There are plenty of places to grab a beer and watch the game but which ones will put hair on your chest? Which ones can you go to and belch your favorite movie’s one-liner? Where can you go and smell the scent of freshly cut trees and find lumberjacks at the bar chewing on bark and drinking from hollowed out tree trunks?
Here’s a list of manly hangouts in Detroit. Go to any of these if you can take a joke, jab, or beer and a shot of whiskey.
1. Cadieux Cafe
This place is always packed! When you go to Cadieux Cafe, you have to eat mussels and play a round of Feather Bowling. Don’t write it off because of the name. It’s a Belgian sport that combines bocce ball and curling … and it’s played on dirt! Real men play in dirt!
4300 Cadieux, Detroit, Michigan | Website
2. Nancy Whiskey
Think: Animal House meets Cheers. It’s not crazy like the Delta Tau Chi fraternity but there are always some wild antics supported by a great community vibe where “everybody knows your name.” With a very basic inside consisting of tables, chairs, a stage and bottles of liquor behind the bar as far as the eye can see, it’s just the right place to fill up on bar food and talk about nothing all night long. On top of that, it survived a fire! Talk about manly factor!
2644 Harrison, Detroit | Website
3. Nemo’s
It’s a sports bar decorated more than a Mardi Gras float. They’re in Corktown, Detroit’s oldest neighborhood, and have probably collected and decorated with a piece of history each year since the open. The food is good and the beer is cold but the best part? In the men’s bathrooms, there is a fighter bee sticker in each urinal. Use it as a target to reduce splatter. I can appreciate manly ingenuity.
1384 Michigan Avenue, Detroit | Website
4. Grand Trunk Pub
Once a ticket sales office on the Grand Trunk railways, this pub has since converted and offers a hearty food scene with a side of awesome atmosphere. It’s technically two levels and boasts much of the original architecture. With plenty of beers on tap, this pub makes for a manly hangout with the bros.
612 Woodward Avenue, Detroit | Website
5. The Old Miami
Established as a bar for Vietnam Veterans (we’ve heard before that “Miami” is actually an acronym for “Missing In Action Michigan), it has a dive bar feel with an attitude to match. It’s a bar where you’ll get yelled at for touching the jukebox or sitting down with your legs crossed. Real men fight in wars and tear apart their enemies with their teeth. Real men drink whiskey shots and chase them down with Tabasco sauce. Go to the Old Miami and if you find a Veteran you’re sure to hear about a half of dozen war stories.
3930 Cass, Detroit | Facebook