Dan's Downtown Tavern a fine stop for pub fare in Saline

And, while the burger we enjoyed recently wasn’t quite the thing of beauty we remembered, it’s easy to see why Dan’s has established itself as a destination for Saline locals as well as out-of-towners.

Dan’s bills itself as “the little bar with a big atmosphere” and its menu bears this out. In addition to typical bar fare like burgers and wet burritos, Dan’s has a range of unusual salads and gourmet sandwiches, including an intriguing chicken cordon blue sandwich on a Kaiser roll.

We settled in for ice-cold beers from a well-tapped bar (Dan’s also has a full liquor selection) and chicken wings, good but a little scrawny and thirsty for more buffalo sauce. Burgers — fresh ground from Knight's Market and served on buns from Benny’s Market in Saline — were on the agenda for most of our party. In addition to standard options, Dan’s offers a selection of specialty burgers, including the Adrian burger — Swiss cheese, sautéed onions, mushrooms and peppers — which arrived perfectly grilled to order, with the cheese fairly dripping off of it.

It was the kind of burger that Dan’s made its reputation on, and it was easy to see why.

Unfortunately, one burger — double stacked with American cheese — was overcooked to the point of bring dried out and flavorless, serving as the only real disappointment during our visit.

A friend’s steak salad featured tender meat, with the nice added touches of mozzarella and bleu cheeses, as well as dried cranberries.

We’d happily return to Dan's and its raucous, family-friendly atmosphere that makes you feel like a regular, even when you aren’t.