if you need a nice restaurant, near campus, but far enough away that you can actually sit down and have a good meal, this place should be on the top of your list of places to go. Its a local place. It is also not a just a sports bar or a near-campus bar - which in East Lansing most other places can be " a zoo-like atmosphere". So its a little bit of drive off campus. Plenty of seating and dining areas. Places with TV screens, and other places good for groups. Lots of Spartan memorabilia, including marching band stuff, which my family appreciates. They have a good menu, with many options, from burgers to salads to full main course entries, and daily specials. A full bar, with beers of the month and drink specialist. I have never tailgated here, but I have gone here after a game and other events. Sunday Brunch was good.
(4)
Dave S.
Great place to be if you're a Spartan. If you are the type of fan that likes to keep a distance from campus and all the mayhem that goes with the tailgate scene, this would be the place to be. Spartan Hall of Fame Cafe has it all. Plenty of seating, large flat screen HD TVS, Spartan photos and memorabilia. I came here on a Friday night and members of the band and cheerleading squad were there almost like a mini-pep rally. It's a great atmosphere. As far as the food goes it's what you would expect, decent food and beer specials. They had a good lunch special with a bowl of soup and half grinder for $6 that some of my colleagues ordered. I had tried the Chicken Tortilla soup which was a little thin or runny as compared to who I normally like it but the spice was good. I went with the open faced Chili Cheese Burger. Cooked to order and pretty delicious. The chili was legit and it had all the topping you'd want on it...cheese, sour cream, onion and jalapenos.
(4)
Trevor G.
Nothing special-- very average food. Skip the chili-- it sent me to the toliet in a flash!
(2)
Brad C.
Ok food, very loud, so-so staff. Kinda chainy.
(3)
Carla S.
50 TVs? Check. Spartan Decor. Check. The food here is pretty decent, but a little expensive for what you're getting. No drink specials on a Saturday night, which I was a little surprised by, seeing as it's so far from campus. Great place to take a family, or if you're not into the downtown tailgate bar-scene and still want to get in on all the Spartan action. Honestly, if I lived farther away from this place, I would never visit.
(3)
Kannan R.
Service is nice, but nothing special, just a chain with a lot of nice TVs that you are paying for with your food. Feels pretty artificial. Reno's East and Jimmy's Pub are two nice locations I'd go to for a better game day experience than if you were on Grand River. Even Coral Gables.
(2)
Brad M.
I've only been during the week for lunch... but I love the SPARTAN memorabilia... and cannot wait to go see if they update the Rose Bowl banner with the latest win! The wait staff are cute, friendly and hard working. The food was pretty decent. This is definantly a locals place, so look around and see what everyone else is ordering. The specials are hard to beat! After reading the reiews and looking around, I ordered the Chili Cheese Burger. The patty was cooked to order, and I really enjoyed it. The chili was okay... no complaints... and had lots of toppings. I'm sure I will be back here a lot! 3 Solid Stars!
(3)
Johnny E.
Coming from Minnesota I had to try a campus-feel sports bar for lunch to compare to my days on the U of Minnesota campus. I thoroughly enjoyed looking at all of the sports history that decorates the walls here. Good viewing for sports games as well. The food was about what you'd expect and the service was good. Recommend to people in from out of town for a game, for sure.
(4)
Bonita G.
Obviously this place is gimmicky, which must be why so many people come here. Our server was awkward and seemed to dislike us for no reason. They were out of lobster bisque on a Sunday afternoon when they weren't busy, so that was disappointing. Fried calamari was slimy and came out cold. The marinara was basically ketchup, nothing special. The fried chicken salad (buffalo style) was also slimy, came out over-dressed (if I had known, I would have ordered dressing on the side), and the fried chicken breast was cold so it was soggy. Overall, disappointing. I'm not from East Lansing but there must be better restaurants to catch the game and enjoy a casual meal :)
(1)
HaterAid B.
Take it from someone who knows this place inside and out. Especially the inside , pass on this place. Management is a joke and treat their staff like school children . The quality of the food is above average however no one is held accountable in the kitchen which causes many different variations of a single dish. All of the non management staff are very nice and smart people that just know when they're not appreciated leading to not caring about the quality of their own work . Don't support a business that is ran the way this one is!
(1)
Brooke C.
I went to MSU for my undergrad and failed to make it here. Well now I know why. The food is mediocre at best and the service is horrible. We waited for a waitress for about 15 minutes before ordering drinks and then ordered food another 10 minutes after that. I had the fish and chips which came out looking great, but after a few minutes they wilted down to slimy pieces of cod. The hush puppies were also undercooked. Refills took forever to get. I'm glad I went with good friends because the conversation made the time enjoyable. I would only return if I went with friends to watch an MSU game.
(2)
Kate F.
We have been coming here since the restaurant opened. We have never had bad service once. The food is always good. There's items on the menu that I liked better than others, but never had a crappy meal. The beer selection is decent, and they have good specials during the week.
(4)
Mike R.
I had the ultimate burger which was good. My only issue was that our drinks would come up and sit on the rail for like 5 minutes before they were brought to us.. The beer was still cold but I was worried.. Nothin to write home about seems like they get most of there shit from GFS.. Very standard almost coney islandy.. with alcohol though..
(3)
Tim S.
Great bar atmosphere for a game and cold beer. Food - blah. Mediocre. Nothing special and generally overlooked. Stick to the beer. Service is also hit and miss. Under staffed and under educated on how to be attentive.
(2)
J D.
If it wasn't for the TVs, no one would ever be here. The food is absolutely horrible. There's no excuse for how bad it is. You guys should be ashamed. Quit warming up Sysco food. I wish I could post this with 0 stars
(1)
Caity B.
As much as I love the Spartan memorabilia decorating the restaurant's walls, I was underwhelmed by my experience. Our server, while very sweet, seemed flustered when having to handle our table of 7. She would also disappear for 10 to 15 minutes at a time. Don't order the ultra-thin crust pizza. It's just two tortilla shells, that I'm sure double as sandwich wraps, slapped together and called a crust. Very, very greasy too. While there's a good atmosphere, it's definitely not my first choice of places to eat.
(2)
Jacob H.
I was here during the holidays with a large group. The service was fine for the size of the group and I was overall happy with everything until a few weeks later when I found that my credit card was overcharged. I called and spoke with a very helpful manager. She got the overcharge credited and offered to send me a gift card. Last night, after a movie, my wife and I stopped in for a late dinner to use the gift card. Once the hostess finally acknowledged us, she stated "just so you know, we close in 20 minutes. If you know what you want and order quickly I can seat you." I was so shocked that I asked her if she was serious. My wife and I were very put off. We did not stay. I even took the liberty of informing multiple other customers that were on there way in not to bother. We went across the street to Applebee's, were greeted warmly and had a nice experience. I worked at a nice restaurant in Lansing while in college. Closing time was simply the point at which we stopped seating customers. We didn't actually close until the last customers were finished and they were ready to leave. Is this no longer the norm?
(1)
John E.
My wife and I sat in the bar area and we really enjoyed the atmosphere. As a MSU alumni it was fun to be surrounded by all the Spartan memorabilia. Though the food seemed over priced for what you recieve. But I suppose that's the price you pay for the atmosphere. Our server, (I think her name was Shelby??) was a great girl. From the moment my wife and I sat down she never let our drinks go empty. She was very accommodating to my wife's allergies and really was the cherry on top of a great night in East Lansing.
(3)
Michael W.
The food overall was decent. The service was awful. We talked about wanting to watch the wings game. After our food was delivered she wanted to clear us off the table. We wanted to keep drinking and watching the game. Only loosing money for her. Disgusting thing about this place was the unused appetizer plates are just left at the table even after us handing them to her to be bussed. Will not be returning to this establishment again.
(1)
Alexandra K.
In terms of decor, Spartan Hall of Fame Cafe far surpasses tacky, but its Spartan Spirit is appreciated at the very least. The menu items seemed good, but as a vegetarian, I felt that for a cafe, my needs were underrepresented. There was not one single meat-free dish. I had ordered their cobb salad but had to order it without meat. It seemed fairly priced, and the portions were large. The staff was friendly and accommodating. Favorite part? When my water was refilled, the lemon wedge was replaced.
(3)
Bruce S.
This place is cool. Our service was slooooooooow... but I am attributing that to a bad draw for who our waittress was as opposed to a systemic problem, because in observing everyone else's service they seemed to be good (on top of it). Maybe it was an off day for ours, who knows. The food was good. Their menu is expansive; they have many unique entrees on the menu and (thankfully!) are not following the trend that everywhere else seems to be doing with having the same (type of) shit on the menu everywhere you go... they have jambalaya and many other unique dishes (finally an establishment that GETS it!). The decor is (obviously) MSU themed. mad props to them for that. They have many specials, even though they are already very affordable. One thing worth mentioning, even though we didn't have any with us, was that we noticed many families there with kids - another area of oversight that many places falter on. They seemed to be happy, and the little girl sitting behind us was so excited that she had a dirt cake dessert with gummy worms. haha. If an establishment can keep the kids happy, then the parents are more likely to go there and spend more. Well played HOFC. Overall, I'd have to say 4 stars. This is a good place with good people.
(4)
Matt R.
This is one of my new spots....no doubt. This used to be boring Damon's, but it is totally remodeled. Not only is it covered in Spartan stuff, but it has flat screen tv's all over the place. Much better atmosphere. The food is good as well. Now, the specials are awesome. Everyday they have $2 beers (24 oz. I think) from 3-6. Not just Bud Light, they have many beers on tap including Sam Adams, etc. They also have $2 beers and half off pizza after 9 Pm. Great place to stop after work for a beer or watch the game.
Takes Reservations : Yes Delivery : No Take-out : Yes Accepts Credit Cards : Yes Good For : Lunch Parking : Private Lot Bike Parking : Yes Wheelchair Accessible : Yes Good for Kids : Yes Good for Groups : Yes Attire : Casual Noise Level : Loud Alcohol : Full Bar Outdoor Seating : Yes Wi-Fi : Free Has TV : Yes Waiter Service : Yes Caters : Yes
Gary A.
if you need a nice restaurant, near campus, but far enough away that you can actually sit down and have a good meal, this place should be on the top of your list of places to go. Its a local place. It is also not a just a sports bar or a near-campus bar - which in East Lansing most other places can be " a zoo-like atmosphere". So its a little bit of drive off campus. Plenty of seating and dining areas. Places with TV screens, and other places good for groups. Lots of Spartan memorabilia, including marching band stuff, which my family appreciates. They have a good menu, with many options, from burgers to salads to full main course entries, and daily specials. A full bar, with beers of the month and drink specialist. I have never tailgated here, but I have gone here after a game and other events. Sunday Brunch was good.
(4)Dave S.
Great place to be if you're a Spartan. If you are the type of fan that likes to keep a distance from campus and all the mayhem that goes with the tailgate scene, this would be the place to be. Spartan Hall of Fame Cafe has it all. Plenty of seating, large flat screen HD TVS, Spartan photos and memorabilia. I came here on a Friday night and members of the band and cheerleading squad were there almost like a mini-pep rally. It's a great atmosphere. As far as the food goes it's what you would expect, decent food and beer specials. They had a good lunch special with a bowl of soup and half grinder for $6 that some of my colleagues ordered. I had tried the Chicken Tortilla soup which was a little thin or runny as compared to who I normally like it but the spice was good. I went with the open faced Chili Cheese Burger. Cooked to order and pretty delicious. The chili was legit and it had all the topping you'd want on it...cheese, sour cream, onion and jalapenos.
(4)Trevor G.
Nothing special-- very average food. Skip the chili-- it sent me to the toliet in a flash!
(2)Brad C.
Ok food, very loud, so-so staff. Kinda chainy.
(3)Carla S.
50 TVs? Check. Spartan Decor. Check. The food here is pretty decent, but a little expensive for what you're getting. No drink specials on a Saturday night, which I was a little surprised by, seeing as it's so far from campus. Great place to take a family, or if you're not into the downtown tailgate bar-scene and still want to get in on all the Spartan action. Honestly, if I lived farther away from this place, I would never visit.
(3)Kannan R.
Service is nice, but nothing special, just a chain with a lot of nice TVs that you are paying for with your food. Feels pretty artificial. Reno's East and Jimmy's Pub are two nice locations I'd go to for a better game day experience than if you were on Grand River. Even Coral Gables.
(2)Brad M.
I've only been during the week for lunch... but I love the SPARTAN memorabilia... and cannot wait to go see if they update the Rose Bowl banner with the latest win! The wait staff are cute, friendly and hard working. The food was pretty decent. This is definantly a locals place, so look around and see what everyone else is ordering. The specials are hard to beat! After reading the reiews and looking around, I ordered the Chili Cheese Burger. The patty was cooked to order, and I really enjoyed it. The chili was okay... no complaints... and had lots of toppings. I'm sure I will be back here a lot! 3 Solid Stars!
(3)Johnny E.
Coming from Minnesota I had to try a campus-feel sports bar for lunch to compare to my days on the U of Minnesota campus. I thoroughly enjoyed looking at all of the sports history that decorates the walls here. Good viewing for sports games as well. The food was about what you'd expect and the service was good. Recommend to people in from out of town for a game, for sure.
(4)Bonita G.
Obviously this place is gimmicky, which must be why so many people come here. Our server was awkward and seemed to dislike us for no reason. They were out of lobster bisque on a Sunday afternoon when they weren't busy, so that was disappointing. Fried calamari was slimy and came out cold. The marinara was basically ketchup, nothing special. The fried chicken salad (buffalo style) was also slimy, came out over-dressed (if I had known, I would have ordered dressing on the side), and the fried chicken breast was cold so it was soggy. Overall, disappointing. I'm not from East Lansing but there must be better restaurants to catch the game and enjoy a casual meal :)
(1)HaterAid B.
Take it from someone who knows this place inside and out. Especially the inside , pass on this place. Management is a joke and treat their staff like school children . The quality of the food is above average however no one is held accountable in the kitchen which causes many different variations of a single dish. All of the non management staff are very nice and smart people that just know when they're not appreciated leading to not caring about the quality of their own work . Don't support a business that is ran the way this one is!
(1)Brooke C.
I went to MSU for my undergrad and failed to make it here. Well now I know why. The food is mediocre at best and the service is horrible. We waited for a waitress for about 15 minutes before ordering drinks and then ordered food another 10 minutes after that. I had the fish and chips which came out looking great, but after a few minutes they wilted down to slimy pieces of cod. The hush puppies were also undercooked. Refills took forever to get. I'm glad I went with good friends because the conversation made the time enjoyable. I would only return if I went with friends to watch an MSU game.
(2)Kate F.
We have been coming here since the restaurant opened. We have never had bad service once. The food is always good. There's items on the menu that I liked better than others, but never had a crappy meal. The beer selection is decent, and they have good specials during the week.
(4)Mike R.
I had the ultimate burger which was good. My only issue was that our drinks would come up and sit on the rail for like 5 minutes before they were brought to us.. The beer was still cold but I was worried.. Nothin to write home about seems like they get most of there shit from GFS.. Very standard almost coney islandy.. with alcohol though..
(3)Tim S.
Great bar atmosphere for a game and cold beer. Food - blah. Mediocre. Nothing special and generally overlooked. Stick to the beer. Service is also hit and miss. Under staffed and under educated on how to be attentive.
(2)J D.
If it wasn't for the TVs, no one would ever be here. The food is absolutely horrible. There's no excuse for how bad it is. You guys should be ashamed. Quit warming up Sysco food. I wish I could post this with 0 stars
(1)Caity B.
As much as I love the Spartan memorabilia decorating the restaurant's walls, I was underwhelmed by my experience. Our server, while very sweet, seemed flustered when having to handle our table of 7. She would also disappear for 10 to 15 minutes at a time. Don't order the ultra-thin crust pizza. It's just two tortilla shells, that I'm sure double as sandwich wraps, slapped together and called a crust. Very, very greasy too. While there's a good atmosphere, it's definitely not my first choice of places to eat.
(2)Jacob H.
I was here during the holidays with a large group. The service was fine for the size of the group and I was overall happy with everything until a few weeks later when I found that my credit card was overcharged. I called and spoke with a very helpful manager. She got the overcharge credited and offered to send me a gift card. Last night, after a movie, my wife and I stopped in for a late dinner to use the gift card. Once the hostess finally acknowledged us, she stated "just so you know, we close in 20 minutes. If you know what you want and order quickly I can seat you." I was so shocked that I asked her if she was serious. My wife and I were very put off. We did not stay. I even took the liberty of informing multiple other customers that were on there way in not to bother. We went across the street to Applebee's, were greeted warmly and had a nice experience. I worked at a nice restaurant in Lansing while in college. Closing time was simply the point at which we stopped seating customers. We didn't actually close until the last customers were finished and they were ready to leave. Is this no longer the norm?
(1)John E.
My wife and I sat in the bar area and we really enjoyed the atmosphere. As a MSU alumni it was fun to be surrounded by all the Spartan memorabilia. Though the food seemed over priced for what you recieve. But I suppose that's the price you pay for the atmosphere. Our server, (I think her name was Shelby??) was a great girl. From the moment my wife and I sat down she never let our drinks go empty. She was very accommodating to my wife's allergies and really was the cherry on top of a great night in East Lansing.
(3)Michael W.
The food overall was decent. The service was awful. We talked about wanting to watch the wings game. After our food was delivered she wanted to clear us off the table. We wanted to keep drinking and watching the game. Only loosing money for her. Disgusting thing about this place was the unused appetizer plates are just left at the table even after us handing them to her to be bussed. Will not be returning to this establishment again.
(1)Alexandra K.
In terms of decor, Spartan Hall of Fame Cafe far surpasses tacky, but its Spartan Spirit is appreciated at the very least. The menu items seemed good, but as a vegetarian, I felt that for a cafe, my needs were underrepresented. There was not one single meat-free dish. I had ordered their cobb salad but had to order it without meat. It seemed fairly priced, and the portions were large. The staff was friendly and accommodating. Favorite part? When my water was refilled, the lemon wedge was replaced.
(3)Bruce S.
This place is cool. Our service was slooooooooow... but I am attributing that to a bad draw for who our waittress was as opposed to a systemic problem, because in observing everyone else's service they seemed to be good (on top of it). Maybe it was an off day for ours, who knows. The food was good. Their menu is expansive; they have many unique entrees on the menu and (thankfully!) are not following the trend that everywhere else seems to be doing with having the same (type of) shit on the menu everywhere you go... they have jambalaya and many other unique dishes (finally an establishment that GETS it!). The decor is (obviously) MSU themed. mad props to them for that. They have many specials, even though they are already very affordable. One thing worth mentioning, even though we didn't have any with us, was that we noticed many families there with kids - another area of oversight that many places falter on. They seemed to be happy, and the little girl sitting behind us was so excited that she had a dirt cake dessert with gummy worms. haha. If an establishment can keep the kids happy, then the parents are more likely to go there and spend more. Well played HOFC. Overall, I'd have to say 4 stars. This is a good place with good people.
(4)Matt R.
This is one of my new spots....no doubt. This used to be boring Damon's, but it is totally remodeled. Not only is it covered in Spartan stuff, but it has flat screen tv's all over the place. Much better atmosphere. The food is good as well. Now, the specials are awesome. Everyday they have $2 beers (24 oz. I think) from 3-6. Not just Bud Light, they have many beers on tap including Sam Adams, etc. They also have $2 beers and half off pizza after 9 Pm. Great place to stop after work for a beer or watch the game.
(4)