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The Motor Bar

3.3 (26 reviews)
ModerateBars
Closed • 3:00 pm - 12:00 am (Next day)

The Motor Bar Photos

THE MOTOR BAR ATMOSPHERE

What's the vibe?
Moderate noise
Good for groups

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Recommended Reviews - The Motor Bar

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Historic building all lit up.
Nycole K.

Good spot if you are staying at the Westin Book Cadillac and looking for a place to hang out and grab a small bite and cold beverage before heading back to your room to prepare for a night out. It's basically in the lobby of the Westin, but it's definitely an above average "lobby", even as far as world class hotels go. Beautifully refurbished grand ballroom style space with big tall windows, velvet curtains and big cushy chairs. Great spot to chill and watch the world go by. They have several local craft brews on tap and a full bar. The hummus appetizer was so-so, and being Detroit I expected better, but since that's all we ate I can't let that weigh too heavily into my rating. The service was good and the atmosphere relaxing. Not too shabby for a hotel lobby bar!

The entrance to the Westin Book Cadillac
Tiffany D.

The Motor Bar is located on the second floor of the newly restored Westin Book Cadillac hotel. The space itself is beautiful and rich looking. It is decorated with dark woods and light neutrals with splashes of colors everywhere. There is a variety of seating available in the bar area, and I expect this place to rival The Corner bar in the Townsend in Birmingham. The drinks when I visited were well poured. My friend commented that they could've used a larger range of cocktails, but I imagine that is something that will probably happen as the place gets its legs. Right now it's the perfect spot to meet for a drink and realize that Detroit might just be in the middle of that big Renaissance we hear so much about.

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3 months ago

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18 years ago

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4 years ago

Small selection of food, average flavor, nothing exceptional. Pretty pricey for drinks and food. Staff friendly but not attentive.

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13 years ago

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17 years ago

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12 years ago

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8 years ago

What a great place for a pre dinner cocktail! Dominique was such a sweet and nice server! She made our experience wonderful!

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17 years ago

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14 years ago

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7 years ago

Take a step back in time. Great place for a late night snack or drink. Friendly staff too!

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17 years ago

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Review Highlights - The Motor Bar

“Absolutely adore sitting on the plush couches enjoying coffee and dessert or apps and cocktails.”

Mentioned in 2 reviews

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Standby - Big Eye Tuna

Standby

4.4(729 reviews)
0.3 mi•Downtown Detroit
•$$

Had such an amazing experience at Standby!! The food and especially the drinks were outstanding…read more The cocktail menu was organized into three parts: Opening, Principals, and Finish. The theme was "Yes, Chef: An exploration of culinary icons through a cocktail lens." Each drink was inspired by or dedicated to a famous culinary icon, and you can read about each one in the index. We each ordered one drink from each section. From the Opening, I chose the Diaspora Club, which was so refreshing and delicious. Then from the Principals, I chose the Chingona, which was a little bit spicy and savory but still so refreshing. To Finish, I chose the Chocolatier Cosmo, which came with a tiny house-made salted dark chocolate. I loved all three cocktails I ordered, especially the chocolatier cosmo because it was perfectly sweet and went so well with the small piece of chocolate. For food, we started off with the crispy pork belly milk bread. For my entree, I ordered the miso butter gnocchi. It was kind of on the salty side but I still really liked it. The apple sofrito added a bit of sweetness to it. For dessert, we had to get the rhubarb coffee cake, which came with strawberry ice cream. Omg one of the best desserts I've ever had!! I never thought of combining cinnamon coffee cake with rhubarb or strawberry but it's perfect, and I might have to make something like that soon. Service was great and we were seated right away at 8pm on a Saturday despite not having a reservation. Food and drinks came out promptly and timed perfectly. We spent about 1.5 hours here and we never felt rushed.

What a cool little speakeasy in downtown Detroit! Most known for their drinks, don't sleep on their…read moreamazing, under the radar, food! The pork belly on toast and roasted carrots were absolutely delicious. About the drinks, these bartenders know their stuff. I ordered a late 1800s gin drink called the Clover Club and he knew right away what it was and made it perfectly. The guy had skills behind the bar and showed some flair making drinks. The vibe was super chill and relaxed with good music gently played in the background. Highly recommended this spot if you're in Detroit.

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Standby - Seating area

Seating area

Standby - Smashed Cucumber Salad

Smashed Cucumber Salad

Standby - Coconut Shrimp

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Coconut Shrimp

The Trolley Room

The Trolley Room

4.1(21 reviews)
0.0 mi•Downtown Detroit

Breakfasts with servers Eric and Danai were delightful. On early week days only one of them is…read morescheduled to do it all. Serve, bus, deliver food to the table, manage the cocktail bar. The management team needs to add an assistant to help them out on those days! The chef and cooks provided us with delicious meals each morning. Prices were reasonable for the times. $50 for two prior to gratuity. I would have given a 5 star rating if the number if the servers had a helper.

Dinner menu looked good, but the kitchen was long closed when we arrived after the Tigers game…read more(11:30). Came here for breakfast and there was only one person working the tables( serving/ cleaning, etc.). Subsequently, our breakfast took a lot longer than we had hoped for. My husband ordered the sourdough French toast which had fresh fruit and was delicious ($15). I ordered the Trolley Express: 2 eggs with home fries (yum), my choice of turkey sausage and delicious sourdough toast )$25). No regular milk was available and I didn't want soy, almond and whatever the third one was, so I got green tea. It was fabulous, a blend of jasmine and green tea leaves. We ordered it online after, can't wait. Several prints ( blown up postcards) of the trolleys of Detroit; very cool and hence the name. Our stay included 2 complimentary breakfasts ($15 pp) and two drinks; not sure if this is standard. Hoping whomever most likely called out comes in to help this overworked employee.

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The Trolley Room
The Trolley Room
The Trolley Room

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Bad Luck Bar - Back bar.

Bad Luck Bar

4.2(237 reviews)
0.1 mi•Downtown Detroit
•$$$

Bad Luck Bar is exactly the kind of place that makes you feel like you earned your cocktail before…read moreyou even order it. It is tucked away in an alley, and yes, the trash bins may briefly make you question your life choices. But once you spot the glass block window, you know you are in the right place. The second you walk in, the vibe completely changes. You are greeted by a friendly host, then brought into this tiny, dark, cozy little speakeasy that feels like it seats maybe 25 people total, including the bar. It is intimate in the best way, with a gorgeous liquor wall and a rolling ladder that makes the whole room feel dramatic without trying too hard. The drinks are the reason to come. They are creative, unusual, and genuinely unlike what you will find at a standard cocktail bar. Some of the spirit combinations sound like they should not work on paper, but somehow they absolutely do. The mixologists clearly know what they are doing, because every "wait, really?" ingredient pairing seems to turn into something balanced, interesting, and dangerously easy to appreciate. The only things to keep in mind are the size and the pricing. It can get busy quickly because it is so small, and cocktails can run anywhere from around $20 to over $100 depending on what you order. Not exactly a casual "oops, I had three" kind of place unless your wallet has been emotionally prepared. Bad Luck Bar is moody, memorable, and one of the more unique cocktail experiences in Detroit. It feels hidden, thoughtful, and just a little mischievous, which is exactly what a good speakeasy should be.

A HIDDEN gem! It's nestled in an alley, so yes you will question if you are going the right way!…read moreLol Greeted by a host as soon as you enter and fair warning - - it's small and popular. Please make a reservation! Our wait was about 30-40 mins so we walked to another spot to have a drink and wait. It's a cozy lux vibe with an upscale cocktail menu. This is not your normal tequila and soda okay! Know before you go! Visit their website and preview the drink options if you don't have experience with this style of bar. I ordered the Forgotten Blossom because all things lychee has been my thing lately. The drink looks like water but it is not! lol It's strong drink + having aperitif in it. The waiter was attentive and checked in on us consistently. We even received a complimentary shot after being seated and complimentary birthday shots for the birthday folks! I thoroughly enjoyed myself, and I will be back real soon!

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Bad Luck Bar
Bad Luck Bar
Bad Luck Bar

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Spkrbox

Spkrbox

4.2(53 reviews)
0.1 mi•Downtown Detroit

I went to Sprkbox Wednesday night after 10 and it was House music night. I went with a few other…read moregals and we had a really good time. The bartender was super sweet and make some really potent drinks, they weren't expensive. There was a rotation of 3 DJs for the night and I partied from 10:30 til they closed around 2am. The dance floor is in the basement. There are a ton of little nooks and booths to sit in and take a break. I danced all night. I have t had that much fun dancing in a long time. And I danced for hours! Sweat glistening on my brow. My body moving and grooving to the funky soulful house beats. It felt so freeing to be in a space where everyone was having a good a time and doing their own thing. I had my hands in the air. It was sensual. It was sexy. It was a vibe. Now the bathroom situation is interesting. So, the bathroom situation is 2 urinals and the sink in the open space as well as an enclosed single stall. The only thing with that is it's all-gender, which is not the issue. But the layout of the restroom is you could potentially come out of the single stall and be in the same space with someone actively using the open urinals which is a bit awkward. Washing your hands and checking yourself in the mirror while some random person is pee'ing 2 feet away. As a woman I think about safety with a shared space like that so do what you will with that info. Outside of that I had a really fun time. Everyone was super nice and the cover was $10pp. If you decide you don't wanna dance they have an enclosed bar on the street level of the establishment as well as outdoor seating if that's you're thing. If I was in Detroit again, I'd go shake my booty there again! I had fun!

The drinks are strong 10/10 nice house music playing. I'd you pay $10 you can go downstairs to the…read morespeakeasy. The bartender was awesome and attentive. I would definitely return

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Spkrbox - Cubano

Cubano

Spkrbox
Spkrbox

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Kamper’s Rooftop Lounge - Xiuxos

Kamper’s Rooftop Lounge

4.0(82 reviews)
0.1 mi•Downtown Detroit

I have had the pleasure of going to Kamper's a few times now, for cocktail hours for two weddings…read moreas well as just for fun! Definitely recommend getting a reservation. The bartenders are helpful with picking out drinks you may enjoy, and their drinks are fabulous! There is really something for everyone's palate on their menu. Kamper's is really all about the vibes. The views are incredible and the Book Tower is an iconic staple of Detroit architecture. Great views of the new Hudson building / GM HQ as well! On a sunny summer day, you really can't beat this rooftop.

Leave or to my daughter to find the most off the beaten path restaurant to celebrate her birthday…read more She is obsessed with rooftop views hence how we ended up here. I took one look at the menu and cocktail list, and determed that we would be going somewhere else to eat afterwards, thinking, "this won't be a long visit at all." But oh was I pleasantly surprised. First round of cocktails set the tone and gave us the courage to go ahead and try some of the plates. We decided on the shrimp, pork belly and gorgonzola cheese ones. Absolutely delicious. So then we decided on round two of cocktails the plate of chips, avocado toast and another round of pork belly! Again, divine. Although I will admit, everything got dipped into the pork belly sauce. Was tempted to do a round three to try the highly recommended lobster rolls but decided to save something for the next visit because there will be one. They executed all the small plates exceptionally well. And the cocktails were top quality! Only complaint was the seats are very low to the ground. I'm short and my legs were aching. I can only imagine how uncomfortable those with normal legs feel after dining. BTW my daughter and her friends had a wonderful birthday celebration but ended up leaving us adults there because we were having such a good time!

Photos
Kamper’s Rooftop Lounge - First floor lobby bar at The Book Hotel is just gorgeous.

First floor lobby bar at The Book Hotel is just gorgeous.

Kamper’s Rooftop Lounge - Pan con tomate

Pan con tomate

Kamper’s Rooftop Lounge - The Encanto with mahon gin, coconut, celery bitters, indian tonic

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The Encanto with mahon gin, coconut, celery bitters, indian tonic

The Motor Bar - bars - Updated October 2026

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