Best Football Bars In Detroit
By Lori Melton
NFL season kicked off with Thursday Night Football on Sept. 7. If you want to cheer your favorite team on to victory with a beverage of your choice and some great food in a local crowd of passionate fellow fans, check out our picks below for the Best Football Bars in Detroit.
TAP
MGM Grand Casino
1777 3rd St.
Detroit, MI 48226
(313) 465-1234
www.mgmgranddetroit.com/en/restaurants/tap-at-mgm-grand-detroit.html
Motor City sports fans love TAP inside MGM Grand Casino for several reasons. First, if you like to watch the game with a brew, TAP boasts more than 50 draught and bottled beers, as well as some popular Michigan craft brew selections. Plus, TAP has over 40 flat screens, lots of fun sports memorabilia and if you want to brag or post live updates about your team on social media, there's free Wi-Fi. Finally, if you're in the mood for a great bar burger, look no further! The Triple Threat is a monster – with three patties, bacon, cheddar, pickles, and scrumptious secret TAP sauce.
Tommy's Detroit Bar & Grill
624 Third St.
Detroit, MI 48226
(313) 965-2269
www.tommysdetroit.com
Tommy's is a throwback to the kind of neighborhood bar where patrons are treated like family. The bar is housed in a building that was built in 1840, just up the street from Joe Louis Arena. The basement has a sealed off door that was a secret entrance to a casino and an escape tunnel underneath it back in Prohibition days, with ties to Detroit's notorious Purple Gang mobsters. Today, Tommy's serves some Detroit favorites on the menu including Faygo pop, Better Made chips and Stroh's beer. Burgers are ground-fresh daily and never frozen. Kick back with friends and catch the game on a flat screen or take a break and play some pool. Or if prefer to see the game live, Tommy's offers free shuttle service to all sporting events.
Bookies Bar & Grille
2208 Cass Ave.
Detroit, MI 48201
(313) 962-0319
www.bookiesbar.com
Bookies Bar has been serving the Detroit community for over 13 years, which makes it a Game Day favorite hangout. For those of you venturing out to the stadium, Bookies runs a free shuttle to all Detroit Lions, Tigers, and Redwings games. If you'd rather pull up a chair and get your game on with a friendly neighborhood crowd, then Bookies is one of the best places to be. Game Day specials are a pitcher and 4 shots for $15, or a bucket of Coronas for $16. If you're hungry, Mile High Nachos, Pretzel Bites and Spicy Spanitz Bros. Sausage are great shareables. There is also a great selection of cooked-to-order burgers, sandwiches, wraps and salads.
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Elwood Bar & Grill
300 E. Adams
Detroit, MI 48226
(313) 962-2337
www.elwoodgrill.com
Football fans love gathering in this historic Downtown Detroit diner on Game Day, which is near Comerica Park and Ford Field. Elwood B & Grill has been around since 1936 and offers multiple flat screen TVs and a wide selection of brews (including some locally-brewed varieties). Great food options include Detroit-style coney dogs, a chop house prime burger, fresh-ground turkey burgers, and melt-in-your mouth grilled cheese paninis. Elwood opens two hours prior to game time on game nights and really packs in a crowd, so be sure to get there early.
Cheli's Chili Bar
47 E. Adams
Detroit, MI 48226
(313) 961-1700
www.www.chelischilibar.com
If you're looking for someplace to kick back and settle in to cheer your team to a win, you have to check out Cheli's, which is almost as legendary as its owner. Former Detroit Red Wing defenseman and Hockey Hall of Famer Chris Chelios gives all sports fans a great Game Day experience in his four-story bar located in the sports hub of Downtown Detroit. His place houses 36 flat screen TVs across all levels and Cheli's Original Chili is a signature Game Day staple and the bar burgers are excellent too!
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