Mid-Michigan Dining

• 4279 Holt Rd.
• Holt, MI 48842
• (517) 694-9716
• No Known Website
• No Menu

Darb's Crystal Bar on Holt Road and Cedar Street in Holt

We found it!  We found a karaoke bar.  When we moved here almost ten months ago, we left a town that had the best karaoke bar.  It wasn’t a bar that hired a guy to come in once or twice a week with a TV and a microphone.  It was a karaoke theater with lights, multiple TV’s, a computer song book, a stage, multiple microphones, and a “KJ’s”  It was more of a karaoke saloon that happened to be in a bar.  It was awesome for someone like J who really likes karaoke.  If you heard a song on the radio for the first time, this place would have a karaoke version a week later.  You weren’t stuck doing songs from five years ago….you could do songs that were on the charts right now.

When we moved to Mid-Michigan, we immediately started looking for a karaoke bar with no luck. We tried Crunchy’s and Rookies with no luck.  The atmosphere was no good, the song selection were terrible, and it wasn’t fun.  A while ago, Corky suggested Darb’s Crystal Bar in Holt.  I had driven by a few times and though it just looked like a good place to hang out.  I had no idea they had karaoke. 

J has been going through withdrawals for months now, so we decided to give Darb’s a try.  We were there five minutes and we knew this was a place that we would be visiting several more times.

Darb’s Crystal Bar sits on the corner of Holt Road and Cedar Street in Holt.  There’s a large neon sign hanging off the side of the building, a beer garden to one side, and a ton of Christmas lights…even when t’s not Christmas.  We were surprised to find a packed parking lot.  It was a Saturday night, but we also had gotten a foot of snow in the last 24 hours.  We thought tonight would be a good time to try out Darb’s hoping the snow would keep people away.  No dice.  The place was packed.  It’s not very big inside and all the tables near the front of the bar were packed.

We kept walking to the back of the space where we found the bar.  All the way around the back of the bar there was one empty seat and some space to stand, so that’s where we went.  J took the seat and I leaned up against the bar.  We were kind of around the corner from the bartenders so it took them a while to see us.  When one of them did, we ordered a couple of Bud Lights and J found a song book sitting on the bar.  She grabbed it and started flipping through. 

Darb's Crystal Bar...our new karaoke bar...in Holt

There were some pretty good songs.  Some new as well as the usual favorites.  There were some surprises…both that were there and that weren’t.  J’s staples are Sugarland and The Dixie Chicks.  They didn’t have either of the two songs she usually does, but did have one Sugarland song that kind of replaced her original choice.  She also picked a Carrie Underwood song.  So, song choices were “Stay” and “Before He Cheats” usually, she would throw “Gunpowder and Lead” by Miranda Lambert in there.  See a pattern?  Kind of scares me… 🙂

J really liked the bar.  The other people in there were having fun and cheering each other on.  J and I aren’t regulars (yet) and they cheered just as loud for her and gave her high fives as she was making her way back to her seat.  That’s the kind of atmosphere she was looking for.  The karaoke area is nothing more than a TV monitor on top of a plastic tub on a table and a guy sitting next to it with a book of CD’s.  It’s not fancy, but it’s not about that.  It’s about the other people and having a good time.  Darb’s Crystal Bar had all of that. 

The beer seemed a little expensive to me.  We got two drafts which cost $4.50.  They also served 20 oz. bottles and cans.  I noticed they had PBR, my favorite, in a can, but I didn’t notice until I was ready to quit.  Next time I know better.  They dont’ serve food, but there are peanuts sitting on the bar and there’s free popcorn as long as you get it yourself. 

Darb’s is the kind of bar your anxious to make your bar.  It’s a great little space with great people who are just looking for a good time. Coming from a small town myself, these are the kind of places I look for.  Remember that bar I mentioned earlier.  It wasn’t in the City of Peoria.  It was also in an outlying town.  It wasn’t anything fancy.  It was a rundown bar owned by a guy you wouldn’t want to meet in a dark alley, but he knew how to have a good time.  It didn’t matter what night of the week you went, there was always a line to sing.  The atmosphere at Darb’s is very similar to that and for that reason, we will make it a regular stop on Saturday nights.