Cliff Bell's on Park Avenue has poured cocktails and presented live jazz in Detroit since 1935. Reopened 2006, the canonical jazz room and supper club in the downtown core.
Tip: Tickets for the band run separately. The dining room is half the room; cocktails at the bar.
Address: 2030 Park Ave, Detroit, MI 48226
Aretha's Jazz Cafe inside the Music Hall on Madison Street in downtown Detroit honors Aretha Franklin with live jazz nightly. The newer of Detroit's two anchor jazz rooms.
Tip: Music Hall hosts simultaneous larger shows; Aretha's downstairs runs the intimate jazz program.
Cielo Rooftop on West Lafayette inside the Cambria Hotel offers downtown Detroit's open-air rooftop bar. Signature craft cocktails and a view across the central business district.
Tip: Sunset hour is the peak; reservations recommended for weekend evenings. Open seasonally.
The Monarch Club on the 13th floor of The Metropolitan building on Park Avenue serves cocktails with a rooftop view of downtown Detroit. Open since 2018, retro lounge.
Tip: Speakeasy entrance off the lobby; the rooftop bar is the editorial seat. Reservations recommended.
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 jazz club in the country. Steinway piano picked out by Art Tatum in the 1950s.
Tip: Only 99 seats; tilted mirrors let the audience watch the pianist's hands. Cover varies by act.
Aretha's Jazz Cafe inside the Music Hall on Madison Street in downtown Detroit honors Aretha Franklin with live jazz nightly. The newer of Detroit's two anchor jazz rooms.
Tip: Music Hall hosts simultaneous larger shows; Aretha's downstairs runs the intimate jazz program.
Magic Stick in the Majestic Theatre Center on Woodward is one of Detroit's essential small rooms for live music. 200 seated, 700 standing, ten billiard tables and a jukebox.
Tip: Above the Garden Bowl, in the same building as the Majestic. Indie and hip-hop bookings.
PJ's Lager House on Michigan Avenue in Corktown serves Cajun food and live music in Detroit since 1991. Garage rock and indie bookings seven nights when the calendar is full.
Tip: Cover charge varies by act; the kitchen runs Cajun po-boys and gumbo. Music starts late.
Cielo Rooftop on West Lafayette inside the Cambria Hotel offers downtown Detroit's open-air rooftop bar. Signature craft cocktails and a view across the central business district.
Tip: Sunset hour is the peak; reservations recommended for weekend evenings. Open seasonally.
The Monarch Club on the 13th floor of The Metropolitan building on Park Avenue serves cocktails with a rooftop view of downtown Detroit. Open since 2018, retro lounge.
Tip: Speakeasy entrance off the lobby; the rooftop bar is the editorial seat. Reservations recommended.
