Orange wine, smoked old fashioned, freezer martinis, oysters, olives and more were covering bar tops across Motown over the past 12 months or so as Detroit welcomed the debut of many new splashy lounges and neighborhood watering holes.
From the east side to the west — and of course downtown as well — new places offered unique wine lists, mocktails, throwback drinks and other fun for adults, including books and games.
Read on for details on a dozen of the coolest new bars that opened in the city this year, in no particular order. For the sake of perimeters, I used the same criteria for the Best New Restaurants 2025 list, considering businesses that first opened between November of 2024 and October of this year. Hours listed are the regular business hours, which may be different this month due to the holidays.
The Dirty Shake — Midtown
Adding another cool and casual spot to the list of watering holes in the Cass Corridor, the Dirty Shake debuted in March in a brick building at Second and Forest. Like its elder statesman neighbor down the block the Bronx Bar, the drinks here are pretty cheap and the food is high quality and fun. That’s because it’s owned by the guys behind Chartreuse Kitchen + Cocktails and Freya, Sandy Levine and chef Doug Hewitt. You can have lunch or dinner here (cheeseburgers, smoked chicken wings, jerk chicken, vegan stuff) or just snack on Flamin’ Hot Cheetos, Reese’s Popcorn and other bagged treats. The fact that the Dirty Shake is open daily at 11:30 a.m. and has a big wrap-around porch for summertime makes it an instant classic.
Open 11:30 a.m.-midnight Sun.-Thurs. and 11:30 a.m.-2 a.m. Fri.-Sat. 4642 Second, Detroit. (313) 279-8500. dirtyshake.com.
Chenin — Downtown
Forget everything you think about wine bars because Chenin is totally different. I have never seen anyone older than 50 sitting at one of the few seats, standing around the slight drink rail or smoking a cigarette out the back door, which is one of the only three place you can really exist inside this teeny-tiny space without being in someone’s way (or lap). Formerly home to eight-seat tasting menu restaurant Albena, Chenin is attracting younger millennials and Gen Z Detroiters with their well-edited European wine menu (including skin-fermented wines), fluffy square pizza, gourmet ice cream and late-night burger grilling. They also serve a premade and pre-chilled martini and Budweiser. Go alone and make a new friend, or just eavesdrop on conversations you can’t help but overhear. Go with too many people and risk not being able to get everyone in the door.
Open 5 p.m.-midnight Sun.-Mon. and Thurs. and 5 p.m.-2 a.m. Fri.-Sat. 1509 Broadway, Suite A-1, Detroit. barchenin.com.
Roar Brewing Company — Midtown
Sip on one of Roar’s beers like the honey oat stout, raspberry wheat or amber lager. You can also order a mixed drink or choose one of the nonalcoholic beers and canned cocktails offered. Along with a full bar, this new spot with indoor and outdoor seating serves pub grub like burgers, veggie burgers, tots, wings and flavored popcorn. The community-driven space makes sure it’s open for Detroit Lions games, and in the warmer months offers outdoor lawn games and sometimes live music. Proudly promoting itself as the city’s first Black-owned brewery, Roar is a great addition to the dense area near Selden and Second where it’s easy to walk to many other of the city’s top bars and restaurants including SheWolf, Selden Standard, Honest John’s and Barcade.
Open 5-11 p.m. Mon.-Thurs., noon-midnight Fri.-Sat. and noon-11 p.m. Sun. 666 Selden, Suite B, Detroit. (313) 326-2680. www.roar.beer.
Me & You Kitchen and Cocktails — East English Village
This is the kind of laid-back hangout spot where you can really be yourself. Laugh out loud with friends, sing along to the R&B tunes and order an extra round of lemon drop shots, which are just $5 each during happy hour. Formerly Good Vibes Lounge, Me & You is owned by Courtney Sanders and Angela Wright. Wright is also the owner of Mix Bricktown, Lockeroom Sports Lounge and Sandbox Outdoor Bar & Lounge, so she knows what Detroiters want when it comes to mixed drinks and chill atmospheres. Specialties from the kitchen are the fried fish, bologna sandwich and the Big 3 burger. Brunch has its own drink menu with flavored mimosas and mimosa tower flights — not just mimosa towers, but mimosa tower flights — for $100. Brunch cuisine features grits, salmon croquettes, fried chicken and pancakes, T-bone steak and eggs and more. The inside seats 100 and there’s room for plenty more in the backyard during warmer weather. Like the fun sign on the wall says, this is a place for “me & you, yo momma and yo cousin, too.”
Open 11 a.m.-11 p.m. Wed.-Thurs., 11 a.m.-2 a.m. Fri.-Sat. and 11 a.m.-11 p.m. Sun. 16801 Harper, Detroit. (313) 909-0809. Meandyoueast.com.
Paris Bar — McNichols and Jos Campau
Long live the dive bar. Paris Bar debuted this year with DJs, live bands and cocktails from the same folks behind Outer Limits Lounge, which sits just outside Hamtramck in Detroit. The space, lit mostly by the warm glow of vintage neon signage, was formerly Simpson’s Record Shop. Before that, though, it was also a local bar called Paris Beer Garden. (“Amateurs wanted. Cash prizes.” reads a classified advertisement from Paris Beer Garden in a 1935 issue of The Detroit News seeking musicians.) Paris Bar has a lot of room to hang out. Drinkers gather near the bar and when bands are booked they’re in a back room. There’s also a small, fenced-in yard out back with modest patio furniture. Expect anything here: rock and roll, punk, metal, the avant-garde, art shows, films and more.
Open 8 p.m.-2 a.m. Mon.-Sat. and 6 p.m.-midnight Sun. 2961 E. McNichols, Detroit. instagram.com/parisbardetroit.
Father Forgive Me — English Village
One of the first buzzy openings of the summer was Father Forgive Me’s early June debut. Located on the grounds of the Shepherd — a former church that has been converted into a cultural center, part of an east side development — this hip, new and somewhat upscale indoor and outdoor bar has been a go-to spot since then. The menu has craft cocktails, wine by the glass or bottle and a few beers. There’s food, too, mostly small things and shareables like the very on-trend tinned fish, olives and a mortadella sandwich. They usually don’t take reservations here, but there’s an exception for the New Year’s Eve party on Dec. 31. There will be two seatings for $130 per person that includes all food and drinks. The menu is expected to feature shrimp cocktail, beef tartare and tater tot waffles with caviar.
Open 4-11 p.m. Mon., Wed.-Thurs., 4 p.m.-midnight Fri., noon-midnight Sat. and noon-11 p.m. Sun. Closed Tuesdays. 1265 Parkview, Detroit. fatherforgiveme.com.
Full Measure Brewing — Eastern Market
This is a great new hangout for craft beer lovers, of course, but the spacious and clean new Full Measure Brewing is an all-around great addition to Eastern Market. The food menu is no afterthought here, with many items that are vegetarian, vegan or gluten-free. There’s also food that’s none of those things, like the po’ boy with Creole remoulade and grilled jumbo shrimp or fried catfish (or fried green tomatoes to make it vegetarian). It comes with fries for just $15 and the menu recommends pairing it with a pint of their Bla Bla Ginger or Atmospherium Saison. The menu also does a good job at explaining the bitterness and alcohol content of all the beers. There’s a brunch menu, too, as Full Measure is an easygoing spot to fuel up before or after your weekend market shopping.
Open 11 a.m.-9 p.m. Mon.-Fri., 9 a.m.-10 p.m. Sat. and 10 a.m.-8 p.m. 2700 Orleans, Detroit. (313) 818-3977. fullmeasurebrewing.com.
Vesper Books & Wine — Core City
This new corner spot at Grand River an W. Warren is one of the most well-lit bars on this list because it’s also a bookstore. Vesper specializes in cookbooks and other food-adjacent literature, which are shelved around an interior that also features a mix of couches and tables that look thrifted right out of your cool aunt’s 1990s-era living room. They sell wines by the glass at the bar (or order at the counter and take a seat) and customers can also shop for a variety of interesting wines to take home. The menu has a few cocktails and beers (Budweiser, again). A short snack menu has wine-centric vittles like a cheese plate, olives or something more substantial like a beautiful soppressata sandwich or tinned fish served with bread, butter and pickled vegetables. This place has been abuzz since late 2022 and finally debuted in December 2024. Vesper is open early for a wine bar, so you can pop in and nurse your hangover after closing down Chenin the night before.
Open 2-11 p.m. Wed.-Thurs., 2 p.m.-midnight Fri., noon-midnight Sat. and noon-9 p.m. Sun. 5001 Grand River, Detroit. (313) 716-1708. vesperbooksandwine.com.
Arcenciel — Livernois and Fenkell
Named for the French word for “rainbow,” this new nightlife destination debuted in November 2024 as an LGBTQ+ dance club. Friday nights is geared toward women, and Saturday nights for men, but anyoe and everyone is welcome on either night at the 4,500-square-foot club with a state-of-the-art dance floor. A supper club-style Versailles Dining Room restaurant has been put on hold and is expected to reopen in Spring 2026.
Open 9 p.m.-2 a.m. Fri.-Sat. 14925 Livernois, Detroit. (313) 635-5080. arcencieldetroit.com.
Cannons — Morningside
Brightening up the space where beloved and dimly-lit tiki bar Lost River was, Cannons debuted this fall with oysters, barrel batched cocktails and nods to the United Kingdom like a perfect pour of Guinness, Welsh rarebit and bread pudding. Upstairs is a cozy techno haven that has already hosted sets by some of the greats: Juan Adkins, Derrick May and Kevin Saunderson. This summer there is sure to be plenty more fun on the rooftop deck that overlooks Mack Avenue at the Detroit and Grosse Pointe Park border. Stop in for a pint and a football game (either kind), and soak in all the small details of the refurbished barroom.
Open 4 p.m.-2 a.m. Mon.-Fri. And 11 a.m.-2 a.m. Fri.-Sat. 15421 Mack, Detroit. instagram.com/cannonsbar.
Sip N Read — Corktown
Another bar and bookstore in one! At Sip N Read, the name says it all. The 2,400-square-foot space is owned and operated by Tamela Todd, author of three nonfiction books and a winemaker. She proudly displayed her her Library of Rosé from the Sip-N-Read wine collection, which is available to enjoy in 5- or 8-ounce pours at the bar. All the wines here are Michigan-made. Sip-N-Read is a place to shop for books, visit with friends, sit and read, have a drink or a mix of all of these. Rather than store shelves, the displays are more like a living room, with cozy, plush chairs. The selection is a small, curated mix of current memoirs, nonfiction, novels and some classics. Todd and her team at Sip N Read are planning to lean into this year’s Dry January and offer guests a new menu of mocktails while they aim to create a space that makes alcohol-free socializing intentional and inviting.
Open 4-9 p.m. Thurs.-Sun. 1620 Michigan, Ste 122, Detroit. sipandread.net.
The Post Bar — Downtown
The sportiest watering hole on this list of new spots, the Post Bar turned on the old neon sign late last year. Longtime Detroiters will know the name, as there were once raucous Post Bar locations throughout the area, including on Congress by Joe Louis Arena and even one on Woodward in Ferndale (where Imperial is now). They’ve got every kind of beer, liquor and hard seltzer that’s currently trending, along with a hearty food menu. Choose from pub grub like a giant pretzel, turkey chili or Cajun chicken nachos, or try the more sophisticated prime rib French dip, strawberry salad or charcuterie board.
Open 11 a.m.-2 a.m. Daily. 1325 Broadway, Detroit. instagram.com/thepostbardetroit.
Melody Baetens is The Detroit News restaurant critic
mbaetens@detroitnews.com
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