11 editor picks in Detroit.
Detroit's drinking rooms trade on history and craft in equal measure. Cliff Bell's downtown pairs Art Deco surroundings with live jazz, while Standby on Gratiot focuses on the cocktail list. In Corktown, The Sugar House on Michigan Avenue and the Two James Spirits tasting room give the neighborhood its bar gravity.
11 cocktail bar places in Detroit we have eaten in, sorted by editor score. All cuisines in Detroit · Cocktail Bar across every city.
Drink House cocktail, often barrel-aged
Standby in The Belt alley off Gratiot serves modern cocktails in downtown Detroit since 2015.
Drink Prohibition-era classics
The Sugar House on Michigan Avenue in Corktown serves Prohibition-era craft cocktails in Detroit since 2011.
Drink Classic Manhattan
Cliff Bell's on Park Avenue has poured cocktails in Detroit's downtown since 1935.
Drink Old-fashioned
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.
Drink Old Cockney gin and tonic
Two James Spirits on Michigan Avenue in Corktown is Detroit's first licensed distillery since Prohibition.
Drink Atwater Dirty Blonde lager
Atwater Brewery Tap Room on Joseph Campau in Rivertown has served beer in Detroit since 1997.
Drink Local Pony Express IPA
Detroit Beer Company on Broadway has brewed in downtown Detroit since September 2003.
Drink Pabst tallboys
PJ's Lager House on Michigan Avenue in Corktown serves Cajun food and live music in Detroit since 1991.
Drink House brewed ale
Lily's Seafood Grill & Brewery on South Washington in Royal Oak has brewed and poured in metro Detroit since 1999.
Drink Ouzo and Mythos lager
Pegasus Taverna on Monroe Street has been a Greektown anchor in Detroit since 1981.
Drink Rum buckets and classic tiki cocktails
Eastern Palace Club on John R Road in Hazel Park serves a community Key West beach bar in metro Detroit.
