My spouse and I had drinks at the Anchor Bar on a Monday
afternoon in early July 2017. We stayed nearby at the Doubletree Fort Shelby,
and excluding the hotel bar, the Anchor Bar was the closest place to have a
drink. The bar is open daily from lunchtime until early morning. (Note that the
Detroit Anchor Bar is not associated with the Buffalo Anchor Bar where buffalo
wings originated.)
The Anchor Bar has been a favorite watering hole for employees
of the city’s newspapers, television station, and law enforcement since it
opened in the late 1950s. Framed black-and-white photographs of favorite deceased
patrons hang behind and above the bar in an homage. Originally, the original
Anchor Bar made its home on Third Street, then later moved to Fourth Street. After
Federal agents raided the bar in the early 1970s, it re-opened a few years
later in the Hotel Fort Shelby on Lafayette Street. Finally, in the early
1990s, the Anchor Bar moved to its present home on Fort Street in the two-story
100-year-old Mercier Building, located around the corner from the Fort/Cass
station of the People Mover. Be sure to read about the bar’s colorful history
on its paper placemat menu.
The Anchor Bar offers beer on draft and by the bottle, in
addition to wine and cocktails. The bar offers American pub food including
burgers, tuna melts, grilled cheese, club sandwiches, fries, tater tots, wings,
and salads. The kitchen is at the rear corner of the restaurant space and is open
to the rest of the bar. The bar’s interior features high ceilings, brickwork,
and a long bar with an antique bar back, mantel, and mirror. You can sit at the
bar itself, or at tables and booths arranged on the opposite side of the long
room. The space originally held a jeweler; its walk-in safes remain but are
used only for storage. The bar has a private event room, and it also offers free
shuttle (school) bus transportation during sporting events. The bar also offers
a pool table and jukebox for your entertainment, in addition to several TVs.
If you stay nearby, stop by the Anchor Bar for a drink.
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