Detroit — It was a balmy July night when I first stumbled upon Detroit’s oldest downtown bar, Jacoby’s. I had gotten off work later than usual and was looking for a decent place to eat. As I searched for prospects, Jacoby’s Biergarten appeared, located between the Wayne County Courthouse and Legends Gentlemen’s Club in Bricktown.
Known for its historic brick buildings from the mid-1800s, Bricktown has some of Detroit’s crown jewels. The stunning Saints Peter and Paul Catholic Church on the west side was built in 1844. Not just an another stop on the People Mover, this neighborhood is renowned for its restaurants and bars. In a town that once brimmed with German immigrants, Jacoby’s has successfully preserved the ethnic flair of the neighborhood’s roots.
As I opened the door to Jacoby’s, my heart lifted. Stunning woodwork on the ceiling, walls, and bar made you feel as if you had been transported back to Detroit’s heyday. Additionally, the bar was filled with German antiques, giving an authentic early immigrant feel to the establishment.
As I sat down, I couldn’t help but notice the eclectic clientele that filled the bar. Far from the gloomy surroundings, Jacoby’s was alive with a mix of patrons—young, old, upper-class, lower-class, and people speaking German. All seemed to be distinctly wholesome.
The food and beer were authentically German and of premium quality, especially for it being near 1 a.m. As the true kraut I am, I went with the Weinerschnitzel and spaetzel—the German equivalent of chicken tenders and mac n’ cheese.
The variety of imported German beer on the menu was astonishing. From weissbiers to dunkels, Jacoby’s had just about every German beer under the sun. Given that I was in one of Detroit’s oldest bars, it was only appropriate that I drank a beer from the world’s oldest brewery, Weihenstephaner. A local favorite at Jacoby’s is the Korbinian, named after a famous bear-taming German saint.
How was a restaurant steeped in old Detroit traditions able to thrive for over a century? I began to wonder. German stubbornness is a determining factor.
Albert Jacoby was a locally known bartender in the late 1800s. Hailing from Germany, he always had a good taste for his fatherland’s cuisine, which is how he met his wife, Minna, who worked as a chef.
When the opportunity arose to own their own biergarten in 1904, they went for it. At a time when women were not even allowed in bars, Minna was running one.
“If these walls could talk,” recounts current General Manager George Harlan.
Jacoby’s has seen a lot through the years. The riots in the late 1960s that tore Detroit in half could not stop Jacoby’s. A fire in 1989 consumed a large portion of the 150-year old building but did not put the bar out of business. Despite all of it, Jacoby’s has survived and thrived.
“The wood carvings on the ceiling and bar are still the original mahogany from 1904,” said Harlan. “They just don’t make things like that anymore”.
How was Jacoby’s able to persevere through some of the city’s hardest times? The answer is joy. Joy of what they do.
“You are a stranger here but once,” reiterates Harlan.
“We have people who come here from all over the world that appreciate our family atmosphere.”
Whether it’s upper-class businessmen looking to hash out some yearly projections or blue-collar stiffs hoping to relax, everyone can find good beer and good company here.
Ray Hilbrich is a minor league baseball player in Utica, Michigan. He is an avid enjoyer of sports, America, and a good cigar.
