Walked in with about 6 friends ( all 25-30)years old) last week. We wanted to play some pool, throw some darts and have some drinks since " On the rocks" had no tables left. We walk in and we all show our ID's to the bartender. About 5 minutes goes by and the bartender comes back over to us and explains " the manager called and said some of you look under 21" and that " we must leave immediately"... we thought it was a joke, but it certainly was not. We all left promptly and went to the liquor across the street and played uno at home instead (way better than the salty dog anyway) Totally explains why there was 4 people in there on a Friday Night !!! I hate writing a bad review but id like to prevent anybody else from having this experience ! Go to on the rocks 1/4 mile north of there if you want to have fun / a good time with your friends that enjoy karaoke and actually getting served . Made for a good story and a reason to never go back. Marty if you're reading this, either make a way for your bartender to feel confident reading an ID, or get a scanner to confirm authenticity. Certainly never bringing any friends there for a good time again. Ill give 3 stars to not completely diminish your rating and be favorable towards one bad experience but personally id like to give 1 star for being such a vibe killer and ultimately making me a salty dog read more

Crazy ship shaped themed bar we've frequented off and on for over forty years. Times have changed since everyone dressed like pirates and they had a lunch crowd back in the eighties. At one point there were even stag films and a bottomless waitstaff. The drinks are a bit lacking, as to be expected by the atmosphere and there's no longer the same vibe they once offered. Sadly, we saw no food and an incredibly filthy dive bar. The only saving grace was the nice staff and bits of the Pirates of the Caribbean film. 08/25 read more

If you're a woman looking to just have a drink -- skip this place. It's basically a dive where the main attraction is ogling waitresses in barely-there outfits, and the customers feel weirdly entitled because of it. The vibe is uncomfortable, the crowd is sketchy, and the staff dynamic is toxic. Not a safe or welcoming place unless you're a guy looking for a cheap thrill. Won't be back, and I wouldn't recommend it to anyone with standards. Worked here briefly and it was a chaotic, unprofessional environment. Definitely not for anyone expecting respect or consistency. Management plays favorites and there's a weird vibe between staff. Felt more like a high school clique than a workplace. Not a place I'd ever recommend working -- or even drinking. read more

Football Sunday until 7 Homemade charizzo/beef empanadas and vegan refried beans & cheddar taquitos and homemade tortilla chips @the salty dog. Delicious Awesome atmosphere and Excellent bartenders! read more

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Of all the dive bars Ive been to, this is one of them. This is a place for cheap beer and straight shots. But you know what it has going? Its a bar that looks like an f'ing PIRATE SHIP. And as a cheap dive bar, it succeeds. Not exceptional, but not the worst. I have yet to try the food, so that will be in a later update read more

Fond memories of the place. Madison Hgts. landmark. Great spot. Grew up around the corner and had a few (alot) beers there after legal age. Loved the VHS movies and the cute bartender all the time. Some real sweethearts. If you know, you know. The only boat on the block... Rip Robb Squared read more

I reviewed this place a year ago and feel the same way but better. I've gotten several friends into this spot. It's got a fun atmosphere and the bartender with dark hair who plays quarters makes everybody friends. She's awesome. Imagine walking into a bar and everyone just talks to each other. Thats so rare. Great spot read more

This bar is a hidden gem. Iconic ship structure inside and out. Beautifully maintained, well run by management, well maintained interior. A great mix of locals and newcomers. Importantly: not a loud, overrun bar, but a place you can have a good conversation with your friend without having to yell at them: highly recommend as an alternative to the overcrowded bars in nearby Royal Oak, Hazel Park, etc. read more

I asked the bartender for a Moscow mule and she straight up said "I can't do that". Also, cash only... pass

The real thing folks. Old, solid, cheap beer, kind of creepy, kind of sad, but fun. If you wanna have fun. Just don't be that drunk creeper there trying to talk to the bartender when she goes for a smoke. So she might not be wearing pants. Cool, enjoy it. Or don't enjoy it, let it slide. Tip the bartender. If you're thinking this is a classy place, or you're going to order a cocktail, go somewhere else. You probably want to know that first so you don't get surprised and cry about it. Get a cheap beer. Do a shot. Bring a friend and have fun with them. Plain and simple. read more

There are mere reasons why I can suggest why one would want to venture to Madison Height's Salty Dog bar, for the most part one needs to make a trip to Lincoln and john R to truly experience the Salty Dog. I am under the impression there are no apt words in the American language dictionary that describe this joint. Here are those mere reasons... 1)It's shaped like a wooden pirate ship 2)The female bartenders don't wear pants, but instead opt for a "Risky Business" type uniform, wearing men's white dress shirts 3)The jukebox that is loaded with all you trashy, rockin' faves like Lynyrd Skynard's entire library and lots of country. 4)Did I mention the bartenders don't wear pants? 5)The continuous NASCAR playing on the big screen TV. 6)The bartenders don't wear pants. 7)The odd drink prices, that always have me leaving with tons of pennies in my pocket. ($1.70 beers during happy hour). 8)The cowboys with their ten gallon hates that frequent the joint and strike up the oddest of conversations. 9)The rest of the interesting folk that frequent this joint from school teachers to mechanics. So, all in all The Salty Dog seems a bit like a social experiment, but filled with fun and adventure. So, get your social science on at the Salty Dog and have a few gin and tonics in tiny Dixie cups that seem harmless, but after sipping on one will kick you in the rear. Oh yeah! read more

These two things have already been stated, but any review would be remiss without getting them out of the way: A) Yes, it is a bar in the shape of a pirate ship. B) The waitresses forgo pants by wearing some sort of Von Heusen shirt belted into a skirt. These are things in that are worth experiencing at least once in your lifetime. And the drinks, though watery, are fairly cheap. The downside I suppose is there's a certain element that populate a bar with cheap drinks and pantless waitresses. A group of friends and mine were fairly inebriated when we went in, and decided we needed a better class of music. I made a selection of Michael McDonald/Kenny Loggins Yacht Rock classics. Another friend went more 80s new wave. A third went hardcore Metallica. When we left, one friend forgot his jacket and when he went back in to get it he heard "They invaded our bar and played all that shit music." I guess there's no accounting for taste. read more

OK, so the drinks are stupid cheap. That said, the rest of the Salty Dog experience is a two-star at best. The bar is shaped like a boat, which should be amazing, but there's sort of a lack of commitment there. The outside of the building just looks like a sub-par structure, lacking windows and basically, everything else. Put up a pirate flag at least! Something. The near-nudity of the bar staff is also somehow lacking. While I can totally get on board with the kitsch style, a). how does the Risky-Business-meets- 8-Mile look fit the boat theme?, b). if this isn't a strip club, why am I seeing full nudity?, and c). just plain WHY?? I love Risky Business, and maybe Risky Business on a boat, but there's a way to do it without the creepy desperation. And oh the music. Internet jukeboxes are a dangerous thing - too many options can lead to poor music choices ruining the ambiance- and in the Salty Dog it's even worse. Imagine poor music choices (all made by the bartender) with absolutely no continuity (moving from Que Sera, Sera-esque to no-name light rock 2000s) and turn the volume so loud that your eardrums vibrate. Finally, the thing that really ruined this bar for me- as a lover of dive bars, bad music, weird themes, and a lack of commitment are not enough to drive me away- but pretension? That is one thing I cannot abide. While it's a semi-kitschy night out in Madison Heights, there are so many better dives in the area with non-pretentious barstaff that it's not even really worth the effort. read more

This place ranks with Mystery Spot in St Ignace or The Heidelberg Project. It's something that not everyone will like but will be a conversation to be had several times in the future after arriving. As shown in the pictures, the place is shaped like a boat. It is very dark....very dark. It's hard to tell if it is really clean or not but glass half full optimism. The bartenders dress somewhat in the riskier side but nothing dirty. Drinks are very cheap 2 bucks for beers and 2 to 3 for shots. Standard Pool table, television, jukebox, and video games. They have food but I've never eaten here. I had taken my girlfriend a while back and she was ok going, but I could tel it isn't her place. She talks about it from time to time as if she had run a marathon...."I did it" and that her take on the place. This is someone's everyday bar, not mine but someone's. read more

As it's already been stated, the Salty Dog is in fact shaped like a big wooden pirate ship. Yet, somehow, I always miss it when I'm looking for it and have to turn around down the street. Is this a metaphor for the bar in general? Not really. It's true, the all-female bartending staff all wear flesh-colored leggings (sometimes no leggings at all), bikini bottoms and tops, and a long white button-down shirt unbuttoned and cinched at the waist with a belt. If you've been to enough dive bars, you've seen this sort of thing before. It's not that uncommon (see: The Bronco Bar in Livonia). I heard the prices went up recently, but the omnipresent beer special is draft Bud Light or draft Miller Lite, always served in a frosty mug. The last time I was there, the special was $1.63 per draft. My roommate claims they raised it to $1.65. We were there one time, and he asked why the beers were $1.63, and not a 'rounder' and easier to deal with number. The bartender said that the draft special was once $1.50, but one of the TVs broke, and they had to pay for it somehow. There are no tabs at The Salty Dog. If you sit at a table or at the bar and order food, you must pay for it right after you order. I suppose it isn't that odd, but I'm not used to this in a bar. I can handle paying for my drinks one at a time, but the food, too? By the way, the burgers are pretty good. So are the seasoned fries. And I've heard they make a mean ribwich. Otherwise, I've heard that some of the other food is pretty good bar food. The jukebox has some particularly odd choices. I feel like a well-rounded individual when it comes to music, but this jukebox is just damned confusing. Lots of stuff I'm not familiar with. And that's in addition to lots of country, and lots of bands like Journey and The Scorpions. They also have an electronic dartboard, two pool tables, and a bar shaped like the hull of a boat (read: v-shaped). The walls are all covered in wood planks, and the rest of the decor is reminiscent of a coastal crab shack in Massachusetts with lots of nautical-looking ropes and knick-knacks. When you first walk in the side-entrance, be careful. It's very dark in there, and smaller than you'd expect, and once you start walking towards the lounge area, there's one step going down. Don't trip. Note: not many women go to this bar. One time, a friend of mine was there and had to go to the bathroom. She went downstairs to the restroom (not as creepy as it initially seems), walked in, and found the female bartender in one of the stalls with the door wide open. Both were startled, but the bartender explained that she's not accustomed to having female customers and didn't bother closing the stall door. Then she offered my friend a job. (she didn't take up the offer) This is one of those bars that's less about the other people and more about making the best of what's available to you. It does have a certain tough-to-describe, yet inviting atmosphere, and I like it, but it's best when you bring at least one friend with you. Preferably a party-starter type. read more

Given that I come here from time to time, and that I've encouraged people to come here, I feel like I had to come back and update my review from my initial 2 star to where I think it actually deserves to be...at least based on what it is. Look, it's a dive bar, folks. One coin operated pool table. Internet controlled jukebox with which you can annoy the locals. Bartenders wearing no pants. It's a lot of fun to say to people: "Hey, wanna go to a bar shaped like a pirate ship?" Because they ALWAYS go "Hell yeah I wanna go to a bar shaped like a pirate ship!" ...and then you arrive...and you get them inside...and the reactions are amazing. Just take it for what it is, and go. read more

I stopped in here, for a beer after work. Drove by, and saw the ship, and just had to stop. After ordering a beer, I grabbed my iPhone and checked yelp to see if the food was any good. Started reading the reviews, and.... saw the "no pants" comments. And after a second look at the bartender... HOLY CRAP!.... No pants. Had a burger, and it was pretty good. read more

You've read about the pirate-ship shape of the place and the bartenders' costumes. This is fun and all, but there's rarely more than one girl working and the oddly-shaped bar gets crowded and cramped with all the guys trying to get near the lone woman in the place. This dive is not retro hipster cool. It's just a dive, which does make it appealing. read more

How is this place even open? I'll admit to being a bit of a beer enthusiast (card carrying member of MI Beer...seriously), but the bartender's response to their beers was shocking. Our go to lawnmower beer is Coors Light, and it's understandable that not every place carries it, but the bartender said "We only have Bud, Bud Light, & LaBatt Blue, and our draft beer is just bad". I don't even know what's on draft, only that it's bad. My friend ordered a 7&7, which even I know is Seagrams 7 and 7-UP (Sprite), but the bartender had no clue. Her husband ordered a shot of Jamison because he saw the bottle and knew she couldn't screw it up. The light in the kitchen was off, but I'm not sure I'd want to eat anything that came out of that kitchen. Our group of 7 doubled the number of people in the tiny little space. If 3 more people had walked in, it would have appeared crowded. Maybe the smell of strangers on a Saturday night would have covered up the stale cigarette smoke smell. This was 2 trips in one, our first & last. It seriously made On The Rocks up the road seemed like a really nice, super popular place after visiting Salty Dog. read more

love a dirty little bar and thought this might be a great dive bar. boy, were we wrong. they barely carry any drink options, including beers. and, i really wasn't a fan of the bartenders butt cheeks hanging out of her tiny shorts. they didn't even have any shots when we asked for some pretty basic stuff. overall, not a great time, and certainly not worth a return visit. love, juston read more

A must one time stop, if you enjoy strange out of way places. I happen to, as you only live once I think. Quite a hoot. Stopped in with another couple after dinner on v day night. Much like all the other reviews say dark and dank upon entering. Quite an older crowd of all guys seated around a bar. The barmaid was dressed in lingerie only. Patrons seemed to love that. She turned out to be quite friendly. Drinks were cheap, but no selection at all. Ended up with shots and beers. 1 more place off my bucket list. read more

Love this place! It's divey, dirty, trashy and the clientele are the same. Madison Heights is not NYC, LA or Chicago and the Salty Dog is perfect here. Some drunk guy offered my husband 10 bucks to let me go home with him. I didn't and I'm still regretting it. Don't come here if you are snob. Do come here for a crappy drink with people you will talk to for one and only one night and never remember them again. All good at the Salty Dog! I may just have to go back and see if that $10 is still in play! read more

This has to be my favorite dive bar ever. I mean the building is shaped like a boat, it is hot and sticky, the barkeeps don't wear pants, their tits are out and the clientele is the weirdest mix of weirdos you could ever imagine. Totally awesome! Warning: if you play Iggy Pop on the juke a smelly methy/cracky/heroiny dude will instantly appear and dance around the pool table getting unwelcomingly close to you and everyone else while he plays air bass guitar on a cue stick. He wears a trucker hat that says "6 mile" and has a less active fellow in tow. It is my ambition to meet the person whom owns or manages this place. I am fascinated to know the method behind this madness. read more

This place is NASTY. We came here after our softball game thinking it would be a good time but we were so wrong. Walking in, it's so dark you can't see anything. You turn to your left and walk down a narrow hallway with a floor that tilts downwards as you walk. It's super narrow the whole way through. As I walked past the bar I spotted the bartender, who was wearing a shirt with no pants and definitely no bra. I would have PAID her to put some clothes on. Unfortunately the ladies here do not look like the ladies at Hooters - they are not the kind you want to see undressed. There were 2 other creep-tastic old guys sitting at the bar and one went to the jukebox and began playing some kind of psychadelic music that sounded like a hundred cats dying. We had one beer and decided to leave because the place was just so FRIGGIN WEIRD. read more

Ordered a draft beer and it came back flat and smelled of vinegar. Took a small sip and it was literally undrinkable. I mean I'll drink just about anything but that was disgusting. Don't come here and if you do don't order draft. Nothing else was redeemable about this place. read more

Sure, everyone knows that the Salty Dog is the best place to see an up and coming band in Detroit, and it's shaped like a boat, but most people did not know that it is also a registered historic landmark. Apparently George Washington slept there or something. The drinks are cheap and taste like it, the staff is crazy hot and dressed to kill, and the ambiance is classic Blackbeard meets interstate rest-stop. If you are truly in the know (which you probably aren't if you are reading internet reviews of a bar), then you know that the truly underground music scene is erupting from this place. But you gotta know Ron, or Ronn to get in. Trans Am is optional, but highly recommended. Give the place a chance, it's guaranteed to blow you away on one level or another. read more

Arrrgghhhh!!!!! It's the Salty Dog!!!! It's a cool dive bar. Drinks are cheap. I went on a Friday and drafts were $2 and mixed drinks were $2.50. The mixed drinks weren't super strong but not too bad. The beer selection is something to be desired with 3 on tap. Nothing else, that's it. The female waitress was wearing a potato sack and not much more. I saw nipple approximately 5 times when I was there. Gross but you can't help but look. It'd be a cool place to get into a fight, I would imagine. A good mix of old vets and some yo dawgs blasting hip hop. The juke box is cool as it's those computerized ones with a crazy digital library so you can blast whatever the hell you want. I'd def go back with a bunch of friends... read more

Wanted to like this place, shit...it's boat shaped bar afterall!..walked in to instant fail. Hot as an oven. Old pervy men abound. Only girl there was a braless bitchy bartender (I'm not single, just sayin'). The place stank like sewer. It is dark for a reason, i.e. call Bar Rescue...better yet, call the health dpt. Went to pay and the gum smackin' hussy says 'cash only' our ATM is broke too, go to the gas station across the street...then when i talked to the mgr, he said 'been tryin' to get it fixed, outta my hands' NEVER AGAIN. Nasty. Tear it down. read more

Exactly what you want in a dive bar! Quick service, random music and people.. What else is needed?

I've been reading and keeping updated on reviews since my horrible visit! I'm amazed a bit that anyone would think my review I posted is funny in anyway! To be treated as a paying customer the way I was because I had a broken ankle along with multiple sclerosis is not something to laugh about... It's hard to live with this illness and to have a business treat a handicapped person the way I was is unexceptable! Come on people, put yourself in my shoes and laugh! I haven't been back since, however I'm am going back that way soon and it's not to have a beer, it's to advocate for people like myself and the only way to do that is go back and get the proof I need to make sure no other person that has an illness will feel the way I did... I would say thanks for the support and to any that did find my review helpful in a serious way I'm am thankful! I'll post my next review after my return, stay tuned if your one of the readers who took my post with thought and not a laugh... Having an illness is hard enough I don't think it's something funny and I hope maybe this review will at least stop the laughs. Either way I'm still moving forward for the right reasons! Stay away from this dirty, nasty, bar with bar tenders that look like hookers. Come on girls respect yourself, you look trashy dressing that way! Dress it up and show it off gracefully not like trailer trash! Just my opinion, maybe your tips will go up! Who wants to even look at a nasty chick let alone extra tip you. Only the creeps! Game on! To be continued.... read more

Is it true that the owner is a nephew of the actor who played grandpa on the tv show "The Munsters"? I read that somewhere...

I wish I could give negative stars. This place is a huge joke. A friend of mine organized a group of people to come and have fun at a bar that's always dead, and has made it on a few lists of bars not to go to. The bartender was extremely rude and disrespectful. She stopped us at the door and refused to let us in. She said that we were causing a scene and disturbing her regulars. She shoved one of the guys in our group telling us to leave. She then refused to serve anyone, even the "regulars" she also started screaming at us for taking pictures of our group. She said that we couldn't take pictures in a burlesque bar. How it's it a burlesque bar with no entertainment? We tried to explain that we just wanted to bring business to this dive bar. She also told us that she didn't need our money and she didn't need or want our tips. We did however end up taking our business too Celinas, another local bar, where they were happy to take in the group and they served all of us. read more