Detroit Dive Bar Guide

Where Well-Earned Grit Breeds Dive Bars

Detroit’s dive bar credentials go without saying, the city’s prosperity bringing with it an explosion of businesses, some of which have withstood the shifting fortunes of the region. As Detroit enters another upswing, the light can return to some of the oldest dive bars in America, spots built on a prosperous blue collar workforce and the type of city pride that has only been further embedded in those who life in Detroit.

Detroit makes Prohibition-era dive bars feel almost commonplace, a host of the city’s offerings predating Prohibition by decades. Nancy Whiskey may be the most famous dive bar in the city, an Irish whiskey joint that at one point sold more Tullamore Dew than any bar in the country. It also happened to open in 1902. Or take Abick’s Bar, a labor of love across six generations of a single family who built, operate and own the space that dates back to 1907.

Dive bars a little closer to downtown have seen even wilder swings in neighborhood conditions, shifting between great early days, rough intermediate years and now gradual rebirth. The Cass Corridor just north of Detroit’s downtown core is one such area, area staples like Jumbo’s Bar, Temple Bar and maybe most famous of all, The Old Miami, creating a concentrated dive bar hub.

Offerings spiral out from there, including Gusoline Alley, a spot that has seen the first waves of redevelopment claim its storied jukebox and a few interior features. But as the city continues to restore its former glory, these types of tradeoffs can sometimes come to even long-running, historic dive bars. For a city that has seen its fair share of ups and downs, that may just be the price to pay for a more sustained period of “ups.”

Dive Bar Map

Detroit Dive Bar Reviews

Ranked Order

Johnnie's Glenn Avenue Grill - Columbus Dive Bar Exterior

Abick's Bar

Review Rating: 10 out of 10
Detroit's dive bar gem, one of the most beautiful interiors in the country.
Johnnie's Glenn Avenue Grill - Columbus Dive Bar Exterior

Two Way Inn

Review Rating: 10 out of 10
It's haunted, it's historic and it may be the city's most perfect dive bar atmosphere.
Johnnie's Glenn Avenue Grill - Columbus Dive Bar Exterior

The Painted Lady Lounge

Review Rating: 9 out of 10
Home to Detroit's punk rock revolution, the pink paintjob is impossible to ignore.
Johnnie's Glenn Avenue Grill - Columbus Dive Bar Exterior

The Old Miami

Review Rating: 9 out of 10
The live music, veteran-friendly, wall-covered Cass Corridor classic Detroit dive bar.
Johnnie's Glenn Avenue Grill - Columbus Dive Bar Exterior

Whiskey In The Jar

Review Rating: 8 out of 10
Keep your eyes peeled for a sighting of the famed Hamtramck ratalope.
Johnnie's Glenn Avenue Grill - Columbus Dive Bar Exterior

Suzy's Bar

Review Rating: 8 out of 10
Few dive bars effectively mix peace signs and Pee Wee dolls but Suzy's in one such spot.
Johnnie's Glenn Avenue Grill - Columbus Dive Bar Exterior

Tommy's

Review Rating: 8 out of 10
Few dive bars can rival the historic lore at Tommy's, a story that starts in 1869.
Johnnie's Glenn Avenue Grill - Columbus Dive Bar Exterior

LJ's Lounge

Review Rating: 8 out of 10
The perfect way to avoid, pregame or post-game the Corktown crowds.
Johnnie's Glenn Avenue Grill - Columbus Dive Bar Exterior

Bronx Bar

Review Rating: 8 out of 10
Another Cass Corridor staple, this one with amazing neon and updated digs.
Johnnie's Glenn Avenue Grill - Columbus Dive Bar Exterior

Gusoline Alley

Review Rating: 7 out of 10
Nothing beats drinking under the hood of a vintage car, in this case attached to the bar's wall.
Johnnie's Glenn Avenue Grill - Columbus Dive Bar Exterior

Nancy's Whiskey Pub

Review Rating: 7 out of 10
The oldest bar in the city and a bucket list dive bar to be seen once.
Johnnie's Glenn Avenue Grill - Columbus Dive Bar Exterior

Baker Streetcar Bar

Review Rating: 7 out of 10
Baker Streetcar Bar is little more than a dive bar hallway, in a good way.
Johnnie's Glenn Avenue Grill - Columbus Dive Bar Exterior

Trixie's Bar

Review Rating: 7 out of 10
One of the city's sneaky good patios is hidden beside this Hamtramck staple.
Johnnie's Glenn Avenue Grill - Columbus Dive Bar Exterior

Temple Bar

Review Rating: 7 out of 10
The green tiles outside are faded but all are welcome at this 1927 classic.
Johnnie's Glenn Avenue Grill - Columbus Dive Bar Exterior

Jumbo's Bar

Review Rating: 7 out of 10
Long green shoebox on a sparsely-developed street, just right for Detroit.
Johnnie's Glenn Avenue Grill - Columbus Dive Bar Exterior

Detroiter Bar

Review Rating: 7 out of 10
Detroiter bar is about as 'downtown' as a dive bar gets, down to the blaring neon sign.
Johnnie's Glenn Avenue Grill - Columbus Dive Bar Exterior

Charlie's Bar

Review Rating: 6 out of 10
Southwest Detroit's neighborhood haunt, Charlie's Bar has servevd locals since 1933.

Detroit Bar Crawls

Bier Stube - Columbus Dive Bar Exterior

Cass Corridor

North of downtown Detroit sits a hub of dive bar activity that has withstood the shifting fortunes of the surrounding neighborhood.

Other Dive Bar Options

Unfortunately, we have not yet been to every single dive bar in the city, but there probably a few more punch cards on our livers, so we’ll make it there soon. In the meantime, the curated list of dives below comes highly recommended by a variety of friends, online sources and drunks.

Café D'Mongo's Speakeasy

1439 Griswold St
Detroit, MI 48226
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Cas Bar

7800 Michigan Ave
Detroit, MI 48210
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Casey's Bar

7677 Dix St
Detroit, MI 48209
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Checker Bar

124 Cadillac Square
Detroit, MI 48226
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Club FT

26061 Gratiot Ave
Roseville, MI 48066
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Danny's Irish Pub

22824 Woodward Ave
Ferndale, MI 48220
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Donovan's Pub

3003 Vernor Hwy
Detroit, MI 48216
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Duffy's Den

24800 W McNichols Rd
Detroit, MI 48219
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Freer Bar

7355 Michigan Ave
Detroit, MI 48210
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Giovanna's Lounge

3537 W Vernor Hwy
Detroit, MI 48216
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Goldie's Saloon

45330 Romeo Plank Rd
Macomb, MI 48044
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Greenwich Time Pub

130 Cadillac Square
Detroit, MI 48226
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Hilltop Bar

48214 Van Dyke Ave
Shelby Township, MI 48317
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Kwicky Bar

4130 E 8 Mile Rd
Detroit, MI 48234
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Madison Club Bar

32275 Stephenson Hwy
Madison Heights, MI 48071
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Marshall's Bar

14716 E Jefferson
Detroit, MI 48215
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PJ's Lager House

1254 Michigan Ave
Detroit, MI 48226
Google Map

Ye Olde Tap Room

14915 Charlevoix St
Detroit, MI 48215
Google Map

What Did We Miss?

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