The Riv, located at the corner of Abbot and MAC in downtown East Lansing, is one of the seminal watering holes of East Lansing. The big weekday attractions to the Riv are the bi-weekly half off food days (Mondays and Wednesdays) and Burgerama on Thursdays, which includes extremely inexpensive burger and beer specials. Not uncommon to see lines at the front and back door on the weekends.
This place is the very epitome of the college dive bar. It’s dirty, dark and has a bit of a dodgy stench that you can’t quite place. The Riv straddles the line between meat market and hangout for raging alcoholics, so it can certainly make for some very interesting people watching. Be sure you don’t leave without checking out the Men’s bathroom. I’m told a meticulous collector brought it up piece by piece from Jackson State Prison. It is truly a sight to behold.
The menu is unremarkable, if a bit limited.
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