Standby is a bar in Downtown, Detroit.
Editorially verified May 21, 2026 by Lewis Vaughan, TableJourney editor. Source.
Food program: Composed small plates
Tip: Entry is from The Belt alley; reservations through OpenTable. World's 50 Best Discovery list.
Address: 225 Gratiot Ave, Detroit, MI 48226
Cliff Bell's on Park Avenue has poured cocktails in Detroit's downtown since 1935. Reopened 2006 by Paul Howard, it is the city's premier live jazz room.
Signature drink: Classic Manhattan
Food: Steak frites and chophouse classics
Tip: Tickets for the band run separately. The dining room is half the room; cocktails at the bar.
Detroit Beer Company on Broadway has brewed in downtown Detroit since September 2003. Order the local pony express ipa. Booking recommended.
Signature drink: Local Pony Express IPA
Food: Pizza and bar food
Tip: Game-day crowds spill from Comerica Park; weekday lunch books up faster than dinner.
The Sugar House on Michigan Avenue in Corktown serves Prohibition-era craft cocktails in Detroit since 2011. Order the prohibition-era classics.
Signature drink: Prohibition-era classics
Food: Small bites and bar snacks
Tip: Walk-ins Monday through Thursday; Friday and Saturday need reservations. Tin ceiling, old bar.
Cliff Bell's on Park Avenue has poured cocktails in Detroit's downtown since 1935. Reopened 2006 by Paul Howard, it is the city's premier live jazz room.
Signature drink: Classic Manhattan
Food: Steak frites and chophouse classics
Tip: Tickets for the band run separately. The dining room is half the room; cocktails at the bar.
Baker's Keyboard Lounge on Livernois has poured drinks in Detroit since May 1933 and started booking jazz pianists in 1934, the oldest continuously operating.
Signature drink: Old-fashioned
Food: Soul food kitchen alongside
Tip: Only 99 seats; tilted mirrors let the audience watch the pianist's hands.
Two James Spirits on Michigan Avenue in Corktown is Detroit's first licensed distillery since Prohibition. Order the old cockney gin and tonic.
Signature drink: Old Cockney gin and tonic
Food: Bar snacks
Tip: Backyard patio looks at Roosevelt Park and Michigan Central Station. Patio in summer.
Atwater Brewery Tap Room on Joseph Campau in Rivertown has served beer in Detroit since 1997. Located in Eastern Market. Order the atwater dirty blonde lager.
Signature drink: Atwater Dirty Blonde lager
Food: Pub menu
Tip: Atwater Arcade for the bar games. 225 cocktail bar reopens for summer evenings.
Detroit Beer Company on Broadway has brewed in downtown Detroit since September 2003. Order the local pony express ipa. Booking recommended.
Signature drink: Local Pony Express IPA
Food: Pizza and bar food
Tip: Game-day crowds spill from Comerica Park; weekday lunch books up faster than dinner.
