Bringing Speakeasy Culture Back to Detroit
Sugar House opened in 2011, before Corktown had a single Michelin star or a renovated train station. The neighborhood needed a bar that took cocktails seriously. We built one.
"Detroit demanded a craft cocktail bar. We answered."
Dave Kwiatkowski, Founder
Est. 2011
Our Story
Detroit's speakeasy revival started with Café D'Mongo's Speakeasy, which opened in 2007 and proved the city was ready for a different kind of bar. Sugar House followed in 2011 with a different angle.
Named for the sugarhouses of the Prohibition era where illegal spirits were made and sold, we brought the tradition of craft bartending back to a city that had largely forgotten it.
The idea was straightforward: classic cocktails, made properly, in a room worth sitting in. No gimmicks, no bottle service, no televisions. A bartender, a guest, and a well-made drink.
2130 Michigan Avenue
The Building
The commercial building at 2130 Michigan Avenue was constructed for an R. Campau sometime between the mid-1880s and late 1890s. It's one of the oldest structures in Detroit's oldest neighborhood.
When we took the space, the renovation was intentional. Keep what the building already had, add only what it needed. The original brick, the pressed tin, the wood — that's the building, not us. We just put a bar in it.
Built
c. 1880s–1890s
Neighborhood
Corktown, Detroit
How We Work
The Craft
Made from Scratch
Every cocktail built from scratch. We juice our own citrus, make our own syrups, and produce our own line of house-made bitters. Nothing comes from a gun or a box.
101 Classics
The menu covers over a century of cocktail history. From pre-Prohibition standards to mid-century classics. Plus a seasonal rotation that changes quarterly.
We Teach What We Know
Our mixology classes are hands-on. You'll learn the technique behind the drinks and build three cocktails yourself. No slideshows, no spectating.
The Neighborhood
Corktown, Detroit
Corktown is Detroit's oldest neighborhood, settled by Irish immigrants in the 1830s. For decades it was a quiet residential neighborhood overshadowed by downtown. That started changing around 2010.
Sugar House was part of that change. When we opened, Michigan Avenue had a handful of bars and restaurants. Now Corktown is one of the most recognized neighborhoods in the Midwest — home to Michigan Central Station, a growing list of nationally recognized restaurants, and a community that looks out for each other.
The people who built Corktown are the same people who've been sitting at our bar for over a decade.
Plan Your Visit1830s
Irish immigrants settle Detroit’s west side. The neighborhood takes its name from County Cork, Ireland.
c. 1880s
The building at 2130 Michigan Avenue is constructed for R. Campau. Corktown fills with homes, shops, and corner bars serving the working neighborhood.
1912
Navin Field opens at Michigan and Trumbull, replacing the old wooden Bennett Park. Corktown becomes the home of Detroit Tigers baseball.
1920s
Prohibition turns Detroit into the bootlegging capital of the country. 75% of smuggled alcohol crosses the Windsor-Detroit corridor. Speakeasies outnumber churches.
1930s
Michigan Avenue is widened from 66 to 120 feet. Half of Corktown’s commercial buildings on the south side are demolished to make room.
1978
Corktown is listed on the National Register of Historic Places, protecting what remains of the neighborhood’s original architecture.
1988
Michigan Central Station closes. The last Amtrak train departs January 5th. The neighborhood enters a long, quiet period.
2011
Sugar House opens at 2130 Michigan Ave. One of the earliest craft cocktail bars in Detroit.
2018
Ford Motor Company purchases Michigan Central Station for $90 million. Corktown’s transformation accelerates.
2024
Michigan Central Station reopens after a $740 million renovation. Corktown draws national attention.
Today
Corktown is one of the Midwest’s most recognized neighborhoods. We’re still at the same bar, on the same block.
Recognition
In the Press
- Whisky Advocate America's Top Whisky Bars 2026 2026
- Plate & Press Date Night in Detroit 2026
- Hour Detroit Best of Detroit — Cocktail Bar 2025
- Hour Detroit Best Bar to Take a Date 2023
- Hour Detroit Celebrate Female Bartenders 2021
- James Beard Foundation Semifinalist, Outstanding Bar Program 2020
- Tales of the Cocktail Regional Nominee, Best American Cocktail Bar 2020
- Bourbon Review America's Best Bourbon Bars 2019
- Esquire 21 Best Bars in America 2018
- Hour Detroit Best of Detroit — Best Bartender 2018
- Detroit Free Press Optimistic About Detroit 2017
- Tasting Panel Magazine Broker's Bowlers Cup 2015
Planning Something Bigger?
Private Events &
Off-Site Bartending
We host private parties, corporate events, birthday celebrations, and provide bartending services at your venue. We've been doing this for over a decade.
Common Questions