Motor City Bar

02/12/09

still a gem

by SJPStar

I still love this place, & altho some b&t will linger on weekends, the overall vibe 7 atmosphere & the music keep it real. I still appreciate the attitude from all the staff which gives this place its charm. I did see a fight inside towards closing time last time I was there which made me a little uncomfortable, but staff was able to handle it well. Still a definite stop on the weekedays & even on the weekends when a sea of fratty b&t types stroll into the les. There's not too many places in this neighborhood with a vibe such as Motor City has.

• Pros: unique les vibe
• Cons: the sea of b&t on the streets in the neighborhood on weekends

04/22/08

fun time but don't take it seriously

by callahannnn

This is a good bar but it's the kind of place where you have to look the part. I have a good time when I wear a metal shirt, but have been treated poorly when I've come from work and had a suit on. There are two metal DJs, the male one is very nice and conversational, the female thinks she knows everything about the history of metal (she does not) and is extremely rude. The bartenders are accordingly extremely rude and will say "that's it?" if you tip under $2 (especially if you don't look the part!). This isn't a place to expect good treatment - it's a Detroit-themed dive bar in hipster central: Ludlow & Rivington. Every night is different in this place. Just make sure you have the well-constructed starving artist look and act at least a bit pseudo-intellectual and aloof, and you'll be fine.

• Pros: PBR mad cheap, great location (other bars close by), great/original music
• Cons: don't expect to pick anyone up at MC, arrogant/confrontational bartenders

03/13/07

great LES spot

by leedsinger78

what can i say great LES spot! been here many times & it has a great LES crowd & there are only a few spots in this neighborhood that draws a unique crowd

10/02/06

Good drinks...idiot staff

by newyorkdetroiter

I recently had a birthday party here. I am originally from Detroit and had a great time picking out all of the signs and references...it was when I ordered drinks that things began going down hill. Out of three bartenders, one was nice. The other two women shared the same grimmace and slob-like disgusted look on their faces. It's another "you're lucky to get a drink from us" type of mentality. The bouncer was about as pleasant as throwing up on a humid summer day. The go-go dancer, with her "man-ish" expression, was so incredibly rude that her skimpy outfit became more offensive than it was attractive. Overall, these people need desperately to get off of their miserable high horses and realize that they should treat a party of 50+ paying customers with a bit of respect rather than retardation. Being from Detroit, I was not impressed...bunch of sorry a-s empoyees at this place...

• Pros: Huge shots
• Cons: Everything else other than the Detroit references

04/12/06

User review by bingbangbong

by bingbangbong

This whole place looks as if it was perfectly planned to seem randomly gathered. Even the staff appear to have been cast rather than hired. The bouncer is the Lower East Side and the bikini girl dancing in the window is directly out of 1950. Cheap beer, decent drinks and a Star Wars pinball machine. The only problem is the same as every bar in this neighborhood, holier than thou hipsters and happy hour warriors dividing the bar like a scene from West Side Story.

• Pros: Price, Atmosphere, Girl in the window
• Cons: Attitudes