Circus Bar & Billiards

The best karaoke in town. Cheap beers. Theyve got some real deal going on Wednesday. During Halloween, they had 4 dance floors with one live band. You wont find a New York night club style sound, interior but they dont charge NYCs price as well. Hands down, Im a fan.

I really want to love this place, but have had many mixed experiences, and the negative are currently out-weighing the positive. Be careful; the bartenders are ruthless and will actively attempt to overcharge or not give you change if they think you are too drunk to notice or care. It has happened multiple times to me and friends. I was even double charged (I paid my tab in person in cash and was still charged on my credit card despite not having authorized or signed anything). The cheap drinks, free pool and karaoke are awesome... but its heartbreaking to feel like I cannot trust the staff to do right by their customers.

Goodbye circus! You have been a wonderful place to hang at. I wish I knew how good the cavern club was 5 years ago. This place is way more than just the circus. It has 4 different clubs and bars in the building, which on certain nights you can go to all of them for one cover. The basement is the cavern club, with a fireplace and nice bar. Top is the circus, with all the lions, clowns, and karaoke you can find. Ill miss this place.

This is the WORST bar in all of Ann Arbor. Do not go there even if its your last resort, go home instead. We had this place reserved for a private party. As I arrived around 10:30 (quite early) we were told the place was over capacity (even though texting my friends inside the place was not). Came back around 11:30 and was trying to get in the main bottom entrance (no line) the bouncer said that we had to go through the street entrance (there is no street entrance). So we knocked on the back door and the bouncer was like I cant let you in because you need wrist band from the bottom entrance, after explaining the situation he said we should try again and this haggling back/forth kept going for a couple times until we decided this place seriously wasnt worth it. Also, I never heard of anyone going to this place unless it was for a specific event. the current 2.4 stars is actually generous.

Deserves less than one star. My friends and I were really perturbed by their policy of charging for a glass of water. Its completely irresponsible and unfair for a bar establishment to take advantage of patrons who are drinking alcohol IMO. So we walked out and went to the Blind Pig. When I called the manager the next day to tell him he was losing business because of this policy he launched into a rant about how they offered free popcorn/karaoke and that you can friggin pay for a glass of water and stop bitching about it...then hung up on me. Absolutely unacceptable. There are MANY other great places in Ann Arbor, do not waste your time here.

I went to the circus and there was a girl vomiting outside the steps, stuff like that happens at other bars too.... but I then watched the bouncers PUSH her down a full flight of steps, mid vomit, and yell at her. On top of that, the circus has 2 signs for a credit card minimum. One sign says $10 and the other says $20. I asked the bar tender which sign was right, and she said $10. After i checked my credit card statement i was charged $20 even though i only spent around $15-17. I called the Circus to ask them about this and the manager said i cant be bothered with this for that amount of money i told him i could dispute the charges with my credit card company and at that point he yelled then dont come back and hung up the phone. I know its only a few bucks, but that doesnt make it OK.I will not be going here again.

My friend was thinking about having her birthday party at the Cavern Club, and wrote an email to the establishment to inquire about any special group rates or discounts they may have. Below you will see the transcript of what happened.Friend to Cavern Club:Hi,Just inquiring if you do any accommodations for parties or groups? Im lookingfor a place to host my birthday party on February 20th, and thought Cavern mightbe a good spot. Are there any cover discounts or anything you offer?- FriendCavern Club to Friend:What we offer is a good time. We can hold 850 people. That should cover your party. No discounts.NickObviously, Friend was upset about this extremely unprofessional and rude response, so I gave the Cavern Club a call to see if I could speak with the owner, on Friends behalf. Turns out, Nick is the owner. I explained the situation very calmly and professionally, and his response was as follows:Nick: I get these questions all the time and it ticks me off, girls are always trying to get in for free.Me: My friend wasnt trying to get in for free, she was asking if there is a group discount. Maybe you could post on your site that there are no group discounts.Nick: That wouldnt help.Me: Were just really disappointed with the level of service that youve provided, we work in Ann Arbor, and come to your establishment all the time, and have a great time. Were not trying to get in for free, just asking a simple question.Nick: We put a lot into our programs and we fill up every night, we dont need more customers.At that point I said, thats really unfortunate because youre losing business right now, and I hung up.I will never visit this establishment ever again. This is the most disrespectful owner I have ever spoken to, I hope they lose all their business and the Killer Flamingos start performing somewhere more worthy of their talent.

I tried contacting this establishment regarding an upcoming birthday party for a large group of people; looking to get information on accommodations, discounts, or anything they might offer. The response I received back was rude and disappointing. Upon receiving this email, we called the establishment to speak to the owner. Come to find out, it was the owner that replied to my original email and continued to explain that he didnt want women getting in for free, and that they didnt need our business because they get enough customers as it is. I have never experienced such poor customer service and I am completely appalled that a business owner, no less, would treat their customers this way. Never visiting this establishment again.

Theres free pool and popcorn but if youre going there specifically to sing karaoke, forget about it. Ive tried 4 different times and have been there for several hours and have never been called up to sing. Im pretty salty about it.

Ditto with Fred. I saw people arrive and immediately be on the stage while other people sang songs, requested new ones, and then sang those requests while I waited over 2 1/2 hours trying to (attempt to) slay Trap Queen. Disappointing. Ive recommended this bar for years but am less likely to after having this happen to me at least 3 different times.

Perfect place for younger peoples! Love the free pool, popcorn, and karaoke! Bartenders are always on their game! Must check it out if you are ever in Ann Arbor!

Not sure what Circus is like the rest of the week, but we swung by for The Moth a few weeks ago and had a great time! The bartenders were great and I loved the free popcorn.

Not as many beers on draft as a usual bar, but the theme here is fun (circus,duh) and there are beer specials you can get while playing pool. Keep in mind not to wear heels because the grates on the stairs up here are not friendly. Visa or MasterCard only.

Really disappointing post-renovation. For the loyal patrons of Circus (can’t believe they call themselves “Circ” now....), key things you must know:- popcorn: 0, GONE!- 90 cent PBRs: 0, GONE!- lion / tiger head in hula hoop: 0, GONE!- grungy feel: 0, GONE!- fratty grad school boys: 25- cleanliness: 100

Great atmosphere. Fun spot for billiards and karaoke. The bartenders are great and the drink prices are great for the Ann Arbor area.

This new “Cirq” garbage stinks.No more vibeToo cleanToo stock, the bar is like Buffalo Wild WingsOne pool tableKaraoke stage is tinyToo bad, won’t be back

Probably a fine place if you and your entire group are white. But god help you if you come in as a person of color, the staff will try its best to make you feel unwelcome

One of my favorite bars in Ann Arbor.

What makes Circus so charming is that it advertises that it’s closing forever once a month...pour one out for an Ann Arbor staple

Total dive bar, usually filled with townies. If you want to hit a cheap bar and get away from the multitudes of students, maybe shoot some pool and sing some bad karaoke, this is the place.

Had a great time for karaoke! Bartenders are great and drinks were made well!

You dont have to pay to be there and theres karaoke. Fun place to go with friends

Enjoyed shooting pool here (for free). Sad to see it go. All the best to the new owners of the complex

Laid back different type of bar...however alot of fun and active at the right times...

It is inacceptable that 10/2016 Circus staff treated three UofM graduate students of color with hostility.

This place charges for water. Thats absolutely insane and nobody should ever come here until they change that policy.

Lots of good memories here. there are three bars all connected by stairs. visit them all.

Just a great time - drinks, karaoke, pool, tons of people.

No one goes there anymore pretty boring. Nothing good to see!

Fun karaoke, live music, tap beers, billiards.

Good bar with pool and karaoke

Cheap beer, billiards, karaoke and free popcorn.

Fun place, cheap drinks!

Great karaoke and crowd...

My favorite bar period.

Use to be the place to be now not ever with going to

Different bar atmosphere

Its good

Kind of an odd place to be honest.

Fun!

Long live circus

Good place

The Music and People