The BackForty Saloon in Grand Rapids

10/10 bar. I’ve gone to almost every bar in GR but somehow always end up at this one because I genuinely just have the best time here. The staff is fantastic and do a great job of taking care of the place and it’s people. I’ve lost my keys and wallet here multiple times, and they always are returned and kept safely by the staff. The DJ is incredible (would highly recommend seeing him every Friday night!), and really knows how to get the crowd going, and follows through with song requests. My friends and I live about 30 minutes away but know a drive to the 40 is always worth it. A true Grand Rapids treasure❤️ Yeehaw!

We had to leave because someone came all over a chair and a friend of mine put her hand in it. This place is absolutely raunchy and disgusting.

Seriously don’t go here if you’re not in your 20’s. They’re very rude.

It is so unfortunate that I have to leave this 1 star review.My aunt and my mother were attempting to get a drink at the bar and it appeared as though the bartender wanted to cater to the younger crowd. He skipped over their service for no reason.When my mother asked why he was skipping over her, he ignored her. She then stated he was missing out on a good tip(which he was).It felt like the bartender had something to prove and completely went off on my mother. Which was completely uncalled for.Of all people it blew my mind that our fun night turned out like this especially since we as a family just wanted to come out and have fun. We have never been kicked out of a bar before. Even the Bouncer seemed like he didnt understand what was happening. It was truly disappointing as we were looking forward to a fun night of dancing and instead we felt completely out of place and ultimately embarrassed.I will never go to this bar again nor will I recommend it to anyone. I hate that I have to leave this review over a few human beings on a power trip, but it truly ruined our night.I sincerely hope this never happens to anyone else that is over the normal age of 22 in that bar.

This is a bar geared more towards the young crowd. If youre over 25, its not for you. Takes forever to get a drink at the bar, and staff is rude.

The atmosphere is country mostly. Dont like how it takes forever to get drinks.

All my friends and I went here and got Covid. That’s 6 of us.We only connected at this establishment. All felt fine before hand. Did not see each other in any other locations outside this establishment. A guy I met in the bar that night also tested positive for Covid.Doesn’t mean the employee had it but another customer might have brought something in the same night we went.

I would give zero if I could the bouncer denied me and my group of seven friends saying we were stumbling and they were at capacity and wouldnt be able to get in at all night when we were there at 10pm and hadnt had any drinks for the night yet. RUINED OUR NIGHT!!!!!! NEVER WILL GO BACK!!!!

Back 40 has an awful smell and I saw cockroaches. Don’t go there unless you want to leave with some sort of bug

By far my favorite bar in Grand Rapids! The staff is amazing and genuinely cares about their customers. My bartender laurel was a superstar, she made sure she got our order correct and that we enjoyed it even though she was busy with 50 other people. If you’re looking for somewhere fun and genuine in Grand Rapids I definitely suggest coming here!

Short bouncer who was stuck on his own power trip decided my 23 year old girlfriend had a fake ID. Called the police (the number they provided for this specific situationand they decided not to show up. When compared with exact same michigan enhanced ID the bouncer seemed to hesitate and gave the ID back (which they wouldn’t with fake ID), awesome management sided with their bouncer who we’ll be contacting the next day to complain and question. Absolutely ridiculous and will never be going back.

I am 23 years old and the short, young bouncer (idk his namedenied me for a “fake ID” when it is absolutely real and I have never owned a fake ID. I will never return to this bar. They were extremely rude and disrespectful. I wish I could give a zero.

Obviously this bar/bouncer doesn’t know any other license than a Michigan license just looking at the other reviews here. I went with my Indiana license as well as my credit card to get into the bar. I gave my license to the bouncer… looked at it for 2 seconds and told me to get out and that my license was fake…. Didn’t ask me any questions about my license or anything like that. I asked to see his manager to get to the conclusion of this, he went to the bar and from what I’m assuming was his manager laughed at my real Indiana ID and said exactly “this isn’t real give it back to her but don’t let her in.” As if not giving it back to me wouldn’t be a big deal and I wouldn’t call law enforcement as that if my actual real ID. Place is wrecked.

If I could give a zero, I would. We paid $100 for a table and within one hour (9:00), the place was so full that there was no way that you could dance on the floor. Their website advertises line dancing and shows pictures of a large dance floor that are not reflective of their bar. We tried to get our money back before 9 and the manager was rude and would not give us our money back. Advertising is deceptive and we will never be back. This picture is there dance floor at 9:00. Compare this to their website…

My least favorite bar in GR however I am no country boy... People love it though

This bar has incredibly skilled, quick, and kind bartenders. The staff are what make this bar so amazing! Theres great music, and sometimes live bands. It can get busy especially late in the evening and can get very cramped. If you dont like being around a lot of people I recommend going earlier in the evening.

Great bartenders. Had lots of fun! Very reasonable drink prices

Nice bar. Younger crowd. Very nice place. Line dancing. Pretty cool

went for the first time last month. Polite Staff, very fun atmosphere. It is nearly impossible to get a drink once it gets packed though. But overall a fun place

Great band, great staff. I believe his name was Christian was absolutely rocking it behind the bar! He made sure to keep things moving with the place being absolutely packed!

This was my first bar experience. It was pretty cool. Great gin and tonic and the dance floor was a bit crowded, but fun!! Nice vibe to the place....would recommend

Happy hour specials 5-9 pm. Live music tonight is Stolen Horses, country. Music starts at 9 pm.

Waited in line for 20 minutes for their happy hour got to the front of the line the bartender moved all the way down to some people who just walked up to the bar and waited on them. When he came over to us and we asked about our he told us happy hour is over. We both looked at our phones and it was 6 minutes until happy hour was supposed to be done. SMH

Service is a bit slow. Waited over 10 minutes, it wasnt busy at all. Yet I love the bar as a whole. The atmosphere, the bands. Tends to be a younger crowd, it is downtown after all. Yet definitely one of the best places to go, when youre downtown.

County Bar:Great music, lots of good dancers, friendly bar tenders, hoping place. Ages from 21-60It was a great time dancing as watching people line dance as well. Great place to people watch. Bartenders we very fast acdc knowledgeable inn drink orders. All in all, great country bar.

Cool bar that is very packed come the weekend. There is no cover which is nice, but it can take a hot minute to get served due to how many people are in there. They play country-pop music here, so if that is not your thing, you probably wont like it here.

Great live band the night I went. Bartenders are friendly. Good atmosphere. Great place to go if you want to dance and grab a drink with friends, or just listen to some good music. Very clean as well.

Last night, my friends and I were in line waiting to get in. I handed the bouncer my Illinois license and he asked my address and birthday. I answered correctly (obviously, because it is my IDbut he was quick to shake his head and tell me that it was fake. I asked for someone else to look at it, but he refused to move or go get anyone. He didn’t have a light or a scanner, so he couldn’t see the reflectors that are on it. He handed me back my real license, and my friends and I were forced to go somewhere else. I will never be returning to the Back Forty, not that I could have anyways, since my license is apparently fake🤷🏼‍♀️

Never returning. Power tripping bouncers kicked out my sister because she was brought on stage for her birthday (brought up by the band - who was awesome). While I was waiting for the band to get her back in, the door bouncer proceeded to get in my face and threatened to kick me out too because I was with her I did not want to leave her by herself. I said I was not going to leave her alone. The bouncer then put me in a headlock and dragged me out, pushed me into the snow then pushed me once more right into Fulton St. Outside he continued to berate me and use complete excessive force well beyond just kicking me out. I know dealing with drunks is difficult but this was completely uncalled for. I have never been bounced from a bar.

The particular evening I went the place was so crowded that you couldnt move or get a drink. Being busy is a great problem for the owners but someone wanting to get a drink in any timely manner was the worst😔and not acceptable for the servers 🏃🏽‍♀️I felt terrible for the staff. They were running around trying to get drinks to the point they were sweating-no joke!🥃🍻😥However, this took a toll on their attitudes because they were not happy and were taking it out on customers🤯😖As a business owner, this is taking advantage of your employees and you should be ashamed. Have enough people on staff for a Saturday night with events going on where people are going to come out to your establishment!!

Music is great so is the dancing atmosphere; the bartenders do not check cards and ids when cashing out and the drinks are cheap but you get what you pay for. Used to love this place....drinks actually had good mix of alcohol and bartenders used to be amazing.

Great band Saturday night Nov 17! Fun, busy place but need more bar tenders. They would make more money if they could serve at bar faster. (Business 101 - takes money to make money)

Good drinks, friendly people. No food

Arrived at 6:40 on a Friday night. My wife and I were the only ones in the entire place. We sat patiently for a few minutes one waitress came out in her cell phone. We were in no hurry, but after waiting for 15 minutes we were never acknowledged and only received an occasional look from the waitress while she remained on the phone. It is too bad she had no desire to do her job. We obviously left without ever being talked to or served by anyone. Horrendous service if it stays open Id be shocked.

Bad service. Rude bouncers. Clientele are alright at best but Grand Rapids offers so many better places to be a patron of. Avoid it unless your friend is drunk and really wants to go. Be prepared to be unimpressed and underwhelmed.

If you like country music, live music, and PBR, this place is your jam.I went around 12am on a Saturday and it was really rowdy, dirty, and the slow live country music was just not my thing personally. I love to dance but I personally dont know how to dance to a slow Shania Twain cover. I was ready to go after about 2 minutes.But if country music, cheap beer, line dancing, and college age guys from rural towns wearing sports jerseys are your idea of a fun Saturday night--my friend you have found your place.

Decent bar with prices, a little overrated in my book. The DJ would play popular dance music to get people on the dancefloor and then switch genres. People would filter off the dancefloor and then the DJ would switch back to dance music before changing genres again after a few songs. It seemed like an endless cycle.

Not much of a country bar as advertised. DJ was playing rap/hip hop so my fiance and I requested country and the DJ told us he wouldnt play it because the "crowd wasnt feelin it". I was told they only do country and line dancing one night a week so if youre looking for a true country bar with a honky tonk feel, this isnt the place.

Lets clear some things up about this place;Politics are normally frowned upon in a bar, a lot of people come to have fun, so calling people "Bigot Trump Supporters" is just way out of the ballpark. If many actually hang out there more then once then you could get to know people and have fun. But I digress.The music is played by "Requests". They dont play only country (open to debate to somethey play whatever people are requesting that night. The bar may be themed for country but that does not mean that is all they play. Yes there is line dancing and a dance floor, but the place is what you make of it. If you do not like some songs they are playing, request your own! Better yet, get your friends to do it too?! Make the most of the night instead of bickering about what type of music is playing.About the drinks at the bar; it is a bar..... Sometimes you gotta get into a tight spot and flag people down, make sure you arent so drunk that you cannot look around and see who was there before you. First come first served is 90% of business out in the world. Rude service? That also is open to interpretation, if you come in with a bad mood of the place you will leave with a bad mood. Ordering a drink in a foul manner gets you a drink in a foul manner. Now if it is slow, then yes maybe they are busy or overworked that can be looked at by the bar staff/manager. Leave a review saying "I did (didnt like the placebut..... Could use a few more bartenders to ensure a more speedy service." Attacking people trying to rush and do their job doesnt help. Watered down drinks?.... cannot say I have any issue hearing of this, but I drink mostly beer so I will not stick my nose in that one. No they will not babysit you on your drinks. Be smart, handle your liqueur, dont drink as much or stop drinking? Both of the DJs there are very cool guys, if you arent obnoxious/hammered drunk and can remember a song, they will work with you and find it to play it for you. Just like any public bar, you will run into drunk people, learn to avoid them or the situation entirely by leaving....So please leave reviews with less aggressive and more constructive criticism in future reviews to any place on google. Being kind gets a better voice then someone with a keyboard and a rude outlook on a place.

Came here with my dance studio. Seems like a nice place, if youre into country music. They do line dancing every so many songs, if youre into that too. The dance floor definitely got packed though. And a lot of people were just standing there. So if you want to dance, it wasnt the best place for that reason.

Ive never had a *terrible* time here, but this place isnt exactly kind to its patrons. Im been here multiple times where people have ended up out on the street vomiting. They wont babysit you, so watch your own intake. Also, the music system can be a bit slow and clunky at times. Still, good for loud, dancing, party times. Just dont expect a cocktail and conversation.

Awesome experience. Incredibly busy on weekends. Great bar specials, fantastic bands, bouncer at the door.Only issue is small space, and a lot of people makes for crammed quarters (too be expected in GR on a weekend)

Some of the rudest bar staff I have ever ran into work here. The bartender looked angry the whole night, gave us the wrong order (I didnt bother to even tell her she messed upand similar to others experiences, they tried screaming to kick people out at 1:15 this weekend when I went and the guy proceeded to come to our table every three minutes to remind us of what he just said. According to them, they close when they want to which is funny because all bars close at 2am. Theres plenty other bars in GR that treat customers a lot better than this place.

Do NOT go here! Rudest people ever! Drove 5 hours for a bachelorette party and the person at the door wouldnt even let us in. He claimed we were a certain party that was causing trouble. It was clearly not us. He Wouldnt even let me talk to the manager. I have never been treated like that. Aweful.

Do not go here if you want to have a good time. This place used to be great but recently was taken over by new management. The new management begins kicking out their customers at 1:15am and does so in a very rude manner. Its understandable that people who are highly intoxicated need to have an extra shove but it does not matter, sober or hammered, they speak to all of their customers with complete disrespect. At 1:40am, attempting to kick out customers who had just purchased a drink, the manager encouraged staff to kick people out by screaming at them immediately. No warning at all, just immediate screaming from staff. The manager was then confronted by a customer who noted that it was only 1:40am and they had a drink they would like to finish and the bartender noted that they could finish it. The manager the. responsed that she didnt care and that was she is now saying that they are closed and to leave along with the full drinks because what she says overrides what any bartender says. Following this exachange the customer stated that they may what to change their business hours if they desire closing at an earlier time, the mangers response was to sarcastically note what the customer said. Before this exchange 30 minutes passed without any music being played and was only played because a regular offered up their phone to play music. Shortly after a band played. Overall. It was a terrible experience, impossible to get drinks, barely plays music, management and staff make for an unbearable time. I would never suggest going to this bar. Ever.

Bar was dirty, all 4 chairs at our table were broken, tables and bartop were all dirty and unwiped with spills. 2 bartenders took forever to even acknowledge us and took orders from others before us, when the bar had about 20 people in it total (most of them had already been served and were sitting at their tables). This was at 5pm on a saturday, so not even after or during a workday happy hour.

Seems very out of place in downtown GR. They dont do a good job with crowd control and the bar staff seems disinterested. Overpriced compared to other bars withing walking distance. Id like to see it go and have a good brewery open a tap house. Would not recommend.

Miserable experience. I was thrown out because some man in front of me threw a bottle and the bouncer assumed it was me. He did not listen to me at all. You would assume theyd give a customer the benefit of the doubt before throwing him out. Apparently not. Either the bouncer was completely incompetent or the bar cares much more about a broken glass than it does its customer base. It has no cover charge for a reason. Most people would rather go somewhere else.

Lots of bus boys, not enough wait staff. Been here for two hours and the waitress came by once. Ive tried to get her back over but no luck. The good news is there are no empties on the table. Atmosphere is good enough.

Not that this bar even deserves a one star rating. This bar has time and time again shown the lack of class and professionalism shown by its staff. Especially the bar manager, who I have seen get into yelling matches with patrons, cleary having no regard for other people trying to enjoy their evening. In addition to seeing the bar manager practically getting into fist fights with patrons, she also cannot make a drink, which would seem like a good quality to have in a bar manager. Ordered differnt types of cocktails, all that when coming from her were served not having the proper measurments and ingredients. If that werent enough to not want to return to this place, I have also seen some malpractice in the way they keep customer information. I have seen the same bar manager, keep my debit/credit card in the kitchen, while the rest of their cards were kept in the register. One could only wonder why they would do this, writing down the card number to steal information? I have definitely had to keep my eye our on my account, wouldnt be surprised to see something shady after all the other stuff pulled. If youre looking for a good time, save yourself and dont stop here, chances are youll have better service and a better time any where else on Ionia.