This is a great dive bar! Music is what you'd expect and affordable beverages. No food... bummer. (Fries would soak up beverage = more beverage.) read more

Donovan's Pub - Pubs Near Me - Detroit, Michigan

Being from Canada, this is basically the first place one sees after getting off the bridge. It's pretty intimidating seeing as there's no windows, and very rarely is there even cars in the lot! We saw our opportunity to DIVE in after the Cinco de Mayo parade because it was quite busy and there's safety in numbers lol As stated pretty divey but was fairly welcomed. Would be interesting to visit on a normal night now that we've broken the seal! I checked in on FB and many friends were like "are you alive"? Lol read more

Donovan's Pub - a crowd of people at a bar - Pubs Near Me - Detroit, Michigan

I think I liked this place better when I worked here for a short while 8 or 9 years ago. Back then it was all about cumbia music on Sunday nights and Mexican day laborers tipping me quarters for serving them bottles of Corona and shots of tequila. Now it's infested with cooler-than-thou pasty white hipster types. Seems like they take all the fun out of being a skinny white guy. And the cigarette smoke! I wish I had a horrible case of gas for all the cancerheads in there! Really, take that schitt outside. They did serve Red Bull, or something like it, in the glass for a mere buck fifty, which was nice. They had lotsa bottles of beer and boozy stuff, too.You'd have to ask somebody else about that, though. When my friend's band finished playing I got the eff outta there. read more

Donovan's is the crown jewel of that expansive stretch of West Vernor that is mostly surface parking and vacant lots, at least until Ford's development of Michigan Central Station turns the entire strip into organic quinoa bars and American Coney opens a satellite takeout location. An old-school dive bar featuring food (that mysteriously no one I know has ever ordered), pool, and sometimes sets of down-and-dirty rock, this is my go-to neighborhood bar if I am in the mood for a Stroh's and naught else. Nay, you shant get a craft cocktail here, but I've always found the staff and clientele charming enough. The place was up for sale for an outrageous sum awhile ago, and I'm not sure what happened with that. Not sure anyone would pay that price-- maybe after they put a PF Chang's across the street with a giant parking lot to serve the cutting-edge Ford mobility engineers who are too lazy to walk those three blocks. read more

nothing on tap, cheap bottles, quiet, dark, and almost perfect. Thought I'd go grab a fancy pint at Slows just after work, but dinner time crowd coupled with a Red Wings game made the inside a nightmare... popped into Donovan's instead and it was a quiet escape from the raucous Michigan Ave. They've only got miller, bud, pbr, corona, but also modelo especial and stroh's by the bottle. A full bar with tons of old-looking Mohawk liquers you'd probably never want to actually consume (I also noticed the Cocktails for Dummies book tucked beside the register... which could be good or bad... but probably bad). The bar staff was excellent - a TV playing at volume level 2 was also a perfect component. Lots of odd wall decor - occasionally there's live music. A good hang out during the week when you need some time to think through your beer... read more

Dive bar in Southwest Detroit. It is a bit dark and a small space. I saw pool sticks, but no pool table. The bartender was pleasant, but couldn't give me suggestions on drinks. Even in a dive bar I'd expect the bartender to have ideas for drinks beyond a beer. The pricing is not your regular, cheap dive bar pricing. That turned me off. I tried it during a summer of exploring the city. I wouldn't come back. I will continue for my search of a "go to" bar/pub. read more

Makin food until " it gets too busy to make food" -Sherri Inbetween the shadows of the Ambassador bridge and the Michigan Central Station lies Donovans. They entertain the idea of being included in the trendy Mexicantown by adorning a back wall with 2 maps of Mexico, a Corona Sign and a soccer jersey. Similar to the off the boat Irish pubs in Woodlawn Heights on Katonah ave. It has one of those mobile peepholes on the main door. A relic from a haughtier past. They dont have burgers. They have ground rounds. Sherri will make the food and give you Strohs. The owner is Polish, or part Polish, or some mix- I wasnt sure but he was confusing me with his banter, yet very welcoming confusing banter. read more

I'm giving this place a 2 star because when I left I stunk like the bottom of an ashtray. Yes, you can smoke inside. The bar is dark, dank-y, and the beer is VERY cheap. This is the ultimate hipster dive. read more

I've been there for beer n burgers for lunch. Great prices & service. Keep up good work. Hung out few times in evenings to late nite. Still kool place to be. read more

Super rude bartenders. Won't give you water unless you pay for a bottle. Asks for your ID for a water. If you want to make sure that the people in your bar are of age, check IDs when they come in. Definitely won't be back. read more

Unassuming little dive bar in Southwest Detroit. Small, no windows, and no frills.....also, no sense of friendliness or welcoming or care that you're really there. At least that was the experience a friend and I had on our first visit to Donovan's on a recent Thursday night. We came in and were two of 4 customers in the place - the other two were a couple young guys playing pool. It was clean, and warm, and your standard cozy dive. The nonchalant, stone faced hipster bartender asked us what we'd like, and we grabbed a couple Miller Lites ($3/bottle). At some point the pool players left, leaving just us and the bartender in silence - no music, which made it awkward because we were having girl talk and it felt like our conversation could be heard throughout the whole place. $10 minimum for credit/debit cards, so we ordered a second round. The bartender sat at the end of the bar reading a book, and we had to call him back down anytime we needed anything as he was paying no attention to the state of our drinks (to offer us another round) or the fact that we were standing up and putting coats on (to come cash us out). Now, I have this thing. About small bars, that are obviously not booming w business, and how they ought to treat their customers, especially when they are the ONLY TWO in the entire place. You've never seen our faces here before...so how about a little hello, "have you ladies been to Donovan's before? well welcome, I'm so-and-so...." and a little info about what the place is all about. Do you have a special night, karaoke, drink specials, pool tournaments, etc? Tell us about it. Put a buck on the jukebox and ask us if there's something we'd like to hear. Anything! Just engage us for a moment to make it seem like you appreciate us being here and would like to see us back. I say this because my favorite bar that i've been patronizing for 8 years now, my first visit was a Monday happy hour which I was the ONLY person there, and the bartender was charming and welcoming and made it such a nice time that I made it a point to come back again and again. Fast forward 8 years and I'm still coming there, have introduced countless friends to the bar, and have spent thousands of dollars there both on their busy weekends as well as dead weeknights. I felt like Donovan's had a chance to grab us as customers but the bartender's blasé attitude communicated that he was just as fine with us leaving and having the bar to himself, as he was with us being there. I still tipped him well. Guy wasn't going to be making much for the rest of the evening, it looked like. Unfortunately Donovan's likely won't be making any money off of me again, either. read more

It's a small, cheap, low key bar. Nothing much else to say. But I thought it was hilarious that one woman said she couldn't see a pool table... it's a one room bar, where the middle is just a pool table. Just goes to show you that you can't believe everything you read. PS: Sherri makes great pierogi. read more

Cool atmosphere! Dark inside with fun lights to give it an interesting ambiance. Loved the lava lamp! I came with a big group on a bus crawl and the bartender seemed a bit overwhelmed by our group size even though he was warned ahead of time. Drinks are reasonably priced, but there's a $10 credit card limit, otherwise you have to pay cash. I saw they sell perogies at the last minute, and I'm kicking myself for not trying some. read more

My kind of dive. The bar tender we had on a Saturday night was super cool and a good conversationalist. Pool table. Off the beaten path by the train station. read more

This is a great local dive bar off the beaten path.... Cheap drinks, cool vibe and great music. They do offer food but never ate there

Great local bar! Short walk from mexican town or Corktown. Simple bar menu, pool table, occasionally live music. Check it out.