Bookie's Bar & Grille has been located on Cass Avenue just blocks away from Comerica Park for the last seven years. In those years, the watering hole has quickly gained a reputation for being the best place to eat, drink, and party before, during, and after a Tigers game. This year they're upping the ante, adding even more to their cache of attractions.
According to co-owner Jay Lambrecht, he and partner Mark Jerant have been making technological improvements that will allow them to take the party up to 11. Adding new equipment will mean DJs can spin on both the main floor and the rooftop deck, and large TVs mean you don't have to have a ticket to Comerica Park to have a front-row seat to the game.
Bookie's offers three levels of food, drinks, and fun, and although the whole place is family friendly, the rooftop deck definitely has a party-time atmosphere that might not be the most appropriate for the kiddos. Lambrecht recommends keeping them on the main floor, which still has great amenities and an enormous TV.
It's a little chilly right now, but once the weather breaks, that rooftop deck might be the best place downtown to grab a bite to eat and drink during a game — or after work or during lunch or before a concert at the Fillmore. A full menu of sandwiches, entrees, and appetizers is available along with Bookie's signature game-day drink special, a pitcher of beer and four shots for $15.
Speaking of the menu, Lambrecht says they've recently brought in a new chef to spice things up. The revamped menu breathes a little life into a place that, while awesome, might be a little too familiar for some.
Bookie's is worth a visit even if the Tigers aren't playing at Comerica. They have a bottomless happy hour from 5 to 7 p.m. Tuesday through Friday ,when you can get your fill of domestic beers and well drinks for a mere $10, and for an extra $5 you can get another hour of drinking added on to that special. Every Tuesday night Bookie's screen Quentin Tarantino movies on that huge flat screen on the main floor, an event that comes with plenty of drink specials. And every Friday and Saturday night from 10 p.m. to 2 a.m., there's music and dancing.
