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Temple Bar

4.3 (72 reviews)
InexpensiveDive Bars
Closed 1:00 pm - 2:00 am (Next day)

Temple Bar Photos

Business Info

TEMPLE BAR ATMOSPHERE

What's the vibe?
Juke Box
Divey
Moderate noise
Outdoor seating

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Reviews With Photos

the front of the building
Deniece W.

I first learned of this bar from watching the Tim Robinson show "Detroiters" (fantastic, funny show if you haven't seen it). It's a chill dive bar in downtown Detroit. It's within walking distance if you're going to an event at Little Caesar's Arena or the Masonic Temple. Drink prices are a little higher than I expected. The bartenders and patrons are friendly and talkative. They have DJs on certain days of the week. Be sure to check out the mural in the back.

a bottle of beer and a blue cup
Nolan S.

I rolled into Detroit for the first time ever and an unassuming bar stood out and called to me immediately. It was the Temple Bar. I walked up not sure if it was even open but a haggard looking woman carrying a bunch of shit popped out and carried on down the road. I knew it was open. When I walked in I was greeted by a friendly bartender with glasses and a handlebar mustache. There were maybe 3 or 4 other people at the bar I could see. A couple more in the back patio. This is a real great bar. They have a pool table, full bar, and great beer selection. Not a huge selection but a good one. Plus it was a gay bar and I couldn't even tell. Great place welcoming everyone. Support local! Cheers!

tables and a billiards table
Amy W.

The Temple bar has been a staple in this area of Detroit. The area needs some work but the Masonic Temple still brings in the business. This is a typical dive bar. We have been coming here for years. Although he says it was a bit different in the glory days. We came here prior to heading to a concert. We were the first customers to arrive in the quiet empty bar. The bartender was quick to greet us. She was so friendly! She explained that she had just left her job to come and work with her friend of 32 years (the long time owner). He was showing her the ropes. She was a real people person. You could tell she enjoyed her new job. She was fast and friendly and her pours were generous! The place started filling in with regulars when we were about ready to move on to the next spot. We enjoy this place and will be. Coming back for years and years. Cheers!

Storefront
Allison F.

I love the bartenders, the divey atmosphere, the gay-friendly vibe and the dance parties. You'll find a huge unpaved, free parking lot behind the bar. It is not secured, FYI. Sometimes they charge cover for dance nights; check their Facebook page before visiting so you know what you're in for. The space is dark with just enough kitsch to keep it fun (peep the neon genital signs in the DJ booth.) There's a pool table, a TouchTunes jukebox and a few TVs playing things like Drag Race or Judge Judy. The bathrooms aren't very private with their saloon doors. Prices are higher than what you'd expect for the atmosphere, with bottled domestics running $4-5, and mixed drinks going for $8+. A couple friends ordered two Long Islands and their total was $24. Granted, it was a lot of alcohol, but it was all well/no name stuff. Eeek! You'll have fun here on a Friday or Saturday night, though my recommendation is to stay away from mixed drinks and stick to bottled or draft stuff.

Carey C.

Great dive bar! $1 jello shots, that were uber strong. Only downfall is the music. They have a DJ, but the DJ only has records, and not a plethora of them either. Fun time - great eclectic crowd.

Got to appreciate some bathroom art!
Greg B.

I have been curious about this place forever, I remember going to the Masonic temple and seeing the temple bar on the way in saying I'd like to stop in there sometime and have a drink. Of course my friends, would always tell me, you need to be careful where you go lol. Well now it's become a hot spot for many people. I should have followed my instinct back then and went in. The decor is charming and very true to the period of the bar still. It gives you a feeling of the dive you want to have a drink at. I posted a picture of the bathroom because I feel that the art in the bathroom was pretty outstanding. So if you go, grab a drink and check out the bathroom. It sounds a little weird but I think you'll be impressed by the art also.

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2 months ago

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8 months ago

You need to come here if you live in and around Detroit. It's like a Time Machine. Always a good time and always interesting people.

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6 years ago

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4 years ago

Came here after a Lizzo concert at Little Caesar's Arena. Fun crowd. Good service. Danceable playlist.

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7 years ago

We only stopped by for a quick storefront selfie. RIP Detroiters, you will be missed :(

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Ask the Community - Temple Bar

What is a good place to park if I stop in to Temple Bar around 5PM on a Saturday before a show at Masonic? Is there someplace at least semi-secure I can leave my car parked the whole time?

Park for free behind Temple Bar. There's an unpaved lot but I wouldn't call it secure. There are paid, more secure lots across from Masonic, but you'll pay up to $25 there.

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Review Highlights - Temple Bar

Say Hey to George the Owner/Bartender when you hit the door because the only time you'll see him again is if you order at the bar.

Mentioned in 9 reviews

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The Old Miami

The Old Miami

3.9
(188 reviews)
0.5 mi
$

Stopped in on a weekday around 3pm after visiting the Detroit Institute of Arts. While we were…read morethere the tornado sirens started going off, which made for a memorable experience. Loved the cheap drinks, strong pours, and dive bar vibe

This is probably one of the nastiest bars I've been into and that says a lot. This place REAKS of…read moremold and mildew and it slaps you in the face right when you enter. I swear the odor is so powerful every breath fills your nose with mold. Everything in here doesn't look like it's been maintained cleaned or dusted in 30 years. There's piles of random items above the drink counter that look like it harbors dust from the 80s. Particles going right in the drink. On top of that they charged $10 at the door. And clearly it's a friends benefit kinda place because in the 45mins we were there we were LITERALLY THE ONLY PEOPLE WHO PAID A DOOR CHARGE!! Now we are sitting at the bar no drink menu no nothing. I order a simple 2 green tea shots and the waitress is like staring at me. And I'm repeating my order and she started making clicking noises with her mouth bopping her head like she tweaking. I ask her how much it will be and completely ignores me. She's definitely giving under the influence vibes. I'm like shouldn't be more than 20 dollars. NO I was charged 25 dollars for 2 green tea shots in a plastic shot cup. 45 mins and we were down 45 dollars place was gross af and the green tea shot tasted like straight sour mix.. The lady never even came back to the end of the bar to ask if we wanted something other than a green tea shot. Just spaced out talking to other bartender. We cut our losses and ran straight for the door Place needs Bar Rescue or a wrecking ball.

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The Old Miami
Inside The Old Miami, Detroit
Inside The Old Miami, Detroit
May the force be with you

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May the force be with you
Cafe D'Mongo's Speakeasy

Cafe D'Mongo's Speakeasy

4.1
(232 reviews)
0.7 mi
$$

proper detroit gem of a joint for music in a close quarters bar in the style of New Orleans or even…read morea Nashville alley.

I will prefise this by saying I have been here multiple times and enjoyed myself each time, even…read morerecommending it to others. But after last night I will never be returning. I noticed a man in a booth by himself watching a woman intently with his left hand rubbing himself. I immediately notified my husband thinking maybe I'm seeing things, and at this point the man doubled down and fully reached his right hand into his pants pulling them down to where his bare butt was on the booth. This was in full and obvious view of my husband and I, concerning us with the safety of the woman so we alerted our waitress who noticed the foul behavior and grabbed a woman (her superior maybe?) for backup. These two women told the man to stop and get up which he did, but we were informed he was a performer. At this point two men, the owner and manager (?) confronted us. instead of the expected response of shock and apologizing and correcting the situation which would be removing the perpetrator from the bar, they immediately dismissed our claim stating he may have been scratching himself and they will have to check the cameras, saying we are trying to ruin their business by spreading this information. Even the woman worker from earlier all of a sudden had some form of amnesia where she did not see the incident and claimed we were lying. In what world would we lie about something like this, we have nothing to gain from lying, only wanting the behavior to stop and be prevented for the future. We paid for our drinks 100%. I would love to see the footage and even if the cameras were thoroughly reviewed, showing a perfect angle of the act in question, I'm sure these higher ups would claim he was only scratching himself. For over five minutes, under his pants while staring at a woman standing near him who was bent over talking. Give me a break. I am just appalled but honestly not surprised that in this day and age men like this are not being held accountable for their actions. As a community we have a duty to protect others in this sick world and it's so sad that this clearly is not the priority of this business. If you do come here, which I would not recommend any longer, then please stay vigilant to predators that are very much welcome here.

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Inside
Inside
Cafe D'Mongo's Speakeasy
Menu

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Menu
The Well

The Well

3.9
(55 reviews)
0.9 mi
$

Less of my ambivalent opinion was about the bar itself. We went there to check in for a bar crawl…read more Waited outside for 40 minutes. Once checked in we found a bartender quickly, got a shot and a beer. Uncomfortable metal stools and very few tables. No glass with a can of beer. Just meh...

So just to be 100% honest, the well is definitely a dive bar. So you basically get what you get…read morewhen you come here. It has decent music so don't get it twisted, it has plenty of space, they're not a lot of seats though so you'll be standing around most likely. But is a dive bar vibe. Don't expect fancy martinis or anything like that. They always have specials though. So if you can't get your Tito's lemon drop, you can get two for five beers or something LOL. The service is what you would expect from a busy location. I mean, it's pretty much nothing but bar so with only like two bartenders you got to wait at the end of the day. So just be conscientious of that and give it Grace because you are getting a service that you expect to come to contact with while you walk into a dive bar. I've been going there for years. Well before I moved, it is a staple and I feel like it's never going to die. It is always consistent and it'll give you exactly what you need. It's really good for pre-drinking because of drinks are fairly cheap, so keep that in mind. If you do go, you might want to go ahead and consider parking. Parking is going to be street parking because there's no lot specifically for this establishment. But there is plenty of parking in after a certain time in Detroit it's going to be free. If you are going to go ahead and do the well, it's best to go ahead and start the night with that so you don't have to worry about too many expensive drinks your at your actual location. And then after that You may want to consider finishing the night there. After you've had all the fancy dinners and stuff, if you want to go ahead and wrap up the night with a couple of cheap drinks, this is the place for you.

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The Well
Big screens w green for St Patty's Day
Big screens w green for St Patty's Day
Yes you are!

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Yes you are!
Salty Dog

Salty Dog

3.0
(32 reviews)
10.1 mi
$

Walked in with about 6 friends ( all 25-30)years old) last week. We wanted to play some pool, throw…read moresome darts and have some drinks since " On the rocks" had no tables left. We walk in and we all show our ID's to the bartender. About 5 minutes goes by and the bartender comes back over to us and explains " the manager called and said some of you look under 21" and that " we must leave immediately"... we thought it was a joke, but it certainly was not. We all left promptly and went to the liquor across the street and played uno at home instead (way better than the salty dog anyway) Totally explains why there was 4 people in there on a Friday Night !!! I hate writing a bad review but id like to prevent anybody else from having this experience ! Go to on the rocks 1/4 mile north of there if you want to have fun / a good time with your friends that enjoy karaoke and actually getting served . Made for a good story and a reason to never go back. Marty if you're reading this, either make a way for your bartender to feel confident reading an ID, or get a scanner to confirm authenticity. Certainly never bringing any friends there for a good time again. Ill give 3 stars to not completely diminish your rating and be favorable towards one bad experience but personally id like to give 1 star for being such a vibe killer and ultimately making me a salty dog

Crazy ship shaped themed bar we've frequented off and on for over forty years…read more Times have changed since everyone dressed like pirates and they had a lunch crowd back in the eighties. At one point there were even stag films and a bottomless waitstaff. The drinks are a bit lacking, as to be expected by the atmosphere and there's no longer the same vibe they once offered. Sadly, we saw no food and an incredibly filthy dive bar. The only saving grace was the nice staff and bits of the Pirates of the Caribbean film. 08/25

Photos
Go 'gers!
Go 'gers!
A few more seats to belly up to the bar
A few more seats to belly up to the bar
Port hole is a nice touch

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Port hole is a nice touch

Temple Bar - divebars - Updated June 2026

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