The Mars Bar

This bar surprised me.
The interior is lovely and warm. The bar design is attractive, the seating is upscale-​like, there is a nice coat rack up front.
I went for a poetry night event — small, intimate crowd.
The drinks were typical. The prices were typical, but no specials.
The bartender was friendly & even let me charge my phone behind the bar.
Plus: They have purse hooks!

Stopped in on a Wednesday. The place was nearly empty the entire time I was there, maybe this is more of a weekend spot? DJ’s were not the friendliest, but the bartender was awesome. Maybe I need to come back on a different night of the week…

We stumbled upon this bar after rolling out of dinner at Polonia. What a great find. It is definitely more sophisticated looking inside than what the logo alludes. It is dim with a long glowing bar. You are surrounded by a red that feels seductive and modern. House music fills the space and the friendly bartenders fill and refill your glasses. It is a warm oasis from the cold Detroit weather. It is a bar that seems to attract a local crowd.

I went to the Mars Bar last night (Thursday) on a whim and a recommendation from Doxie, who I met at Soup at Spaulding in Corktown. I wasn’t even in the mood to go out or to drink, but decided to humor my friend, who was trying to avoid cleaning her apartment. Several people who attended the Soup at Spaulding event wound up at the surprisingly hip (a little too hip, perhaps. I generally prefer dive bars) bar in downtown Hamtramck. I’m not really into the bar or club scene, but Mars Bar is a very nice wedding of the two. The ambiance was great: very nice décor and a DJ spinning what actually turned out to be good house music, if you’re not one of those people who believes that’s an oxymoron.
The service was fantastic and I’m happy to say that I finally (finally!) got to try absinthe the way it’s meant to be had – with an ornate metal spoon topped with a cut hunk of unrefined sugar which was then set on fire and eventually mixed with water. The absinthe was delicious and authentic (from France with wormwood). Two absinthes (generous servings) is plenty, or perhaps more than enough for some ($ 8 apiece). My friend opted for unlimited PBR which you can purchase for $ 10 and isn’t a bad deal if you’re willing to drink PBR and intend to make it a long night.
The bar seemed to attract a very diverse group of people from hip Hamtramckites young and old alike, to fire dancers, local activists and suburb-​dwellers wearing suspenders such as myself and my friend (who was not wearing suspenders). The bartender was very professional (filled up my water countless times without my needing to ask), good at his job, and also personable. And his name is Dick Ball (really, I swear). He told me he makes a phenomenal drink composed of absinthe and «energy vodka.» Next time. And there definitely will be a next time. They also make chocolate martinis, which seemed to be very popular on that particular night.
The exterior is unassuming. The interior is very red and has both ample bar space with stools and modern, couch-​type lounge seating all along the back wall, with tables in front of them. The DJ was spinning at 9:30, when we arrived, and still kicking out the jams after 1:00 a.m. when we left.
I met a ton of people from all over Metro Detroit, and one recent transplant from Cali (and another from Arizona). Conversation was easy and entertaining, the crowd was friendly, and the drinks good and plentiful. I would definitely recommend going to Mars Bar to anyone looking for a little twist and a night out with some friends, especially if you’re looking to make new friends, which will inevitably happen here if you’re open to it.