LJ’s Lounge

I was there bc the wait at Slows was long, obviously was not their regular customer. We got few beers and asked for a water and got a bottled water. I asked if I can get a glass of water instead, the bartender goes: «No, I am about to leave and don’t have time for that»
I couldn’t resist laughing assuming she was joking, too bad she wasn’t…worst part was she didn’t even leave for the whole time we were there. oh well!

Oh the mother/​daughter tag team duo behind the bar (at least that’s what I portray them to be). EVERY time I have been here I never get served by the mother. It’s like she looks right through me. She can be quite nasty and the snarl on her face doesn’t make her anymore pleasant. This is always my pre and after party spot for the Corktown Race/​Parade just out of convenience and location. I might have to re-​think otherwise now.

I was trying to find something I liked about this place. I guess the location. The bartender was borderline belligerent and rude. I asked for a Mille Lite and she said it was in the back and she did not feel like getting it so will Bud Light do?
I knew it was going to be bad when I walked up to the bar I said «How are you tonight?» she said «Tired.and I don‘t feel like being here»

What an interesting little place. We stopped by on a slow Tuesday evening while waiting for the start time for an event next door. The inside is fairly typical older style wood themed bar. Something fun was that they seem to have the entire collection of African King Bud mirror/​paintings. I have to imagine those are quite old.
The bar was quiet, but had a larger than life older lady bartender who was the loud but friendly center of the activity. Drink prices were fairly good.
The men’s room was fairly strange, an old old room that seems to be held up with monthly layers of paint. Normal stall, and a normal sink with a low urine sink crammed in right next to it so that you can do both at once if you feel the need. Very odd feeling.
Four beers on draft, three were good quality. The drinks were mixed fairly and correctly.

Jennifer L. has a few valid points but LJ’s is likely, a favorite of the locals and a place with a following of regulars. For what it is it’s a nice option to have while you’re waiting for a table at Sugar House but don’t come expecting to be dazzled by décor or the atmosphere. It’s a just the kind of place where you can grab a beer and shot and move on to somewhere else afterwards.

Nice little reasonably priced bar on same block as Slow’s and SugarHouse.
Well worth a stop if you’re in Corktown. Plus you can learn about the Budweiser Kings of Africa.

Nice, clean dive bar. One of the few holdouts in the gentrification of this stretch of Michigan Avenue. Stop in and have a few cheap domestics during your 90-​minute wait for a table at Slow’s (you damn hipsters).

Bartender was beyond rude, sitting and smoking at the bar most of the night. Then she closed at 10:30 on Thursday night because «she’s not making enough money», despite the fact that there were at least 20 people ordering drinks and having fun during the Tigers playoff game. No one was rowdy or rude, but she just was in a foul mood and kicked everyone out at the 8^th inning of playoff game. Every other bar on the block is better than LJs, or there are good dive bar spots nearby. This place hopefully will change ownership soon.

LJ’s is always an afterthought. whether waiting for a table at slows or walking around after the corktown run, my friends and i always end up here for at least one drink. over the years the selection of those drinks has improved. first i got only a vodka tonic in a glass that would normally serve water at a cheezy diner. slowly, i’ve gotten better drinks and better beer.
its a hole in the wall bar. sometimes it smells like mold.
love, juston

Great people, great times. Very limited selection of drinks, but if you’re looking for character over class, LJ’s the place.

Like many people, I went here with a group of friends while we were waiting for a table at Slow’s. It’s definitely got a divey feel to it. I don’t think they have much in the way of beer selection. I ended up having a can of PBR because it was really really cheap and I wasn’t planning on staying long.
I don’t know in which decade this place opened, but I feel like it hasn’t been remodeled since. Check out the pictures and you’ll see what I mean. Pay close attention to the picture I uploaded of the men’s restroom. I enjoyed the proximity of the urinal to the sink. I imagine one could wash their hands as they urinated, thus saving time.
This bar isn’t exactly a destination, but a handy place to enjoy a couple cheap drinks while waiting for a table at Slow’s. I don’t really see any other reason to come here.
Cash only!

Barf.
My friends and I went there for a drink while we were waiting for our table at The Sugar House.
It’s got a divey feel, which normally I love. But this place had a «Watch your purse» kind of divey feel.
It was pretty dead when we went there, and at first the bartender walked up to our table right away, which was awesome. We all ordered cheap beers, I found it odd though that the cans they gave us weren’t opened. I thought that was kind of a bartender must, but whatever.
What bugged me most though, was when she was collecting our cash, she didn’t bring me change. My PBR was $ 2 and I handed her a 5. She straight up just never came back. She than proceeded to chat with one of the obvious regulars (who was smoking inside). When it was time to leave my friend hadn’t paid for her $ 3 beer yet, so as we were walking out I told her to use the change that she never gave me to pay for my friends beer. She gave me the snottiest look and said «I never gave you change?». I’m sorry, but no, and you are not getting a $ 3 tip on a $ 2 PBR.
Also, there was no music playing. The whole experience made me feel like I was in someones basement and their little sister decided to play bartender.

The owner called my partner a «queer». Go elsewhere.

«I’m Loco Joe,» the grey-​haired sixty-​something man with the Burt-​Reynolds-​style mustache announced when he first walked into the bar. «You’re gonna remember me!» He was right– this was more than three months ago, and I still do remember Loco Joe. He was the guy who put Madonna on the juke and hopped atop the bar to his own choreographed dance. It was still early in the afternoon.
«I’m gonna be your DJ!» he announced, returning to the juke. His next selection was“Sex Machine” by James Brown. Up atop the bar again, this time he spun around and clapped his hands as he shouted, «Get on up!» The man clearly had not hit andropause yet.
I’ve been back to LJ’s a few times since but have seen neither hide nor hair of Loco Joe. It’s still worth coming here, though, because Bridget has got to be one of the best bartenders in town. Not so much for her pours (I mean, she really has nothing to work with here), but for her conversation and knowledge of Detroit’s underbelly. She’s one of those hyper-​talented people (a former professional Irish step dancer) who it wouldn’t be a stretch to imagine might’ve been a doctor or lawyer but *chose* bartending at a dive instead. I think it’s her calling.
Other than that, it’s really hit or miss here. LJ’s serves the role of a spillover joint for Slows, so the crowds ebb and recede like the tide. On a slow night, there’s always the series of Budweiser-​sponsored mirrors to study. «Great Kings of Africa»… King Jaja of Obopo, Nefertiti, Shaka Zulu, etc. I forgot what all they’re famous for, so I guess I’d better go back.

I love a good dive bar, but this isn’t one. For a long time it was the only option close to Slow’s to have a drink and not worry about your buzzer going out of range. Drink options, from my experience, are very limited. They were either out of, or just didn’t carry, anything I asked for. So vodka tonic it is. The drinks are stiff, but they aren’t good. I guess it could be argued that vodka tonics simply aren’t good by nature, but they don’t usually leave me wishing for a bud light instead. Yeah, a bud light. You get it now.
Dive or not, there’s just no character to LJ’s.

If you want quality beer — or beer on tap of any kind — or any sort of sophisticated liquor options, this place is not for you. The block cries out for a bar to compliment Slows. This is not it. And judging by its complete lack of influence from Slows, it never will be. It is standing still from 1975, when Americans lacked any interest in quality libations (or food in
general). Too bad. It’s just wasted space.
The owner and her son, who live above and next to LJ’s, could be making money rather than conducting an empty bar while Slows overflows. Meantime somebody else will open a bar, or two, that compliments Slows and siphons its overflow crowd.
Update: two real bars have since opened on the block, to compliment Slows. Good show.

Ohhh, LJ’s…
How do I love thee? Let me count the ways…
Why only three stars? Because it’s a hole. A total dump, and I love it. It shouldn’t get «stars.»
You’re the best little dive bar in the hood.

I’d never been until recently, and I feel a bit bad about it. This place is about as laid back as they come. The bartender on Friday nights, Nicole, is great and super friendly. All the drinks were reasonably priced as well. Walking into this joint, I was unsure of the vibe, since the neighborhood/​block is kinda in a weird zone of detroit. Thankfully everyone was cool and relaxed.
Apparently they have karaōke on thursdays, so I hope to hit that before I leave the area and move elsewhere. I know the «slow’s waiting room» stigma is attached to Lj’s, but come down and visit once just for Lj’s and you’ll have a good time.

Oh LJ’s.
I definitely wouldn’t know about this place if it wasn’t for Slow’s BBQ being a few doors down. One of the first times I went to Slow’s my friend suggested we get away from the crowd while we wait and head a few doors down for some drinks. The host/​hostess will even come and get you when your table is ready!
When I think of a dive bar, this is the place that comes to mind. Think ‘slightly abandoned bar in Detroit’. The bartender is always nice (usually the same guy, but sometimes a chick), and the HUGE fish in the tank above the booze is fun to look at. Bare minimums in terms of choices– no beers on tap, few mixers, etc. But they have bottled beer (maybe a handful) and the usual vodka, rum, etc. It’s not much to look at, but the dinginess is part of the ambiance.
Cheap too, and cash only. But I have to say, I only come here when I am waiting on a table at Slows. But LJ’s is a fun little place, and it serves its purpose.
Oh– I hear they do some karaōke, maybe on Saturday nights? I’m not sure, but I am really curious what kind of crowd it draws!

My initials is the name of this lounge!
How can I NOT like it?
What a Coincidence?
If I owned a lounge, it would look similar to this.
Sort of a dive bar but still has it’s charm. Down to earth, friendly bartender, friendly people and totally unpretentious.
I hope L.J.‘s Lounge can piggy-​back off the success of Slows barbecue just a few doors down.
Me & my friend Brian downed several beers and Bacardi 151s after an awesome diner at Slows barbecue just 10 seconds away on foot.
L.J.‘s Lounge, you ROCK!