I love this place for my little dive repertoire. It's in my rotation to go get a drink and some great conversation. The clientele and the bar staff are always friendly and chatty. There's always some sort of local drama going on that you can eavesdrop and just enjoy yourself. They have keno, they have pull tabs, they have an excellent menu, with a great burger. Not to mention some of the best wonton tacos I've ever had !! read more

Royal Inn Bar - Won ton Tacos If you haven't tried these? They are a must.Half off apps on Thursdays. - Dive Bars Near Me - Royal Oak, Michigan

Royal Inn is my favorite bar in the Detroit area. Denise, is the best bartender. In actuality the entire place is great. Most of the people who come up here are regulars and everybody has a nickname . I won't share what mine is lol. Monday night is $.75 wing night. The wings here are the best and I don't know if they sprinkle them with crack before they deep fry them but they come out perfect and crispy every time. They make their dressings homemade in the house and both ranch and blue cheese are excellent. They have a pretty big bar menu with daily specials. They also have daily drink specials and a happy hour every day of the week. There's a pool table and a Golden Tee golf game. Club Keno and pull tabs as well as multiple screens with all the sports teams on. There's also a Touch Tunes machine cranking out songs. Basically there's something for everyone here. If you're looking for a low key bar with friendly folks this is your place! read more

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The wings were gross, soggy, and flavorless... bland isn't even a word to describe them... and the sauce was just oil with a dab of "buffalo"... how do you mess up wings THAT BAD like bffr read more

Had to wait for a table at Clawson steakhouse so we stopped in for a drink. Royal Inn is a classic dive bar. After dinner we went back and had some cheap drinks and listened to music on the juke box and had a good time. Bartender was great and it was like being at someones home. Don`t find many places like this anymore. read more

The Royal is mostly a neighborhood bar with lots of regulars. The feel can change from night to night depending on who is hanging out there. Some nights it's quiet, other nights a dance party might break out. The bartenders are usually good and once you get to know them, very friendly. Pete in particular is awesome and never stops hustling. The drinks are reasonably priced, but I gotta say, I don't like their mixers, whatever they're using in the mix guns taste like crap. I bring my own mix sometimes. They always have a drink special posted on their board. Don't come here for high end mixologist drinks though, it's not that kind of place. They have a pool table & a digital juke box, there's usually some good music playing. Some of the guys that hang out here are in the music business so they play some good stuff. They remodeled a few years back and put in a kitchen - but the food leaves a lot to be desired. Nachos are a safe bet. That's about it, a basic bar, and if you can find a spot at the bar, you can probably find someone to strike up a conversation with. read more

Its a dive bar, but a nice dive bar. Lots of regulars. Friendly staff. I had their burger and it was great. I want to try more on their menu. As for covid? Very few masks, and very little distancing. I may hold off till the covid situation is behind up. The guy who cooks and runscfood DID have a mask on though and i was glad to see that. Pool table & Golden Tee machine. Eish they had tavern trivia, but no luck. read more

Great dive bar in a city of bars wanting to be more than they are. Regular crowd with a lid back attitude. Have only been during the day so can't comment on the night time. read more

The Swiss mushroom burger was a sloppy mess, that did not taste good. The fries were not good.

Typical bar feel, nothing fancy. Smells like beer, smells like smoke. Not overpowering or anything, just like a small bar. Saw a few people smoking and it was lunchtime so if that's your thing you'll probably like that added plus. Waitresses were friendly, but not overly friendly. About what you'd expect for a bar full of middle aged men with younger women working there. One just sat on her phone most of the time. The other just quietly picked up the slack and served everyone politely. Food was ok. (I had the sliders) Not great, not bad. The fries were super deep fried and they actually tasted pretty good. I wouldn't go out of my way to come again. But if friends were there I wouldn't be opposed to going. I would have given 3 stars, but while we were there a larger drunk lady slid out of her chair and sat on the floor. 3 men tried to help her up, but she said to just leave her. I'm sure this isn't something that happens all the time, but it did make my visit pretty awkward. -Forrest read more

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Was a Tuesday, didn't try the food, but $8.75 for a "craft" 22 oz was a little strong. Could see this being the place to be under the right conditions/crowd, but we will see. read more

[Warning: This review is not intended for younger audiences or for those with a squeamish stomach] Captain's Log (no pun): It's been two weeks and three days since I've taken a normal BM. Two Thursdays ago, my friend asked me to meet him at the Royal Inn. Harmless dive bar? What could go wrong? Well after we finish our two drinks, we decide we should eat. As I look at the sign, it was taco salad on special, so we each ordered one. By the time we were done, we had 2 drinks each, a shot of Jäger and a taco salad. Fast forward to Saturday, and I was serving up heaping bowls of chili every hour on the hour for the entire day. Sunday? My entire body is shaking. I text my friend, yup, exact symptoms. We curse the Royal Inn Taco salad and part ways. Since then, my stomach has been an absolutely dumpster fire and every morning I wake up hoping today is the day I can take a normal BM again. read more

As usual the burger was outstanding!! Just the right seasoning, just the right density. Just an awesome juicy and tasty burger. Nicely done. read more

I started going to the Royal for lunch and I'm glad I did! Classic bar; good food, good beer, laid back atmosphere. I like the Patty Melt. And the $5.55 lunch special is unbeatable in the area. Highly recommend. read more

I live a few blocks from this place and happened upon it by accident. I decided to pop in for lunch after some yard work. I had a Bell's Two Hearted tall draft (a bit pricey compared to other local bars) their daily special chicken parm sub and a side of fries. The sub was okay (a little over cooked) and the fries were just this side of charcoal. If I'm going to drop a quick $20 on a bar lunch, there are better choices within a mile of this place. This is definitely a place for locals but I don't expect I'm coming back anytime soon. read more

So we only had drinks. Honestly the staff were great even though we aren't regulars which seemed to be most of the people there. Good prices on beer too. Small little place but my kind of dive bar. Everyone there wanted to socialize and talk which is great if you are alone. read more

**NOT RECOMMENDED TO THE LGBT COMMUNITY** I use to go there a lot and take with me a bunch of my friends each time. We all spent a lot of money there until the owner and regulars started making what I perceive as discriminatory comments towards the gay members of our group. Never again! I do not support inequality and do not recommend. Here are the specifics of the straw that broke the camel's back: Upon entering the bar the man who identified himself as the owner pulled me into a booth next to my friend's booth and told me he had a complaint about my friends and I a couple nights prior. I had not been drinking and did not have a drink at all that night as I had to be up very early the next day and I was only out because a very close friend of mine was celebrating her birthday. The Owner said he heard we were kissing and hugging (we hug and kiss on the cheek when we greet each other as many people do) and that it needed to stop. I then stated we have never done anything that straight people aren't allowed to do. THE OWNER then said these exact words "you're not going to do that in here. I don't want this place getting a reputation". Implying that homosexuals are a bad thing by saying we may give his place "a reputation" is far from tolerant in my opinion. The bartender was pulled over and even he told the owner we had never done anything he would tell straight people to stop doing. The OWNER still stood by his initial comments. It's worth noting that in the bar that night there were straight people showing affection towards each other physically (I saw a kiss, and a few guys with arms around girls). Having a set of rules for straight people and a different set of rules for gay people is something I can't support and could be a violation of the Royal Oak Human Right Ordinance. read more

I love visiting the Royal Inn Bar when I'm back in town. The recent remodel is great. What a nice face lift. The new food coming out of the kitchen is perfect neighborhood bar food. Blue cheese pub burger and an ice cold beer....need I say more? I've never had any problems with the staff or ownership. Maybe the name "Royal Inn" thew the previous reviewer off. It's a Neighborhood Bar, not Motel. Keep up the good service, good prices and good food. read more

Stopped here a couple times because its near my house. I like to play pool and have a few beers to relax. If you like to play pool with 10 year olds this is your place, both times some 8-10 year old kid was on the table. Appeared to be an employees kid. read more

This is a great neighborhood bar with good food. I have been coming here for years and have never been disappointed. Love the new remodel

Oh my god. I came here a few years ago and I loved this place. I live out of town, so I'm not able to come here a lot. I was back in Detroit for a job last week and figured to come here again for dinner with friends. The place was the same, the bartender was really nice, but the prices are insane!!! They even went as far as to just cut and paste new prices on their menu. The drink prices are also outrageous. The food was good, but just typical bar food. I had to leave because I couldn't afford anything! I hope they fix this problem soon. read more