Mad Dog’s Favorite Old-School Lansing-Area Restaurants and Bars

These days young people just don't know how great the olden days were. When it came to great beer gardens, supper clubs, dance halls, sweet restaurants, and entertainment hot spots, the Lansing area was full of them.

I was lucky enough to be born into a legendary family restaurant and grocery business. It was called DeMarco's Bar and Grocery. My grandparents founded it in the early 1900s. My grandparents Joe and Rosina DeMarco started the business and turned it over to their four sons Vic, Bob, Ed (my father), and Jim DeMarco. All these outstanding men are now deceased. The business thrived for almost 70 years.

DeMarco's was one of hundreds of beer gardens that prospered in the early days. I will try and name all the ones that I remember and had gone to. Here we go: Club Roma, Tarpoff's, Dine's, Brauer's, The Boom Boom Room, Dagwood's, Scofes, City Grill, Emil's, The Mayfair Bar, Casa Nova, Celentino's, Gino's Bar, Silvio's, The Eagle's -- and this is just to name a few.

All of these restaurants, supper clubs, beer gardens, and dance facilities were part of this area's fabric. These establishments made up this area's night life. I am proud to be from this area, and more proud to be part of a generation that caught the tail end of these great places to eat and drink.