Cafe D’Mongo’s Speakeasy

Love this place. Ended the night there on Saturday and the vibe was perfect. The band was fun and the people and service were great. I’m going back.

Larry Mongo, live funk band, excellent drinks. Possibly the single best establishment to take friends on the weekends, especially those visiting from out of town.

Such a fun, funky place! Love the vibe, the wait staff, the drinks. One thing. .. when I asked about ordering food, the waitress told me that they only serve cheeseburgers, and when they are out, they are out, so order early. On a Friday night at 830pm they were out!

Absolutely the best place to start your night, end your night or stay for the night. I have been coming here for a very long time and it’s absolutely amazing and it feels like home. Larry and Dianne are the most wonderful owners with great knowledge of Detroit history and their awesome staff makes it #1 stop in downtown Detroit.
What to expect…
1. Karl and his crew got the live band going every Friday and Saturday…
2. Full kitchen with different specialty dishes…
3. Great drink prices. Chris n rest of the bartenders making drinks your way
4. Regulars
5. Memorable moments
Only Sad thing is they only open Friday and Saturday but Larry have couple of Sunday brunches coming up (hoping he makes it official for every Sunday). Larry bring that grill back for the summer too like those good old days!!!

I really enjoyed the atmosphere here! The live band was great and the drink prices were very reasonable. I would definitely go back.

I was at Café D’Mongo’s three years ago, and it could have been last week. This place looks almost the same except a few more tables and seats have been added. That’s great since it is standing room only at times. We were here on a Saturday night this past November. Note: only open Fridays and Saturdays. We arrived about 8pm so I’m sure we’re considered the early crowd. It had also begun to snow so not many people were here. Our waiter was very nice and very throrough when explaining the drink options. I love trying new drinks but usually only want sweet drinks without a strong alcohol taste. The place became moderately busy over the next hour. The band arrived at 9:15pm. Well, it was only two people because the other member was delayed due to the weather. The music was great and some lady proceeded to dance amongst the closely placed tables and chairs. Well, that didn’t last too long; she realized it wasn’t a wise choice. Café D’Mongo’s is a great place for drinks, and an eclectic atmosphere makes it a hidden gem in Detroit.

I felt like everyone already knew each other, from the patrons to the staff to the owner, Larry. It may have helped that I ran into some friends of mine and was introduced to everyone, plus we knew one of the musicians playing that evening, but that’s the kind of thing that happens at a place like this!
Such awesome energy and atmosphere! So much personality and flavor. What an awesome time!

I have frequented here when I lived in MI years ago. Came back tonight with friends after an year and was a complete disaster.
Detroit is a melting pot, not a subsides Upper east side NYC joint. I covered 3 friends drinks and stepped out for a quiet conversation. Next thing, the older female bartender were kicking out my girlfriends because there is a «2 drink minimum» each. This business does not deserve to survive whatsoever, especially when folks are coming from out of state to support Detroit. Tasteless, disrespectful service, and waaayyy too cool for school.

There’s some cool history behind this place — read up on it online. A weathered building that looks more old-​world café than anything you’ll find in Detroit, nestled up to the downtown synagogue… you’re thinking, «Where am I?» Step inside for more surprises.
Your grandma’s old house — if it had a bar and a lively cast of characters serving drinks and playing music. Tons of ornamental items and Detroit kitsch all around; from mapping the Purple Gang, to Coleman Young in a phone booth, this place is wonderfully hometown. The crowd is eclectic and fun. You’ll make some new friends! Yes, the space is kind of claustrophobic, it gets warm, and you might not want to pee here. But people are nice — just pass by, make it up to the oddly small bar service area, and get your (strong) drink. Rock N’ Rye and Captain Morgan is a signature.
Bring some friends (not too many), find a spot, relax, enjoy the tunes, the conversations, the people, and the uniquely Detroit experience that represents why so many of us love this city.

Great time here. Weekends are packed. Decent band. Good looking crowd. And the great Larry Mongo himself sat next to me. Cocktails galore. Just bottles of beer

A place where EVERYONE is not only welcomed, but fits in and belongs.
This is a big deal in Detroit where the racial divide is still very noticeable… You won’t see that crap here. You want to see how Detroit could be if we could get rid of that worthless baggage? Well come here and see…
I see a few comments about the band that plays here and how they are pretty bad… Well having dabbled as musician myself in my younger days, I have to agree… BUT!!! They are the perfect band for this place. I couldn’t imagine a fine tuned, professional group in here… They fit perfectly with the vibe and underlying phenomenon happening here at this place in Detroit…
Detroit is a beat up, working class city trying to work its way out of a hole (and we are succeeding quite nicely!) and the grittiness of Carl and his band match it perfectly! Racially, class, and gender diverse. (Black dude guitarist, white girl drummer, Pakistani (?) dude bassist…
Diverse, just like Detroit… Perfect!
When I tell people to try this place out, I warn them about the band and say, «They are the best crappy band in the state, and when you understand them and see how good they actually are, you finally get D’Mongos… You made it!»
Larry Mongo (owner) is a Detroit Gem and will gladly sit and talk to anyone so don’t be surprised when he stops by and joins in your conversation!
To enjoy this place you must mingle with the person or group sitting next to you. My wife and I are not the usual social butterflies and we usually go out of our way to keep to ourselves. That doesn’t work here! Mean people just do not come here so don’t worry and start mingling…
The Bees Knees and the Detroit Brown rock. Both will uplift your experience here!

This place is great! High energy from the live band. The staff was attentive despite a packed house and the specialty cocktails and beers were perfect. They also have a pop up restaurant which I assume rotates but last night the Mexican food was delicious

Esteban is the coolest, greatest chef known to man. This place is awesome. Everything about it.

This place gets packed fast! If you plan on going in be prepared to be smushed. It says speakeasy however it is just a regular bar with god music. The drinks are however super overpriced. Not a bad place for music and meeting interesting people however no dancing there is just no room.

Recommandé par des habitants de Détroit, c’est vraiment sympa et le monde témoigne du succès. Un décor éclectique, des cocktails sympas, de la musique live, de la nourriture cubaine (bonne mais qui mériterai d’être un peu plus copieuse) sont les ingrédients de ce bar pour vous faire passer une super soirée. Allez-​y sans hésiter et peut être que comme nous, le patron charismatique vous paiera sa tournée !

Cool place, many regulars and if you aren’t a regular they try to get you to be. Fun Michigan-​themed cocktails like a Rock and Rye with rum, and a Vernor’s whiskey drink. Definitely worth a visit at some point.

I finally get this place. I’m writing this review after my third visit over the past year. D’ Mongo’s is one of the greatest examples of the «Detroit come-​back», all thanks to a young and relatively affluent and educated crowd that has swarmed the Downtown radius of Detroit.
I firmly believe that Detroit isn’t «coming back», but rather, moving forward. D’Mongo’s has a longstanding history in the city, but one that also includes shutting its doors when things got bad. Many praise this place, but there’s room to critique any place that claims ownership to a «Best Bar in America» title. It’s crowded and very hipstery.
Drinks are strong and good, and the music can be bad — I was there one Friday night in February and this gentleman (plays regularly and is a close friend of the owner) was just not good. He’s there because he’s a super nice and passionate guy, which is great — but not my cup of musical tea. I was there once and a phenomenal band was playing. I’m bummed that they no longer regularly serve soul food.
Anyway, the employees are super friendly and have a community here, one that just doesn’t vibe with me as much. I prefer a dive over a speakeasy, I suppose. The old decorations and memorabilia are pretty rad, and any place is worth trying at least once, right?

The most personable bar in downtown Detroit. Friendly bar service and a plethora of interesting regulars to chat up. Carl and the band entertains all night. Thanks Larry!

There’s a lot to love about this place. For starters, there’s people. And that’s difficult to find in downtown Detroit on a Saturday night. I’ve never been to such an urban city to find that there’s a large deficit of people to fill the streets. There’s a number of retail spaces along their boulevards too, and most of them are vacant. In fact, quite a few buildings (architecturally gorgeous ones too, I might add) are completely dark. Whether they’re abandoned or not, I can’t tell. But there’s definitely a lack of light.
Until you reach Café D’Amongo. This bar warped my experience of Detroit. I don’t know Detroits situation aside from what I hear and read in the news, and seeing it in person gave me the impression that the media was underplaying how dire their situation is. But that’s an impression only.
This bar seems to be doing just fine. Their hours a little limited, however, it’s probably the smartest thing they could do to save on overhead, staffing, and low periods. It also ups the appeal of this place given the principles of supply and demand.
They also make some sick drinks! Stiff and painful, like a good drink should be. Did I mention it’s inexpensive?
The service was plain fantastic. Our bartender made sure our glasses were constantly refilled, and she even went out of her way to speak French to us when she learned we were from Montréal.
This speakeasy has one of coolest vibes out there. There isn’t a particular demographic here; just a bunch people drinking and chatting while listening to the live band. People were friendly. The décor is 60’s diner on one end and Victorian dining on the other. Great ambiance. Lively. Loud. Crowded. Good times. I’d go back.

Came here on a busy Friday night, and found a booth for four available. This place is tiny, but right out of the Prohibition era.
They only offer a few options for dinner. The barbecue chicken was delicious, with generous sides. The cocktails are also great. Wonderful music, atmosphere and company.
Only issue was trying to split the check at the end. Our waitress was visibly flustered, so try ask in advance if this is possible.
Definitely will return!

This place is rad. It felt more like bein’ in a junk shop than a speakeasy, but I loved its charm. It was crowded– with people and with stuff, but it was cozy-​crowded, you know?
The drinks are stiff and straight off the meat rack. Our server was insanely gracious and polite, too, but genuinely so. I’m pretty sure he just made up a price at the end of our night, and it was a fair one, so he saw big returns on the tip, which he earned.
The live music was just three dudes that look they wandered in off the street, but they handed us a tambourine and encouraged us to get in on the rippin’ covers they were doin’.
The spot drew all crowds, too (having read some of the previous reviews). It’s fascinating how businesses need to branch out and expand, and simultaneously need to feed the down-​by-​law crowd that (reasonably) wants to keep it exclusive, and how these are most-​times contradictory enterprises.
You’re gonna get Joeys– you’re gonna get hipsters– you’re gonna get everything. It’s at least somethin’ to talk about.
I didn’t let the douchebag hittin’ on my girl with, «You like to party?» sour my taste for this joint, though. When in Detroit, I’ll visit again.