Inside: the Mars Bar in Hamtramck

Scott McNamara and Melissa Boitos (Credit: Ese Esan/Metromix)

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The Mars Bar

Status: There are bars that claim to bring a New York or Miami feel to metro Detroit, but Hamtramck’s Mars Bar, which opened June 2010, is going for something a little more exotic.

With its orange-and-red theme accented by hints of green, Mars Bar is “unlike anything you’ve ever seen in the metro Detroit market,” owner Michael Johnson says.

An epoxy floor and a green, glass-tiled bar front give the 2,300-square-foot establishment a unique feel.

“We bought an empty building, renovated it, and turned it into what it is today,” Johnson says of what was once an empty space on Jos Campau near Caniff and Holbrook.  

Gear: The Mars Bar Web site states “Come as you are with the exception of saggy pants (men we really aren’t interested in seeing your boxers).”
 
“We have a loosely enforced dress code,” Johnson says. “We like people to have casual dress,” but white t-shirts, wife beaters and baseball caps are not permitted in the venue.

Mood: A 20-seat bar with pigmented epoxy is the highlight of the elongated building which boosts red walls, curved bench seating along one wall and a DJ stage at the far side of the venue.

“So far so great,” said Melissa Boitos of St. Clair Shores who was visiting the Hamtramck hangout for the first time with friend Scott McNamara, 22, of Eastpointe. The 23-year-old noted the “super friendly” staff and the $4 beer and shot special as a few of the reasons she would visit the bar again.

“When people come here, they’re amazed at how it looks,” says Elese Stubbs of Livonia, one of the happy hour hosts (5 p.m. Happy Hour began in April). “Once you see it, you’ll fall in love with it.”

Pick me up: A food menu will be available once the kitchen is completed and permits from the city are approved.

Martinis are the stars of the lineup of daily drink specials, which include $2 beers and $3 wells. Martinis will run you anywhere from $5 to $12.

Entertainment: There are live acts from time to time along with bands, but with its world-class music system, DJs are the highlight of the Mars Bar.
 
“We’re basically an electronic music forum,” Johnson says. “No hip hop or rap.”

Performers like Amp Fiddler and Colonel Abrams have already entertained at the corner bar, and on Friday, entertainment came courtesy of Al Ester, Melvin “RawHouse” Hill and Stacey “Hotwaxx” Hale.

Three flat-screen TVs hang above a fully-stocked bar, and a big screen TV is also available.

The cover charge depends on the entertainment.