Wings are the best here.
Detroit Eatery
389 Danforth Ave.
(Sadly, this place burned down. It’s not a dive, and I was only going to include it on my site because the owner wanted me to. So, I now offer this pre-fire review as a memorial tribute.)
Wings are the best here. And they’re everywhere. Everywhere except the menu.
Since the eatery’s 1945 founding by a Detroit native, the Red Wings have been its team of choice. And the food of choice? Burgers. Everyone I polled loved their burgers. But the rest of the menu ranked highly. Although, one thing I felt the menu lacked was calamari.
In terms of clientele, you get a friendly mix of righties, lefties, lovers, lunatics, bankers, wankers, and basic release specialists from nearby “holistic spas.”
And if you happen to prefer Pepsi-Cola, for all that is right and holy, stay the hell away.
The Nitty-Gritty:
Jacksoul Poster: No
Price: Affordable by Riverdale Standards: $4.25 a bottle
Service: Friendly. Well groomed and appropriately branded.
Décor:
Reminiscent of some team. Can’t quite recall which…
Washroom facilities:
Claustrophobic like the penalty box at Little Caesar’s Arena.
Cleanliness:
AAA rating.
Factoid Alert: Fitting as “AAA” is the name of the upscale Montreal fitness club that inspired the Detroit Red Wings’ logo: The MAAA (Montreal Amateur Athletic Association).
Games/Amusements:
TVs, hockey, Coke memorabilia, and trying to get the owner to turn on the Leafs game.
Value-adds:
Home of Legends
Factoid Alert: Red Wings player Kris Draper accidentally left the Stanley Cup here in 1998. But luckily he came back in time to deliver it to the Dallas Stars when they won in ’99.
In 2009, the well-loved Gord Downie kissed everyone here before shooting “Coffee Girl”.
Coca-Cola Museum
Just in case anyone gets confused, beer is the only thing you can order from the cooler. Not that anyone orders anything without 5% on the label anyway.
Suggested musical accompaniment:
“Right Around the Corner” by The Detroit Cobras
The Last Call:
Dive Bar Mike recommends this bar for beer and Wings lovers, burger meisters, hangover victims, and my fellow Coke-collecting geeks.