried out as mattress stuffing. poorly designed, tastes terrible... thank goodness the beer is good.

    (2)
  • Dawn A.

    My boyfriend took me here and it was tasty. I had a Scrumptious Salad that was HUGE! Got the dressing on the side and took the left-over half to go for the next day's lunch!

    (4)
  • Ian E.

    I have really mixed feelings about the WAB. I love the space, the feel of the bar and patio and always receive good service. The beer is just ok. The food....disgusting. I keep seeing people say it's "ok for bar food", but I don't understand how the food here can be described as "bar food". Bar food to me is something like Sneakers, New Way or Tony's. The WAB is a full on Bar AND Restaurant. I can't defend the food at all, even with the 1/2 off Monday special. The food was always bland and often times made me sick. I refuse to eat there ever again, but I wouldn't say no to meeting friends for a beer or two.

    (2)
  • Kalyn M.

    I can only comment on the food at the WAB- I'm not a beer drinker and my dad REALLY wanted to go there (this has been the case a few times) so.... The WAB is a very casual, relaxed place....almost too relaxed....by that I mean I'm not sure if they wipe down the menus or tables. They were very sticky every time I went there. The first time I got quesadillas and they were okay. Kinda tasty - satisfied. The next time I went I got chicken tacos. The food wasn't bad (as in spoiled) but the chickens seasoning was nauseating to me. My dad got the beef tacos and they were pretty good. The service was horrible this time and our waiter seemed like he wanted a big tip so he could have some spending money for whatever he was doing after work. The first order of tacos came out pretty late after ordering and those tacos were looonngg gone before the next order came out. Like 30 mins after the first order came to our table. The salad I ordered (I think it was house with their in house made salad dressing) was VERY good. The view is great at this place. If you want to check it out, go ahead- not a total waste. But if you decide to skip it, I don't think you're missing much.

    (2)
  • Chad O.

    Mmmmm...Hefeweizen, other than that average in my book.

    (3)
  • Matthew D.

    I'm really tired of the term "hipster." Can I officially be the first to say that label has jumped the shark? I'm hearing it everywhere now and it seems like many people use it in the completely wrong context. Apparently everyone in Royal Oak is a hipster because I see the term everywhere. This crowd is more of the young professional crowd. The Raspberry Blonde and the Pumpkin beer are both awesome... and the nachos were great. Don't go there to watch a game... TV's are nowhere.

    (3)
  • Sinead t.

    This is the place that my friends who don't live in Ferndale always seem to want to go to. I don't understand it at all--the food is mediocre at best, and the WAB beer tastes like cardboard (get one of their guest taps, they at least seem to bring in good stuff from other breweries). The music on the jukebox is pretty good, and they have big tables for larger parties.... but I seriously don't get the hipster infatuation with this place.

    (2)
  • Scott H.

    I have always had a good time at the W.A.B. A common meeting place for my group of friends from Spec's Howard. Especially on Monday nights with half off the food menu. The W.A.B's flat bread pizza's are delicious as well as the list of their own beers. Located right on Woodward in Ferndale the W.A.B has a neighborhood feel to it and the servers are always friendly and helpful. I do miss the W.A.B on Mondays ...

    (4)
  • yakob j.

    I used to live right around the corner from the WAB, so it has a special place in my heart. Mondays half off food, so expect about a half hours wait during summer. My favorites are the Turkey Cashew sandwich, Topoppo salad with thousand island dressing ( don't knock it till you try it), and the vegetable pizza. If you do go on a Monday, and it's packed, expect to wait at least 20 minutes for your food, that's just a given. other than that: Great outdoor/indoor patio Great Jukebox ( good classic / indie mix) Pool-table and photo-booth Respectably down to earth staff Key location right between The loving touch and the Emory (which caters to the same crowd) and if you do go on monday, tip on the cost of the original bill, it's only right.

    (4)
  • Tim E.

    Well, the beer was ok, yup, just ok. I have had better. I enjoyed the atmosphere but the food was lackluster even by "bar food" standards...burritos, nachos, etc. All "ok" but nothing worth going out of your way for. I think it was the lack of quality service that sealed the one star rating though. I would like to support my neighborhood bar, but I would hope the neighborhood bar would provide what the chains can't. Unique food at a good price with exceptional service. None of which I found here.

    (1)
  • kelly w.

    I would have to agree with most of the previous yelps-- good jukebox, fun crowd, habitually packed, half-off food on Mondays is never a bad thing. The food I have had there-- half-off or not, has never disappointed. I have had the chili (I can't remember if it was turkey or chicken) burrito which I liked, as well as their pizzas-- pesto chicken... I dove in as soon as the waitress set the plate down. I'm pretty sure she feared losing a limb due to my ravenous state. I am not however, the biggest fan of their beers. The red is my favorite, but in all honesty, I would rather cross the street and go to the Emory-- for some reason I just like the atmosphere better there.

    (3)
  • Cate W.

    Dear WAB, I like your raspberry blond beer, and I like your patio. I like your afternoon drink specials and I wish I liked your food. I know it's bar food, but being the sister restaurant of the Emory, knowing they're capable of those burgers, means you ought to step it up a little. I recently ordered your beef burrito, after asking the server her impression ("It's really good!") and was completely underwhelmed. When it arrived it was cold and virtually spiceless. The cheese was cold inside of it. I didn't send it back because it was 8:30pm and I'd been expecting to eat supper around 7pm (e.g. I was way too hungry to complain). WAB, when I order a burrito, even a faux Mexican burrito, I am expecting something in the way of seasoning, and your dish was lacking. Furthermore, one of your employees said it was good, which makes me wonder whether something is wrong with me or with you. Since hunger is the best sauce (this isn't mine, but someone else's maxim), I'm going to say something is wrong with you. Sorry. I liked the description of the chicken and avocado quesadilla, so maybe I'll try that next time and write a retraction. For now, maybe jazz up the burrito?

    (2)
  • Andrea H.

    The beer was awesome....but the French dip sandwich, not so much. Hardly any meat and no cheese!

    (3)
  • J S.

    Been here twice. Last time I'll ever go was lastnight. Our server (short dark hair female) was the worst server. She got the order wrong and was more preoccupied with chatting with her friends to the point that another server brought our beers , food, and cleaned our table. She also didn't come serve us when another member of our party came. Lastly she mixed up the checks. The food was mediocre at best. What is up with giving potatoes chips? That a lunch side not for dinner. Beer is ok depending which you order. Ambience is what I like the best. Lastly, I know this is bad but we decided not to leave her a tip. She actually chased us down outside and confronted us. Last time I checked tips are for the service you receive and not obligatory. I have never not left a tip. It was a consensus of a group of 6 not too. My rec is to go to Royal Oak Breweries. We will never go to WAB again.

    (1)
  • Victor R.

    Been to WAB several times and we love it. The beer is great and so are the salads. Try the taco salad, its enough to fill even a big guy like me as an entire meal. The vibe is a little hipstery but the food and beer make it worth it. Out door seating right on Woodward is great when its nice out. Half off entrees on Monday afternoons.

    (4)
  • Sara A.

    Probably one of Metro Detroit's most popular bars, this Ferndale hotpot offers microbrewed beers, a scrumptious menu and a pleasant mix of locals form rockers to lawyers. Locate don Woodward, just south of 9 mile this hip bar is always great time. With a menu that features salads big enough for an army, tasty grinders, and awesome nachos, the WAB will leave your tummy happy. If libations are what you're looking for the WAB has got you covered. Serving delicious, flavorful micorbrewed beers like Pale Ale, Porter, and a Raspberry Blonde to die for, the WAB offers beer drinkers a little piece of heaven. In addition to the brews h WAB offers patrons a small, but tasty choice of wines from Pinot Grigio to Pinot Noir. I highly recommend stopping in on Monday when all appetizers are half off which means more money to spend on their yummy beers or a mixed drink from the full bar. Whether you're looking to catch a Pistons game or play a little pool while sipping on a beer the WAB is guaranteed to satisfy.

    (4)
  • Curtis E.

    Pretty much the best spot in the area for a post work bite and brew. The patio down stairs is key as the sun goes down but you could end up fighting for a table. There's a good mix of people, but in general it's a pretty hip Ferndale crowd looking to relax. Food is generally above par for brewery food, and there are many choices to choose from. The beer selection is not the highest quality(you're limited cause they brew their own on site) but they'll never leave you thirsty, and they even host a few guest brewery taps that rotate periodically. This is a 3 star joint that gets that extra star for having half price food on mondays. The whole damn menu is half off.

    (4)
  • Jess N.

    I used to like this place. But, the crowd it has been attracting in the last couple years is different than before... "douchebaggery" I've heard them called, and I'd say that's accurate. The drinks are alright, the beer really isn't that good, and it's expensive. Their food is not what you'd expect for a mid-range price point - it's all microwaved! Most of the food is "tex-mex" type. The salads aren't even good, they come to you soggy. The staff is not attentive at all, they are there primarily to socialize and smoke at the bar rather than to serve the customers. It's very loud and the acoustics are horrible. The only good things are that there is a nice outdoor patio and they use Garden Fresh salsa items (the chips and salsa are the only good things they serve food-wise). They do have 1/2 off food on Mondays, but it's not even worth it then.

    (1)
  • Jennifer H.

    Three strikes you're out WAB. The first time my husband and I went here, the food was ok and the service was mediocre. I'm giving it one star because the beer is good. The second time we arrived with a party of 6 and we were basically told that we wouldn't be seated and we should go somewhere else. They didn't even bother to say, "Well for a party that large you might have to wait an hour or two". No, the employee basically said "Sorry there is no room at the inn, go somewhere else" Against our better judgement, we decided to go there last nght because there was just 3 of us. We got a table right away and the server came up to us shortly after we sat down. I started to think gee, maybe this time it will be different. WRONG!! The server made a comment about how happy he was we weren't ordering food because it makes it easier on him (wouldn't he get a bigger tip if we were eating??). That didn't bother me so much but I thought it was strange. What bothered me is the server didn't come by once while we were drinking our beers. We finished, waited 10 or 15 minutes and we didn't even see him pass by us or at any other tables. We wanted another beer but the slow service changed our minds. We decided to get our bill. We didn't even get that. We just figured out the bill on our own and left cash on the table. I will never go back here again, which is unfortunate because we love breweries and we usually find them to be pretty consistent with food and service.

    (1)
  • Sarah R.

    This brewery was very accommodating when I was here with a group of about 12-14 people for a meeting of young professionals. They gave us a big table upstairs and were attentive without being intrusive. The decor is fun; the walls are decorated with license plates, and the menus are as well. During the summer, there' s a nice patio area with lots of live, fresh greenery. And, the beer is good, too. I tried a darker brew and a lighter one, and enjoyed them both. The food was also a little pricey but good. Parking is pretty easy here- there' s a metered city lot right behind it. You'll just need to bring a stack of quarters with you.

    (4)
  • Sarah L.

    If you love chz sandwiches try their triple cheese one with pesto sauce, yum! Burritos are very filling. Pretty much the entire menu is damn good. Jukebox is full of eclectic music. Only one pool table, but if youre friendly join in on someone elses game! Variety of ages and backgrounds venture here. Staff is great too. Wear what you plz and you still dont feel out of place. It is small for large parties of 5+ and it gets very crowded on the weekends, but I don't mind it. I had a going away party of 20 and we mingled all over the WAB and didnt have a problem. I'm not much for brewed beer so I can't say much about it, but I've heard it's a hit or a miss. If you're looking for something like Royal Oak dance clubs to show off your new duds or just yourself "GO HOME". This place is a place to just relax and hang out with new and old friends. They also own The Emory and Loving Touch, but the WAB is by far the best.

    (4)
  • Bill W.

    The WAB is a great place to get food when it's half-off, I recommend going around 4 PM on Monday as it tends to get pretty busy later on. They have healthy selections for vegetarians and they have Boca Burgers too, good food but I only go there to eat on Mondays. The salads are huge so you can share them or take the rest home. The food has never been bad when I have eaten there. Hipster staff, great indie music selection both downstairs where the staff picks the tunes and upstairs on the jukebox. When it's warm there's an excellent patio right on Woodward which I really love. I took my cousin and his friend out on Labor Day weekend Sunday night when they have 2 dollar pints from 9 PM until close, usually it isn't very busy at all on Sunday nights but it was slamming then. Our server Rob provided us excellent service even though it was extremely busy. The beer is good, I liked the Raspberry Blonde; it smells delicious but it is extremely sweet, sweeter than Founder's Rübæus but it's not for everyone. Of course the WAB is no Kuhnhenn or Dragonmead when it comes to beer, they aren't trying to be and the prices reflect that too. The beer styles are brewed with populism in mind and The Vanilla Porter is the best beer of theirs to get. If you're not used to drinking craft beer the Custom Blonde and Ruby are the ones to get. Remember that you can ask for a taste of a particular beer before you order it; it's free and it's never good to be stuck with a pint of beer you don't like. I highly recommend ordering off the guest taps, while they only have about 1-2 guest beers on taps they are personally picked by Greg Burke who brews the beer there and are always great. Usually it's a local selection like New Holland or a an imported beer like Pilsner Urquell which is a Czech Pilsner. If you happen to be with a true beer snob, just head across the street to the Emory which is owned by the same owner as the WAB.

    (4)
  • Youneeq Z.

    We always have a good time at this place. Can bring a group a friends or take a date. Even have rabbit food for the veggie heads. Has two levels, outdoor seating, a pool table, elevator for accessibility. Great views onto Woodward for the ppl watchers. Pretty nice. Could use more space for possibly one more pool table and more items on the menu for us carnivores, but otherwise I always recommend the place.

    (5)
  • CJ J.

    The WAB reminds me of a smaller, local BJ's brewery. I liked it. It was greasy pub food and drinks. I met up with people from our Warren office after work and we all got together and hung out. It was the first time I saw flurries! I didn't even know what those were! :D You can yo inside which is cool. I can't imagine having some greasy grub and beer and then trying to get outside in the snow to have a yo break. There are a few pool tables inside, the waitresses and bartenders were nice, beer's good, and the sundaes were good. I really liked their menus!!! The front and back covers were license plates that were held together by o-rings. I jacked one and took it home with me!!! Hahahaha It was a chillen, good, greasy, buzzed time with the colleagues. Darn you Michiganders!

    (4)
  • Rob Z.

    While the raspberry blonde and the pumpkin ale are stellar, the service has gone down hill as of late. While at the bar the past two trips there, trying to flag down the bartender is like trying to hail a taxi in New York City. If you don't know what that is like, well it is almost impossible. After that, things run much smoother, but based on trying to get initial service, my review stands.

    (3)
  • Jennifer K.

    Great place to hang out with your friends! I have had some ridiculous times here. Great jukebox also (when it isn't being overrun by hipsters...ugh.). The food is just "eh", but the beer selection is really good. Grab yourself a couple of growlers, some friends, and head back to someones front porch for some laughs. Recommended if you are in the 'hood.

    (3)
  • Miike G.

    5 outta 5!!! This place is it!! Great craft beer, food and atmosphere. When I lived in Ferndale, I frequented this place 1x week.

    (5)
  • Matt V.

    Food was cold and would not have been good were it hot either. I got quesadillas, wife got veggie burrito. Service was bad, four tables, one server, still waited 10 minutes just to have the bill taken, and we had to walk it up to her where she was socializing at the bar. She did not even ask why we didn't eat our food. Beer was not very good. Will not return.

    (1)
  • STEVE H.

    My Favorite Restaurant in Ferndale. Get a Growler to bring home, the Pale Ale is my favorite middle of the road, amber beer. The quesadillas are great, sometimes a little soggy because the chicken is so moist, just let your server know before ordering. Good place to sit outside and see the cars roll by.

    (5)
  • Jason P.

    Decent micro brews. Fair food. Half off is nice on Mondays, but bad on Tuesdays when you have the trots from their Mexican cracker pizza. I hope you're still in a band.

    (3)
  • Shawn M.

    Of the breweries in the Royal Oak/Ferndale area, the WAB is still my favorite. The vanilla porter is excellent and I just sort of get a craving for it from time to time.

    (5)
  • Otis M.

    Like the WAB. Great car and people watching in the summer months. Good selection of traditional bar food. Beers are fresh, tasty and cold.

    (4)
  • Kelsea F.

    I used to go to WAB all the time when I lived in Ferndale. It's a great neighborhood bar with fantastic beer. Although the patrons sometimes seem to be the finalists in a "who's the most hipster" competition, it isn't overwhelming. Besides, their pints are ridiculously affordable at like $3.50 each. They make a really good porter and amber ale, although my personal favorite is the vanilla porter. You can order small glasses for around $2.50 if you don't want a whole pint or you want to try a few varieties. They always have a couple outside beers on tap as well, which are good to try. I haven't had much of the food but it's definitely a step above your typical bar food. The best thing about this place, aside from the beer, is the jukebox. I can never resist playing some songs, I think mostly due to the novelty of actually wanting to play the songs in a jukebox. They change it up fairly often, so you can hear a lot of the newest albums there. I won't pretend that my boyfriend and I haven't had a few tipsy Bright Eyes sing-alongs here. Also, there is a rather large outdoor seating area that is really nice during the summer. This bar is always a good bet: great beer, good music, fun crowd.

    (5)
  • Rachel M.

    Not my first choice in Ferndale for food....but def a first choice for beer and ambiance! I dont mind the flat bread pizzas, I just wish there was more flavor and heart and soul in their food!

    (3)
  • Todd E.

    It's only A-OK if you go on a Monday for half off food. Their menu is limited, because I don't think they have a deep fryer. The food is only ok if it's half off. Nothing special. Some of the beers are really disgustingly wretched. The porter is alright. The atmosphere is cool, and the jukebox is amazing. The downstairs patio is fun. Just don't expect a really decent meal.

    (2)
  • L P.

    I generally have liked their beers and I like the overall feel at the place. The service definitely lags though and often I've had to get up and get a server, in fact finding one can be tough. The food is not horrible but don't expect gourmet. I do like the jukebox selection and the place has a great vibe in summer with the open windows and streetside eating/drinking.

    (3)
  • Rebecca C.

    I went here last night for some food after a long day moving. Food and beer really hit the spot. I thought the ruby beer was quite nice. Service was good and atmosphere was nice except for all of the smoking. I can't wait until Michigan goes smoke free like the rest of the country -then this place would be better.

    (3)
  • Naoko M.

    I'm not the biggest fan of their food but I would still give them 5 stars, cause WAB is just a nice local brewery to visit for a drink. I used to order salads because they taste really good, but the portion size is just too huge. I wish they had half-size choices :( Other than that, they have Tex-Mex, burgers (incl. Boca burgers), wraps, pizza (they use pita-type bread instead of regular dough), and soups too. They were selected as the best brewery in the area several times in local magazine/newspaper polls. You can get their beer to take home in growlers too. Pros: - Lively atmosphere - Friendly staff - Variety of microbrews (my two favorites: Custom Blonde & Hefeweizen) and they are cheap, too. - Lots of vegetarian/vegan choices - Outside seating in summer on Woodward Avenue Cons: - Food is okay - They stopped serving 'Garden Fresh' tortilla chips!! :( - I don't care for some of their beers, but this is usual in most microbreweries for me

    (5)
  • J.D. O.

    The WAB is a good place to go and hang out with your friends and have some good food and above-average beer. I admit I'm a bit spoiled with us having so many great breweries in the Detroit area, so the WAB's beer just may seem average by comparison. I would definitely suggest you check it out if you are in the Ferndale area.

    (3)
  • Jay D.

    The worst thing about this place is the customers. There is always a plethora of overly drunk frat boys who feel obligated to linger in large packs. I went with some female friends, and 4 out of 6 of them swore they would never return after being ogled, groped, and solicited on their way to the restroom. This isn't the WAB's fault. But still. Your patrons are annoying as they get. The beer is decent, though I wish it was 4 bucks a pint instead of 5. I think five is really pushing it. The food is par. I don't crave it or anything, but it always hits the spot. I think the servers are superb. I find the bar staff unfriendly.

    (3)
  • Dann A.

    Meh. It's a cool looking place, but I've never ordered anything good to eat save for the pretzel sticks and hot mustard. The jukebox rocks out whatever is popular in Pitchfork this week and there's WiFi, so that's a plus. It's a microbrewery, so don't go in expecting to order a Budweiser or whatever. The blonde is pretty good, and the patio area is nice in the summer, but Motor City Brewing Works in Midtown Detroit is better in every single way. If I'm in Ferndale and looking for a drink, I might stop by, but the WAB is not what I'd consider a destination watering hole.

    (3)
  • Matthew C.

    I look forward to going to the WAB whenever I end up in the metro Detroit area. As soon as the sun goes down I start tasting their porter. It's pretty good. If you see someone with pretzel sticks do not assume that they are free and belong to everyone at the bar. They are on the menu, if you start eating said pretzels the people who paid money for them will probably get pissed. This happened to me a few years ago but, luckily, the girls who had ordered them thought it was charming or something. The staff rules. I call a few of them friends. All in all this is a great place to drink away your nights. They have half off food too (Mondays?).

    (4)
  • Bryan V.

    I am not opposed to this bar. It's a cool place to meet up, cool to sit by the windows or outside. Service is good. I am not a fan of the vanilla porter. The rasberry blond was good. Food has been pretty good. It's in the "bar circuit" there at 9 Mile&Woodward area. The stairs are tough. I have fallen, several friends have fallen, I have been there when others have fallen. Just pay attention better than me and you'll be A-OK.

    (3)
  • Robbin Y.

    Great place with Great owners!! Love the Raspberry Blond brew with the chicken quesadillas, chips and salsa... especially on a summer afternoon on the outdoor patio area. Fun people watching, great vibe.

    (4)
  • Steve W.

    This place has an eclectic menu. What a refreshing change from the usual bar food or try to sell you everything under the sun restaurant menu. The burritos kick ass. Great outdoor seating right on Woodward during the summer. Wait staff is always good as well.

    (4)
  • Mei L.

    came here quite often with people from work. great food love the photo booth they have..........great touch karaoke downstairs...........goood times.........

    (5)
  • Christine R.

    5 stars for raspberry blonde beer! I have been CRAVING it since attending the UYE in Jan. I finally made a trip back with my hubby tonight after fattening up in Hamtramck. Its a great location, great vibe, decent food, and fantastic beer. It was slow on a Thursday night, which was perfect for us. Who craves beer, honestly? I sound like an alcoholic, but this beer makes the WAB :)

    (5)
  • Jessica S.

    I'm a big fan of chill places where you can have a decent beer & some good veggie friendly meals. This place did it with their laid back style & very ecclectic menu. In a great location and I already know I'll be back this weekend for some raspberry blondie and a session in the photo booth.

    (4)
  • Barry S.

    2.5 Would be more correct. Not impressed at all. Cocktails here suck. Happy hour is the only time i would ever consider going here and only for the Jameson on the rocks for 3$ other than that i'll pass

    (2)
  • Parisa K.

    I agree there is a good jukebox. I have to disagree with some of the posts about the food, tho. I enjoyed all the food I've had from there. I remember especially liking the pizza (I think one really good one is a veggie pizza and another good one is bbq chicken), as well as some southwest-like salad we ordered one time. The beer is good as well. They definitely have some interesting flavors, as well as your more traditional beers. I've had some I really like and others I didn't care for, but it's always good to have options. The atmosphere is great as well. Whether you are with just a few friends or a large group, WAB is very enjoyable and fitting. I have to say that whenever I go there, I feel like I see a variety of people, not just hipsters. Personally, I like the staff as well and haven't had bad service there yet.

    (3)
  • John X.

    Great atmosphere, beer is pretty good. The outdoor seating is great for warm nights. Great jukebox too.

    (3)
  • starli h.

    well, i went back. twice. during the day. service is better when the shitty crowd isn't there, and the day staff doesn't seem to be full of themselves. but the food was really half-assed and the when the place isn't filled with smoke it smells like poop. literally.

    (2)
  • Chris C.

    Terrible, terrible, terrible. Food stinks, beer is awful and the service is even worse. It's like the inmates run the prison there. I have given it many chances but I will never go back.

    (1)
  • Theresa U.

    Ordered the chicken ceasar salad and had food poisoning. ick.

    (2)
  • Atom G.

    Best made beer on Woodward. Great food and a lively local bar. Too many good things come to mind about this place. That smell when you walk in is the fresh fermenting of the beer, unless you think someone drank too much watch your step. No worries here at this pub because the food is great and the beer is outstanding.

    (5)
  • Laura H.

    I used to love this place, especially on half- price food Mondays. The vanilla porter is quite yummy. However, I went there this past Monday night and became violently ill the next morning (and the rest of the day)with food poisoning. I will NEVER go back to the WAB again... and I would recommend that you don't either.

    (1)
  • Ms K.

    I love the WAB (rhymes with drab not bob)...Good beer..good food...we had our wedding rehearsal dinner there...very chill atmosphere...Definitely our bar of choice to hang out at in "The Fern"...oh and the Emory (same owners) across the street is pretty awesome too...very cool modern decor over there...not as retro Motor City as the WAB.

    (4)
  • Carrie B.

    We love WAB! From the original car-themed menus to the excellent food and funky atmosphere, we give it two thumbs up. I'm a firm believer in ending on positives, so we'll mention that the things we don't care for are the smoke in the upper room, the noise when it gets really busy (loud rock paired with loud conversation), the steep stairs, or the crowded booths, though you CAN avoid the crowds by hitting it up for a weekday or Sunday lunch. I've rarely had a bad meal there. The Topopo Salad, Turkey Chili Burrito, hummus, Reuben,and the Thai chicken wrap are my absolute favorites, not to forget the homemade salsa and chips. Every fall we partake in the pumpkin ale and their selection of wheat beers. Even the Diet Coke seems to taste good surrounded by good food and good friends. Plus, with half-off food Mondays and Entertainment Book coupons every year, you can always catch a good deal. Check them out the next time you are in Ferndale. It's worth it!

    (4)
  • Jen M.

    I've used to come here all the time when I lived in Michigan and was here when I was in town for the holidays. It's a great spot to meet friends. The beer is decent, not horrible but not anything spectacular, and the food is pretty typical. But you can always find a spot for your party and the service is pretty good, so I don't mind coming here.

    (4)
  • Rett A.

    Very cool and unique local brewery. There are two different seating areas. We sat in the upstairs lounge at the bar. The designs in the building are super cool. Give it an updated yet rustic feel. Very hipster atmosphere. Food and drinks were well priced, and tasted incredible. I got one of the daily special sandwiches. It was super unique and tasted delicious!

    (5)
  • Taylor A.

    I went to the WAB last night after walking around downtown Ferndale. A friend and I were just looking for a place to have a beer and an appetizer. The beer was alright, the food was mediocre, and the service could have been better. I will go back and try some pizza and give this place another chance.

    (2)
  • Jessica Y.

    Yikes, this place has yet to deliver. Mediocre food. Mediocre prices. Mediocre beer. I just think their quality has slipped and there are far better places in the area. They can accommodate large groups which is a plus and have a prime location but that can't carry you forever. I hope they up their game!

    (2)
  • Allison F.

    The WAB has some great specials, which is the main reason I've visited. For example, every Sunday, all their beers are only $2. Their happy hour, which runs Monday through Friday from 3pm-7pm, offers a slice of pizza, a beer and a shot of Jim Beam for only $10. Would I come here without HH prices? Probably not. The service is lackluster, with servers hiding in the back rather than ever coming to check on customers. Also, the beer is good, but not great. Their Raspberry Blonde is an easy-drinker and I really like it, so I stick with that one. My husband has tried them all, and as a homebrewer, can make tastier and more complex brews. Check it out for happy hour, but skip it if you're looking for great service and a huge selection of beers.

    (3)

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Map

Opening Hours

  • Mon :11:00 am - 2:00pm

Specialities

  • Takes Reservations : No
    Delivery : No
    Take-out : Yes
    Accepts Credit Cards : Yes
    Good For : Dinner, Late Night
    Parking : Street
    Bike Parking : Yes
    Wheelchair Accessible : Yes
    Good for Kids : No
    Good for Groups : Yes
    Attire : Casual
    Ambience : Hipster
    Noise Level : Average
    Alcohol : Full Bar
    Outdoor Seating : Yes
    Wi-Fi : Free
    Has TV : Yes
    Waiter Service : Yes
    Caters : No

Categories

Pizza

Pizza is a famous Italian dish savored around the world. The entire credit for the popularity of Pizza in the United States goes to the chain of pizzerias all over the country. While the base and the texture of Pizza remains same across the globe, it's the toppings that differs from country to country. In the United States, you will find the top pizzerias serving pizzas with the toppings of mainly beef, bacon, chicken, ham, and sausage for the non-vegetarians. Other than these famous meat options, Pizzas with veg toppings such as mushrooms, pepperonis, garlic, tomatoes, spinach, etc. are also famous in most restaurants in the United States.

Irrespective of your locality, you will find a variety of different restaurants in your cities offering pizzas of all different types. Pizza is hot favorite among people of all ages in the United States. A large size pizza is enough to feed a family of 3 or 4 at large. Pizza is also the most preferred food whenever a group of friends is hanging out together. Pizza gained popularity in the United States after the American soldiers stationed in Italy returned from World War II.

Over the years, different pizzerias in the United States have developed their own respective regional variations. Pizza gained popularity as the iconic dish in the United States in the second half of the 20th century. Whether you prefer thin or thick crust pizza, you can find a pizza of your preference at the best pizza restaurants in your city.

Woodward Avenue Brewers

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