Bars We Love: The Peanut Barrel

521 East Grand River Ave., East Lansing
peanutbarrel.com, (517) 351-0608

Not a soul is roving the streets on Saturday night at 10 p.m.

It's a game night in East Lansing and everyone is either shoulder-to-shoulder in the bars, or shoulder-to-shoulder in the Izzone.

Knowing this fully, venturing downtown to the Peanut Barrel seemed like it could be dangerous - the "we never got seated, we couldn't get a drink, we couldn't see the game" kind of wager that one takes when belatedly trying to get a seat at a bar during halftime.

The stakes were raised further because the Peanut Barrel seems like it's perpetually packed, especially in the summer, when there can be an hour wait for outside seating during peak hours.

But on this chilly December night, we are pleasantly surprised. We snuggle right up to the dark-wooded bar with the third quarter in full swing and have Long Island Iced Teas, for which the Peanut Barrel is legendary, delivered to us moments later.

The Peanut Barrel, in addition to its cheap pitchers, derives much of its popularity from repeat customers addicted to Papa Joe's Cheeseburger, named after owner Joe Bell. From there, the menu features variations of Papa Joe's, like the Rodeo Burger (the same plus bacon), and the Olive and ‘Shroom burgers. The waitresses won't ask you how you'd like it cooked. There's a system here, and all burgers are treated equally, grilled to what has been deemed the perfect temperature.

The chefs work magic in the small kitchen, serving up sandwiches, pitas, burgers and inordinately sized servings of chili cheese fries (one pound of fries, topped with 12 oz. of chili and a quarter pound of cheese).

All the sandwiches and burgers come with Detroit brand Better Made potato chips and a pickle, or a heaping pile of thick-cut French fries for a slightly higher price (the burgers cost around $6 with fries, which, frankly, is the way to go). Vegetarians can find a garden burger on the menu, as well as the veggie pita, which spills over with lettuce, tomato, red cabbage, green onions, celery and parsley.

Bell began running the Peanut Barrel on July 1, 1980, after it had already been in business seven years. Regulars here know the drill and don't need a menu to order. The crowd is a blend of rowdy students, couples and grizzled veterans. The gray-bearded man nursing a Molson Golden next to me has been coming here weekly for 25 years. Why?

"It's the folks that work behind the bar. They're friendly people," he says, giving a nod to the bartender.

The bar itself is the same mixture of new and old. All manner of Spartan paraphernalia is hung on the walls and placed on shelves, accompanied by quirky items like a wooden, sombrero-clad parrot drinking Corona, a line of bowling pins above the bar flanked by a mini Michelangelo and Statue of Liberty, and vintage posters for Old Gold Cigarettes, Claber Girl Baking Powder and Twenty Grand razors. If looking around hasn't tired you out, the bar also has plenty of diversions like darts, pinball, Pac-Man, pool, an updated jukebox, and five televisions.

Which brings us back to the game. There are no mounted, wall-sized high-def flat screens here, but you can see the action from almost every position in the bar. No one is here for the dazzling displays you might find at a sports bar down the street. Yet the Peanut Barrel is the perfect place to watch the game.

There is an unpretentious, cozy sense of camaraderie and community that is amplified by the bar's long persistence in East Lansing. Students, alumni and locals cheer together, sigh together and guzzle Miller Light together.

And if you were wondering: no, there's not an actual barrel of peanuts hiding somewhere behind the bar. There is, however, a large box filled to the brim, and your peanut bowl will never run out.

Drinks We Love

Peanut Barrel's Long Island Iced Tea
Equal parts vodka, gin, rum, triple sec and a dash of sour mix and Coke.

I ask the bartender to specify any brands he prefers using to create the death threat of a drink, and he shakes his head. Customers may request top-shelf liquor, but it's not what they usually use.

"It's a lot of liquor, so... it can get really expensive," he said.

No kidding. I have to remind my friends that Long Islands aren't always served in a pint glass. I've ordered them elsewhere, they are usually served in what I'm sure is a miniature size, and I'm always taken aback with a mixture of entitlement and scorn.

The bartender estimates that 1.25 oz per liquor variety goes into the drink; it's shaken with ice and re-poured, and garnished with a lemon. This drink will put hair on your chest, and to prevent East Lansing stores from being cleared of all their shaving supplies, the Peanut Barrel limits each customer to two Long Islands.