Love seeing Bryan Randall band when they play there.

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.

The atmosphere and place are funky and chill, the drinks and food are tasty, and the customer service is amazing.

Good drinks, friendly people. No food

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

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

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.

I went on a dead night so I cant tell what its really like. Ill update if my next experience improves

I really like going here but it is like 100° in there. You walk in and instantly start sweating

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.

Gotta love city girls who think that cowboy boots make them country..

Love the country music! Old Western feel

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.

I got dragged here. My buddy ordered an Octoberfest that tasted like they found the keg in the back forty somewhere. The live band was good despite covering country music.

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.

A small bar that gets absolutely packed with people! Good music, good food but gets very hectic as the nite goes on!

Lots of fun, dont wear sandals.

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 ID) but 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

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)

The short, bald, strapping bouncer at the door can kick rocks. He would make better use of his time beating up his little cousin.

Not great if you actually want to line dance. They say no drinks on the dance floor, but there were so many spilled, broken bottles on the ground.

Back Forty is always a blast! Super nice bar staff and security. Music is great and line dancing is so much fun!

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.

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.

Loved the music!! Aand they make great drinks

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.

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 worstand 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 customersAs 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!!

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 some) they 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 place) but..... 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.

Great atmosphere and service

Great place to go before a concert. Nice staff and love the happy hour specials.

Sure its Country themed but the free admission and live band is worth the wait.

Like to line dance? Want to learn 20 new dances is one night? BackForty is for you. Non-stop line dancing to various new and older songs.

Busy, country bar. Good drinks.

So fun. Great music. We will go back. Hilarious guy that split his pants while dancing.

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.

Fun Country Line Dancing on Thurday Nights. So much fun, Everyones so nice there

Ill tell ya, this place is something else! Great live music and fast bartenders. Limited beer selection, but overall a great time.

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)

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.

Very crowded but great band and good time dancing!

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 up) and 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.

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.

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.

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.

Great place...loved performing there...BLB

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.

Best place evwr staff even better

A very fun place to perform always a great crowd

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.

Waitress was very kind and responsive. However management was very rude and caused my group of 25 to leave. Would not go back

Country hits great dance floor young vibe

Best bar in GR. Great atmosphere and service.

What a great time and great live music

Nice change of pace. From the typical downtown bar scene!

Took 45 minutes to get drinks

Fun bar with great music

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.

Literally the worst place you can go in GR. NEVER GO HERE IF YOU WANT THE DRINKS YOU PAID FOR. Especially if you’re waited on by the miserable pregnant woman. By far the rudest staff we have ran into. Do yourself a favor and spend your money elsewhere!

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.

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.

Service was awful, there was no country music

Great place to drink cheap, crappy drinks. No cover. Terrible cover bands on the weekends. Line dancing on Thursdays with some decent drinks specials. No frills. Country bar.

Good bands, lots of dancing, but if you leave your drink on your table to dance, they take it as if you left the building. Even when our coats were still on the chairs.

Loud and rowdy. Can get sloppy late. Fun.

This is by far my favorite bar of downtown. Very laid back, and the staff genuinely takes care of you. This place is the best.

Bad pricey drinks, flat beer, weird atmosphere.

The line at the bar is way too long. Im not sure if its because they aloow too many people in for the size of the place. Its also extremely hot in the bar.

This place is disgusting. Im surprised that people endure the atmosphere let alone filth that embodies the entire place. Im never going back.

Great bar! They could use more bartenders!

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.

Had a great time. Excellent Staff.

Small and the service was slow

Over priced watered down drinks with rude staff. Will not be back. Also they played mostly rap music.

Poor service, poor attitudes, poor atmoshpere, Will never visit again. Bar tenders and bouncers need a reality check.

Great staff. Fun atmosphere

Great up beat place

Live country music and a festive atmosphere.

Its cool here. Live music and cheap drinks

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.

Too crowded with a long wait to get in to be any fun.

Fun time overall!

Good bartenders when I go on Thursdays

Fun place, long lines

Cheap drinks, a great dj and line dancing on Thursdays. Its always a good time

Very poor service and rude staff. I will never go back.

Love the prices, people, and music!

Be ready for goofy music and to be spilled on a lot.

Best spot for live country music

A bar that draws every racist bigoted trump supporter from the armpit of west Michigan starting with the staff right with when the doors open. This place reallllly blows.

My Crowd!

Nice

Just a bunch of City Slickers listening to country music that think they can line dance

Fun place.

Decent place to go

Bartender was very snotty...the dress attire with the collage aged girls was less than acceptable.

Great place

Place to get your country on.

Overcrowded and gross

Great places

Meh