10 Bars For Journalists Visiting Detroit This Week

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Comet Bar 128 Henry St, Detroit; 313-963-6763 A dive bar among dive bars, known for its shitty plastic tables and chairs and legendary karaoke on the weekend. Rumor has it Ilitch is looking to raze it soon to make way for the new Red Wings arena, so you'd better get it while the getting is good. Image courtesy of Instagram user @cassiemcaballero.
Comet Bar 128 Henry St, Detroit; 313-963-6763

A dive bar among dive bars, known for its shitty plastic tables and chairs and legendary karaoke on the weekend. Rumor has it Ilitch is looking to raze it soon to make way for the new Red Wings arena, so you'd better get it while the getting is good. Image courtesy of Instagram user @cassiemcaballero.
The Corner Bar The Townsend Hotel, 100 Townsend St., Birmingham; 248-642-7900; townsendhotel.com If anybody at Corner Bar is slumming it, it’s the jet-setting celebrities who choose (and can afford) lodging at Birmingham’s plush Townsend Hotel. This “community” a few miles north of Detroit is where a generation of moneyed suburbanites have staked their claim at “urban chic.” With movie theaters, upscale eateries, shops and parks within walking distance, you can get hammered with stylishly dressed people and, perhaps, a celeb or two. Image courtesy of Instagram user @thecornerbarmi.
The Corner Bar The Townsend Hotel, 100 Townsend St., Birmingham; 248-642-7900; townsendhotel.com

If anybody at Corner Bar is slumming it, it’s the jet-setting celebrities who choose (and can afford) lodging at Birmingham’s plush Townsend Hotel. This “community” a few miles north of Detroit is where a generation of moneyed suburbanites have staked their claim at “urban chic.” With movie theaters, upscale eateries, shops and parks within walking distance, you can get hammered with stylishly dressed people and, perhaps, a celeb or two.

Image courtesy of Instagram user @thecornerbarmi.
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Sugar House 2130 Michigan Ave, Detroit; 313-962-0123; sugarhousedetroit.com Decidedly not a dive (the drinks are a little pricey, the bartenders all wear sleeve garters), but this speakeasy-style bar is a lot of fun. This is where you go for handcrafted cocktails made from ingredients you don't have at home.Image courtesy of Instagram user @erinsanty.
Sugar House 2130 Michigan Ave, Detroit; 313-962-0123; sugarhousedetroit.com

Decidedly not a dive (the drinks are a little pricey, the bartenders all wear sleeve garters), but this speakeasy-style bar is a lot of fun. This is where you go for handcrafted cocktails made from ingredients you don't have at home.Image courtesy of Instagram user @erinsanty.
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Anchor Bar 450 W. Fort St., Detroit; 313-964-9127; anchorbardetroit.com For generations, the Anchor Bar was where newspapermen downed their liquid lunches between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m., or met up to compare notes at the end of the day. It has good burgers and not a whole lot of reporters anymore, but the history it does have is significant. If anybody puts one more item of Detroit history on the walls, the joint will come tumbling down. Image courtesy of The Anchor Bar Facebook.
Anchor Bar 450 W. Fort St., Detroit; 313-964-9127; anchorbardetroit.com

For generations, the Anchor Bar was where newspapermen downed their liquid lunches between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m., or met up to compare notes at the end of the day. It has good burgers and not a whole lot of reporters anymore, but the history it does have is significant. If anybody puts one more item of Detroit history on the walls, the joint will come tumbling down. Image courtesy of The Anchor Bar Facebook.
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Whiskey in the Jar 2741 Yemans St., Hamtramck; 313-873-4154 Looking for that postage stamp-sized dive that crowds in the characters, who are both the patrons and the entertainment? Hamtramck is famous for this kind of place, and there’s perhaps no establishment as emblematic of it as the Whiskey-in-the-Jar. Perfect place to gather your local-at-the-bar reporting and compare next year’s luxury vehicles to yesterday’s hoopties.Image courtesy of Instagram user @emilyfoxxx.
Whiskey in the Jar 2741 Yemans St., Hamtramck; 313-873-4154

Looking for that postage stamp-sized dive that crowds in the characters, who are both the patrons and the entertainment? Hamtramck is famous for this kind of place, and there’s perhaps no establishment as emblematic of it as the Whiskey-in-the-Jar. Perfect place to gather your local-at-the-bar reporting and compare next year’s luxury vehicles to yesterday’s hoopties.Image courtesy of Instagram user @emilyfoxxx.
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Cadieux Cafe 4300 Cadieux Rd, Detroit; 313-882-8560; cadieuxcafe.com The only bar in Detroit where you can both go Feather Bowling (imagine bocce played with objects shaped like wheels of cheese). They also offer a delicacy known as the Bucket of Mussels and PBR (exactly what it sounds like). Image courtesy of Instagram user @midnightoilgrp.
Cadieux Cafe 4300 Cadieux Rd, Detroit; 313-882-8560; cadieuxcafe.com

The only bar in Detroit where you can both go Feather Bowling (imagine bocce played with objects shaped like wheels of cheese). They also offer a delicacy known as the Bucket of Mussels and PBR (exactly what it sounds like). Image courtesy of Instagram user @midnightoilgrp.
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WAB / Loving Touch 22646 Woodward Ave., Ferndale; 248-546-3696; thewabsite.com Stevie, a bartender at WAB, will be happy to let you sample some of the many fine microbrews that this notorious band hang-out has to offer. When you’re done, pop next door to the Loving Touch — a massage parlor-turned bar and venue that has retained much of the sleazy old charm.Image courtesy of Instagram user @graysony.
WAB / Loving Touch 22646 Woodward Ave., Ferndale; 248-546-3696; thewabsite.com

Stevie, a bartender at WAB, will be happy to let you sample some of the many fine microbrews that this notorious band hang-out has to offer. When you’re done, pop next door to the Loving Touch — a massage parlor-turned bar and venue that has retained much of the sleazy old charm.Image courtesy of Instagram user @graysony.
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The Berkley Front 3987 12 Mile Rd., Berkley; 248-547-3331 An exceptional selection of beers and a solid menu, the Berkley Front is an alt-alternative to the very suburban sports bar next door. There are bands upstairs during the weekends — you will not have heard of them but they’re usually worth a listen. Image courtesy of Instagram user @todd_abrams.
The Berkley Front 3987 12 Mile Rd., Berkley; 248-547-3331

An exceptional selection of beers and a solid menu, the Berkley Front is an alt-alternative to the very suburban sports bar next door. There are bands upstairs during the weekends — you will not have heard of them but they’re usually worth a listen.

Image courtesy of Instagram user @todd_abrams.
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The Old Miami 3930 Cass Ave., Detroit; 313-831-3830 Rarely does a bar look this over-the-top through organic growth. A cluster-fuck of Vietnam paraphernalia and punk rock flyers, the Old Miami is what happens when cultures collide, and then sit back for a peaceful PBR and shit-shoot. The garden out back is an unexpected oasis in the old Cass Corridor. Image courtesy of Instagram user @npstorey.
The Old Miami 3930 Cass Ave., Detroit; 313-831-3830

Rarely does a bar look this over-the-top through organic growth. A cluster-fuck of Vietnam paraphernalia and punk rock flyers, the Old Miami is what happens when cultures collide, and then sit back for a peaceful PBR and shit-shoot. The garden out back is an unexpected oasis in the old Cass Corridor. Image courtesy of Instagram user @npstorey.
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Coach Insignia 100 Renaissance Center, 71st & 72nd Floor, GM Renaissance Center, Detroit; 313-567-2622; theepicureangroup.com Perched head, shoulders and hundreds of feet above the streets of the Motor City, this restaurant is the place to take it all in. The drinks can be surprisingly affordable at the restaurant’s bar one floor above the dining area, which is the highest cocktail lounge between New York and Chicago. Take in 360-degree views of Detroit, Canada and the river running between them. Image courtesy of Instagram user @kelser_lynn.
Coach Insignia 100 Renaissance Center, 71st & 72nd Floor, GM Renaissance Center, Detroit; 313-567-2622; theepicureangroup.com

Perched head, shoulders and hundreds of feet above the streets of the Motor City, this restaurant is the place to take it all in. The drinks can be surprisingly affordable at the restaurant’s bar one floor above the dining area, which is the highest cocktail lounge between New York and Chicago. Take in 360-degree views of Detroit, Canada and the river running between them. Image courtesy of Instagram user @kelser_lynn.
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33 slides
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