Inside: Hangover Bar in Roseville

(Credit: Ese Esan/Metromix)

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Hangover Bar & Grill

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Status: Unlike its 2009 Blockbuster comedy namesake, chances of multiple blunders will doubtless be rare at the Hangover Bar & Grill.

The eastside bar is located in Augusta Plaza in Roseville and prides itself on its welcoming staff and atmosphere. It opened after a six-month remodel transformed it from a saloon called Mothers.

“They needed a nice cozy bar in the area,” says first-time bar owner Al Lentini who opened Hangover around Labor Day weekend.  Lentini, who also owns Pino & Sons Cement in Warren, said he hopes to expand the bar within the year and turn it into a nightclub.

Gear: No one sported the just-rolled-out-of-bed look Saturday night, but the theme for the night was ultra casual.

“You can come in ragtags and flip flops for all we care. As long as you have a smile on your face, we’re happy,” says general manager TJ Pierfelice.

The female bar staff show off their stems in black shorts, and their tees and tanks ask the question “What happened last night?”

Mood: “I guess you can call us a community bar,” says Pierfelice, a 27-year-old Roseville resident.  

The likelihood of losing a friend at this easygoing, 100-person bar is about as slim as finding a tiger in your bathtub (watch the movie and you’ll understand), but the odds of finding a new friend are significantly greater.

“We want everybody to feel like it’s home,” Pierfelice says. “Hangover is a Roseville meeting place. We’re just here for anybody that wants to come have some fun. We are the newest toy in the toy box in Roseville right now. There’s no identity here.”

“I got finer service here in two minutes than I did at” a fine dining restaurant, said 42-year-old Tony Leone of St. Clair Shores. “I walked in and they took care of me, so for me, that’s good service.”

White Christmas lights decorate a black ceiling and tables, which seat 82 take up the majority of the real estate on the carpeted floor. Families are welcome, and Saturday, a couple pre-teen girls played pool while their parents relaxed nearby.
 
Pick me up: One word. Saganaki. This delightfully simple Greek dish steals the show at Hangover. Not only is it tasty, but when a customer orders the Greek cheese, they’ll get a show as the server lights it on fire at the table.

“It’s a casual neighborhood-type of place,“ and “the Saganaki was so good,” raved Gabrielle King of New Baltimore as she celebrated a friend’s birthday one Saturday night.

Items on the food menu range from $1.75 for a hotdog to $3.85 for a hamburger to just under $9 for a one-pound corned beer sandwich. Saganaki is $5.25. Beer rings up at a modest $2 and mixed drinks run about $4.

Entertainment: There are two pool tables and six televisions always tuned to sports. DJ Jose of Jam Productions helps entertain the crowds behind the decks and on the dance floor Friday and Saturday nights.

“He plays to the crowd,” Pierfelice said. “Anything that gets you moving, he does.”

When the DJ comes in, the tables are cleared out to make room for dancing.