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    Willis Show Bar

    4.4 (163 reviews)

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    Tiana T.

    I went here to attend and support a Kamala Harris campaign event hosted by a dear friend of mine. The music was fantastic. The bartender was friendly and made delicious drink recommendations. It was a great night!

    Shelley B.

    Retro bar with great vibe! Very inimate with great musical sounds! Two stages. Parking can be challenging but we found street parking right in front.

    Tequila Sunrise
    Deborah B.

    The drinks were amazing and Love the live music. I'm definitely a frequent customer. The atmosphere looks amazing.

    Rude bartender walking past for the 8th time without greeting guest
    Diamond C.

    Had a great time after EMAD despite the bartenders being rude and ignoring my guest and I. I didn't have any drinks prior to arriving, sat at the bar and smiled as I made eye contact with the bartender. The place was not busy so I assumed she'd greet us at some point. Instead she pranced back and forth ignoring us but continued to serve the gentleman sitting directly next to me. We had to move to another part of the bar to get a simple glass of wine from the male bartender. Later during the night she continued to ignore in my opinion most of the women but I can only speak for myself. I even had to ask a man to order a glass of water because she refused. Not sure what her deal was all of the bartenders were kind of rude but she was the worst the other bartenders made things better once they realized I just wanted a glass of wine but their initial response to being told that she was unnecessarily rude was "do you think she cares?" and shrugged it off like it was completely normal and acceptable to be treated that way in that bar. The place is small but looks nice I'd say try it (or not) but avoid this bartender anyone being rude to friendly strangers shouldn't be trusted in a service based position there's no telling what she'd do. I took photos for reference.

    Deborah C.

    Killer cocktails and a fun, upbeat atmosphere. The in-house DJs we're playing such great music it was hard not to get up and dance! Bartenders/cocktail servers were very friendly and efficient. Love this place!

    Carey C.

    We had the best seats in the house! But I don't think there would.be a bad one. Evan was our server and gave us lots of attention to all our questions. He even got all.giddy when his favorite band showed up. Loved the gin drink, but not the monkey pit one. Did not like the bourbon and pineapple combo. I think cuz i just like bourbon straight. Loved the fancy bathrooms with the good paper products. Girls notice that stuff. Would.definitely venture back her again. Yum village food rocked. I loved how spicy the lemon pepper chicken was and how tender the short ribs were. I still favor the jerk chix at Jamaica Pot over Yum tho. Thanks for the fun evening Willis Bar, Yum Village and Yelp.

    Hallway to restrooms
    Taegan H.

    A few months ago my friend and I went to Willis Show Bar for an artist's show. The ambiance was great, love the lighting in this place. They did get one star less due to the bartender charging me $4 for a glass of cranberry juice on the rocks.. I thought that was strange and petty. We didn't want alcohol that night but wasn't expecting to have to buy juice lol.

    Shunda B.

    Ok this is my second time attending an event - I definitely love the atmosphere of this place. You can come alone, with friends, and/or even a date - they have a WIDE SELECTION of drinks. If you don't know what you're looking for - then just close your eyes and point (heck make a game out of it with friends). Lol! Just FYI - you might want to stick with drinks that are made straight up because mixed drinks are heavily filled with ice. Straight drinks = YES Mixed drinks = NO (request extremely light ice) Please note - no serious food here but they do have a few snacks you can order. Happy drinking!!!

    Bar
    Fady E.

    Great music! Friendly staff! Drinks are smooth! DJ plays vinyl and live band is awesome. Funk and R&B

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    Sean P.

    Thanks for the kind review!!

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    2 years ago

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    Sean P.

    Thanks for the nice review!!

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    Sean P.

    Thanks for the nice review!!

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    Sean P.

    Thanks for the nice review!!

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    Sean P.

    Thanks for the kind review!! We hope you come back again soon.

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    2 years ago

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    Sean P.

    Thanks for the nice review!!

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    Sean P.

    Thanks for the nice review!!

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    Sean P.

    Nice photos, thanks for coming by.

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    Sean P.

    Thanks for the 5 stars and hope you'll come back by soon.

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    Sean P.

    Thanks for the nice review!!

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    2 years ago

    Amazing show! Book a table in advance and be ready to have a good time and dance! A gem !

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    Sean P.

    Thanks for the nice review!!

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    2 years ago

    No food but the drinks were great! Service was very well too. Love the vibe I danced and dranked all night

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    Sean P.

    Thanks for the nice review!!

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    3 years ago

    Awesome experience, enjoyed the band and artist Samara! Drinks, ambience, service, and vibes were top tier!

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    Sean P.

    Thanks for the nice review!!

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    2 years ago

    Ambiance is a very cool vibe and really yummy food. The service was very good and people are really nice

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    Sean P.

    Thanks for the nice review!!

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    3 years ago

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    Sean P.

    Thanks for the great review & pics!! We hope you come back again soon.

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    7 years ago

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    2 years ago

    Great Music, drinks, ambiance. Great date night experience. You can sit at bar or a reserved table.

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    Sean P.

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    Page 1 of 5

    Ask the Community - Willis Show Bar

    How's Wednesday Nights? Also How's The Food Service?

    There is absolutely no food menu, just drinks. They are closed on Wednesdays

    Is their a cover charge?

    Yes

    Can 18 + come here?

    Patrons must be 21+.

    On Saturdays, are the 8 and 10 shows the same duration, or is 10 longer? Thank you.

    The 10p shows are the same length as the 8p shows. Have fun!! You will love Willis!!

    View All 5 Questions

    Review Highlights - Willis Show Bar

    Velvety, candlelit dark, plush booths, great live music, burlesque dancers, and top notch drinks.

    Mentioned in 8 reviews

    Read more highlights

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    Father Forgive Me was high on my Detroit list after hearing so much hype about it, both online and…read morefrom friends. Nate and I stopped in on our most recent visit to Detroit and had a lovely experience. The space is tucked away but had a surprising amount of outdoor space--we were there in January but I'd love to come back in the summer. We were greeted right away and given a spot near the bar. The menu includes cocktails, lots of wine, and several tasty food options. It was quite busy inside, so it took a bit of time for our server to come over to us, but we weren't in a rush. They had ten cocktails on their list and I tried the bullet proof soul and Nate got the negroni alla perra. The ingredients list for some of the cocktails include things I've never heard of, but at a place like this, I just know it's going to be good. Our drinks were perfectly balanced and very tasty. We also ordered the mortadella sandwich to split--this was delicious. It was pretty messy, but worth it. It was perfectly toasted and full of mortadella. Everything on the menu sounded delicious and I would love to try more of the food options. Can't wait to visit again!

    Another great new destination spot on Detroit's east side. It's more then a bar with outdoor…read moreseating. There's artwork, a skatepark, renovated houses, gardens and a church that is now an art gallery. We stopped in to check it out and sat at the bar for a cocktail and snack. The waitstaff were super helpful in explaining everything and we finally picked 2 apps and got drinks. Both were amazing. There were friendly patrons all around and we chatted with other bar admirers. We checked out the coffee shop, Warda, but didn't purchase anything then, but have had several of their desserts since then and they did not disappoint. The atmosphere is wonderful, indoor/outdoor bar, great outside seating - not sure how this will work in the winter? They also have very pretty stone paths with multicolor stones mixed in for a very peaceful beautiful look. It inspired me to add some multicolored stones to my garden! I can't wait to return.

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    Bar Pigalle - Bar Pigalle

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    4.3(202 reviews)
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    This is a great spot to come to. Me and my friend I wanted to try French food in Detroit. My family…read moreis French so I grew up eating authentic French food. The mussels are definitely one of a kind and the seasoning was perfect The gnocchi was stellar! The portions were perfect. We were able to share a few things and the drinks, meaning the house cocktails, were very different. I would definitely return here again. It's a great ambience and it's very cozy.

    Had dinner at Bar Pigalle yesterday early evening…read more Highs Service was stellar. Our server was very welcoming and helped to set up our food order into courses that allowed us a very relaxing evening Cocktails were really good. I had a Last Word and it was very well done. The restaurant is decorated very nicely with warm wood trim. The bar area looked stellar and very French-bistro like. I will sit there next time No so Highs Food was good, but just OK. Between the two of us we had the beet salad, burger and steak tartare. Burger was good, but not the best smash burger that I've had. Beet salad was fine, however the cream cheese was a bit overpowering against the orange oil. It was dying for some citrus. Steak tartare was a bit dry, meaning that a small dab of olive oil would have added to the richness and overall mouth feel. I did not really taste the egg although I did see a dab of yolk on the tartare. Needed a bit of salt also to enhance the taste Menu was small, but it did cover a cross section of French bistro dishes. All in all, I thought it was a bit overpriced. So I will have to consider returning for a full meal. I would come back for a burger and beer at the bar.

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    Bar Pigalle - Bar Pigalle cocktail Just Friends

    Bar Pigalle cocktail Just Friends

    Bar Pigalle - Chef's selection of oysters with house hot sauce and mignonette at Bar Pigalle

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    I hadn't been home in three years, and I probably hadn't been to The Standby in five or six years…read more. and let me tell you, it's still just as amazing as I remember. Downtown Detroit definitely feels different now, and the crowd has shifted a bit, but none of that took away from what The Standby is. That alleyway magic is still there. Walking in honestly felt like a little blast from the past, and it made me really happy. It ended up being a highlight of my trip home. The food was phenomenal. The crab was so buttery, the waffle situation was amazing, and the overall execution across the menu was impressive. We ordered a lot, basically half the menu and everything hit. * Short rib plate: delicious, rich, and comforting * Chicken schnitzel with curry mustard: WOW. Juicy, crunchy, fresh, perfectly seasoned. The curry mustard was everything, and that little pepper on top? 10/10. This was hands down my favorite dish. * Drinks: They had brand ambassadors for Wild Turkey, giving out free Old Fashioneds, which was honestly the perfect touch. We also had a small ounce pour of a mezcal that was beautifully smoked, super aromatic and smoky in the best way. Service was great too, we had two different servers, and both were attentive and kind. The only miss for me personally was the pastrami salmon toast. I wanted to love it so badly because I love salmon and I love smoked fish, but it just wasn't for me. I actually sent it back (which I felt bad about). I think the slight sweetness, (possibly from the tomato jam)threw it off for my palate. I was craving something fully savory with a bit of acidity. I think a thicker, crunchier toast and a more umami-forward, citrusy or pickled element might have taken it where it needed to go. That said, I know pastrami-style salmon is a thing right now, it just didn't work for me. Everything else? Truly amazing. The Standby will forever be a place I come back to when I'm home. I'm excited to return, see what's new on the menu, and relive that magic again. Highly recommend. 10 out of 10. Will absolutely be back.

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    Castalia - Gingerbread cocktail

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    Don't miss your chance to visit this intimate cocktail bar by night perfumery by day. They've made…read morethe decision to close end of the month. Located in the basement level of an1880's Victorian mansion. Vibe is cozy, cool, eclectic. Drinks are crafted to complement the scent notes of their perfumes. Menu changes seasonally. Ellie was bartending this evening (and she's excellent). Two fav drinks were Land of Origin and Dust & Clay. Small bites like nuts (specially made for them by the Detroit Nut Co.) and charcuterie boards are available. Take home items like perfumes, candles, spirits, and apparel are available. Parking is easy and mostly free on the street. Special little place in a great neighborhood. Make reservations for the tastings or walk in. It's small, but they're super kind here and will make room for you if they can.

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    The Conservatory - Tea & Sherry cocktail, glass of Rioja, croquetas de jamon, patatas bravas, and tortilla española

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    Photos
    The Conservatory - Bar at the AC Hotel Detroit at the Bonstelle.

    Bar at the AC Hotel Detroit at the Bonstelle.

    The Conservatory - Espresso martini

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    Willis Show Bar - musicvenues - Updated May 2026

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